Powersports Business Blog
Harley dealers boast effective selling; what about other brands' dealers?
May 2012
2012 Pied Piper PSI results for the U.S. motorcycle industry confirm that Harley-Davidson dealerships sell as effectively in 2012 as they did back in 2008 — pre-recession — when motorcycle dealerships nationwide were still enjoying another year of solid sales. But what about the dealerships that sell Honda, Triumph, Kawasaki, or any of the other brands? Many of these dealerships operate in 2012 with half the dealership staff that they had in ...
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Dealernews
Which dealers sell best? Harley, Ducati and BMW, say mystery shoppers
May 2012
Harley-Davidson dealers return to the top ranking in Pied Piper Management Co.'s annual study measuring how well dealers treat motorcycle shoppers. The California-based research company today released results of the 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Benchmarking Study. BMW and Ducati finished in a tie for second, followed by Triumph, Victory and Indian in a three-way tie for fourth. Industry-wide ...
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Press Release: Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Dealers Ranked Highest by 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index(R)
Industry benchmarking study shows widespread improvement in dealership treatment of motorcycle shoppers
May 2012
Monterey, California – May 7, 2012 – Harley-Davidson dealerships returned to the top ranking in the newly released 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index® (PSI®) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured dealership treatment of motorcycle shoppers. Study rankings by brand were determined by the patent-pending Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to industry sales success. BMW and ...
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Dealerelite.net
How Important is the Facility to the Sale?
January 2012
There are studies that show facilities actually have little to do with whether a customer buys a vehicle from a dealership. One such study is Pied Piper Management LLC's annual Prospect Satisfaction Index, which sends anywhere from 3,500 to 4,000 mystery shoppers into dealerships each year to determine what's most important to customers. And yes, the facility ranks low on importance. In fact, it's the dealership's people that are the most ...
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Powersports Business Blog
As dealer principal, do you act like a CEO or a janitor?
January 2012
Back in 1985, I scraped together every last cent to buy a Kawasaki Ninja 600R from a dealer in Pennsylvania, Bill Peacock. I still remember Bill's business card to this day because below his name he had chosen for a title, “Owner, Janitor.” His point was that his dealership was a small, friendly, hands-on family business. One of the sales process steps our company measures today is whether a sales customer is introduced to dealership management ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Are the motorcycle brands you sell really just commodities?
December 2011
Wandering around this year's Long Beach motorcycle show, I was struck by how dramatically the U.S. motorcycle market has changed — and is still changing. Remember when the four Japanese brands and Harley-Davidson seemed responsible for 95 percent of what was happening, and niche brands like BMW, Ducati, Victory and Triumph were really just curiosities? Today the four Japanese brands and Harley-Davidson are still heavy-hitters, but the brands that ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Is your dealership closed when customers want to buy?
October 2011
Earlier this year, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill into law allowing Sunday motorcycle sales. While pushing for the change in law, New Jersey motorcycle dealerships observed that many of their customers had been crossing over the state line into Delaware to shop on Sundays. How many motorcycle dealerships nationwide are open on Sundays? For that matter, how many have extended hours on Saturdays, instead of closing early to allow ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Lack of floor traffic sinking your dealership?
September 2011
Too many hard-working motorcycle dealerships today are holding on for survival, trying to grind out a living relying on the same number of customer “ups” in a week that they used to see on any given day. First of all, yes, you are in good company; there are plenty of other dealerships in exactly the same predicament; and yes, most would agree that you and your team didn't cause the downturn. On the other hand, you and your team are the ones who ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Do your salespeople ask for the sale every time?
August 2011
Probably not. We know that asking for the sale is an obvious key to selling motorcycles, but we also know that on average, U.S. motorcycle salespeople ask for the sale less than half the time (48 percent to be exact). Given that asking for the sale directly sells more motorcycles, why do so many salespeople resist? Two reasons: First of all because we humans dislike rejection as much as we dislike anything. Salespeople must understand and ...
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Automotive News First Shift
Secret Shoppers Pick Mercedes
July 2011
Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in a study by Pied Piper Management Company to measure how effectively dealerships sell cars. Jaguar and Lexus tied for second.
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