Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tom Gorham on February 18, 2011 at 6:31pm

Wow, I really respect what you just said Michal.  As a manager, I watch how the men in our sales staff relate to the women sales staff.  The women who currently work on our staff are treated the same way as the men treat each other and they accept that and even react similarly to the men. And I think the men respect that also. 

 

On the other hand, I completely understand Erin's objection to the Playboy bunnie atmosphere of NADA.  As a man, I don't think about it much, but I can understand how it is viewed by your eyes.

 

Overall, I think the industry has to evolve beyond what was a "man's job" and beyond the "real men don't mind working 12 hour days" as well.  The "real" world involves men and women who have lives and families and children and can still be professional assetts to the company.

 

Michal Ann Benedict Enders said:

I've been in the business 26 years.  For the most part, rough language and behavior can be turned aside with a smile and a roll of the eyes.  

 

It didn't take me long to figure out that when the salesmen are comfortable with me, they act like I am one of the guys, which means that I walk into conversations that don't stop because of my ...equipment.   I am just one of them.  They will often say, whoops, sorry, when they come up for air - but it is normally genuinely an atmosphere of belonging, not harrassment. 

 

I also noticed that when I am treated as 'belonging' it means that I am subject to the same mean, dumb or petty things that guys do to each other all the time that women don't realize they do.  It's a culture shift,  Nothing personal.

 

The very few times I have been exposed to what I would call technical harassment, I stopped it in it's tracks.  Myself.  No HR needed.

 

I totally understand that some places are truly a nightmare.  Just take you skills somewhere else. Most are good people and good places. 

 

Permalink Reply by NANCY SIMMONS on February 18, 2011 at 6:38pm

Awesome Jody!  Thanks for posting this!  I have to add that I went to NADA one year with my dealer and his wife and our General Manager.  The GM and the dealer's wife went off to one function, while the dealer and I went to another party due to preference.  So many comments were made right in front of me to my dealer that he left his wife at home to bring his "trophy", it was appalling!  I was his Comptroller for 20 years and enjoyed strictly a professional relationship!

Jody DeVere said:

Actually this is why I skipped attending NADA entirely this year. I just do not have the patience anymore to put up with it.

 

However Jim Lentz CEO and President of Toyota North America made some very surprising and supportive comments during his industry speech on 2/5 on addressing the needs of women, respect.

 

"In addition to attracting younger consumers, we need to do a better job working with two other rising consumer groups…women and Hispanics.

Let’s start with women…and the fact that traditional roles of men and women have been blurring for some time.  

In fact, women are now the majority of college graduates. And…according to the U.S. Census Bureau… more than half of all advanced degrees are now earned by women, so more will become doctors, lawyers and professors.

And as women climb career ladders, Market Outlook predicts their incomes will grow and have much more impact on business. . 

As a result of this trend, vehicle demand for women will likely grow faster than average. 

On top of that… according to consumer rating site…Women-Drivers dot com… women buy more than half of the new cars in the U.S., AND influence up to 80% of all purchases.

They also request 65% of the service work done at dealerships.  65%!

When you put this all together… women have 200-BILLION Dollars worth of purchasing power. 

That’s more than the estimated GDP for the entire country of Denmark!  (source: CIA’s World Factbook, est. 2009)

Yet, according to a recent article in Forbes… women continue having poor experiences when trying to buy a car.

In fact, nearly three-fourths of women surveyed say they feel misunderstood by car marketers.

So, how do we change that?

Well actually, it’s pretty simple. Women say the most important thing dealerships can do to bring in more women buyers… is…to LISTEN. 

Jody DeVere, president/CEO of ‘Ask Patty’… a site staffed by women car experts… said women like to tell stories… and when they bring in their car for service, they want to share the ENTIRE story.  But, men tend to interrupt and just cut to the chase… which… I have to admit…my wife Barb accuses me of doing sometimes.

Women want to be respected, and DeVere goes on to say it’s important to listen… not only because it’s polite… but because “REAL listening will sell MORE cars.”

I think that’s a good reminder for ALL of us… both professionally… and… according to my wife… personally.

So… let’s make sure we don’t take this consumer group for granted… women are DEFINITELY a key to the future success of the auto industry."

