CRM & sales process
Tips to Deliver the Best Customer Experience to Powersports Cross-Shoppers
How to spot a powersports cross-shopper, compare models honestly (even brands you don't carry), win on what your store controls and follow up after they leave.
Quick answer
To sell to cross-shoppers at a powersports dealership, treat comparison as normal: find out what else they are considering, compare models honestly on their riding needs, including brands you don't carry, and win on what your store controls, such as speed, expertise, service, delivery and community. Then follow up with a written comparison when they leave to think.
When we first published this post in 2019, it opened with a warning: "Today, you cannot count on customers visiting your dealership just because you carry the brand of ATV they like." It went on: "Many consumers today are brand agnostic and will happily shop with multiple companies."
That shopper is now the normal case, not the exception. This guide is for the sales manager and the salespeople on a powersports floor. It covers how to recognize a cross-shopper, how to compare models honestly, including brands you don't sell, how to win on the things your store controls, and what to do when the customer leaves to "think about it."
For the wider picture, see our guides to what customer experience means at a dealership, how to improve the customer experience and how to measure it. This one stays on the cross-shopper.
Why cross-shopping is the normal case
A cross-shopper is anyone comparing your unit or your store with another before they buy: another brand's model, the same model at another dealer, a used machine, or all three. In powersports the comparisons are easy to make. Spec sheets, owner forums, video reviews and other dealers' prices are all on the customer's phone, which is part of how powersports buyer expectations have changed since 2019.
Rollick's 2023 survey of nearly 27,000 powersports, RV and marine shoppers found that 64% visited manufacturer or brand websites and 58.6% visited dealer websites, and that shoppers also made significant use of independent sources such as community social media pages. Rollick read this as a preference for "a mix of direct brand information and independent third-party evaluations." The same survey found powersports purchases "typically conclude within a month or less."
So the cross-shopper is usually informed, usually short on time, and usually deciding between two or three options. That is good news. A customer comparing you with one other store is a customer you can win.
How to recognize a cross-shopper
Most cross-shoppers will tell you, if you listen. Common signals:
- They name another model or brand ("How does this compare with the RZR?").
- They have a spec sheet, a screenshot or another dealer's quote on their phone.
- They ask for the out-the-door price early, before a test ride.
- They ask about service wait times, parts availability or warranty work.
- Their trade-in is a brand you don't carry.
- They say they have "a couple more places to look at."
Don't treat any of these as a threat. Ask, early and plainly: "What else are you looking at?" and "What do you like about it?" The answers tell you what they value and what you have to beat. Write them in the customer record so the next person who talks to them doesn't ask again.
What cross-shoppers compare and how to answer
| What they compare | What they are really asking | How to answer |
|---|---|---|
| Specs (engine, suspension, seating, towing) | Will it do what I ride? | Compare on their use: trail width, passengers, terrain, hauling. Specs only matter in that context |
| Price | Am I paying more here? | Give a written out-the-door price with every fee named, so they compare like for like |
| Availability | Can I ride it this season? | Say exactly what is on the lot, in transit or on order, with honest dates |
| Trade value | Is the other store giving me more? | Show how you valued the trade, and look at the full deal, not one line |
| Warranty and service | Who looks after it after I buy? | Explain service turnaround, who does warranty work, and parts on hand |
| Brand reputation and resale | Will I regret this brand? | Acknowledge the other brand's strengths; point to owner experience and your service record |
| Accessories and setup | What will it cost to make it mine? | Price the accessories they need now, and offer to install before delivery |
| The store itself | Why buy from you? | Name what you do that the other store doesn't: delivery, rides, events, service hours |
The last row is the one most salespeople skip. If the only reason you give is the machine, a cross-shopper can buy the same machine anywhere.
How to compare models honestly, including brands you don't carry
This is the part most sales advice leaves out: what to say about a brand your store doesn't sell. The temptation is to steer the customer away from it. Independent data shows it happens often. In Pied Piper's 2018 Prospect Satisfaction Index study of the US UTV industry, based on mystery shoppers, salespeople tried to sell Textron, CFMoto, Yamaha and Kymco customers another brand "more than 25% of the time," while less than 10% of Bobcat, John Deere or Mahindra customers were steered to competitor brands.
Steering is not always wrong. Sometimes the machine you carry really fits better. But a customer who came in wanting another brand will notice a hard switch, and an informed cross-shopper will check what you said. Compare honestly instead:
- Ask what they like about the other model. Let them make the case first. It shows you which features they care about.
- Agree where it is strong. If the other machine has more ground clearance or a better seat, say so. Your credibility on everything else depends on it.
