Surveys (and studies) from the automotive world vary greatly when it comes to their accuracy or credibility. Still that doesn’t make them all bad, and this latest one, carried out by Pied Piper Management Co., operating out of Monterey, California, draws some very interesting conclusions, regarding the skill with which dealership salespeople are able to close the deal.
By enlisting the help of no fewer than 5,203 “mystery shoppers,” they were able to repeatedly visit and test any number of dealerships, selling pretty much all the major marques available in the US. Topping the chart was Mercedes-Benz, followed by Infiniti and Lexus, with the latter being last year’s reigning champ.
Aside from a general idea of which is best at selling their product, patterns were also discovered when it came to the techniques adopted. For instance, “Jaguar, Volvo and Audi salespeople were most likely to discuss features unique from the competition,” while “Kia, Fiat and Hyundai salespeople were most likely to give compelling reasons to buy now.”
Another tactic was being used that they discovered were walk-arounds of the car, this one being employed by Infiniti, Land Rover and Smart sales staff. For Scion buyers, the situation was found to be radically different from that of the chart-topping mother brand Toyota. It was revealed that 17 percent of the time, prospective buyers would be steered into buying one of Toyota’s models, instead of the cheaper Scions.
Story References: Automotive News
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