Authentic Reviews that Deliver to Your Bottom Line

Consumers are relying on car dealer reviews more than ever before. Women use them the most, as much as 50% more than men. Women not only turn to reviews about a dealership, but they also expect the posts to convey the most important part of the customer experience – trust. The emotional qualities of a review speak loudly to women and encourage or discourage a visit to your store.

Dealerships who learn to utilize reviews that appeal to this market segment create an advantage over their competition. Authentic reviews are invaluable to a dealership – they help tune and refine the brand and reputation building and are part of the toolbox for improving customer experience. Here are 7 tips for helping you build a review platform that invites women to buy and service their car at your dealership:

1. Encourage women to provide honest feedback on their experience. Let them know you want the truth – too often people won’t share how they really feel, or they won’t mention what they didn’t like. Six out of 10 women who don’t buy at your store when they visit never return, making it imperative to understand why.

2. If reviews help you make changes to your culture, publicize it. Let your website and advertisements show that you are paying attention and that customers, your decision makers, have the power to make improvements.

3. Be honest in your approach. If you receive reviews that point out an issue, respond to those reviews and show you have recognized a discrepancy and are fixing it. When women see that your dealership is real and are willing to adapt, they know you can be counted on.

4. Establish a process to ensure your reviews show up in the right industry platforms. Ask for reviews on Google, Cars, Dealer Rater, JoinWomenDrivers, etc. Let women know that their responses are invaluable.

5. Have a special section for women guests where they can read reviews by other women. This allows them to focus on what matters when they visit. Service reviews are especially important since women can feel uncomfortable and really need to trust their advisors. Don’t hide reviews so that folks have to click and search for them.

6. Curate reviews that tell a good story. For instance, “The browsing experience was thoroughly enjoyable. I was greeted, but not in a pushy way. Michael listened to my wish list and found a way to make the numbers work. He was a good listener and found solutions – we worked together to find what I wanted for a price I wanted to pay.” Posts like this tick all the boxes – a trusted resource who listened and was solution-oriented.

7. Earn good reviews by continually examining your culture and how women buyers perceive their experience. This means integrating an understanding of what matters to women during the entire customer experience.

Being transparent and offering reviews about your dealership delivers several advantages. Brand awareness and showcasing loyalty are benefits that make your customers happy and drives more money to your bottom line.

Why Shop Here? Your Culture Matters.

When thinking about business operations, it’s common to examine sales strategies, customer service procedures, and customer experience. Less common is a review of dealership culture, which is the cornerstone that drives your operations and provides consistency. Business culture is the collection of beliefs, values, and practices that are more esoteric and usually defined at a high level.

Culture in Real-Time
An example of a business value is “We do whatever we can to ensure our guests are happy and satisfied.” When translated into procedure, this becomes a reality through reliable steps that likely will create a more-than-satisfied customer, such as an enthusiastic greeting, consistent communication (not too much and not too little), a trusting & respectful experience, and value-added, follow-up communication.

Business culture becomes even more important in the events that aren’t well-defined - an encounter that falls outside the procedural norm. At this point, your culture will provide the philosophy that allows your personnel to be creative and inspires them to stretch beyond the usual methods.

Culture Pre- and Post- Sale
For women customers, your culture is especially important. Six out of 10 women who leave your store without buying will not return. Sixty per cent! That translates into millions of dollars lost that could be saved with the right business culture to provide oversight. Below are examples of culture and how it can be used towards truly optimizing sales:

1. 1. Pre-visit: The time customers spend before entering your store is critical to set expectations for their engagement. A dealer’s website is the #1 digital resource women visit. What does yours say about your culture? Do photos show diversity and inclusiveness? Can the customer see that you put them first, or is it all product? More importantly, does your website match what happens at your store? An attractive, informative website is only the beginning. The experience must have continuity once a woman enters your store.
2. 2. In-store engagement: When your customer enters your store, be especially mindful of the 60% that walk out and don’t come back. Your culture should incorporate a welcoming greeting to answer your customers’ questions. Women value trust and want to establish an honest relationship with their consultant. A culture that epitomizes extraordinary communication will help keep your customer engaged for a visit that creates value.
3. 3. Customer expectations: Establishing and maintaining quality customer relationships means meeting expectations throughout the entire cycle. Customers have their own values and beliefs, and the more aligned they are with your dealership culture, the better your chances of a successful deal.
4. 4. Metrics and review: To understand whether your culture and customer experience match, you must collect objective, third-party adequate, and appropriate data. Analyzing all customer engagements is crucial. It is easy to dismiss someone who says they are “just looking,” but you may dismiss someone who really is shopping but was unhappy with how she was treated. If your culture includes learning as much as possible about customer interactions, you can identify strengths and weaknesses. This means going beyond the dutiful CSI.

