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Survey Says Mercedes-Benz Has Winning Sales Ways
July 2010
If car buyers want to be treated well, they should head to a Mercedes-Benz dealer. So says a survey by automotive retailing consultants, Pied Piper Management. It named Mercedes-Benz as the brand that handles customers best, followed closely by Lexus, Land Rover, Acura and Jaguar.
The survey was carried out by more than 3,600 "mystery shoppers" who visited dealerships across the United States and measured how they were treated by sales teams. They measured staff personalities in categories ranging from friendliness to high-pressure attitude, while also taking note of sales traits like discussions of financing options, introduction to sales managers and follow-up.
Perhaps the most interesting finding is that the stereotypical aggressive, pushy car salesman appears to be a dying breed. According to Pied Piper, this type cropped up just six percent of the time, far less than the opposite end of the spectrum ? an inattentive, unhelpful salesperson ? who made 18 percent of those under scrutiny. Pied Piper CEO, Fran O'Hagan, thinks the internet is behind the decline of such high-pressure selling.
"The internet has shifted the balance of power to customers who now know a lot about products and prices because of their online research," said O'Hagan. "Smart salespeople have figured out that there's still a lot for them to do that involves being helpful, but not leading customers down a road determined by the salesperson."
The survey was carried out by more than 3,600 "mystery shoppers" who visited dealerships across the United States and measured how they were treated by sales teams. They measured staff personalities in categories ranging from friendliness to high-pressure attitude, while also taking note of sales traits like discussions of financing options, introduction to sales managers and follow-up.
Perhaps the most interesting finding is that the stereotypical aggressive, pushy car salesman appears to be a dying breed. According to Pied Piper, this type cropped up just six percent of the time, far less than the opposite end of the spectrum ? an inattentive, unhelpful salesperson ? who made 18 percent of those under scrutiny. Pied Piper CEO, Fran O'Hagan, thinks the internet is behind the decline of such high-pressure selling.
"The internet has shifted the balance of power to customers who now know a lot about products and prices because of their online research," said O'Hagan. "Smart salespeople have figured out that there's still a lot for them to do that involves being helpful, but not leading customers down a road determined by the salesperson."