 

Read entire speech here:

 

http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/2011-nada-convention-jim-lentz-1...

 

Best Regards,

Jody DeVere
CEO
AskPatty.com, Inc.
www.askpatty.com

Ph:    805- 624-5673
Cell : 805-208-1008
Fax:   805- 435-2609
eMail: jdevere@askpatty.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/askpatty

AskPatty.com Certified Female Friendly®
www.certifiedfemalefriendly.com

Permalink Reply by NANCY SIMMONS on February 18, 2011 at 6:41pm

Hey Jason...LOL...It's a woman's perogative to shift off into a tangent...we are so used to multi-tasking,we like to discuss many topics all on the same thread!!!!  I think your wife will agree!  LOL

Great candid comments!!!

Jason Mickeslon said:

Great discussion!  Before I respond to the topic I must mention that it is interesting to me how the conversation shifted focus from why is it so hard for women to make it on the showroom floor to how offensive the convention was from a woman's standpoint.  This seems like two different discussions to me and so I am going to comment directly on why few women stick with selling cars (in my opinion).  I don't believe they are related.

 

There could be another reason as to why it is hard for women to make it on the showroom.  In fact, I believe that it is difficult for many MEN and women to make it on the showroom floor.  From what I have witnessed, it doesn't seem like there is a big difference in the success rate for either gender.

 

I have hired several women for sales, and worked alongside several, and many have been very capable of selling cars. Unfortunately, many have not made it in the business.  Most of them have quit for one reason or another: too many hours, don't like rejection, too hard, or "I just don't think car sales are for me" have been many of the reasons that I have heard for not sticking with the profession of selling cars.  However, let's be fair here, aren't these the same reasons that many men don't make it in the industry?   

 

Like men, most women approach their boss and quit long before they have given themselves a fair shot at learning the business and the culture of the dealership.  Car sales is a profession and few people are blessed with the God-given ability to walk into a showroom floor and sell cars their first day.  It takes several years to learn exactly what you are doing and the process of evolving your skills never stops. 

 

When I go through applications for sales I find more applications for men than for women.  Naturally, if mostly men are applying, we will most likely see more men selling.  It would be interesting to know if there is any research that shows the 5 year success rate for men vs. women in the business.  For example, if you followed 100 men hired into the car sales industry and you compared it to 100 women would you see a different percentage of men still in the business than women after 5 years?  

 

My wife works with me in the dealership and we discussed this as well and we feel that the schedule is also the biggest turnoff for women with kids.  Families have a hard time when mom is at work until 9:30pm and gone most Saturdays as well.  I believe that if there was a way that dealers or salespeople could figure out how to make the living they want working less hours then they would have done that already. 

Permalink Reply by Richard Stone on February 18, 2011 at 6:50pm

Sandra Little said:

I couldn't have said it better than Erin and Jared. In fact it's one of my biggest irriations of this industry, and I have been known to create quite a stir about it at times.:) Many women promote sex to sell, and I feel as if this has a large part to do with why it's become so acceptable. It is degrating to a me as a professional woman who goes to these conventions in search for tools to grow my business, to have half naked women running around selling their "product". These women that own their own companies that use sex to sell.... have some respect for yourself.

Permalink Reply by Tom Gorham on February 18, 2011 at 6:53pm

Hehe, I remember when I got into this business years ago, I was told that the dealership preferred men who were divorced, drinkers, gamblers and womanizers.  Why?  Because they were "hungry"... meaning desparate to make money.

Those were the days when you (a salesperson) expected to just show up and wait for the customer to walk in.  Then you could "take the stage".  Many people who remember those times have a hard time realizing that today, you are expected to be a professional, utilize the tools of your trade (such as the Internet and phone) to actually get those people in the door.  Today, it is more advantageous to have a stable homelife, be educated, and be able to actually relate to the customer you are dealing with.  That makes women more welcome as part of the sales force.

 

It also means that dealers should concentrate on making the sales floor a more friendly place for women, families and even men.
Bobby Compton said:

Way to bring it Joseph - Outstanding share! 

