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Powersports Business Blog
What Can Today's Shoppers Learn from Your Salespeople?
May 2009
Many shoppers today walk through the door of a dealership armed with enough product information from the internet to give a product "walk-around" themselves. The question is, "What can today's shoppers learn from your salespeople?" We know that the most successful salespeople are seen by the shoppers as helpful, rather than simply trying to sell a motorcycle without regard for the shopper's interests or needs. But if all a salesperson knows about a particular motorcycle are the specs printed in ... Read More >
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Powersports Business Blog
Retaining Your Customers - Assembly Required
April 2009
Remember when you were a kid and built model cars or airplanes? You spent hours carefully assembling your models, but then placed them on a shelf and didn't pay much attention to them afterward. Building the models was the part that was fun. Now consider an important ingredient to Harley-Davidson's survival thirty years ago: If you wanted to ride a Harley back then, you also had to regularly repair it, or even better, replace parts prone to failure with better aftermarket parts. The point is ... Read More >
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PowerSports Business
Irrevocable evidence for dealers: Driving PSI paying off
April 2009
“There is now irrevocable evidence that there is a link between scoring high on PSIs and developing your business,” said Ducati North America (DNA) CEO Michael Lock. “You don't develop the business because you score high on PSI, you develop the business because you're running the business properly” on which the PSI is one measuring tool. DNA dealers who consistently fared well in a retail sales practice survey called the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) turn out to be the brand's ... Read More >
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PowerSports Business
Into the great E-mail abyss
February 2009
According to a 2008 survey, motorcycle dealers respond to a consumer's e-mail inquiry within 24 hours only 30 percent of the time, according to a national benchmarking study that examines the effectiveness of the motorcycle industry's sales force. The survey of more than 800 dealerships, called the Prospect Satisfaction Index by Pied Piper Management Co., shows the motorcycle industry well behind the auto industry in this effort. The auto industry was twice as likely in 2008 to return a customer ... Read More >
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Powersports Business
The truth behind Mr. Customer Service salesperson
December 2008
As the old saying goes, “You don't know what you don't know,” and along those same lines you can't see what you can't see. An external, fresh prospective of the actual experience you're providing to your prospects gives you the ability to uncover what you're unaware of that could be costing you sales. This is where Pied Piper's Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) Evaluations come in. I've used the data from these evaluations as the basis for many of my articles over the last year. As I've studied ... Read More >
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Dealership P.R.O.
Pied Piper Leads the Way
September 2008
From Dealership University’s perspective, it’s difficult to solve problems if you aren’t aware you have any. That’s where Fran O’Hagan, owner and founder of Pied Piper Management Company, comes in. The five year old company has created independent industry-wide benchmarking based on real shopper intercept research, industry and trans-industry comparisons that allow dealers and manufacturers to identify strengths and weaknesses and improve their overall performance. Read More >
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PowerSports Business
Ducati North America sales hit an all-time high
July 2008
CEO Michael Lock credits the company’s model lineup transformation and dealer improvements for the record sales increase. [Ducati North America introduced Pied Piper PSI to their entire dealer body in fall 2007.] Read More >
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Powersports Business
Focusing on the fundamentals: Motorcycle industry companies have room to improve
July 2008
A 2008 national survey showed the motorcycle industry has room for improvement in traditional customer service areas, including simple tasks like greeting customers and conducting follow-ups. Read More >
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Dealernews
When Sales Drops the Ball: Dealer personnel ask for the sale less than half the time, say secret shoppers dispatched by research firm
May 2008
Motorcycle dealer salespeople ask for the sale only 45% of the time. What’s even worse is that they ask for a customer’s contact information only 38 percent of the time. So say the results of a second annual study by Pied Piper Management Company. Read More >
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Motorcycle Product News
Prospect Satisfaction Study Findings Harley-Davidson Salespeople Take Top Spot
May 2008
Harley-Davidson dealerships ranked highest in the newly released 2008 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index U.S. Motorcycle Industry Study, which measures how consumers are treated when shopping in dealerships like yours. The independent study evaluated and benchmarked shopping experiences at 830 motorcycle dealerships nationwide, representing all major brands. Read More >
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