Press

In a dealership study published by the Pied Piper Management Company, covering the rankings of particular car dealerships from a customer’s standpoint, Tesla didn’t fare so well. The U.S based car company ranked dead last (34th out of 34) out of the auto brands included in the survey. Rankings are made by evaluating how helpful each company’s salespeople are to customers and at closing deals, something Tesla doesn’t try to actively do. Tesla also experienced one of the survey’s biggest year-to-year declines, prompting a lot of questions for the management staff.

The 2018 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index® (PSI®) U.S. Auto Industry Benchmarking Study covers the treatment of customers through a measurement of 3,466 dealerships throughout the country. It uses what’s called a ‘Pied Piper PSI process’, utilizing a procedure with ties in “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to industry sales success. In turn, from a customer’s perspective, the top scoring brands and dealerships on average are considered “more helpful”.

This year’s top rank is taken by Audi. According to the study, Audi salespeople were most likely on average to ask customers questions to determine how a vehicle would be used, then helping them out pick a particular model. Additionally, Audi’s salespeople are also most likely to provide a “walkaround demonstration” that showcases vehicle benefits and features to customers directly, helping said customers to distinguish particular models within the brand and the competition. German car company dealership salespeople are also more likely to ask follow-up questions, helping better understand their customers’ needs and to provide them with particular reasons and motivation for why they should buy from their specific dealership.