Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index - Recent Press

MPN Magazine - Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Dealers Ranked Highest By 2013 Pied Piper PSI

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Harley-Davidson dealerships were top-ranked in the newly released 2013 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured dealership treatment of motorcycle shoppers. Study rankings by brand were deter

PowerSports Business - Harley-Davidson dealers top PSI scores for second year in a row

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Harley-Davidson dealerships received the highest score in the 2013 Pied Piper Satisfaction Index (PSI) released this week. However, Suzuki dealers ranked No. 1 in the PSI-Internet Lead Effectiveness study. Look for more on the PSI results in the May 27

Dealernews - Harley dealers top Pied Piper mystery-shopper study

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

MONTEREY, Calif. - Among motorcycle retailers, Harley-Davidson dealers treat shoppers the best —although Suzuki dealers excel when it comes to following up online leads. These were two of the findings of a pair of new studies: the annual 2013 Pied Pip

Motorcycle.com - Harley-Davidson Tops 2013 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

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 dea

Press Release: HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE DEALERS RANKED HIGHEST BY 2013 PIED PIPER PSI(R)

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA –May 6, 2013 –Harley-Davidson dealerships were top-ranked in the newly released 2013 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index(R) (PSI(R)) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured dealership treatment of motorcycle

TIME: Business & Money - Whodathunkit? Auto Dealerships Realize Responding to Customer E-mails Helps to Sell Cars

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:00:00 GMT

For a while, some car dealerships have seemed somewhat ambivalent about e-mail inquiries from consumers. Sure, they represented potential sales leads. But it was assumed that online shoppers were even less serious about buying than on-site looky-loos. How

Automotive News First Shift - Secret shoppers pick Porsche

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Porsche and dealerships ranked highest in a study that looked how auto dealers handle internet leads. Pied Piper's annual study used internet mystery shopping to contact 11,000+ dealerships to see how the U.S. dealer networks for all car brands compare

WardsAuto - Study Says Dealers Handling Internet Customers Better

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Dealerships are getting better at responding to online customers, and the reason seems clear to Fran O'Hagan. D“ealers who handle Internet leads effectively sell a lot more vehicles than dealers who do not, ”says the president of consultancy Pied Piper M

Automotive News - Study: Dealerships respond better to Internet leads

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:00:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES –Car dealerships are doing better at responding to Internet leads, but the quality of the responses still leaves something to be desired, according to a new study. Mystery-shopping consultant Pied Piper Management Co. found that most of

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

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:00:00 GMT

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA –March 11, 2013 –Porsche and Nissan dealerships ranked highest in the 2013 Pied Piper PSI(R) Internet Lead Effectiveness(™ILE)™ Study, which measured how auto dealerships respond to customer inquiries received over the internet. S

Powersports Business Blog - Turning those lookers and shoppers into buyers

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Turning all those lookers and shoppers into buyers is, in retail, the h“oly 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 i

Powersports Business Blog - Remember Y“ou Meet the Nicest People on a Honda??

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:00:00 GMT

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, Y“ou Meet the Nicest People on a Honda? ”Believe it or not, 2013 marks fifty years since that ad helped m

Powersports Business Blog - Why I Still Love Powersports

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 12:00:00 GMT

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 i

Powersports Business Blog - The Basic Stuff

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:00:00 GMT

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. L“et's focus on which policies and procedures are being used in the departme

Powersports Business Blog - Data Analysis or Listening to People?