As we approach 2019, it is the time to review and rethink how your dealership culture contributes or detracts from your customer’s experience. How can you improve your interactions to pass your enthusiasm on to customers who are then inspired to be part of the 40% who return to your dealership and improve your long-term retention?

LEARN TO CULTIVATE AN IMPROVED CULTURE

Change. It is always happening. Our typical reaction is either happiness and acceptance, or push and resistance. Regardless of our response, change occurs nonetheless. But it is our view to what is happening and how we face the change that is always the real issue.

It’s been quite a year. Just recently, GM announced the closing of many manufacturing facilities at the peril and loss of jobs for thousands. GM, like Ford and Chrysler, report that they are retooling, reinvesting, repositioning, and redesigning. Which includes not just the vehicle line-up, but also the company structure. All to meet a new bottom line and new consumer demand. Evolving consumer trends and tastes have forced OEMs to make extraordinary business decisions.

How Will Change Impact Leaders at the Retail Level?

As you gear up for 2019, be proactive. Create a list of elements and disciplines to re-examine, starting with consumer demand. As in, identifying who your consumer really is – and what do they want (and would love to demand) from your brand. If your brand message is Price, Price, Price – think again. The top reasons women report buying from her car dealer are 1.) Interaction with Sales Consultant, 2.) Dealer’s Reputation, and 3.) Price & Deal, in that order.[1]

It’s time to put your attention on this data and meet with your leadership body and marketing team. Women buy 46% of vehicles at new car dealerships today.[2] The other 54% carry the veto-power. What marketing effort are you going to put toward this market segment and what is your true opportunity?

Do you know that half of women car buyers go to an average of 3.2 dealers before buying?[3] That’s 200% more than the industry average. Are you tracking how many women visit and leave your store? How much additional business could you generate if 10% of these ups were engaged and became buyers? 15%?

Download this Chemistry Table and Review with Your Leadership Team

Chemistry, Culture and Customer Experience

Women can buy a car anywhere. Stop playing the game of chance, hope and guessing. Be relevant and distinguish your store by communicating how you provide a total solution – beyond the mundane “price and best people”. Why? Because they remain watered-down messages in a sea of noise.

Specifically, these ads continue to ignore what the decision-maker wants during her automotive consumer journey – trust and a relationship. Just like the OEMs, it’s time to change how you communicate your culture, the experience that can be expected, as well as how it’s measured.

In other words, it’s time to go beyond the standard opening lines and dutiful CSI & reviews “benchmarks”.

To help navigate these discussions, we’ve created the “What’s Your Dealership’s Chemistry with the Decision-Maker?” chart. Creating a well-thought-out strategy will take time to implement, but it’s the right time to expand & elevate your marketing, sales process and positioning.

[1] 2017 US Women's Car Dealership Report https://women-drivers.com/2017-us-womens-car-dealer-report.pdf
[2] 2017 US Women's Car Dealership Report https;//women-drivers.com/2017-us-womens-car-dealer-report.pdf
[3] 2017 US Women's Car Dealership Report https;//women-drivers.com/2017-us-womens-car-dealer-report.pdf

A recent national report “Women Car Buyers Rate Women Consultants Higher in Dealer Reviews” shows that these buyers experience higher satisfaction and improved customer experiences when they work with female consultants.

A more trusting and engaged consumer experience leads to higher CSI scores, reviews and retention.

