Recent Press - dealership responsiveness

Those brands that have been able to grow sales also have dealers who are more likely to satisfy shoppers. Dealers who improved their average Pied Piper PSI scores by 10 points or more from 2007 to 2008 saw retail sales increase 9% during the same time period. On the other hand, dealers for whom PSI dropped by 10 points or more saw their retail sales drop 6%. According to Fran O'Hagan, President of Pied Piper Management Co., LLC, "Today's shoppers arrive at a dealership already armed with the facts and figures, but in the end the dealership and salesperson still play a critical role in helping shoppers turn that raw information into the best match for the shopper's needs and desires."

As the old saying goes, “You don't know what you don't know,” and along those same lines you can't see what you can't see. An external, fresh prospective of the actual experience you're providing to your prospects gives you the ability to uncover what you're unaware of that could be costing you sales.

This is where Pied Piper's Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) Evaluations come in. I've used the data from these evaluations as the basis for many of my articles over the last year.

As I've studied PSI evaluations, I've identified a type of salesperson I like to call Mr. Customer Service. “Look out on the sales floor! He's able to answer any and all questions about the unit an go out of his way to make sure each and every customer is completely satisfied and taken care of.

The problem with Mr. Customer Service is he doesn't ask for the sale, attempt to set a future appointment or get follow-up information.

From Dealership University’s perspective, it’s difficult to solve problems if you aren’t aware you have any. That’s where Fran O’Hagan, owner and founder of Pied Piper Management Company, comes in. The five year old company has created independent industry-wide benchmarking based on real shopper intercept research, industry and trans-industry comparisons that allow dealers and manufacturers to identify strengths and weaknesses and improve their overall performance.

Winnebago Itasca Ranked Highest in 2008 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index Citing Anonymous Evaluations at 583 RV Dealerships Across U.S.

CEO Michael Lock credits the company’s model lineup transformation and dealer improvements for the record sales increase.

[Ducati North America introduced Pied Piper PSI to their entire dealer body in fall 2007.]

Most car dealerships are treating their customers better, according to an annual satisfaction study using mystery shoppers. Acura, Jaguar, Lexus and Saturn dealerships rank highest in the 2008 Pied Piper Management Co. review in which people were hired to pose as shoppers, visit auto dealerships, then calculate and report their findings on how they were treated.

Consumers are happier with how dealers treat them than a year ago, says Pied Piper study.

Significantly, those brands which have been able to grow sales also have dealers who are more likely to satisfy shoppers.

When it comes to getting new wheels, not all brands offer such an unpleasant shopping experience - - and according to a new study, overall industry's treatment of buyers is actually starting to improve.

If a recent study is any indication, consumers are more pleased with the way they have been treaded by dealers than they were just one year ago.