Auto Dealership Mystery Shopping:
Jobs, Pay and Test Drives
Auto dealership mystery shopping allows you to get paid for evaluating the customer service experience at automobile dealerships. You visit as a potential buyer, interact with a salesperson, and report what happened. Some assignments even require a test drive or hidden video recording.
I've completed numerous dealership mystery shops over the years, including assignments that paid hundreds of dollars.
Want more help getting started? My book, Take That Job And Mystery Shop It!, walks you through finding assignments, completing shops, writing reports, and avoiding many of the mistakes new shoppers make.
How Does Auto Dealership Mystery Shopping Work?
Automobile dealerships hire mystery shopping companies to evaluate their salespeople, showroom conditions, and customer service.
After registering with a mystery shopping company, you can apply for available dealership assignments. If selected, you'll receive instructions explaining what the client expects.
You may be asked to evaluate:
- How quickly a salesperson greets you.
- Whether the showroom and surrounding areas are clean.
- The salesperson's friendliness and product knowledge.
- Whether the salesperson asks about your vehicle needs.
- How the salesperson explains financing, promotions, and vehicle features.
- Whether a test drive is offered.
- How the salesperson handles objections.
- Whether the salesperson follows up after your visit.
You don't have to be an automobile expert, but you must follow the assignment instructions carefully.
Visiting the Dealership
During most of my assignments, I entered the showroom and waited for a salesperson to approach me.
Once the conversation started, I listened carefully to the presentation and observed how the salesperson handled my questions.
Some assignments required me to raise objections about pricing or vehicle features to evaluate the salesperson's response.
Many assignments also involved a test drive. Sometimes I drove, while other times the salesperson drove. In my experience, I was never alone during a test drive.
If the instructions require a test drive, you should be prepared to participate when permitted. You'll need to show them your driver's license and have them photocopy it.
The goal is to evaluate the sales experience, not purchase a vehicle. In the assignments I've completed, I eventually explained that I wasn't ready to buy and left without entering the credit application process.
What Happens After the Visit?
Many dealership assignments require shoppers to evaluate the salesperson's follow-up.
I've received telephone calls, texts, and emails within minutes of leaving a dealership—other assignments required waiting several days to see whether the salesperson contacted me.
Follow-up periods and reporting deadlines vary, so always check the instructions before submitting your report.
How Much Do Auto Dealership Mystery Shopping Jobs Pay?
I've completed dealership assignments paying $50 or more. Some assignments involving additional travel or specialized recording equipment paid considerably more.
One of my most profitable experiences involved three video mystery shopping assignments approximately 200 miles from home.
Each assignment paid $300.
I scheduled all three dealership visits on the same day, earning $900 in assignment fees during one trip.
Of course, that wasn't $900 in profit. I still had fuel expenses, vehicle wear, travel time, and reporting work. However, combining the three assignments made the trip worthwhile.
Payment varies by company, location, and assignment requirements. These figures reflect my personal experiences, not guaranteed current rates.
Video Mystery Shopping at Dealerships
Some of my assignments involved concealed video and audio equipment.
Video mystery shopping allows dealership management to review the actual sales presentation and evaluate how employees interact with customers. It's a great training tool to properly train salespeople. An employer to correct mistakes they make and praise them for doing something right.
These assignments require additional preparation, equipment knowledge, and compliance with applicable recording laws and company instructions.
I recommend gaining experience with regular written assignments before attempting more complicated video shops. Once you get adjusted to carrying around hidden equipment, you find yourself looking for mostly video assignments.
Video mystery shopping assignments usually pay twice as much as written assignments.
Learn more about video mystery shopping.
Are Dealership Mystery Shopping Assignments Worth It?
They can be, especially if you enjoy automobiles and observing how salespeople interact with customers.
However, consider the payment, travel distance, time spent at the dealership, follow-up requirements, and reporting workload before accepting an assignment.
A higher-paying assignment isn't always the most profitable.
I've learned that selecting worthwhile assignments is just as important as completing them correctly.
About the Author
I'm Mystery Don (Donald J. Servais, Jr.), and I've completed mystery shopping assignments for restaurants, hotels, apartment communities, automobile dealerships, new home builders, and other businesses.
I created MystShopper.com to share what I've learned from my own experiences, help new shoppers avoid common mistakes, and explain how legitimate mystery shopping really works.
I'm also the author of Take That Job And Mystery Shop It!, which includes beginner-friendly advice, real-world mystery shopping experiences, and a directory of more than 150 mystery shopping companies.
Drawing on my 45-year career in television, I've also written 7 Keys to Success in a Changing Television Industry, a guide for people interested in building a career in television and video.
My goal is simple: honest guidance without the hype.
We're always looking for new faces to visit different places.
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