They may see themselves as an integral part of the car buying process, but UK motorists certainly don't hold salespeople in high regard. Research by Diamond has shown that when buying a new car motorists rate salespeople as the least important factor.
Women's car insurance specialist, Diamond, asked over 1,000 motorists to rate what was most important to them when purchasing a car and price came out on top with the salesperson rock bottom of the list. In fact, a massive 78% said that the salesperson was bottom when it came to importance.
This is bad news for salespeople, who do not seem to hold much sway with drivers, and this research also indicates that most have already decided what car they want to buy before they get anywhere near a salesperson. Buyers can't even be charmed into a deal as only 11% would be more tempted to buy a car if the salesperson was attractive. The full top 10 list is:
- Price
- Make and model
- Performance
- Economy
- Size of vehicle
- Design and style
- Cost of insurance
- Dealer reputation
- Colour
- Salesperson
Sian Lewis, Diamond's managing director, said, "It's easy to get carried away and spend more than you should but it seems that drivers avoid this temptation by thinking carefully about how much they can really afford before they step through the showroom door. It‘s possible that salespeople's hard sell tactics are falling on deaf ears with most drivers, who it appears, prefer to make informed decisions, rather than be persuaded by people working on the showroom floor."
When looking at men and women separately, price is the leading factor for women compared to make and model for men. Economy sits in the top three for women but is replaced with performance for men who seem to want driving experience above value for money.
Women
- Price
- Make and model
- Economy
Men
- Make and model
- Price
- Performance
Further down the list in eighth place for both men and women is colour, an interesting outcome considering the stereotype of women only choosing a car because of it.
Sian continued, "Men should also note that women are breaking traditional stereotypes, and are concerned with more than just the colour when they are choosing a car. In fact, only 7% say it's the most important factor when choosing their car!"
Issue date: 27-03-08 |
