Automotive News
Plugging EVs just wasn't enough
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March 2019
Some of the most effective advocates for plug-in vehicles are being unplugged from the business. This month, Tesla said it would close most of its factory-owned stores as a cost-cutting move and switch entirely to online sales. Many employees of those stores and investors were pretty surprised to hear the news, Bloomberg reported, especially as it came just weeks after Tesla affirmed the value of its showrooms in a public filing, talking up its ...
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Auto Remarketing
Tesla salespeople rank highest in EV ‘prospect satisfaction'
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March 2019
Electric vehicle technologies are often new to many customers visiting an auto dealership, so the salesperson must also be able to introduce and explain the operation of EVs and the features and benefits of EV technology, such as understanding garage-charging options, according to Pied Piper Management Co. Success selling EVs depends on many of the same salesperson behaviors that customers find helpful when shopping for traditional automobiles, ...
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Automotive Design & Production
What Tesla Might Miss With Its Store Closures
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March 2019
“Imagine what it would have been like to sell a gas-powered automobile in the early 1900s,” said Fran O’Hagan, president and CEO of Pied Piper Management Company LLC. “Customers back then were buying their first car, and salespeople would have had to explain the basics, such as how to operate the vehicle or where to find fuel while travelling.” O’Hagan is talking about the experience back then in the context of what’s happening now, as customers ...
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Automotive News First Shift
Tesla tops EV mystery-shopper study
March 2019
Pied Piper ranked 19 brands to measure how effectively each brand’s retailers helped EV shoppers become buyers.
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INSIDE EVs
Tesla, BMW & Nissan Stores Top Ranked As Most Helpful To EV Buyers
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March 2019
According to the latest 2019 Pied Piper “PSI® for EVs” U.S. Auto Industry Benchmarking Study, Tesla‘s dealerships (in the case of Tesla there are no dealers but stores/galleries) were ranked highest in terms of being most helpful to customers interested in plug-in electric cars. Tesla scored 118 points (18 over industry average), which is interesting especially because the brand was last in the general 2018 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction ...
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Wards Auto
Survey Ranks Tesla Dealerships First in EV-Selling Effectiveness
Ironically, the electric-vehicle maker plans to shutter most of its retail outlets.
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March 2019
Fran O’Hagan sees a striking paradox in Tesla saying it will close down almost all its dealerships and switch to an online sales strategy. He is president and CEO of Pied Piper Management, a consultancy that today releases results of a mystery-shopping study on how effectively dealerships brand-by-brand handle electric-vehicle shoppers. Tesla scored first. “It’s so ironic,” O’Hagan tells Wards. Referring to the dramatic retailing pivot, ...
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Press Release: TESLA, BMW AND NISSAN DEALERSHIPS RANKED HIGHEST BY PIED PIPER “PSI(R) FOR EVs” STUDY
Industry Benchmarking Study Measured Treatment of Electric Vehicle Shoppers
March 2019
Monterey, California – March 4, 2019 – Tesla dealerships were ranked highest in the newly released 2019 Pied Piper “PSI® for EVs” U.S. Auto Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured treatment of electric vehicle (EV) shoppers. BMW and Nissan dealerships were ranked second and third respectively. For 13 years Pied Piper has used the Prospect Satisfaction Index® (PSI®) process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to industry ...
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Powersports Business
Customer internet queries get best response from BMW dealers: Pied Piper PSI study
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October 2018
BMW motorcycle dealerships ranked highest in the 2018 Pied Piper PSI Internet Lead Effectiveness (ILE) Industry Study, which measured how motorcycle and UTV dealerships responded to customer inquiries received through dealership websites. Study rankings by brand were determined by the Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to dealership sales success. Dealerships selling Polaris’ Indian motorcycle brand ...
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Outdoor Power Equipment
Pied Piper releases PSI Internet Lead Effectiveness industry study
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September 2018
BMW motorcycle dealerships ranked highest in the 2018 Pied Piper PSI Internet Lead Effectiveness (ILE) industry study, which measured how motorcycle and UTV dealerships responded to customer inquiries received through dealership websites. Study rankings by brand were determined by the Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to dealership sales success. Dealerships selling Polaris’ Indian motorcycle brand ...
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Rural Lifesytyle Dealer
Study Ranks Motorcycle, UTV Dealers for Website Effectiveness
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September 2018
MONTEREY, Calif. — BMW motorcycle dealerships ranked highest in the 2018 Pied Piper PSI Internet Lead Effectiveness (ILE) Industry Study, which measured how motorcycle and UTV dealerships responded to customer inquiries received through dealership websites. Study rankings by brand were determined by the Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to dealership sales success. Dealerships selling Polaris’ Indian ...
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