Salesperson Performance Takes a Small Step Back

Sometimes it’s about when you start telling a story that can alter the narrative. CDK began publishing the Salesperson Performance report last quarter. And in those first three months of 2026, salespeople were outperforming the annual averages we’ve tracked for the past three years. That high bar is somewhat unfortunate as strong results CDK recorded in Q2 are lower than in Q1, even if higher against the historical average.

We have years of data but just began publishing it in this fashion this year. The data is collected as part of our Ease of Purchase study where CDK tracks how easy it is to complete the process to buy a car. The salesperson is an integral part of that process.

That’s why we ask car buyers if they agreed to the five following statements when it came to their interactions with their salesperson:

• The salesperson made efficient use of my time. 
• The salesperson provided clear explanations throughout the process. 
• The salesperson demonstrated their product expertise. 
• The salesperson was, at all times, professional. 
• By the end of all the steps to purchase this vehicle, the salesperson earned my trust.

The Results

This quarter, each question saw a drop of two to six percentage points versus Q1 2026. But three out of the five were higher than they were in Q2 of 2025. The top area for salespeople remains professionalism, which has been ranked highest since the Ease of Purchase study began. In Q2, 86% of buyers said the salesperson was, at all times, professional, up from 84% in Q2 2025 but down from a very high 90% in Q1 of this year.

Generally, these scores also sway along with the overall Ease of Purchase score and that proved true in Q2 as well. This quarter, 82% of car buyers said the purchase process was easy. That’s below the annual average over the past three years and below Q1’s 85%, which was higher than 2025’s average of 84%. That doesn’t mean the lower salesperson scores alone brought the total down, but it likely didn’t improve the overall performance of the Front Office during a deal either.

What They Said

To get a better understanding of why the scores landed where they did, we unpacked what car buyers had to say about their interactions with their salesperson. Last quarter, we had a few negative comments that respondents relayed. But this quarter, there weren’t clear-cut negatives from respondents when they were given an open field to tell us about the salesperson. The salespeople who elicited praise covered all the bases.

Salespeople who did it right: 

• "They were fair and very helpful … and we felt like we were heard by our salesperson." 
• "I had a great salesperson who knew how to explain all the features and he was great at helping me negotiate pricing with the finance department." 
• "The easiest [part of the] process was having an energetic salesman who really showed an interest in making the deal go through with us." 
• "I felt the salesperson was extremely friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. [They] made me feel welcomed and valued." 
• "The salesperson was very helpful. They weren't just trying to sell me a vehicle, they listened to me so I could get exactly what I wanted." 
• "The salesperson was very patient with me as I asked a lot of questions."

While we didn't have feedback on those who missed the mark, there was one word that came up over and over again throughout the responses: pushy.

Numerous car buyers said that they liked their salesperson because they weren't "pushy." It’s hard to quantify what tactics take a positive interaction to negative, but salespeople and Sales leaders should aim to avoid crossing the line from trying to secure a deal into an appearance of being "pushy."