GMC Earns Top Honors For Sales Experience

J.D. Power is known chiefly for evaluating vehicle quality through its surveys. They also survey customers on the dealer sales and then issue the results, grouping and rating dealers by the brand they sell. The results are revealed every November with the release of their annual U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study. 

This usually results in good news for Valley Buick GMC because GMC dealers regularly do well.  This year is no different because they have named GMC dealers as having the #1 sales experience among truck and mainstream SUV shoppers.  

The 2023 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study is based on responses from 37,234 consumers who purchased or leased their new vehicle from March through May of 2023. The study asks questions regarding satisfaction with the sales experience to both new-vehicle buyers and rejecters, the latter being those who shopped at a brand’s dealership but purchased elsewhere. 

The overall purchaser satisfaction rating is based on six factors (in ranked order): 

1. Delivery process (26%)
2. Dealer personnel (24%)
3. Working out the deal (19%)
4. Paperwork completion (18%)
5. Dealership facility (10%)
6. Dealership website (4%). 

Rejecter responses regarding a dealer they did not buy from are based on five factors: 

1. Salesperson (40%)
2. Price (23%)
3. Facility (14%)
4. Variety of inventory (11%)
5. Negotiation (11%)

With 1000 being a theoretical perfect score, the average overall score for non-luxury brands was 790, but GMC dealers soared above that with a score of 821. This is not new, as GMC dealers have ranked first or second among non-luxury brands for four of the past five years. 

The industry improved as a whole compared to the previous year’s non-luxury brand average of 782. GMC rose more dramatically, with an almost 20-point improvement over the 2022 score of 802.  A suspected significant factor is that vehicle inventory is back to normal levels after being significantly down in 2022 from the post-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The improved level of vehicle inventory and the easing of upward pressure on prices are the driving factors in sending sales satisfaction back in a positive direction,” said Chris Sutton, Vice President of Automotive Retail at J.D. Power. “Vehicle buyers are more satisfied with the inventory choices they now see in dealerships across the country—more than in the past three years. Increased inventory also means fewer buyers are paying more than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for their new vehicle.”

Valley Buick GMC & RV is constantly trying to raise our customers’ sales satisfaction by keeping a fully stocked inventory of new vehicles.  For pre-owned shoppers, we have recently incorporated CarBravo to significantly increase the number and selection of Certified Pre-owned vehicles. Along with our top-notch facility to shop and arrange a sale, we strive to make all our customers highly satisfied with their purchase experience. We invite you to shop the great GMC SUVs and trucks at our store and try that experience yourself.