Mercedes-Benz has only reason to be happy about how it is perceived by the customers. Its dealerships across the U.S. ranked the highest, according to the recently released 2009 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index.
"Nine out of ten car shoppers walk back out a dealership's door without buying," said Fran O'Hagan, CEO of Pied Piper Management Co., LLC. "The tough economic climate of the past year has clearly encouraged salespeople to be more helpful to the majority of shoppers who aren't yet ready to buy, but still need help narrowing-down their selection."
The PSI study measures how consumers are treated when shopping for a new car, motorcycle or boat. The independent study sent 3,531 hired anonymous “mystery shoppers” into automotive dealerships nationwide and then compiled the results of how each brand dealerships are treating car shoppers.
Following Mercedes-Benz were Lexus, Jaguar, Saturn and Land Rover. Luxury brands clinched nine of the top ten positions, with GM's Saturn dealerships representing the only non-luxury brand. Overall industry gain was led by improvement from all five of the top five sales volume brands: Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet, Honda and Nissan.
Other brands that improved the most from 2008 to 2009 included Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Smart and Chrysler, while Volvo scored at the industry average, Hummer scored below the industry average, while Saab and Pontiac scored well below the industry average.
The study also showed that salespeople from Dodge, GMC, Chrysler, Kia and Pontiac were most likely to suggest shoppers to consider a different brand instead, while salespeople from Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Lexus and Honda dealerships were the least likely to suggest an alternative brand instead.
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