BRP’s Can-Am UTV/Side-by-Side Dealers Ranked #1 by 2019 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index® (PSI®)

For the second year in a row, BRP’s Can-Am dealerships were the top ranked brand, reports the newly released 2019 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index^® (PSI^®) U.S. UTV Industry Benchmarking Study. The study measured in-person treatment of Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) shoppers who visited a dealership. Rankings by brand were determined by the Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring of dealership behaviors to industry sales success.

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2019 Pied Piper "PSI for UTVs" Industry Study Rankings by Brand

PSI scores range from 49 to 150, and 37% of UTV dealerships nationwide scored over 130, selling effectively and providing an excellent customer experience. In contrast, 42% of UTV dealerships scored under 75, missing most opportunities to help their customer buy the right UTV.

Honda and Kawasaki were ranked second and third, while Mahindra and Polaris were tied for fourth. Other brands scoring above the industry average were Ingersoll Rand’s Club Car brand, Kubota, Bobcat and John Deere. Brands showing the greatest improvement from 2018 to 2019 were Polaris (+8 PSI points), John Deere (+7) and Gravely (+6). Brands with the greatest declines from 2018 to 2019 were Kymco (-9 PSI points), Cub Cadet (-9) and Arctic Cat (-9). Four brands were new to the study this year: Caterpillar, Textron's Cushman brand, Mahindra’s Roxor brand and Bass Pro Shops, selling their Tracker brand UTVs.

Industry average performance declined one PSI point from 2018 to 2019. Behaviors that increased the most from 2018 to 2019 included asking if the customer had visited the dealer website, attempting to set an appointment to return, encouraging going through the numbers or writing up a deal, and suggesting a test drive. Behaviors that declined the most from 2018 to 2019 included suggesting a future test drive, mentioning service convenience options, using lower cost of service as a reason to buy, and discussing features unique from the competition.

“Customers today complete much of their shopping online before they ever visit a dealership in person,” said Fran O’Hagan, President and CEO of Pied Piper Management Company, LLC. Fifteen years ago, customers would visit a dealership four or more times on average before buying, compared to less than two visits on average today. As a result, dealership sales teams today must work hard to be helpful to each customer, assuming it may be their only opportunity. “It’s no longer acceptable for a salesperson to act like a museum curator, saying, I’ll be over there if you have any questions,” said O’Hagan.

The 2019 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index U.S. UTV Industry Study was conducted between September 2018 and July 2019 using 2,087 hired anonymous “mystery shoppers” at dealerships located throughout the U.S. Examples of other recent Pied Piper PSI studies are the 2019 Pied Piper PSI^® Internet Lead Effectiveness^® (ILE^®) UTV/Motorcycle Industry Study, in which the U.S. Harley-Davidson dealer network was ranked first, and the 2019 Pied Piper PSI^® Internet Lead Effectiveness^® (ILE^®) Auto Industry Study, in which the BMW dealer network was ranked first.

Complete Pied Piper PSI industry study results are provided to vehicle manufacturers and national dealer groups. Manufacturers, national dealer groups and individual dealerships also order PSI evaluations—in-person, internet or telephone—as tools to improve the sales effectiveness of their dealerships. For more information about the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index, and the proprietary PSI process, go to www.piedpiperpsi.com.

About Pied Piper Management Company, LLC

Monterey, California based Pied Piper Management Company, LLC was founded in 2003 to help brands and manufacturers improve the performance of their retail networks. Go to www.piedpipermc.com.

This press release is provided for editorial use only, and information contained in this release may not be used for advertising or otherwise promoting brands mentioned in this release without specific, written permission from Pied Piper Management Co., LLC.

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