Only a fifth of Australian new car buyers are happy with their dealership sales person experience.
The latest JD Power Australia Sales Satisfaction survey results, of over 3000 customers from March 2017 to January 2019, shows Holden and Mazda have the highest mass-brand dealer satisfaction.
In descending order, Kia, Subaru, Mitsubishi and Hyundai dealers need to lift their game in customer satisfaction, all scoring below average ratings, behind Honda, Volkswagen and the mass market average score of 802 out of 1000 points.
Some brands’ dealerships need to lift their game.
Based on six criteria – dealer sales consultant, delivery process, dealership facility, working deals, paperwork process and dealership website – Holden and Mazda tie for first.
They best Toyota in third, Nissan in fourth and Ford in fifth, while BMW beats luxury brands Audi in second and Mercedes-Benz in third.
However, the survey also shows sales consultants failed to ask 17% of customers what their preferences and requirements were in buying a new car. The same trend was experienced in roughly 17% of first-time buyers.
For young buyers, 35% aged under 39 years found sales consultants were under unwanted levels of pressure to buy; a further 24% of first-time buyers felt the same way.
Nearly 20% of customers felt their test drive was too short, where 80% of all consumers took their provisional new car for a test drive.
However, half of those trying before buying spent 20 minutes or less behind the wheel – a fifth of them didn’t get more than 10 minutes’ drive time.
The 12% of customers who were allowed a test drive longer than half an hour were more satisfied than the sub-10 minute majority.
Power Australia director Bruce Chellingworth
J.D. Power Australia director Bruce Chellingworth says dealers need to consider changing tack as consumers respond to sales pressure.
“Simply ‘pushing metal’ won’t help the dealership gain positive referral, ensure customer loyalty or promote the brand,” he says.
“In an increasingly competitive market, it is imperative that dealers understand and build trust with their customers,” Chellingworth explains.
He advises sales staff to pay attention to their customer, not the sale.
“Given the slowdown in sales, it is essential that sales consultants spend the required time with each shopper to identify the best model and variant for their requirements,” he concludes.
