Mercedes-Benz ranks highest in prospect satisfaction index

Mercedes-Benz ranks highest in prospect satisfaction index

Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in the newly released Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index U.S. Auto Industry Benchmarking Study. The 2014 research measured treatment of shoppers who visited 5,671 dealerships nationwide. Infiniti and Lexus came in second and third. The ranking ties mystery shopping with industry sales success.

Tesla, which was included for the first time, led the industry in some categories, such as involving the prospect with visual aids and following up after the visit. But Tesla stores ranked last in 32 categories, including asking the prospectês name, offering a test ride or mentioning the availability of financing.

Salesperson behaviors more likely in 2014 than 2013: The salesperson gave a compelling reason to buy from this dealership (50 percent of the time in 2014), discussed features different from the competition (59 percent of the time) and mentioned a maintenance program and associated costs (58 percent of the time).

Download Bulletin PDF