Here are 8 suggestions to help dealers hire more women to the front-line team:

1. Think Outside the Dealership. Women excel in sales. When looking for female sales consultants, don’t limit yourself to those with automotive experience. Real estate, hospitality and telecom retail are all areas where women perform at high levels and are great places to recruit new employees. These industries, polished training, and customer experiences can easily be transferred.

2. Understand Why Women are Great at Sales. The best consultants know how to build trust and have a strong intuition that helps them spot potential snags in a deal. Look for employees who are solution-oriented and work to simplify the complex. These traits accelerate the sales process and sales.

3. Step Outside the Rut of Long Hours. Women and millennials understand how to work smarter, not harder. They can accomplish more in a shorter “traditional “work week because they desire a good work-life balance. More attractive work schedules will attract more job applicants and foster retention.

4. Focus on Development and Retention. Turnover in the automotive industry is 39% for men and 43% for women[1]. These numbers cost your dealership extraordinary money and time. Rather than trying to make everyone fit into the same schedules and expectations, spend time getting feedback and brainstorm on new ideas.

5. Ask your Customers. Customers are an untapped resource for feedback regarding sales practices and their experience. Ask for honest feedback and adjust your sales programs accordingly. The national report above shows that women consultants ranked higher in customer satisfaction. Find out what your women consultants do that is different and incorporate that into sales strategies for all.

6. Like Attracts Like. We are inching closer to a place where the majority of car buyers are women. They would prefer to buy from someone with whom they relate to and “gets them”. Having a choice to match demographics simply makes good business sense.

7. Get Creative. If you’re having trouble finding women sales consultants, find out why. Are the hours too onerous? Do you or the leadership team have a mindset of, “It just doesn’t work here?” Consider splitting shifts. Or rotate shifts with interested team members so they don’t have to work long hours every day. Shorter, more family-friendly hours will attract women with families.

8. Market your Inclusivity. Review your marketing, advertising, and digital material to see how inclusive it is to your entire demographic messaging. Or, is it simply all about the “product and price”? Ensure that photos of your dealership and interactions show diversity and balance – and include women selling to women & families. This balance applies to your career sites, too. Let women know your dealership is an outstanding place to work.

Adding women to your salesforce makes sense for so many reasons. It is a want that these buyers don’t even know they have, as most today still haven’t had a choice in the matter. Your dealership will be rewarded with improved sales, CSI scores and customer retention.

[1] NADA Dealership Workforce Study, 2017 https://www.nada.org/workforcestudy/

Did you know that less than 6 in 10 women car buyers report not being satisfied with the initial greeting at car dealerships? Last week, we discussed how to improve in-store guest engagement with 7 ‘face-to-face’ suggestions.

However, when the initial interaction is via email or social media, your response is no less important. Digital communications have the advantage of being read when your customer has the time. It can actually be more relaxed and as effective as an in-store visit.

The number 1 resource women use when in the shopping funnel is dealers’ websites. Know that this market prefers to do business with a trusted resource. To improve these communications and convert more online browsers to buyers:

Tips for Improved Digital Communication

1. Read the customer’s communication carefully before responding. What is her question? What information does she need? Take time to construct a concise response that creates trust. Keep it simple and to the point. Stay away from confusing industry jargon.

2. Don’t start with a canned response. Your customer has taken time to engage with you, return the favor by starting with a personal response.

3. Include reviews from women. Women rely on reviews 50% more than men. Include a link to reviews from her peers so she can discern the experience and culture and see how your dealership responds to great feedback and concerns.

4. Why do business with you. Reviews help to shape beliefs about your dealership. However, it’s also important to manage expectations about the customer’s experience. Do you provide overnight concierge vehicles to service drive customers? Or, is 40% of your management team women-led? Or, do you create a comfortable and relaxed environment? Does your sales strategy include solution specialists that are low key and co-create relationships?

5. Give her a reason to visit. Provide an incentive for her to take time to see what you have to offer. Use this platform to offer to wash her car or change the oil while she takes a tour of your facility. Have a few cars ready for a test drive. In short, make her visit efficient and productive.

6. Provide value-add content. Some emails are outside the “price and payment” type. In these cases, link to content on your site to help guests navigate the many topics of car buying and taking care of their vehicles. See email example below:

Click here to get tips to improve face-to-face greetings.