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 12:00:00 GMT

How many times have you looked at a fact or some type of information that you just don't believe? This can't be true, no way, no how. We live in an age of unlimited data collection. We have facts and figures that go on for miles, reasoning for any type

Press Release: Pied Piper Management Company LLC appoints Mark Mooney as Director, Retail Performance

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 12:00:00 GMT

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA –August 10, 2012 –Powersports industry veteran Mark Mooney has joined Pied Piper Management Company, LLC as Director, Retail Performance. Pied Piper counts as clients most of the auto and motorcycle manufacturers operating in

Powersports Business Blog - Harness anticipation to boost customer satisfaction and profitability

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 12:00:00 GMT

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

NBC News - Mercedes aims to oust BMW as top luxury brand

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 12:00:00 GMT

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 aut

The Detroit Bureau - Mercedes Doing the Best to Close the Deal

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 12:00:00 GMT

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 Pi

Automotive News First Shift - Secret shoppers pick Benz

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:00:00 GMT

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.

Powersports Business Blog - Do today's motorcycles provide an opportunity to sell more extended warranties?

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Stop and consider how much new technology is appearing on today's motorcycles. You know all about ABS brakes, maybe you have even ridden a motorcycle with traction control, but what about bikes with electronic suspension adjustment or a computer screen in

Automotive News - Mercedes has most effective sales process

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Some vehicle brands that score high in customer satisfaction surveys do less well when the effectiveness of dealership salespeople is measured, according to a California consultant. Mystery shopping consultant Pied Piper of Monterey, Calif., sent 4,419 s

Car Connection - The Best Brands -- And The Worst -- For Shopping Experience

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:00:00 GMT

There are a lot of ways to measure customer satisfaction. J.D. Power talks to recent buyers. Polk looks at sales stats and customer retention. But the folks at Pied Piper do it the old-fashioned way: with secret shoppers. Between July 2011 and June 2

Forbes - Car Brands With The Most Satisfied Shoppers

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:00:00 GMT

This is a good news/bad news, glass is half empty/half full type of situation. On the one hand, dealing with unscrupulous car dealers remains among the top consumer complaints, on the other hand a recent study reports that dealers are treating today's car

Media Post Marketing - Mercedes-Benz Tops In Dealership Experience

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Mercedes-Benz is still topping out in the U.S. when it comes to how its dealers treat shoppers. The Montvale, N.J.-based automaker, which was in the top five of the J.D. Power & Associates dealership experience survey last year behind Lexus and Cadillac,

Press Release: MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERS TOP RANKED BY 2012 PIED PIPER PROSPECT SATISFACTION INDEX(R) - Treatment of car shoppers improves industry-wide; Highest industry average PSI score

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:00:00 GMT

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA –July 9, 2012 M–ercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in the newly released 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index(R) (PSI(R)) U.S. Auto Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured dealership treatment of car-shoppers. Study

Powersports Business Blog - Who has it worse than rejected motorcycle salespeople?

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 12:00:00 GMT

We know that the typical motorcycle salesperson has to ask for the sale seven times to hear a customer say yes. What if there was a salesperson who had to ask for the sale 50 times to hear his first yes? Meet Jose Jiminez, who for the past year has man

American Marketing Association: Marketing News Exclusives - Harley-Davidson Leads the Pack in Retail Experience

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

According to Mike Kennedy, vice president of North American sales for Harley-Davidson, their 2012 first place ranking for Pied Piper PSI comes after a year of focus on improving the sales process factors measured by Pied Piper PSI. Q: How do you ensure

Motorcycle & Powersports News - Pied Piper Releases 2012 Prospect Satisfaction Index

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

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 bran

Dealernews - Which dealers sell best? Harley, Ducati and BMW, say mystery shoppers

Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

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 Satisfactio

Powersports Business Blog - Harley dealers boast effective selling; what about other brands' dealers?

Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

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 s

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

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Monterey, California –May 7, 2012 –Harley-Davidson dealerships returned to the top ranking in the newly released 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index(R) (PSI(R)) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured dealership treatment of

Powersports Business Blog - Are you a tour guide for your customers?

