Clients apppreciate Acura dealers
Customers feel more at ease when dealing with Acura than any other car dealerships as revealed by the 2007 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index auto industry study. The report evaluates shopping experiences at 1,592 dealerships, representing all brands, nationwide.
The Pied Piper study was conducted between April and June using anonymous shoppers who looked at more than 50 aspects of the buying experience. That included whether salespeople gave a compelling reason to buy at a dealership, were informative about the vehicles they were selling or whether they asked the potential buyer for information.
Former auto industry executive, Fran O’Hagan, said this study is different than others that evaluate customer or sales satisfaction levels at stores. That is because those studies capture consumers who buy at the dealership and exclude those who don’t make a deal.
Despite the fact that salespeople are often presumed to be hard-nosed in pressing for a sale, the study found the opposite is more often true.
“It’s four times more likely for them to feel they were undersold than oversold,” O’Hagan said of consumers.
The study revealed that test drives were offered 89% of the time, asked for contact information 83% of the time. While 75% of the time ask for the sale and offered a brochure 66% of the time.
Since most car and truck buyers don’t finalize a sale the same day they visit a showroom, O’Hagan said it is important for dealerships to maximize their time with prospective customers.
A total of 25 brands performed at above average in the study. Eleven of those 25, or 44%, are owned by Detroit automakers. Seven out of the 12 below-average performers, or 58%, were Detroit-affiliated brands.