Ducati Dealer News
Two-thousand thirteen was Ducati’s first full year under Audi AG ownership. And when the Borgo Panigale manufacturer released its yearly worldwide sales report, record numbers were reported.
This was the second consecutive year Ducati Motor Holding posted record yearly-sales results, and CEO Claudio Domenicali attributed the results to the “strength of our products and the appreciation of the brand.”
The latter part of that quote received some further backing this week when the 2014 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Benchmarking Study was released.
The study – which measures dealership treatment of motorcycle shoppers through a process that partly utilizes mystery shopping – ranked Ducati dealerships on top. This was the first time Ducati took the top ranking since 2009.
Ducati, which in March reported having 817 dealers in 88 countries, took a score of 114, which was up seven points over its 2012 results.
Finishing second, three points behind, was Harley-Davidson. Taking the final Pied Piper PSI podium position with 107 points was Can-Am.
The report says either Ducati or Harley-Davidson dealerships led all other brands in one-half of the study’s measured sales activities.
Following are some of the sales process categories that Ducati ranked high in, courtesy of the Pied Piper PSI Study:
• Offering test rides: Recognition of the importance of test rides has driven many—but not all—motorcycle dealerships to figure out ways to overcome the challenges of offering test rides. The 2014 study showed that dealerships on average mentioned either immediate or future test rides 52% of the time, compared to only 36% of the time three years ago. However, there is much variation from brand to brand. Dealers selling five brands — Ducati, Can-Am, Harley-Davidson and BMW — mentioned test rides to more than 60% of their customers, while dealers selling Moto Guzzi, KTM, Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda mentioned test rides to less than 30% of their customers.
• Suggesting writing up a deal: Dealers selling Ducati, Can-Am, Harley-Davidson, Suzuki, and Triumph were most likely to suggest going through the numbers and writing up a deal, while dealers selling KTM, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Victory and BMW were least likely. Industrywide, salespeople attempted to write-up a deal 39% of the time, compared to 30% of the time three years ago.
• Asking for customer contact information: Dealers selling Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Can-Am, Victory and Triumph were most likely to ask for customer contact information, while dealers selling Moto Guzzi, KTM, Suzuki, Aprilia and Yamaha were least likely. Industrywide, salespeople asked for customer contact information 52% of the time, compared to 46% of the time three years ago.