Decrease the Gender Gap and Increase Revenue

Changing Culture, Changing Tides

Women are buying 45% of all vehicles at new car dealers today. Further, whether purchasing for herself or as part of a couple, this market segment retains 100% of the “veto power” at the dealership. Still, less than 1 in 10 front-line positions are held by women. Does it matter if women consumers deal with women or men sales consultants during their shopping and buying experience? Yes, it does.

In an industry-first national report, JoinWomenDrivers.com analyzed car dealer reviews based on the salesperson’s gender. Almost universally, women rated their satisfaction scores higher when dealing with female sales advisors.

This analysis has identified two major areas of improvement for dealerships attracting and retaining women shoppers. The information outlined below can be utilized to both hire and place the right women candidates in an effort to diversify the makeup of staff and/or train male employees in the behaviors, needs and outcomes of women shoppers. Ultimately, the results gathered by JoinWomenDrivers.com illustrates the need for significant culture shifts to address consumer experience concerns that directly impact sales success.

Methodology: Behind the Numbers

JoinWomenDrivers.com categorized 3,013 car dealer reviews and compared responses with 85% of the reviews rating men and 15% rating women.

The company generates its’ Women Satisfaction Index® (WSI) scores, ranging from a high of 5.0 to 1.0 for each car dealer review. After the review is posted, women are asked if they want to participate in a survey to provide more insight into their visit which helps the dealer understand and elevate the consumer experience. 94% of reviewers opt-in to the ‘digital ethnography’ where women self-report and respond to a 25 question survey for Purchasing, Shopping or Service Drive. For this report, the analysis is for Purchasing and Shopping only. The reviews and surveys were captured between January 2017 and June 31, 2018.

Purchasing Satisfaction

In each of the following categories, purchase review scores that involved female sales consultants ranked higher than those of men:

~ Review of salesperson (4.89 v 4.78)

~ Satisfaction of overall dealer experience (4.91 v 4.76)

~ Salesperson was friendly and respectful (4.94 v 4.82)

~ Salesperson understood needs and provided valuable experience (4.91 v 4.79)

Higher satisfaction scores are an indicator of higher CSI, more referrals and higher retention of customers for that dealership. A woman who drives her new vehicle away from the dealership and feels positive about her visit will return for service, return when she needs another car, and will “sell” the dealership to friends and family. These higher satisfaction ratings also relate directly to how quickly and how often the consultant can close a deal.

Customer Experiences: The Cornerstone to Successful Relationships

The company tracks customer experience influencers. Customer experiences contributing to purchasing satisfaction include low-pressure sales tactics and the ability of the consultant to listen. An approach that is perceived as high-pressure will send most consumers off to another dealership before the deal is done. If a woman feels the consultant isn’t listening, she will simply find someone who will.

A successful sales consultant with a high EQ understands their job is to assist and guide, not convince. They are also there to “get” the buyer. When a buyer is willing to recommend their salesperson, it is the highest compliment and creates more business opportunity for that individual, especially with reviews. This type of grassroots effort has been a recent focus. With low advertising cost, a customer’s social mention of a dealership or a salesperson can significantly influence Social Media visibility and Search Engine ranking.

In the report, the lowest customer experience influencer reported was how satisfied consumers were being greeted. Women were slightly more satisfied by being greeted by salesmen (58.0%) than by saleswomen (56.5%). This is a clear indicator there is tremendous room for improvement and making a more personal connection with guests at the store level and on-line.

Shopping Satisfaction

Dealers are also reviewed for ‘shopping.’ A ‘shopping’ review is captured when there is an online engagement or email with a BDC or going into the store, test driving a vehicle, working up the numbers but not finalizing it (or variations).

The shopping WSI scores shows that women’s experience with female consultants are higher and more engaging than with men. (4.66 vs 4.44)

Of note is that the satisfaction with the successful sales consultant also translates directly to the satisfaction with that dealership (4.74 v 4.55). When dealing with this consultant, her opinion of the dealership was also higher, even though she might have only worked with one woman during the entire dealership journey.

