Wow, its December. Last month of the year. Now is the perfect time to begin to reflect on the customer processes, engagement and strategies you have in place in at your dealership. How can you re-imagine it getting better? Especially with women buyers – whom each one is different and not a single one wants to hear from a dealership “we treat everyone the same.” 

We created a fun table with ‘chemistry elements’ in key areas of the dealership to help you observe your progress. How you can re-image improving the engagement so that women are delighted, confident, and overjoyed in each area? 

The Right Formula
When it comes to customer service or sales, there is talk about having the right customer chemistry. But what does that really mean? What are the right ingredients to attract women shoppers, turn them into buyers and keep them coming back to your service center? There are many combinations of the “right formula” and it can be complex to find the optimal combination. We have created a handy chart to use as a reference for steps your dealership can take to help “re-create” the right synergy and drive more dollars to your bottom line this new year.

To get a closer view you can Download Now and share this with your team at the next sales/company meeting. We’ve addressed areas like WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA, ADVERTISING, SALES, STORE ENVIRONMENT, F & I, SERVICE, and REPUTATION. And, YOUR IDEAL BUYER.

Does your dealership brag about your reputation? Do you constantly explore new ways to improve your interactions with customers and employees?

Brag Boards
Women rely on reviews 50% more than men and especially like reviews by other women. Reviews act as your 24 x 7 brag board by letting others hear the voice of your customer champions.

1. Be sure reviews are front and center on your website and social media efforts.
2. Don’t limit your reviews to only glowing comments or they will look pre-screened. Show how you readily solve problems.
3. Post reviews in plain site.  Include reviews where customers will stop and pause, like in your service lounge.
4. Encourage customers to write reviews about their visit. Let them know you are using their ideas to improve your ability to deliver outstanding service.

Explorations Boards
An exploration board is today’s “suggestion box.” An exploration board is very open and inclusive. Dealerships can start the conversation by using “what if” statements to get people thinking about specific topics, like:

• What if each sales advisor sold an additional 3 cars this month?
• What if prospects were immediately comfortable when they walked in your showroom?
• What if today was the top selling-day of the year?

Here are tips for getting an Exploration Board started at your store:

1. The board is to be presented in a non-threatening way to gain participation from all. Using first names or initials keeps the suggestions positive. Everyone’s participation is encouraged, and must be met with respect.

2. Allow ongoing discussion of the ideas. Bring the exploration topics to staff meetings to encourage continuation of the conversation.

3. Pick specific topics from the board to keep the discussion going. Turn suggestions into a new plan, adding metrics and goals. Post the results.

4. Reward employees for participation. Let people know that their ideas can be brought to fruition.

Encouraging participation and showing the results makes a difference in your employees’ performance, and ultimately will drive more dollars to your store, boost morale and encourage healthy competition. Customers will feel that you are interested in their feelings and perceptions.

Employees whose ideas matter become happy employees, stay longer and interact better with customers. And that is really something to brag about!

Women shop and buy cars for a number of reasons, but regardless of the reason, emotions are involved in every step. The emotional range can start with excitement about the prospects of a new car, to apprehension when signing papers, to frustration when taking a car in for service.

Why Emotions Matter
During the buying process, your customers will experience a range of emotions. You know this. It is important to understand how these emotions ultimately end up reflecting on your dealership.

Women-Drivers.com has recently tracked the emotions reported by 3,105 women car buyers, and they are:

1. Excited 55.7%
2. Relaxed 34.4%
3. Confident 30.7%
4. Apprehensive 30.3%
5. Nervous 25.8%
6. Overwhelmed 20.1%
7. Intimidated 11.4%
8. Confused 8.6%
9. Frustrated 8.6%

These percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents can submit multiple answers.

It’s key for sales advisors to recognize and understand these emotions. They are a normal part of the buying process for any large-ticket item. What becomes important is the ability to discern if these emotions are helping or hurting the approach. Savvy advisors ask the right questions to see if the negative emotions can be minimized by assisting the buyer to feel more comfortable with the decision being made.

For example, a buyer who is overwhelmed or confused can decide to stop the process before it is completed. Recognizing these emotions and taking steps to clarify any buyer’s questions can mean the difference between saving and losing a sale. A buyer’s frustrations can be mitigated by streamlining the sales and financing process to eliminate wasted time.

Emotions make up a large part of a shopper’s experience, and smart dealerships will learn to monitor and do what is necessary to keep the emotions on the positive side.

Women-Drivers.com President and Car Buying Advocate, Anne Fleming, had the privilege of being honored to the 2013 Women in Remarketing class in San Diego at #usedcarweek.