There's no question that at the dealership level some can learn better mannerisms and starting from the car lot believe it or not. I think of how many sales people are standing on the point, if to many scares customers away, or smoking in front of dealership entrance, cigarette butts everywhere, high fives on big grosses, and YES foul language on the lot and in the showroom.

This isn't only an issue for women, but children and men as well. I know for sure that these behaviors and mannerisms cost car dealerships deals everyday, no question about it. 

There's a time for play and a time to be professional, and at the dealership it's time to suit up, show up and put on the best game face possible. 

I like to look at it in such a way that if you wouldn't behave that way in front of your spouses parents when your were trying to impress them, then don't act any the lessor in front of a customer!

Best foot forward for the entire team, starts from the top! It's a Team Thing!!!!

 

Permalink Reply by Richard Emmons on February 18, 2011 at 7:00pm

Sure is a tough place in more than 50% of stores I would say Joe. One store I was doing a turn around deal at the boys all had a huge swearing problem. I imposed a fine $5.00 it took 2 weeks and there was only a once and a wile infringement after that. The $300+ dollars collected was used to pay for the lunch of the people that cleaned up there mouth and were able to refrained from foul talk the day before. 6 weeks it was cured.  Just a story that worked for me.

Permalink Reply by Michael Baker on February 18, 2011 at 9:49pm

   Hey guys pass on the word that many of these woman are conveying both above and below, particular at venues of  Convention/Forums as NADA. Yes, the floor may have more men, but if the product is 'worthy' of being on the 'floors', then utilize alternatives aside from women, as stated abvove and repeated below.

 

   It's ashame that the implied conduct still prevails at Dealerships, as conveyed above and below, but surely it is minimal with astute/caring management with leadership/training at large in the fixed and variable operations at most stores'...

Sandra Little said:

I couldn't have said it better than Erin and Jared. In fact it's one of my biggest irriations of this industry, and I have been known to create quite a stir about it at times.:) Many women promote sex to sell, and I feel as if this has a large part to do with why it's become so acceptable. It is degrating to a me as a professional woman who goes to these conventions in search for tools to grow my business, to have half naked women running around selling their "product". These women that own their own companies that use sex to sell.... have some respect for yourself.

Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on February 18, 2011 at 10:17pm

Starts from the top down.....to answer your question Joe.I believe the amount of women in sales is about 8% of the total yet outsell on average their male counter parts by nearly 20 units a year......That's a huge opportunity for the dealers the way I see it.Sooo....We/AutoMax knows first hand how hard it is to even get dealerships,many NOT all to even consider bringing on an equal amount of female salespeople as male.We are going to end up being in over 1,000 dealerships this year,with a "culture change"...attitude change,we could by ourselves increase the number of female salespeople by 5,000 easy....IF....the dealerships made some much needed,long over due changes.

Diversity seems so simple to me,I just don't get it,shouldn't my sales floor demographic be just as diverse as my client base????

Permalink Reply by Paul Chesher on February 19, 2011 at 12:25pm

Is it still tough for Women in the Industry? For the last couple of years I have worked with ASC, training sales pro's around the globe. It's my experience that women often become one of the top sales people in a dealership (and quickly too). Whenever I meet a smart, interesting woman looking to get into the business, I scoop them up fast! It makes the entire company look good. That said, I agree with Erin: NADA is a good example of the clear disparity in gender.

 

Recently, we (AutoProMetrix) launched a new website for sales professionals who are looking to take control of their own destiny. To that end, it seems that women are the early adopters, and are immediately excited about promoting themselves as professional sale people utilizing their own website, and social resources.

 

Interesting topic! Thanks for the insight!

Permalink Reply by Abe Hopper on February 19, 2011 at 12:56pm

This happens in many stores ... and can Managers please coach sales people not to shout to one another across the showroom floor ?  This is a business office ... not a gym !

Permalink Reply by Rick Bryant on February 27, 2011 at 9:56am

I think the uninformed sales managers who shy away from women sales people are doing so to protect themselves from possible charges if they let the wrong word slip, or in the wrong tone of voice, and all you have to do is stand in any sales tower and you will still hear remarks that could be taken as offensive to some. The laws in most states will not tolerate any form of sexual harrassment and the penalities may be severe.

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