2017 Pied Piper Dealership Satisfaction Study
The Pied Piper Management Company LLC released today the results from its annual industry bench-marking study that measures how effectively U.S. motorcycle dealerships transition a shopper into a customer.
The study—in its 11th-straight year—measures the treatment of shoppers who visit the dealerships, tying in mystery shoppers and dealership sales success.
BMW motorcycle dealerships claimed first place in the 2017 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Benchmarking Study. Finishing second was Harley-Davidson, with Indian Motorcycle (Polaris Industry owned) and Ducati North America (Audi AG owned) tied in third.
Pied Piper says five years ago, BMW dealerships were below the industry average. But BMW Motorrad USA improved its score every year by offering new initiatives. For example, compared to five years ago, BMW dealers in 2017 were 50% more likely to mention test rides, were 60% more likely to encourage going through the numbers or writing up a deal, and were 30% more likely to ask for contact information to allow follow-up, Pied Piper reports.
Brands showing the greatest overall improvement over the past year were Husqvarna, BMW, Triumph and Yamaha. Brands with declines from 2016 to 2017 were Ducati, Aprilia, Zero and dealerships selling the Polaris Slingshot. Eleven of 16 brands improved, which generated an industry average PSI score of 110, a one-point increase from 2016, and the highest score Pied Piper has measured for an annual motorcycle industry study, Pied Piper says.
Sales process steps with the greatest improvement over the past year included involving the shopper with visual aids; attempting to forward the sale, giving compelling reasons to buy from the dealership and going through the numbers or writing up a deal. Aspects of selling that decreased from 2016 to 2017 included asking why the shopper considered the brand, encouraging the shopper to sit on a motorcycle and offering a test ride.
“Motorcycle shoppers today visit dealerships half as many times before buying,” said Fran O’Hagan, President & CEO of Pied Piper.
Motorcycle shoppers today gather much of their information on-line before ever visiting a dealership, and the result has been a drop from an average of four or more shopper visits before buying, to an average of two visits today.
“Successful motorcycle dealerships today not only respond quickly to customer web inquiries, but they also understand the increased importance of every customer visit,” O’Hagan says.
For a copy of the complete press release, including overall rankings by brand, or for more information about Pied Piper PSI “mystery shopping” for motorcycle dealerships, and the patent-pending PSI process, visit Pied Piper PSI.
Founded in 2003, Pied Piper Management Company, LLC is a Monterey, California, USA company that develops and runs sales and service programs to maximize the performance of dealer networks. Go to www.piedpipermc.com.
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