Other women honored from various aspects and leadership roles, include:

• Lisa Filippi-Alvarez, @Honda Motor Company
• Valerie Fuller, @FordDirect_com
• Isabelle Helms, @AutoTrader_com
• Rebecca Hewitt, Southeast Toyota Finance
• Cheryl DeVries-O’Brien, Greater Kalamazoo Auction
• Alison Ouchi, Ally Servicing
• Julie Picard, @Manheim
• Lisa Scott. ADESA and @OpenLane
• Patty Stanley, Carolina Auction
• Laura Taylor, Charleston Action
• Jennell Ross, @BobRoss Auto Group
• Sue Saris, @NAAA

The event was moderated by Andrea Riley, past award recipient and CMO of Ally Financial. Many thanks @autoremkting for hosting such a wonderful, innovative event.

Women-Drivers.com President and Car Buying Advocate, Anne Fleming, had the privilege of being honored to the 2013 Women in Remarketing class in San Diego at #usedcarweek.

Other women honored from various aspects and leadership roles, include:

• Lisa Filippi-Alvarez, @Honda Motor Company
• Valerie Fuller, @FordDirect_com
• Isabelle Helms, @AutoTrader_com
• Rebecca Hewitt, Southeast Toyota Finance
• Cheryl DeVries-O’Brien, Greater Kalamazoo Auction
• Alison Ouchi, Ally Servicing
• Julie Picard, @Manheim
• Lisa Scott. ADESA and @OpenLane
• Patty Stanley, Carolina Auction
• Laura Taylor, Charleston Action
• Jennell Ross, @BobRoss Auto Group
• Sue Saris, @NAAA

The event was moderated by Andrea Riley, past award recipient and CMO of Ally Financial. Many thanks @autoremkting for hosting such a wonderful, innovative event.

One challenge consumers face when choosing what new vehicle to buy is whose advice to take about the various features of each different car. As consumers ourselves, we know there are always two sides (or more!) to everything especially car reviews. We strive to deliver car reviews that are innovative and well-rounded by providing you with two points of view on the same exact vehicle - Her and His perspectives. Our cover car details such as price, performance, fuel economy, the car itself, safety, technology, aesthetics & styling, and warranty.

Here is the review of the 2014 Mazda6 Grand Touring:

One challenge consumers face when choosing what new vehicle to buy is whose advice to take about the various features of each different car. As consumers ourselves, we know there are always two sides (or more!) to everything especially car reviews. We strive to deliver car reviews that are innovative and well-rounded by providing you with two points of view on the same exact vehicle - Her and His perspectives. Our cover car details such as price, performance, fuel economy, the car itself, safety, technology, aesthetics & styling, and warranty.

Here is the review of the 2014 Mazda6 Grand Touring:

It’s not an accident that great sports teams are ‘great teams’. They are consistent in their play and standings year after year. Take for example, the New England Patriots, the New York Yankees, or even the Dallas Mavs.

It’s not an accident either that great companies are ‘great companies’. They too are consistent in their product and performance year after year. In this case, let’s look at Apple, PepsiCo, or Starbucks.

These companies, teams and brands are always looking for “what is missing”? They are not looking for “what is wrong”, but rather, what is missing that if it were there ‘it’ would make a qualified or quantified difference.

Incidentally, these leadership companies have leadership visionaries working there, who are constantly on the lookout for variables, technologies, processes and solutions what will make a difference in elevating customer value.

Late last week, Lexus announced it will be introducing two new posts at the dealership level. A Vehicle Delivery Specialist, or VDS, will be responsible for reviewing the features of the car with the new owner. The second key position is the Vehicle Technology Specialist, or VTS, who will be charged with articulating and showcasing the technologies of the vehicle to the rightful owner. The VTS will be available to answer questions and review in a hands-on manner how the latest technology works. For many Lexus customers, including women, the VTS will prove to be a problem-solver and a difference maker, improving customer’s use and understanding of the advanced technologies. Having test driven Lexus products with Enform – see HER & HIS Lexus ES 350 review - this new system, with an array of services, is extraordinary.

Bravo to Lexus for advocating and placing these change agents at the dealership level. Ford and other car companies have already taken notice, as the user advanced technology platforms in cars today really does require more than a ‘once over’ and a sales associate’s reference to the owner’s manual. Lexus customers will be on a first name basis with their VTS.

Lexus, a leader in customer engagement and satisfaction, has had top spots for years as measured by JD Powers and Associates. Lexus also is a top scorer with a growing segment of their buyers, specifically looking at satisfaction from women buyers.

