It’s critical to create ways to tailor your consumer brand experience to the female buyer. She is your number one referral source and the key decision maker of 85% of all purchases at your dealership.

We recently had the distinct privilege of interviewing Katie Mares, who inspires audiences around the world to think differently about their customer experience and service.

Katie shares, “Dealers that are not curating an experience for the female buyer are losing her lifetime value, which Carl Sewall has estimated at $517,000. That is serious money and margin.”

Here are 4 tips from Katie on tailoring the consumer brand experience toward women:

1. Create real relationships. Building trust with your female consumer base is extremely important when it comes to referrals and their desire to purchase a vehicle. One of the best ways to do this is to create real relationships. I use the word real intentionally, as women can sense when someone isn't sincere and will walk. Get to know your female consumers through actively listening, showing compassion and empathy, and taking an interest in what they need or want (even if it’s outside purchasing a car).

2. Make it personal. Capture information and use it in a meaningful way to tailor the experience and make it personalized. For example, if a customer has spoken about her son Johnny playing in a soccer tournament, make sure to ask about this the next time she visits. Remembering this detail not only makes her experience personalized, it also contributes to building a stronger relationship.

3. Create a female-friendly atmosphere. Ask yourself, “Is my dealership female friendly?” Here are some things to look for:

• Is the music appropriate?
• How vast is our magazine menu selection?
• An overnight car is the number one item requested by women in the service drive. Do you offer this concierge service?
• What is the temperature in our dealership? Is it too cold?

There are many ways to create a more open and friendly environment, but you must flip the lens and look through another POV.

4. Train for EQ. EQ—that’s the good stuff like having self-awareness, listening, and having empathy. It’s critical to building your sales to women. One of the main reasons women walk out is because they don’t like the way they were approached or treated. Advisors with high EQ can read people’s nonverbal cues and can adjust their approach based on the needs of each consumer.

Focus your training on soft skills (EQ) and layer in the IQ (product knowledge) as you go. When you blend EQ and IQ, you will receive optimum engagement from your female consumer.

Each of these tips will help to create an above-board customer experience that ultimately will increase your CSI results on all fronts plus outstanding reviews, loyalty, and retention.

For more information visit, www.katiemares.com and @katie_mares1 (Twitter).