American Marketing Association: Marketing News Exclusives
Harley-Davidson Leads the Pack in Retail Experience
May 2012
According to Mike Kennedy, vice president of North American sales for Harley-Davidson, their 2012 first place ranking for Pied Piper PSI comes after a year of focus on improving the sales process factors measured by Pied Piper PSI. Q: How do you ensure that all of your retail locations around the world have a coherent branded experience and stay at the top of the game? A: We're currently focused on a journey to elevate the customer experience. … ...
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Motorcycle & Powersports News
Pied Piper Releases 2012 Prospect Satisfaction Index
May 2012
Harley-Davidson dealerships returned to the top ranking in the newly released 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured dealership treatment of motorcycle shoppers. Study rankings by brand were determined by the patent-pending Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to industry sales success. BMW and Ducati finished in a tie for second, ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Harley dealers boast effective selling; what about other brands' dealers?
May 2012
2012 Pied Piper PSI results for the U.S. motorcycle industry confirm that Harley-Davidson dealerships sell as effectively in 2012 as they did back in 2008 — pre-recession — when motorcycle dealerships nationwide were still enjoying another year of solid sales. But what about the dealerships that sell Honda, Triumph, Kawasaki, or any of the other brands? Many of these dealerships operate in 2012 with half the dealership staff that they had in ...
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Dealernews
Which dealers sell best? Harley, Ducati and BMW, say mystery shoppers
May 2012
Harley-Davidson dealers return to the top ranking in Pied Piper Management Co.'s annual study measuring how well dealers treat motorcycle shoppers. The California-based research company today released results of the 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Benchmarking Study. BMW and Ducati finished in a tie for second, followed by Triumph, Victory and Indian in a three-way tie for fourth. Industry-wide ...
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Press Release: Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Dealers Ranked Highest by 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index(R)
Industry benchmarking study shows widespread improvement in dealership treatment of motorcycle shoppers
May 2012
Monterey, California – May 7, 2012 – Harley-Davidson dealerships returned to the top ranking in the newly released 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index® (PSI®) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured dealership treatment of motorcycle shoppers. Study rankings by brand were determined by the patent-pending Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to industry sales success. BMW and ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Are you a tour guide for your customers?
April 2012
Tim Mayhew, the ringleader of Pashnit Motorcycle Tours in Northern California, reports that business is booming, and this year's tours are nearly all sold out. Demand from repeat customers is so strong that Mayhew has had to increase the number of annual tours just to meet demand from repeat customers. Mayhew's customers clearly have the time of their life on these tours, which they enjoy not only for the motorcycle riding but also for the ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Your dirt riding customers are only hibernating. Wake them up.
March 2012
In 2005, more than 275,000 dirt bikes were sold in the U.S., but over the next six years dirt bike retails plummeted 75 percent – more of a drop than any other motorcycle category. Most of those dirt bike customers are still around, but do they still ride? Are they riding, but just not replacing their bikes as often? Is it possible to coax these dirt riders out of “new-bike-purchase-hibernation” to get them interested in buying a new dirt bike ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Could it be as simple as improving showroom lighting?
February 2012
Can your dealership sell more motorcycles and accessories simply by improving your showroom lighting? Some dealerships make no change to the standard fluorescent fixtures that came with the building, while others install bright ambient lighting as well as spotlights on motorcycles and on accessory displays. All that specialized lighting costs money to install and the ongoing electric bill may be higher too, so where are the facts proving that ...
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Powersports Business Blog
As dealer principal, do you act like a CEO or a janitor?
January 2012
Back in 1985, I scraped together every last cent to buy a Kawasaki Ninja 600R from a dealer in Pennsylvania, Bill Peacock. I still remember Bill's business card to this day because below his name he had chosen for a title, “Owner, Janitor.” His point was that his dealership was a small, friendly, hands-on family business. One of the sales process steps our company measures today is whether a sales customer is introduced to dealership management ...
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Powersports Business Blog
Are the motorcycle brands you sell really just commodities?
December 2011
Wandering around this year's Long Beach motorcycle show, I was struck by how dramatically the U.S. motorcycle market has changed — and is still changing. Remember when the four Japanese brands and Harley-Davidson seemed responsible for 95 percent of what was happening, and niche brands like BMW, Ducati, Victory and Triumph were really just curiosities? Today the four Japanese brands and Harley-Davidson are still heavy-hitters, but the brands that ...
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