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Tim Mayhew, the ringleader of Pashnit Motorcycle Tours in Northern California, reports that business is booming, and this year's tours are nearly all sold out. Demand from repeat customers is so strong that Mayhew has had to increase the number of annual

Automotive News - Internet Leads: Many Dealers Still Drop the Ball

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES –Internet leads are crucial to every dealership's sales success, but a new study shows that most dealerships still drop the ball when contacted on-line by shoppers. The survey was conducted by mystery shopping consultant Pied Piper of Mont

Automotive News First Shift - Online Secret Shoppers: Dealers Fail On-Line Test

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Lexus, Infiniti and Acura ranked highest in Pied Piper's annual study to measure dealership responsiveness to buyers' questions over the internet.

Ward's Auto - Japanese Luxury Brand Stores Best Handle Internet Leads

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Japanese luxury-brand U.S. dealerships rank best in fielding customer Internet inquiries, according to the latest results of an annual study by consulting firm Pied Piper Management. Toyota's Lexus and Nissan's Infiniti tie for first place with 62% onl

Press Release: 2012 Pied Piper PSI(R) Internet Lead Effectiveness(™ILE)™ Benchmarking Study (U.S.A) - Lexus, Infiniti and Acura Dealerships Top Ranked for Response to Customer Internet Inquiries

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

•Industry-wide improvement from previous year led by Ford and Chrysler •However, 22% of customer internet inquiries remain unanswered after 24 hours Monterey, California –March 12, 2012 –Lexus, Infiniti and Acura dealerships ranked highest in the

Powersports Business Blog - Your dirt riding customers are only hibernating. Wake them up.

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

In 2005, more than 275,000 dirt bikes were sold in the U.S., but over the next six years dirt bike retails plummeted 75 percent –more of a drop than any other motorcycle category. Most of those dirt bike customers are still around, but do they still ride

Powersports Business Blog - Could it be as simple as improving showroom lighting?

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Can your dealership sell more motorcycles and accessories simply by improving your showroom lighting? Some dealerships make no change to the standard fluorescent fixtures that came with the building, while others install bright ambient lighting as well as

Dealerelite.net - How Important is the Facility to the Sale?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

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

Powersports Business Blog - As dealer principal, do you act like a CEO or a janitor?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

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, O“wner, Janitor. ”His point was

Powersports Business Blog - Are the motorcycle brands you sell really just commodities?

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:00:00 GMT

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

Powersports Business Blog - What's new when customers walk into your dealership?

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:00:00 GMT

Change is good. Think of the most successful retail stores regardless of industry, and we can agree that they all have something in common: they regularly change their in-store displays. Whether it is Gander Mountain, Bass Pro Shops, or your area's most s

Powersports Business Blog - Is your dealership closed when customers want to buy?

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:00:00 GMT

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 i

Powersports Business Blog - Lack of floor traffic sinking your dealership?

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:00:00 GMT

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 u“ps ”in a week that they used to see on any given day. First of all, yes, you are in good company; there a

Wards Dealer Business - Whodunnit the Best? Mystery shoppers test dealership sales skills by brand

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 12:00:00 GMT

Mystery shoppers gauge things that are important to making a sale, but not necessarily of interest to customers at the particular time. A“ customer in a dealership is thinking about price and trade value, not whether the salesperson addressed specifi

Powersports Business Blog - Do your salespeople ask for the sale every time?

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:00:00 GMT

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 direct

Automobile Magazine - Mercedes-Benz Dealerships Rank High in Customer Satisfaction

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:00:00 GMT

The auto industry is seeing better days since it suffered a crisis back in 2008, when American car sales plummeted to one of its lowest points. Since then, the industry has rebounded and customers are now flocking to dealerships across the country to get

Automotive News First Shift - Secret Shoppers Pick Mercedes

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:00:00 GMT

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.

Motor Trend - Mercedes Dealers Ranked Highest, Secret Shopper Survey Finds

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:00:00 GMT

When it comes to the car buying process, the car pretty much does all the work, pulling in buyers with its impressive MPGs, like the Chevrolet Cruze or Ford Fiesta, or making them drool with offerings of the turbo inline 6 in the BMW 1M. Even completely n