Women-Drivers.com assists dealers in building trust and transparency with female customers by growing dealerships social communities and elevating conversion rates from women.. Women also rate their experience at dealerships in the United States and the company tracks these scores through the Women Satisfaction Index® or WSI metric. Lexus has received the third top billing two years in a row* with scores of 4.83/5.00 in 2011 and 4.37/5.00 in 2010. These results exemplify Lexus’ consistent high scores from women who were very satisfied with the engagement and treatment by the sales person, and their overall dealership experience.

Look for even better WSI scores from Lexus in 2012, and, from other brands that take a page out of the Lexus playbook!

*The company launched in 2009 and began tracking WSI score by brand the following year.

It’s not an accident that great sports teams are ‘great teams’. They are consistent in their play and standings year after year. Take for example, the New England Patriots, the New York Yankees, or even the Dallas Mavs.

It’s not an accident either that great companies are ‘great companies’. They too are consistent in their product and performance year after year. In this case, let’s look at Apple, PepsiCo, or Starbucks.

These companies, teams and brands are always looking for “what is missing”? They are not looking for “what is wrong”, but rather, what is missing that if it were there ‘it’ would make a qualified or quantified difference.

Incidentally, these leadership companies have leadership visionaries working there, who are constantly on the lookout for variables, technologies, processes and solutions what will make a difference in elevating customer value.

Late last week, Lexus announced it will be introducing two new posts at the dealership level. A Vehicle Delivery Specialist, or VDS, will be responsible for reviewing the features of the car with the new owner. The second key position is the Vehicle Technology Specialist, or VTS, who will be charged with articulating and showcasing the technologies of the vehicle to the rightful owner. The VTS will be available to answer questions and review in a hands-on manner how the latest technology works. For many Lexus customers, including women, the VTS will prove to be a problem-solver and a difference maker, improving customer’s use and understanding of the advanced technologies. Having test driven Lexus products with Enform – see HER & HIS Lexus ES 350 review - this new system, with an array of services, is extraordinary.

Bravo to Lexus for advocating and placing these change agents at the dealership level. Ford and other car companies have already taken notice, as the user advanced technology platforms in cars today really does require more than a ‘once over’ and a sales associate’s reference to the owner’s manual. Lexus customers will be on a first name basis with their VTS.

Lexus, a leader in customer engagement and satisfaction, has had top spots for years as measured by JD Powers and Associates. Lexus also is a top scorer with a growing segment of their buyers, specifically looking at satisfaction from women buyers.

Women-Drivers.com assists dealers in building trust and transparency with female customers by growing dealerships social communities and elevating conversion rates from women.. Women also rate their experience at dealerships in the United States and the company tracks these scores through the Women Satisfaction Index® or WSI metric. Lexus has received the third top billing two years in a row* with scores of 4.83/5.00 in 2011 and 4.37/5.00 in 2010. These results exemplify Lexus’ consistent high scores from women who were very satisfied with the engagement and treatment by the sales person, and their overall dealership experience.

Look for even better WSI scores from Lexus in 2012, and, from other brands that take a page out of the Lexus playbook!

*The company launched in 2009 and began tracking WSI score by brand the following year.

Never before has it been so vital to keep up with the changing social tides in order to stay competitive. Now, it’s also never been so easy to promote yourself as a distinguished Certified Women-Drivers Friendly™ Dealer.  With the “Facebook share” producing the best search engine rankings, it’s wise for dealers to pay attention to how they’re utilizing Facebook to their advantage. Think your dealership doesn’t need a Facebook Fan Page or really need to build your fan base? The fact is many of your potential customers are researching online before stepping on your lot. The latest statistics reveal that 42% of Americans are on Facebook, with a majority of them being women. And, these women influence up to 80% of car purchases and buy 54% of all new cars. So, it’s time to get active on Facebook to meet them where they’re at.  Here is why:

1. Tips and helpful information - Engage your viewers and draw them to your website. The more time they spend on your site, the greater your chances of a visit and sale.
2. Reputation Management - Share and post consumer reviews, and, ask for them! Consumers love transparency, and you’ll love the SEO.
3. Search Engine Optimization - Increase the number of visitors who are actively searching for your brand.
4. Expand Your Market  - develop new customers and expand your message beyond the ‘old-school’ geographic limitations. Consumers will drive a farther distance now.

Building a Strong Network Presence
How can you tie your dealership, Facebook and Women-Drivers.com together for increased exposure? Make the most of your standings and status as a Certified Women-Friendly  Dealer, and share these reviews on your Facebook page to attract new prospects. With one resource linking to the other, this collaboration results in a respected presence reaching into thousands of homes. If you are not a Certified Women-Drivers Friendly Dealer, click here to find out how to become one.