- Compare on their riding, not on the brochure. "You said you ride tight wooded trails with one passenger" is a better basis than horsepower.
- Show the differences that matter to them, side by side, in writing, with the source (the OEM spec page, not memory).
- Never run down the other brand or its dealer. Talk about what you know: the machine in front of you and the service behind it.
- If the other machine fits them better, say so. Then offer what you can: a used unit of that brand, service and parts for it, or accessories. A customer you were honest with comes back for service, and tells friends.
None of this needs you to know every competitor model by heart. It needs a habit of checking the OEM spec page with the customer rather than guessing.
Win on what the store controls
The unit and its price are the easiest things for another dealer to match. What a cross-shopper can't get everywhere is your store. Our guide to how powersports dealerships differentiate covers this in depth; for the cross-shopper, five things decide most deals:
- Speed. Answer the inquiry fast, with the question answered. In Pied Piper's 2026 study of 2,133 powersports dealership websites, only 47% of dealers answered the customer's question by email or text, and only 13% offered an appointment. A fast, specific reply often wins before the comparison even starts.
- Expertise. A salesperson who rides, knows the trails and can explain the difference between two machines honestly is worth more than a discount.
- Service. Cross-shoppers ask about service because they have heard stories. Give real turnaround times and introduce them to the service writer.
- Delivery. Promise a delivery that is ready, set up and explained: accessories installed, controls walked through, first-service date booked.
- Community. Group rides, events, and owner clubs are reasons to buy from you that no other store can copy quickly.
Say these out loud. A reason to buy from your dealership only counts if the customer hears it.
When they leave to "think about it"
Most cross-shoppers leave without buying on the first visit. That is the moment most stores lose them, because nobody has a reason to call. Turn the visit into a follow-up plan before they walk out:
- Get their contact details and preferred channel, with consent to text if that is what they prefer. In Pied Piper's 2018 UTV study, dealers of some brands asked for contact information less than 35% of the time.
- Agree on the next step and a date: "I'll text you the comparison tonight and check in Thursday."
- Write down the comparison in the customer record: the other model, the other store's quote if they shared it, and what matters to them.
- Send a written side-by-side the same day, with your out-the-door price, availability and what comes with buying from you.
- Follow up on the agreed date with something new: a ride time, an accessory price, a unit arriving.
- Get a manager's eyes on the deal if it stalls. Managers who coach without micromanaging step in when invited or when a deal stalls. A fresh look often finds the real objection.
- Keep the conversation open after that, with occasional, relevant re-engagement rather than daily "just checking in" messages.
Texting has consent rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. This is general information, not legal advice; our guide to the follow-up cadence covers timing in more detail.
Cross-shopper checklist for the sales floor
- Asked what else they are considering, and what they like about it.
- Recorded the competing model, store and quote in the customer record.
- Compared on their riding needs, using the OEM spec page.
- Gave a written out-the-door price.
- Named at least two reasons to buy from this store.
- Captured contact details, preferred channel and consent.
- Set a follow-up date the customer agreed to.
Where PSX Ascend fits
Cross-shoppers are won or lost on memory: who said what, which model they were comparing, which day you promised to call. The PSX Ascend AI-powered powersports CRM keeps history, preferences and trade-in details in one customer profile, and connects shoppers across phone, text and email while your team stays in control.
PSX promotes a simple follow-up model: associates work each lead with quick touches and leave detailed notes and an accurate disposition, managers are prompted to review stalled deals, and then ALMA, the Automated Lead Management Assistant in AMP, our marketing automation platform, takes over the repetitive work of re-engaging shoppers who chose not to buy yet. It brings them back to a live conversation with a person, so your salespeople can close deals rather than chase them. ALMA makes no AI voice calls.
You can also see the same AI-powered powersports CRM on our sister site, PSXDigital's AI-powered powersports CRM page.
Sources
- Rollick, The Future of Buying: Navigating Powersport Consumer Trends, 2023 survey of nearly 27,000 powersports, RV and marine shoppers.
- Pied Piper Management Company, BRP's Can-Am UTV Side-by-Side Dealers Ranked First by 2018 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) Study, press release, May 7, 2018 (US UTV industry, mystery shoppers).
- Pied Piper Management Company, Indian Motorcycle Ranked Highest in 2026 Web Lead Response Study; Industry Enters 5th Year of Stagnant Performance, press release, March 23, 2026 (2,133 powersports dealership websites).
- 47 CFR 64.1200, Delivery restrictions (FCC TCPA rules), eCFR.