Photo: Infiniti
When cars are concerned, we might be tempted to disregard the importance of salespersons these days. After all, the Internet is filled to the brim with information, and we tend to have a favorite brand anyway, so the choice is pretty much a foregone conclusion by the time we enter the dealership.
But it's not really like that. A good salesman will sell you the car he wants without you even realizing it, which might explain why we always think we were the ones who made the buying decision. But how good are the people tasked with telling Americans why the cars they're selling are the best possible choice? And, more importantly, what brands have the best sales employees?
A survey that lasted one year and prospected 6,157 stores all across the USA just came to a conclusion, and the top spots are pretty much taken by the usual suspects. The Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index has a long enough history to be issuing year-to-year analysis, and based on the latest results, there are eight brands that have consistently placed at or above the industry average during the past five years: BMW, Cadillac, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Volkswagen.
This year, however, it was Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti that took the accolade, with Lexus and Mercedes-Benz sharing the second spot and Toyota in on third. Audi and BMW complete the top five. At the other end of the scale sits Tesla, with the lowest score ever, one point down compared to last year.
If you're scratching your head because you had a more than decent experience when you last visited a Tesla shop, that's because the Pied Piper survey uses its own criteria in evaluating the performance of stores employees which might not fall in line with Tesla's philosophy. In fact, Pied Piper CEO Fran O'Hagan said that the tendency among Tesla employees was to act more as "museum curators" than salesmen.
The mystery shoppers sent in by Pied Piper were interested in seeing whether the salespersons would talk about financing or leasing option, if they handed out printed material to the customers, if they inquired about the reasons preventing a purchase or if they pushed for the sale. Automotive News says Tesla ranked the lowest or among the lowest under all these aspects, but it did rise to the highest position when it came to talking about the features making their products unique compared to the competition.
A survey that lasted one year and prospected 6,157 stores all across the USA just came to a conclusion, and the top spots are pretty much taken by the usual suspects. The Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index has a long enough history to be issuing year-to-year analysis, and based on the latest results, there are eight brands that have consistently placed at or above the industry average during the past five years: BMW, Cadillac, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Volkswagen.
This year, however, it was Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti that took the accolade, with Lexus and Mercedes-Benz sharing the second spot and Toyota in on third. Audi and BMW complete the top five. At the other end of the scale sits Tesla, with the lowest score ever, one point down compared to last year.
If you're scratching your head because you had a more than decent experience when you last visited a Tesla shop, that's because the Pied Piper survey uses its own criteria in evaluating the performance of stores employees which might not fall in line with Tesla's philosophy. In fact, Pied Piper CEO Fran O'Hagan said that the tendency among Tesla employees was to act more as "museum curators" than salesmen.
The mystery shoppers sent in by Pied Piper were interested in seeing whether the salespersons would talk about financing or leasing option, if they handed out printed material to the customers, if they inquired about the reasons preventing a purchase or if they pushed for the sale. Automotive News says Tesla ranked the lowest or among the lowest under all these aspects, but it did rise to the highest position when it came to talking about the features making their products unique compared to the competition.
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