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4 Things Smart Dealerships Do when Women Buyers Visit

So a woman has stepped onto your lot and is looking to purchase a vehicle. What happens next and the direction the visit goes is largely determined by how the dealership, specifically the salesperson, engages and influences her experience. Research shows that 45% of women feel apprehensive and 34% are intimidated when shopping at new car dealerships. The factors that lead to whether she stays or goes to the competition can be summed up with several factors that are fundamental to converting a female visitor to a happy and long-term customer:

  1. Treat her fairly and with respect, as the front negotiator. Be willing to work with her without any intimidation tactics, pushiness or condescending attitudes. If she is with her husband or a man, treat her as the front buyer and keep consistent eye contact with her.

  2. Maintain a relaxed and no-pressure environment, allowing her to feel cared for and listened to.

  3. Build trust by ensuring she understands the safety standards and warranty information. Appreciate that she may likely have children passengers. Answer all questions in a way she feels listened to, and make sure all her questions get addressed. Don’t use words like ‘always’ or ‘never’ – she will stop listening.

  4. Make her experience enjoyable and educational, so she can drive away with more knowledge and awareness. Be the go-to knowledge provider and treat her with respect, which she will almost certainly share with her friends and family.  

Women account for 54% of new car purchasers, and influence 82% of the purchases for the family. Successful women-friendly car dealers know how to have all their sales and service team members work with women buyers with finesse and respect.


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by Meghan Ingram Last Year:

Thank you for writing about a topic that is becoming increasingly important as women now influence such an enormous percentage of car-buying decisions.
Many dealerships fail to realize that the female demographic is the most important one when it comes to potential buyers.
When an auto business' advertising campaign (both on and offline) focuses on encouraging women to come into its dealership, the next step is to train the sales staff to treat women respectfully and courteously - and above all, not to put pressure on them or use intimidation tactics to try to force a sale.
So glad that you are helping to get the word out about this issue!
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by Anne Fleming Last Year:

Meghan -- thanks for your note and insight. It's no secret women buy and interact differently than men. Zero 'gamesmenship' - rather, its about a mutual trusting and respectful relationship. If she gets a wiff that that is not in the equation she will leave, not come back and tell her (376 Facebook) friends all about it. And, be sure, the converse is true -- and that is a win win win... 1) for dealership (she will come back for service), 2) dealership's reputation (she uses review sites more than her male counterpart) and 3) good for her, the buyer. She gets to feel good about her purchase and the place where she made it.
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by Lindsey Auguste Last Year:

This is such a great topic. A recent study at the University of Pennsylvania showed that women shoppers react more strongly than men to their interaction from the sales associates. They're more interested in the experience of shopping than purchasing the actual product. Create an enjoyable shopping experience for the female and you've got a long term customer. This knowledge is huge in keeping customers on your lot (and not your competitor's) and maintaing customer loyalty. And as you said with those female-buying stats, that's a huge customer base. Thanks for posting!
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by Anne Fleming Last Year:

Lindsey -- Bulls eye. That was a great report and very telling!
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by Sharon Hill Last Year:

Do take a look at WomenCertified.com, and its training and marketing program. They also just launched a collaboration with J.D. Power and Associates to recognize dealers doing a great job of meeting women's needs in the car sales process.
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by Haywood J Last Year:

This is a great post, but shouldn't most of these points be applied to ALL customers????
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by Lindsey Auguste Last Year:

"Haywood," respect and care is advisable when interacting with anyone, regardless of whether or not it's in a sales situation, but there are marked difference in shopping preferences and purchasing preferences between men and women and it's important to recognize the difference in order to capitalize on a sales opportunity. Additionally, there's no denying that, even though these points *should* be delivered to both men and women, they traditionally and typically are not, making articles like these important and necessary reminders.
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by Anne Fleming Last Year:

Hawyood -- naturally, they should be. They just arent always and consistantly. Like any business or industry there is room for impovement. Unlike most other product categories, the art or act of buying a car includes negotiating and it employs interacting with a high percentage of male sales-persons .

Bottom line - you are 100% accurate.
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