Mystery Shopping For A Car
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Our vehicle is the second biggest investment most Americans make, only behind the purchase of a home. And we Americans have had a long going love affair with our cars, trucks, SUVs, etc. Our choice of transportation gives us our independence and our ability to come and go as we please. It gives us a sense of security as we transport our family and friends. And it helps us define our social status. Our vehicles are a huge part of our lives!
People have a lot of different choices when it comes to purchasing a vehicle. They can buy one that is foreign or domestic, new or used, economically friendly or a gas guzzler. They can purchase it from a neighbor or an auto auction or a franchise. They can buy a car for the family or one for a teenager or a fun sports car for themselves. The choices just go on and on.
Because of all of the choices available to the consumer, the retail end of the automotive industry is very competitive. And what better way to keep up with the competition than to hire a !A mystery shopper for the car business can be employed by any number of different people or companies. The home office of a major brand may hire a mystery shopper to see how well the local franchise is doing, and how well they are abiding by the national guidelines. Are sales down at the local dealership because the employees are not taking advantage of the national rebate campaign that is underway? Are the salespeople not emphasizing all of the extras that come standard with the newest model? Is the branch manager not encouraging her sales staff to get customers to use their in-house financing options? The home office can keep an eye on local dealerships by hiring a mystery shopper to report to them.
A rival car dealer may hire a mystery shopper to secretly shop the competition. The rival may use a mystery shopper to see if they can pick up any new tips or ideas. Does the competition have better sales gimmicks in place? Are their salespeople happier or maybe hungrier? Do they have a better product? A mystery shopper can report back with the details.
Recently a local magazine hired a female to secretly shop a neighborhood car dealership. The mystery shopper was to make note of things such as how seriously she was treated as a customer, how well salespeople listened to her, and how she felt about her overall experience.
The mystery shopper went to a large dealership that sold both new and used cars. She rode up and down the different aisles of autos with her husband at the wheel of their car. The mystery shopper was impressed that even thought the weather was dreary and cold, a salesman quickly came to their car. Once the salesman found out the female in the car was doing the buying he immediately focused his attention on her. This got high marks from the mystery shopper. From there however, the experience of the mystery shopper went downhill.
Once everyone went inside to the large showroom floor, the mystery shopper explained to the salesmen what she was looking to purchase. She wanted a used, reliable sedan that was safe and economical to drive. She also explained the small monthly allotment she had for a payment. The salesmen nodded his head and said he completely understood.
Within minutes, however, the salesman was talking about how he could get her into a brand new SUV with all of the extras. And he told her it was just a few dollars more than the cost of a used sedan. The few dollars more turned out to be over one and a half times more for a car payment and twice as much more for auto insurance.
And the mystery shopper was left to ponder. Did the salesman not hear what she was saying because he was not listening to her, or because she was a female, or because he could make a higher commission on the SUV?Always listen to your customer!
Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.
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