One might question the root of the cause in training a male salesforce. The female sales consultant’s tone, listening skills, and non-pushy demeanor are most noted in responses.

In Her Shoes: How Buyer Choices Are Made

When working with a consultant, women rate trust and respect at the top the list. Price is very important, but women rate that lower, because they believe they can buy the same car elsewhere for within a relatively narrow price margin.

In this report, women consultants were rated higher in each part of creating a successful relationship – Trustworthiness, Being Respectful, Likable and Understanding. Even in degrees, this evidence points to these consultants having a jump-start in getting to a successful sale.

With women salespeople only making up 8% of the force, this is an area that will likely continue to have similar results. A dealership can arm their male salesforce to focus on trustworthiness and respect, but overcoming preconceived notions may only be quelled by a more diverse sales team.

Identify Crucial Emotional Moments of the Sale

Shopping and buying a vehicle creates a range of feelings and emotions that women self-report. The chart to the right shows a tip-over point where the risk becomes higher for the deal to be thwarted. Keeping consumer’s levels high in the top three emotions and low in the remainder keeps a negotiation proceeding toward a sale. Successful sales consultants bring forth more positive emotions from buyers and how they view their own experience.

It’s natural for buyers to be apprehensive and nervous about buying a car as it is a top buying decision in any person’s life. The advisor can make a big difference in minimizing anxiety by observing whether a person is becoming overwhelmed with too many choices or too much information. Paying attention to body language and listening closely is key.

Two of these emotions, relaxed and confident, are the most important emotions to understand. A relaxed consumer will absorb more information and stay in the deal. It is in the interest of the sales advisor to increase buyers’ confidence. Boosting confidence will keep the dialogue and interest on track. A confident woman will ask the questions and get to a decision more quickly.

Fewer Visits Equates to More Sales

Women who purchase from saleswomen reported visiting an average of 1.75 dealerships before buying. Women who rated the 2,561 salesmen reported going to an average of 2.25 dealerships before purchasing their vehicle.

If a deal is not completed on a woman’s first visit, there is a 60% chance that those who leave and don’t buy that day, won’t return. The performance gap between women and men consultants will bring a shopper back or send her to the next dealership. Clearly, female consultants have a 29% edge in creating a higher level of satisfaction to potentially have her return to your store if she did not buy on a given day.

Hiring More Women. It’s Just Good Business.

The results in this breakthrough report indicate that when women car buyers interact with women on the front-line, satisfaction rates are higher at new car dealerships. Women and men don’t shop the same way, and a one-size sales approach does not fit all.

The evidence suggests that higher satisfaction and elevated consumer experiences conclude in higher revenue and stickier retention for your dealership. Hiring, developing and training more qualified female sales consultants is a way to connect better with all guests, especially women. Dealerships who become agents for change and narrow the gender gap in their staffing will reap the benefits by creating return customers who rave about their experience.

There are also opportunities, however, to shift the culture overall to speak more to the women consumer. As we evolve at such rapid rates due to technological and social media, consumers themselves are changing the expectations of the car shopping experience. The material they have in their hands walking into a dealership is far more detailed and researched than in previous years. Empowered women shoppers who may or may not be breadwinners and decision makers, now expect more from their experience. Dealership culture has seen a shift but the data shows there is far more work to be done to recruit and retain women shoppers to resolve their expectations and needs.

Decrease the Gender Gap and Increase Revenue

Changing Culture, Changing Tides

Women are buying 45% of all vehicles at new car dealers today. Further, whether purchasing for herself or as part of a couple, this market segment retains 100% of the “veto power” at the dealership. Still, less than 1 in 10 front-line positions are held by women. Does it matter if women consumers deal with women or men sales consultants during their shopping and buying experience? Yes, it does.

In an industry-first national report, JoinWomenDrivers.com analyzed car dealer reviews based on the salesperson’s gender. Almost universally, women rated their satisfaction scores higher when dealing with female sales advisors.

This analysis has identified two major areas of improvement for dealerships attracting and retaining women shoppers. The information outlined below can be utilized to both hire and place the right women candidates in an effort to diversify the makeup of staff and/or train male employees in the behaviors, needs and outcomes of women shoppers. Ultimately, the results gathered by JoinWomenDrivers.com illustrates the need for significant culture shifts to address consumer experience concerns that directly impact sales success.

