Learn to Love What Women Want!

Is Selling Service to Women Really Different?

Statistics show that over 65% of the clients coming in for service on most drives are women. They will tell you they want to be treated the same as your male clients but this simply isn't true. Our emotions and expectations are completely different. This is important to know since women are three times more likely to fill out a CSI Survey. When selling to women our priority should not only be to make the sale, but to make her feel good about the purchase.

Women make buying decisions based on emotions.

Yes, I am admitting that we are emotional! Look at the items we most often purchase. We buy products or services that make us look and feel good about ourselves, our homes, and our families. Gentlemen, have you spent an entire day looking for the perfect shoes for one occasion? Once we establish what emotion will motivate her to buy, we can develop a customized professional presentation.

Is she emotional about:

How the car looks or handles
Her families safety
Cost
Reliability
Comfort
Conveniences your store offers
Her time constraints for the day
Retaining the value of her car

Pay close attention to everything communicated during the write-up. She may mention that she uses this car to drive her children to little league events, and they have an important game tonight. She has just verified that safety, reliability, and time are going to be important points in making a sale. Here is an example of how your advisors can use this information.

"Ms. ________, I appreciate all of the details you were able to provide today. This information will help your certified technician diagnose, and repair your car efficiently. Rest assured we will get this taken care of. I would like to point out one thing that we noticed while we were checking under the hood. As you can see, your coolant looks burnt and dirty instead of clean and clear. This is a sign that it has done its job, and needs to be replaced. Coolant protects many parts of your vehicle by keeping it running at the right temperature. Keeping it maintained will prevent more expensive repairs in the future that could occur from freezing, or over heating on hot summer days and long drives. It sounds as though your kids keep you very busy and on the road a lot, right? (let her agree or talk) The last thing you should have to worry about is car problems on your way to their special events. We can take care of this today for only $___. If everything goes as planned, the technician will have your car maintained, repaired, and returned to you in time to get your family safely to the game tonight. Will you be needing a ride somewhere while we take care of this for you today? Great then let me just get a signature and we will get started."

This is a soft-sell approach that makes your female clients feel valued, cared about and heard. Once this is accomplished, you will have a customer for life!

What Drives Women?

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Comment by Anne Fleming on August 23, 2013 at 9:14am

Sally, am jumping in here tad late, but just re-read your blog. You are spot on. Our company mines data directly from women and their dealership reviews. Here are the emotions she feels when1) Buying a vehicle and 2) Decisive Factors that had her buy at the dealership she did:

Emotions felt when car shopping:
Excited	55.7%
Apprehensive	31.3%
Relaxed	29.2%
Confident	27.4%
Nervous	20.7%
Overwhelmed	18.7%
Intimidated	12.3%
Confused	9.2%
Frustrated	8.8%

These percentages may add up to more than 100% because respondents can submit multiple answers. There is a required level of communication approach with women that is required. This approach and what you are training makes a quantified difference to the dealer's ROI and Retention level - thanks again for sharing, Sally!

*Reasons for purchasing at this* dealership:**
Salesperson's Customer Service	56.9%
Best Price/Deal	52.2%
Dealership's on-line reputation	45.6%
Best Model/Color selection	30.5%
Location/Hours of service	27.1%
Best Financing	22.9%
Best trade in offer	19.8%
I just need a car	9.1%
Concierge Services	5.6%

Comment by Jim Sabia on March 8, 2012 at 2:55pm: Thanks Sally... well written much appreciated!

Comment by AutoSTARR on February 13, 2012 at 3:16pm: Sally,

Wonderful, concise article with a lot of gems! I found this point particularly interesting:
"Once we establish what emotion will motivate her to buy, we can develop a customized professional presentation."

It's absolutely true that men and women shop differently, and we need to make sure we are in touch with what women find valuable, attractive, and trustworthy in order to give them the best experience and convert their shopping and comparing into sales.

Thanks for writing!

Comment by Sally Whitesell on February 12, 2012 at 7:24pm: Anne I am known to be "direct and to the point". It comes from working in a predominately male industry. Stephen I am honored to be included in Active Engage. I love SMOT too!

Comment by Andrew Myers on February 12, 2012 at 7:12pm: SMOT - Lovin it.

Comment by Anne Fleming on February 12, 2012 at 6:14pm: Sally, thank you for a consise and to the point article. You are right on. Women buy a car on average every 40 months but she comes into the service lane approx 10 times during that same time duration. You bet meeting her expectation (or exceeding them) is a pathway to having her buy there again! (I love statistcis, as well :))

Comment by Stephen Jackson on February 10, 2012 at 3:19pm: Sally,

Great blog! It's a scientific fact that men and women buy things differently. Thanks for sharing your own tips to help win over one of the BIGGEST market segments: women.

We even featured your blog on the ActivEngage weekly blog round-up of the top ten auto posts. Keep up the great work!

Comment by NANCY SIMMONS on February 10, 2012 at 3:11pm: Sally...Fantastic as always! I always love to read your wise words! Keep up the fantastic work assisting automotive folks adapt to the ever-changing consumer demands of today's market! You are the best!

Comment by Sally Whitesell on February 8, 2012 at 6:07pm: Maurizio I love the stats. These are almost the exact same in America and are what led me to develop a training program all about the differences in selling service to men and women.

Comment by Sally Whitesell on February 8, 2012 at 6:02pm: I appreciate the positive feed back! I am often questioned about the extra time and attention I recommend giving your female clients. It really isn't about the length of time, it is about the quality of time. Good listening skills and communicating in a sincere, honest manner is the key to winner over your female clientele in service, sales and life. These methods may not always be as critical for your male clients because they are often more direct yet I have not found anyone who does not respond well to customized presentations.