Lexus Tops J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Sales Satisfaction
by EVANDER KLUM
J.D. Power and Associates in their 2007 Sales Satisfaction Index has recently revealed that consumers now are more satisfied with their purchasing experience especially when they buy their new vehicle from a Lexus dealer.
The 2007 Sales Satisfaction Index is an analysis of overall satisfaction that consumers obtained from dealing with salesperson, dealership facility, paperwork/finance process, delivery process and vehicle price.
Overall, the consumers have rated satisfactorily at 852 points in a scale of 1000 their sales experience this year, an increase of five points as compared to the 847 points a year ago.
Toyota��s luxury brand Lexus and producer of high quality Lexus ignition coil ranked first by obtaining a score of 897 which is a 10 point improvement from its rating last year. It was previously in the fifth place, but due to increase customer satisfaction with the dealership facility, vehicle price, and salesperson performance it has moved up to first place that is according to Tom Gauer, Senior Director of Automotive Retail Research at J.D. Power and Associates.
He said, "Lexus salespeople show particular concern for helping customers stay within their budgets, choosing the right vehicle for their needs, as well as for making the negotiation process clear and understandable."
He also added, "Customers are receptive to spending more than originally budgeted provided the salesperson does a good job of educating the customer about the features and benefits they are receiving."
General Motor��s Hummer came in second place with a score of 895, an increase of 21 points from last year. The notable improvement was in the vehicle price and paperwork/finance process. Moreover, dealers handling Lincoln, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz respectively, have roundup the top five nameplates. Meanwhile, dealers handling Mitsubishi, Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda, and Jeep were the bottom five nameplates.
According to Jane Crane, a Power research director, time has played an important role in determining customer satisfaction. She said, "Time is an incredible factor, and the faster the better. Taking time to select the vehicle you want is acceptable, spending too much time in the F&I office isn't. Time �� shorter the better �� was one of the major contributing factors among those models rated high, and one of the reasons for those rated low."
In addition, the study also revealed that despite the satisfaction that consumers have this year, still 44 percent of new vehicle buyers have reported spending more than what they planned to pay for a vehicle. Further still those that rated the sales process with an average of 67 points were less satisfied as compared to those who stick to their budget.
It was also found out that 61 percent of the customers satisfied with the sales process said that they are likely to come back to the dealership for further customer-paid services of which include oil changes for example.