Methodology: Behind the Numbers

JoinWomenDrivers.com categorized 3,013 car dealer reviews and compared responses with 85% of the reviews rating men and 15% rating women.

The company generates its’ Women Satisfaction Index® (WSI) scores, ranging from a high of 5.0 to 1.0 for each car dealer review. After the review is posted, women are asked if they want to participate in a survey to provide more insight into their visit which helps the dealer understand and elevate the consumer experience. 94% of reviewers opt-in to the ‘digital ethnography’ where women self-report and respond to a 25 question survey for Purchasing, Shopping or Service Drive. For this report, the analysis is for Purchasing and Shopping only. The reviews and surveys were captured between
January 2017 and June 31, 2018.

Purchasing Satisfaction

In each of the following categories, purchase review scores that involved female sales consultants ranked higher than those of men:

• Review of salesperson

(4.89 v 4.78)

• Satisfaction of overall dealer experience (4.91 v 4.76)
• Salesperson was friendly and respectful (4.94 v 4.82)
• Salesperson understood needs and provided valuable experience (4.91 v 4.79)

Higher satisfaction scores are an indicator of higher CSI, more referrals and higher retention of customers for that dealership. A woman who drives her new vehicle away from the dealership and feels positive about her visit will return for service, return when she needs another car, and will “sell” the dealership to friends and family. These higher satisfaction ratings also relate directly to how quickly and how often the consultant can close a deal.

Customer Experiences: The Cornerstone to Successful Relationships

The company tracks customer experience influencers. Customer experiences contributing to purchasing satisfaction include low-pressure sales tactics and the ability of the consultant to listen. An approach that is perceived as high-pressure will send most consumers off to another dealership before the deal is done. If a woman feels the consultant isn’t listening, she will simply find someone who will.

A successful sales consultant with a high EQ understands their job is to assist and guide, not convince. They are also there to “get” the buyer. When a buyer is willing to recommend their salesperson, it is the highest compliment and creates more business opportunity for that individual, especially with reviews. This type of grassroots effort has been a recent focus. With low advertising cost, a customer’s social mention of a dealership or a salesperson can significantly influence Social Media visibility and Search Engine ranking.

In the report, the lowest customer experience influencer reported was how satisfied consumers were being greeted. Women were slightly more satisfied by being greeted by salesmen (58.0%) than by saleswomen (56.5%). This is a clear indicator there is tremendous room for improvement and making a more personal connection with guests at the store level and on-line.

Shopping Satisfaction

Dealers are also reviewed for ‘shopping.’ A ‘shopping’ review is captured when there is an online engagement or email with a BDC or going into the store, test driving a vehicle, working up the numbers but not finalizing it (or variations).

The shopping WSI scores shows that women’s experience with female consultants are higher and more engaging than with men.
(4.66 vs 4.44)

Of note is that the satisfaction with the successful sales consultant also translates directly to the satisfaction with that dealership (4.74 v 4.55). When dealing with this consultant, her opinion of the dealership was also higher, even though she might have only worked with one woman during the entire dealership journey.

One might question the root of the cause in training a male salesforce. The female sales consultant’s tone, listening skills, and non-pushy demeanor are most noted in responses.

In Her Shoes: How Buyer Choices Are Made

When working with a consultant, women rate trust and respect at the top the list. Price is very important, but women rate that lower, because they believe they can buy the same car elsewhere for within a relatively narrow price margin.

In this report, women consultants were rated higher in each part of creating a successful relationship – Trustworthiness, Being Respectful, Likable and Understanding. Even in degrees, this evidence points to these consultants having a jump-start in getting to a successful sale.

With women salespeople only making up 8% of the force, this is an area that will likely continue to have similar results. A dealership can arm their male salesforce to focus on trustworthiness and respect, but overcoming preconceived notions may only be quelled by a more diverse sales team.

