Foureyes Study: Where Sales Actually Happen and Why Most Stores Miss Them

Foureyes analyzed over 8M dealership sales opportunities from the first half of 2025, and the results show a pattern that’s easy to overlook but impossible to ignore once you see it.

Sales don’t trickle in evenly over 30 days. They spike, then stall. And the real problem isn’t where customers are. It’s where dealers stop paying attention.

Here’s how the sales timeline plays out and what to change if your team is following up the way everyone else does.

Day 1 to Day 3

Most sales happen in the first three days. Not half. Not most by a little. By over 73%. The drop-off after that is immediate and sharp. If a lead hits your CRM and doesn’t hear from someone quickly, the odds of closing that customer drop fast.

Day 4 to Day 30

One in four sales still closes after Day 3. But most stores stop working the lead like it’s worth anything. The follow-up slows down. The energy fades. Customers don’t say they’re gone. They just stop answering.

That isn’t a lead quality problem. It’s a follow-up problem.

The solution isn’t more automation. It’s consistent, relevant contact after the initial rush. If you only follow up hard in the first three days, you’re giving up on a quarter of your revenue stream.

Used vs New

Used car shoppers buy faster. Nearly 80 percent of used deals close within the first 72 hours. New car deals are a little slower, with about 70 percent closing in the same period. Over a full 30-day cycle, new cars finish slightly ahead in total close rate.

This isn’t about comparing good versus bad. It’s about understanding how fast each customer type moves. Used buyers expect immediate answers. New buyers often need more time. If your process handles both the same way, you’re not serving either one well.

Lead Sources: Where Closing Power Lives

Walk-ins close best. Phone calls are next. Internet forms come last. Walk-ins close at 41 percent. Phone leads come in just under 25 percent. Internet leads land at 7 percent.

This doesn’t mean internet leads are bad. It means they follow a different rhythm. They often need more touches and better timing. If your team treats every internet form like a walk-in, you’ll burn out the rep and lose the customer.

Your process should match the source. Track engagement early. Make sure follow-up frequency increases when customers go quiet. Silence is not the same thing as no interest.

End of the Month

Foureyes found that leads submitted in the last seven days of the month are more likely to close than those that came in earlier. Not by a mile, but enough to matter.

This happens because customers feel urgency. So do sales teams. The energy level is higher. Every call has a purpose.

If your team saves their best efforts for the last week, try implementing friendly internal games or challenges to maintain that pumped up vibe the whole month long.

Understanding OEM Differences

Some brands naturally bring in shoppers who need more time. BMW and Mercedes buyers close later more often than other brands. Roughly 35 percent of those deals happen after Day 3. Toyota, Mazda, and Subaru also trend higher for delayed closes.

If your rooftop represents these brands, your post-Day 3 follow-up process needs to be tight. Otherwise, you’re dropping hot leads just because they’re not ready right away.

What to Fix

The point of this data isn’t to confirm what’s wrong. It’s to show where to look for what’s missing. Most leads don’t go cold. They go quiet. Then they close somewhere else.

Start here:

• Follow up like Day 4 still matters. Because it does.

• Build separate playbooks for used and new. One size does not fit either.

• Give your team the tools to treat phone leads like high-value customers. Because they are.

• Make sure internet leads stay active in your CRM past Day 3. Don’t just dump them into a lost pile.

• Match follow-up timing to how your brand's buyers behave.

This isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing better with what’s already in front of you.