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Recent Press - Dealership Ratings (Page 4)
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TIME: Business & Money
Whodathunkit? Auto Dealerships Realize Responding to Customer E-mails Helps to Sell Cars
March 2013
For a while, some car dealerships have seemed somewhat ambivalent about e-mail inquiries from consumers. Sure, they represented potential sales leads. But it was assumed that online shoppers were even less serious about buying than on-site looky-loos. How commissions are usually doled out to dealership staffers further complicates matters. Nonetheless, because modern-day consumers demand info via the Web—and more importantly, because answering ... Read More >
WardsAuto
Study Says Dealers Handling Internet Customers Better
March 2013
Dealerships are getting better at responding to online customers, and the reason seems clear to Fran O'Hagan. “Dealers who handle Internet leads effectively sell a lot more vehicles than dealers who do not,” says the president of consultancy Pied Piper Management. “That is why manufacturers and individual dealers are so interested in this.” Dealer behavior can change slowly in some respects, he says. “It is like changing the direction of a ship ... Read More >
Automotive News
Study: Dealerships respond better to Internet leads
March 2013
LOS ANGELES – Car dealerships are doing better at responding to Internet leads, but the quality of the responses still leaves something to be desired, according to a new study. Mystery-shopping consultant Pied Piper Management Co. found that most of the 11,353 dealerships it submitted Internet inquires to in the past year now use customer relationship management software. And although the software usually automatically responds immediately to an ... Read More >
Powersports Business Blog
Are you a tour guide for your customers?
April 2012
Tim Mayhew, the ringleader of Pashnit Motorcycle Tours in Northern California, reports that business is booming, and this year's tours are nearly all sold out. Demand from repeat customers is so strong that Mayhew has had to increase the number of annual tours just to meet demand from repeat customers. Mayhew's customers clearly have the time of their life on these tours, which they enjoy not only for the motorcycle riding but also for the ... Read More >
Automotive News
Internet Leads: Many Dealers Still Drop the Ball
March 2012
LOS ANGELES – Internet leads are crucial to every dealership's sales success, but a new study shows that most dealerships still drop the ball when contacted on-line by shoppers. The survey was conducted by mystery shopping consultant Pied Piper of Monterey, Calif. The consultancy submitted internet inquiries to 4,331 dealerships nationwide representing all major brands. The inquiries included specific questions to verify whether the answer was ... Read More >
Automotive News First Shift
Online Secret Shoppers: Dealers Fail On-Line Test
March 2012
Lexus, Infiniti and Acura ranked highest in Pied Piper's annual study to measure dealership responsiveness to buyers' questions over the internet. Read More >
Ward's Auto
Japanese Luxury Brand Stores Best Handle Internet Leads
March 2012
Japanese luxury-brand U.S. dealerships rank best in fielding customer Internet inquiries, according to the latest results of an annual study by consulting firm Pied Piper Management. Toyota's Lexus and Nissan's Infiniti tie for first place with 62% online-lead effectiveness, followed by Honda's Acura with 59%. In contrast, two other Japanese nameplates score the worst, Toyota's Scion with 39% effectiveness and Suzuki, dead last with 23%. Ford and ... Read More >
Press Release: 2012 Pied Piper PSI(R) Internet Lead Effectiveness™(ILE™) Benchmarking Study (U.S.A)
Lexus, Infiniti and Acura Dealerships Top Ranked for Response to Customer Internet Inquiries
March 2012
• Industry-wide improvement from previous year led by Ford and Chrysler • However, 22% of customer internet inquiries remain unanswered after 24 hours Monterey, California – March 12, 2012 – Lexus, Infiniti and Acura dealerships ranked highest in the 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index® (PSI®) Internet Lead Effectiveness(™) (ILE™) Benchmarking Study, which measured auto dealership responsiveness to customer inquiries received over the ... Read More >
Powersports Business Blog
Your dirt riding customers are only hibernating. Wake them up.
March 2012
In 2005, more than 275,000 dirt bikes were sold in the U.S., but over the next six years dirt bike retails plummeted 75 percent – more of a drop than any other motorcycle category. Most of those dirt bike customers are still around, but do they still ride? Are they riding, but just not replacing their bikes as often? Is it possible to coax these dirt riders out of “new-bike-purchase-hibernation” to get them interested in buying a new dirt bike ... Read More >
Powersports Business Blog
Could it be as simple as improving showroom lighting?
February 2012
Can your dealership sell more motorcycles and accessories simply by improving your showroom lighting? Some dealerships make no change to the standard fluorescent fixtures that came with the building, while others install bright ambient lighting as well as spotlights on motorcycles and on accessory displays. All that specialized lighting costs money to install and the ongoing electric bill may be higher too, so where are the facts proving that ... Read More >