Identify Crucial Emotional Moments of the Sale

Shopping and buying a vehicle creates a range of feelings and emotions that women self-report. The chart to the right shows a tip-over point where the risk becomes higher for the deal to be thwarted. Keeping consumer’s levels high in the top three emotions and low in the remainder keeps a negotiation proceeding toward a sale. Successful sales consultants bring forth more positive emotions from buyers and how they view their own experience.

It’s natural for buyers to be apprehensive and nervous about buying a car as it is a top buying decision in any person’s life. The advisor can make a big difference in minimizing anxiety by observing whether a person is becoming overwhelmed with too many choices or too much information. Paying attention to body language and listening closely is key.

Two of these emotions, relaxed and confident, are the most important emotions to understand. A relaxed consumer will absorb more information and stay in the deal. It is in the interest of the sales advisor to increase buyers’ confidence. Boosting confidence will keep the dialogue and interest on track. A confident woman will ask the questions and get to a decision more quickly.

Fewer Visits Equates to More Sales

Women who purchase from saleswomen reported visiting an average of 1.75 dealerships before buying. Women who rated the 2,561 salesmen reported going to an average of 2.25 dealerships before purchasing their vehicle.

If a deal is not completed on a woman’s first visit, there is a 60% chance that those who leave and don’t buy that day, won’t return. The performance gap between women and men consultants will bring a shopper back or send her to the next dealership. Clearly, female consultants have a 29% edge in creating a higher level of satisfaction to potentially have her return to your store if she did not buy on a given day.

Hiring More Women. It’s Just Good Business.

The results in this breakthrough report indicate that when women car buyers interact with women on the front-line, satisfaction rates are higher at new car dealerships. Women and men don’t shop the same way, and a one-size sales approach does not fit all.

The evidence suggests that higher satisfaction and elevated consumer experiences conclude in higher revenue and stickier retention for your dealership. Hiring, developing and training more qualified female sales consultants is a way to connect better with all guests, especially women. Dealerships who become agents for change and narrow the gender gap in their staffing will reap the benefits by creating return customers who rave about their experience.

There are also opportunities, however, to shift the culture overall to speak more to the women consumer. As we evolve at such rapid rates due to technological and social media, consumers themselves are changing the expectations of the car shopping experience. The material they have in their hands walking into a dealership is far more detailed and researched than in previous years. Empowered women shoppers who may or may not be breadwinners and decision makers, now expect more from their experience. Dealership culture has seen a shift but the data shows there is far more work to be done to recruit and retain women shoppers to resolve their expectations and needs.

Women buy 45% of all vehicles at new car dealers today. Still, less than 1 in 10 front-line positions are held by women. Does it matter if women consumers deal with women or men sales consultants during their shopping and buying experience?

Yes, it does.

In an industry-first national report, JoinWomenDrivers.com analyzed car dealer reviews based on the salesperson’s gender. Almost universally, women rated their satisfaction scores higher when dealing with female sales consultants in these areas:

• Satisfaction Scores when Purchasing
• Satisfaction Scores when Shopping
• The Emotions Experienced
• Customer Experience
• Number of Stores Visited

All of these influences and details are measured – by gender – as well as how your dealership can capitalize on these findings.

GET THE REPORT NOW

Higher satisfaction scores are an indicator of higher CSI, more referrals, and higher retention of customers for that dealership.

Defining Customer Experience for Long-Term Retention

When it comes to creating a successful sale, customers’ experiences matter from the moment they first engage with a dealership online or in person. Repeating successful experiences requires careful tracking and analysis of each experience to understand which experiences create success. Having that scalable success is the dance of sales, and finding an impeccable team to do this continually is what is required.

What Experience Do You Create? Customers begin their experience with your brand from the moment they visit your website or walk into your showroom or service center. Do your customers experience a predictable and positive engagement? Do you make every guests feel special? Or, in the rush of getting cars out do some of your personnel perform in only a “satisfactory” manner. Not badly, but just “OK,” maybe skipping over something.

We are in the human business selling products for $25K, $45K and over $80K. Leaving customers “satisfied” after a purchase or a visit isn’t empowering for them – nor is it good for your store. Why is it in the hospitality industry, guests frequently use experience words like “outstanding”, or “commendable” or “marvelous and superb”? Isn’t it time to take a page out of this $115 – 500 a night industry and update our review and CSI nomenclature? Instead of using the benchmark term as “satisfied’, upping the ante to “extraordinary” (for example) may begin to shift customers own experience of their experience.

