INTERNET LEADS
2025 PERFORMANCE COMPARISON BY INDUSTRY
Response to customer web inquiries in 2025 had large variation by industry , as shown by these examples :
“ Answered Question ” - How often did the dealerships email or text an answer to a website customer ’ s question ?
Industry averages : 46 % Tractor vs . 50 % Powersport & 59 % Automotive
“ Phoned Customer ” - How often did the dealerships respond by phone to a website customer ’ s inquiry ?
Industry averages : 25 % Tractor vs . 45 % Powersport & 68 % Automotive
“ Did at least one ” - How often did the dealerships email or text an answer to a website customer ’ s question and / or respond by phone ? Industry averages : 60 % Tractor vs . 70 %
Powersport & 81 % Automotive
“ Did both ” - How often did the dealerships email or text an answer to a website customer ’ s question and also phone the customer ?
Industry averages : 11 % Tractor vs . 26 % Powersport & 44 % Automotive
“ Failed to Respond ” - How often did the website customer fail to receive a response of any type ( email , text , or phone call )?
Industry averages : 20 % Tractor vs . 10 % Powersport & 7 % Automotive
Kubota dealerships ranked highest in the 2025 Pied Piper PSI Internet Lead Effectiveness ( ILE )
Compact Tractor Industry Study . From left to right : Derric Lookenbill , Kubota Director , Dealer Development , Casey Quigg , Kubota Senior Manager , Dealer Development , Fran O ’ Hagan , Pied Piper CEO , Cameron O ’ Hagan , Pied Piper VP Metrics & Analytics and Alwyn du Toit ,
Pied Piper VP Clients & Partnerships
The average Kubota ILE score in 2025 increased from 37 to 42 , the largest gain among compact tractor brands . The percentage of Kubota dealers scoring over 80 rose from 6 % in 2024 to 10 % in 2025 , exceeding the 2025 industry average of 4 %. Dealers scoring below 40 dropped slightly from 47 % to 46 %, well below the industry average of 59 %. Kubota dealers responded to customers via multiple communication paths 21 % of the time , compared to the 11 % industry average .
Opportunity for improvement
The behavior most likely to boost compact tractor sales is adopting a multi-channel communication strategy instead of responding to customers using only email , only phone , or only text . Many customers miss emails , ignore calls , or get overwhelmed by texts . Successful dealerships respond via multiple channels to ensure contact and then switch to the customer ’ s preferred method for future communication . In the 2025 ILE study , 60 % of compact tractor dealers relied on a single channel , while only 11 % used multiple channels . Performance varied widely among brands — 21 % of Kubota dealers used multiple paths , compared to less than 5 % for New Holland , Bobcat , McCormick , or Case . In comparison , auto and powersports dealers fared better , with 44 % and 26 % using multiple channels , respectively .
Lookenbill said it ’ s about campaign reinforcement . “ A couple years ago , a lot of dealers didn ’ t know what we meant by ‘ omni channel ’ sales communication . Now , many more of them know and understand omni channel . They ’ re putting it to work to make the most of internet leads .”
24 OPE + March 2025 www . OPE-Plus . com