Press - motorcycle buyers

Up to customer service, for showing us that dealers care in the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Study. The independent study sent more than 2000 anonymous “mystery shoppers” into motorcycle dealerships across the U.S. to observe and determine how customers are treated when shopping for a motorcycle. “For the motorcycle industry as a whole, the 2009 PSI results showed widespread improvement in the way salespeople interact with motorcycle buyers,” Pied Piper President Fran O'Hagan said. For 2009, Ducati dealerships topped the list, with Harley-Davidson (number one in 2007 and 2008) ranked second.

New Dealership Openings and Highest Ranking in Prospect Satisfaction Index(R) Contribute to Company Success Nationwide

Cupertino, Calif. (May 20, 2009) – Ducati North America is delighted to announce a significant boost in market share across the United States for the first quarter of 2009. Despite adverse market conditions and a drying up of consumer credit, Ducati is attracting a bigger share of the market than ever before.

"Ducati has come a long way in the last couple of years,” said Michael Lock CEO of Ducati North America. “We have introduced business improvements, developed market leading bikes, dominated international road racing and are very focused on the needs of our growing customer base. All of these factors have greatly contributed to our growing sales and market share success across the U.S."

Ducati's commitment to exceptional customer service is evidenced by Ducati's dealer network nabbing the top spot in the 2009 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index(R) (PSI) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Study. Over the last three years, Ducati dealers consistently improved their customer interaction and dealership experience and now lead all brands in overall satisfaction.

Ducati has been the fastest-growing motorcycle brand in the United States for the past five years, but it was by no means an immediate success. The company changed almost everything about itself, from the models it imports to the distribution of dealerships. It focused more on boutique, specialized dealerships and removed itself from the big multibrand dealerships that sell product, but don't sell brand.
Because Ducati is a niche product, Lock said, it is crucial that each dealer makes a personal connection with customers. Ducati does not have any company-owned stores in the United States, but works closely with its franchise owners to create an environment that focuses on the strengths of its dealers and the product.

This year, Ducati was ranked first among all motorcycle brands sold in the United States in customer satisfaction, according to the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index. The independent study uses 2,100 anonymous “mystery shoppers,” who rate the customer experience at dealerships. Ducati beat out such brands as Harley-Davidson, which ranked first the previous two years, and BMW.

A recent study gave Ducati dealers the highest ranking among U.S. dealerships for how they treat their customers.

Compared to last year, the motorcycle sales department staff is more likely to introduce themselves to clients and ask follow-up questions, not to mention encourage consumers to sit on a bike.

However, they are less likely to inform the consumer about financing options, discuss the bike's unique features and how those compare to the competition, and less likely to provide visual aids, like brochures.

Those are some of the key findings from a national study that examines the effectiveness of the motorcycle industry's retail sales force. The study, called the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI), not only examines dozens of retail sales practices, but also identifies how specific brands are performing compared to their competitors.

Ducati dealerships ranked highest in the newly released 2009 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index U.S. Motorcycle Industry Study, which measures how consumers are treated when shopping for a new motorcycle.

Motorcycle salespeople on average asked prospective customers for their contact information only 45 percent of the time during a recent nine-month period, according to the 2009 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index study. Sounds bad, right? But it's actually an improvement over the previous year's study in which salespeople asked only 38 percent of time. Dealership staff members seem to be improving in other areas as well, the study reported.

Ducati dealerships ranked highest in the newly released 2009 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index(R) (PSI) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Study, one of a series of annual benchmarking studies which measure how consumers are treated when shopping for a new car, motorcycle, RV or boat. The independent study sent 2,100 hired anonymous “mystery shoppers” into motorcycle dealerships nationwide, then used the patent-pending PSI process to compile the results into accurate measurement of how each brand's dealerships treat motorcycle shoppers.

“There is now irrevocable evidence that there is a link between scoring high on PSIs and developing your business,” said Ducati North America (DNA) CEO Michael Lock. “You don't develop the business because you score high on PSI, you develop the business because you're running the business properly” on which the PSI is one measuring tool.

DNA dealers who consistently fared well in a retail sales practice survey called the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) turn out to be the brand's highest-volume dealers, officials say.

Plus, DNA dealers who retailed 10 or more additional new units in 2008 over the previous year saw their PSI scores increase by an average of 2 points. On the other hand, DNA dealers who retailed at least 10 fewer units in 2008 compared to the previous year saw their PSI scores diminish by an average of 3 points.

According to a 2008 survey, motorcycle dealers respond to a consumer's e-mail inquiry within 24 hours only 30 percent of the time, according to a national benchmarking study that examines the effectiveness of the motorcycle industry's sales force. The survey of more than 800 dealerships, called the Prospect Satisfaction Index by Pied Piper Management Co., shows the motorcycle industry well behind the auto industry in this effort. The auto industry was twice as likely in 2008 to return a customer e-mail inquiry within 24 hours in comparison to motorcycle dealers.