Training your employees to provide a cohesive engagement and experience with each and every customer and digital guest is imperative.

Do You Meet Expectations Continuously? The way to create repeat customers is for them to know that your dealership solves problems with little effort. Once you create a predictable, consistent experience, it is important to measure your success. Here are 3 ways to track and evaluate your customer processes.

1. Encourage customer feedback. At each step in the process, your employees can solicit feedback about customer experience. Create a list of questions your staff can ask to ensure your customers’ needs are being met. Provide training so your staff understands the subtleties of body language and verbal responses. When someone detects that a customer is dissatisfied, be sure they are empowered to find an answer.

2. Be the customer. Mentally put yourself in the customer’s shoes. When they are waiting for someone, do they have a comfortable, quiet place to work or relax? Or, is the TV blaring? Do they have a choice? Would you gladly exchange places with your customers? Check in with customers while they are waiting to see if there is something else they would like you to add.

3. Solicit honest reviews. Talk to your prospects and customers. Let them know you value their feedback, good or bad. Bad reviews should be accepted as gifts. People aren’t always willing to tell you what they don’t like, but they are very willing to tell others. Observe on the floor discussion and work to intercept issues as they are happening and move to correct immediately. An inconvenienced customer can turn into a loyal advocate if they know you solve their issues quickly.

In competitive environments like the car industry, customer experience matters. Being known as a dealership who provides a total, convenient experience will deliver results to your bottom line.

Do you have sales personnel or solution specialists at your dealership? Is there truly a difference between the two terms? Can changing the language you use really increase your sales?

When selling to women, language can make all the difference between a successful customer engagement and sending a prospect out the door. Why? Women rank trust as their #1 reason for buying from a dealership. Trust matters more than price. This means that language matters when creating a customer experience and a dealership culture. Here are 5 ideas for creating a culture of solutions and trust:

1. Salesperson or Solution Specialists? As the terms imply, a salesperson sells, and a solution specialist creates a solution. While this may seem trite, it is key to creating a trusted culture. The term “Salesperson” implies that their goal is to sell. Period. Sales are obviously the objective for a dealership, but your customer expects much more. The term “Solution Specialist” implies that the customer comes first. So many guests come into your store not knowing the exact car they want to buy – they expect to be guided and assisted, not sold and pressured.

2. A Title Change Isn’t Enough. Once you change your front-line team title to Solution Specialists (or Solutions Ambassadors or Value Creation Managers), what’s next? The next step is to create “customer first” emotional language throughout your store. On your website, for example, indicate the employees are “Your Team” instead of “Our Team.” Their goal is to create a culture of service and trust with every individual that walks in the door or visits you digitally.

3. Help Employees Spread Your Culture. To assist your employees in knowing what to expect, hold regular training sessions and role-playing practice to help them understand how to “convey” your company culture. Provide handbooks and online links for employees to understand how to provide solutions. Offer regular feedback to let them know how they are engaging with the consumer and guest, personally.

4. Ask Customers for Authentic Feedback. The best way to understand if you are conveying a solutions-based culture is to seek authentic feedback from your guests and customers. Focus groups are a great way to create dialog. Encourage honest reviews of team performance to expose areas for improvement during the customer experience. Capitalize and use the propriety first-party Women Satisfaction Index® Dealer Data from women buyers to ID key areas that are working and those that need improvement.

5. Use Culture to Cultivate Retention. It is imperative to move from simply tracking sales to fully reviewing your dealership’s culture of engagement. Each step of a customer’s experience impacts their perception of your performance. Sales are important, but understanding the customer experience and contact strategies that pay dividends with women make the difference between a one-time customer and one who returns for repeat service and for her next vehicle. Retention is truly the future of your business – use culture to cultivate loyalty.

In today's competitive climate, there are many ways for women + families to locate and buy the car she wants. Dealerships must compete by providing a total solution. Positive, solution-based experiences create trust and the likelihood that a customer will return.