Motorcycle.com
Harley-Davidson Tops 2013 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index
May 2013
Harley-Davidson dealers outscored dealers from other brands to take the top spot in the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index U.S. Motorcycle Industry Study for the second consecutive year. The annual study measures the effectiveness of motorcycle dealerships, rating them on how they perform in different categories, such as inviting customers to sit on a floor model, offering demo rides and asking for a customer's contact information. The study ...
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Press Release: PORSCHE & NISSAN DEALERSHIPS TOP RANKED FOR RESPONSE TO CUSTOMER INTERNET INQUIRIES REPORTS PIED PIPER PSI(R)
Strong improvement pushes Audi, Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler toward the top; Plenty of room for further improvement industry-wide: Nearly one-in-four customer internet inquiries still unanswered after 24 hours
March 2013
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA – March 11, 2013 – Porsche and Nissan dealerships ranked highest in the 2013 Pied Piper PSI® Internet Lead Effectiveness™(ILE™) Study, which measured how auto dealerships respond to customer inquiries received over the internet. Study rankings by brand were determined by the patent-pending Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to actual industry sales success. Industry-wide ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Turning those lookers and shoppers into buyers
January 2013
Turning all those lookers and shoppers into buyers is, in retail, the “holy grail” of topics. We send our managers and sales folks to workshops and seminars looking for answers. We test the waters, view the landscape, and hope that just over the horizon is the Promised Land, the mother lode. Retail gurus who enlighten the sales process in ways that ensure success are far and few between, if they exist at all. That's not to say there's no one out ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Remember “You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda?”
January 2013
The big news from this year's Long Beach motorcycle show is not what happened, but what might happen. First though, remember the Honda motorcycle ad, “You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda?” Believe it or not, 2013 marks fifty years since that ad helped mainstream America notice — and buy — motorcycles in the 1960s. Back to the Long Beach show … At last year's show, Honda released the CBR250, a sub-$4,000 model aimed at driving new buyers into ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Why I Still Love Powersports
December 2012
I count myself as one pretty lucky fellow. I have the great fortune to be able to meet and talk to a lot of wonderful people. I get to interact with dealers from all over the country, share information and ideas and pass it all on to others that can use it. Sharing ideas and mentoring others is something to embrace, and I relish the responsibility. I was really struck by this during a couple of impromptu dealer visits a few weeks ago. These ...
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Powersports Business Blog
The Basic Stuff
October 2012
I was in a dealership the other day conversing with a few of the team leaders. The discussion was centered on what was (and what was not!) happening in their sales department. “Let's focus on which policies and procedures are being used in the department,” I said. “Great,” was the answer back from most everybody — except I did notice a “Why are you wasting my time?” look from one of the team leaders. “Let's start with some of the basics,” I said, ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Harness anticipation to boost customer satisfaction and profitability
August 2012
Matt Appleman runs a very small custom bicycle shop in Minneapolis, specializing in hand-built carbon-fiber bicycle frames. Matt's business may be small, but he has adopted an important sales tool — anticipation — that you can apply at your dealership too. Matt describes how he builds bicycles like this: “Upon approval of the design, the fun starts for me, and the anticipation begins for you! As the frame is being built, I'll keep you up to date ...
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NBC News
Mercedes aims to oust BMW as top luxury brand
July 2012
It's one of the most bitter battles in the American automotive marketplace, and it pits two of Germany's luxury automakers in a grab for the brass ring. But this year, Mercedes-Benz is betting it can topple rival BMW to become the best-selling luxury automotive brand in the world's largest high-end market. The maker has been staging a series of meetings with dealers across the country aimed at improving customer handling. Dealers, in turn, have ...
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The Detroit Bureau
Mercedes Doing the Best to Close the Deal
July 2012
Mercedes-Benz dealers are most likely to deliver customers the sort of shopping experience they want – and then close the deal, according to a new study. Asian luxury dealers were close behind, along with Jaguar and Cadillac, according to the latest Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index which uses so-called “mystery shoppers” to measure the way potential car buyers are treated. The study looks at 60 different sales activities, from the simple ...
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Automotive News First Shift
Secret shoppers pick Benz
July 2012
Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in a study that looked how auto dealers treat customers. Pied Piper's annual study sends thousands of secret shoppers to stores across the U.S. and measures how salespeople perform.
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