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.

Last time, we discussed how imperative it is for your sales advisors to recognize, understand and empathize with the emotions of each buyer. Discerning emotions can impact the approach and the sale. And this, readers, directly influences your dealership’s reputation!

Women & Reviews: A Closer Look
Women-Drivers Certified Trusted Dealers have a 92% Satisfaction Rating which is 23% higher than Non-Certified Dealers. How does this translate to your CSI and Retention Rate?
In a BIG way.

Maybe it's time for you to consider what the cost is of not having a marketing plan to women. Learn More Now.

First to Market: Emoji’s Boost Sales & Reputation
Emojis are pervasive in social media, and serve an important purpose. Since emoji’s are so common, people have adapted to both selecting and interpreting the meaning behind them.

Since women rely on dealer reviews 50% more than men, it is important that women not only be able to read reviews by other women, but that can see at-a-glance summary of someone’s experience. Women-Drivers.com added emoji’s to help reviews better identify their feelings. And, it's quick.

How can your dealership capitalize on the use of emoji’s? Ultimately, the emotions experienced go beyond classification within a few emoticons. Emotions make up a large part of a shopper’s experience. This will result in happy, smiley faces on both your customers and in your reviews! And, your bottom line.

Car Buying and Emotions, Part I
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 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 your 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 a female buyer to feel more comfortable with the decision being made.

For example, a buyer who is overwhelmed or confused can easily 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 is excited to bring you this white paper on how you can generate up to $6,000,000 in annual sales to women. Now is the time to strengthen your position and turn your dealership into a destination for the fastest car buying segment. The headlines are reading how business is only getting tougher. Is it really going to finish up at another 17.5 million unit year? How will your store stack up?

DOWNLOAD YOUR WHITE PAPER NOW.

This white paper enables dealers to train their sales team and help develop new attitudes and behaviors to sell more cars. The bonus tracking worksheet allows GSM’s and SM’s to measure female guests (ups), referrals, and sales to measure this growth over time. CSI and retention are improved, too.

Unprecedented, Yet Simple Tracking Worksheet Helps Build Your Business
There remains an untapped opportunity in your sales plan now to implement. This will make a huge impact just by tracking and measuring a few new metrics.

Follow this: While half of car buyers are women, and that percentage increases to 53% for millennial women. 1 in 3 women out earn their husbands.

But how successful is your dealership in converting women guests? How many guests actually buy? Are you aware how these buyers find out about your store? How can you grow what you don’t track and measure?

Tracking 5 Results to Analyze Success
Using our new worksheet*, track these 5 key stats each week and month:

1. Number of Female Guests: This statistic applies to a woman who comes into a dealership to buy a car for which she will be the registered owner. This applies to a woman shopping by herself, or with someone else, as long as the car is specifically for her.

2. Number of Female Referrals: Inquire at the beginning if the guest was specifically referred by someone else. This someone else could be a friend, a Facebook friend, a Women-Drivers Certified Trusted Dealer or a review by someone online.

3. Number of Female Sales: This is the number of sales to women each week and month.

4. Total Sales: Total ALL sales for your dealership by week and month.

5. % of Total Sales to Women: This is the percentage of sales to women compared to all sales for the week and month. This provides an at-a-glance view of how your store compares to the national numbers for sales to women.

DOWNLOAD THE TRACKING WORKSHEET TO MEASURE AND GROW YOUR
FEMALE GUESTS, CONVERSIONS & BUYERS NOW

What You Put Your Attention On Grows
When you begin to track these numbers, several things will occur:

1. The attention of the sales team will be drawn to the figures being tracked. The numbers will be front and center. If your conversion numbers are low, you will implement strategies to raise them.

2. Focusing on the numbers elevates their importance. Understanding that the intent is to increase sales to women will increase your overall sales!

3. Tracking referrals helps you understand how well you are being perceived. It’s nice when a customer sees your advertising, but a customer who has been referred already has a positive outlook coming in.

Formal tracking of guest numbers and conversions is the first step toward capturing the valuable market segment of women buyers and becoming a destination dealership in your region.

Are You Aware of the Untapped Market?

Bloomberg wrote an article last week about single women and SUVs. Over the past 5 years, small SUV sales to women increased 34%, compared to a 22% rise for men, according to MaritzCX. In this same time frame, premium small SUVs saw 177% growth in sales to women.

And among female car buyers, 40% aren’t married.

“There are single, professional females out there that need vehicles, and you need to be attentive to them,” said James Mulcrone, Director of Research Services at MaritzCX, who has studied trends among female car buyers. “They’re going to make money, they’re going to make their own decisions, and they can be very loyal consumers.” Click here to read BLOOMBERG Article.

Did you Know?

Two-thirds of women buyers reported their 2015 car purchase decision was “entirely up to me.”

So, What’s the Rub?

In a highly competitive market, what is your “Why Buy Here” message? Is it “the BEST Service or BEST Price?” That type of superlative language is simply overplayed and noisy. It doesn’t resonate with women and isn’t distinctive. Women do not want to be sold to like they are buying “power tools.” Her are 3 ways to stand out.

1. Sell more than Cars in Advertising. Women look at car ads, read dealer reviews and use social media to help make a car buying decision. Expand your ads to include more than price. Be sure to convey your reviews and reputation for excellent service and trustworthy business. Be the dealership that attracts women buyers because they can get a great car from a trusted, respectful dealer.

2. Sell the Dealership. Every shopper is a potential client of the dealership. Give them a tour of the service lounge, while you provide them with a free car wash. Explain that overnight cars are provided, since the dealership understands how precious time is for women. Your club lounge has great workspaces and wi-fi. Instead of all customers having to watch the same program, personal programming channels with earplugs are available for customized viewing. Notebooks on hand make checking email, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest a breeze. Every guest receives the list of women-centric seminars on tap for the month.

3. Be a Certified Trusted Dealer. 62% of women are not confident going to buy a car. Showcase your store as the place women in your area trust and go first.

Take new actions to implement these steps and be the Destination Dealership for Women. Really. Here are 8 ideas that will drive business and your bottom-line:

1. Engage each one of your female ups in a respectful manner, or they will walk out the door and not be heard from again. Begin tracking how many convert to sales each month.

2. Add visuals such as people-oriented photos that show the true demographic of your customers.

3. “Warm-up” your store and service lounge with aesthetics including artwork, paint and flowers.

4. Enhance the lounge area to provide extra comfort and amenities so customers can be productive or simply relax and enjoy the wait. Not everyone wants to watch the "news."

5. Utilize a digital-to-showroom strategy. Start in the comfort of their home, because dealers websites are the #1 place women go first. So, have an attractive website with reviews written for and by women. Adopt a web-rooming strategy with web content building confidence and trust.

6. Adopt a strategy of “evidence-driven reputation” in your advertising by using scores and reviews to boost confidence in your dealership.

7. Enhance your advertising to sell more than cars – sell your dealership, and your trust. Don’t forget the dollars that come after the sale. A car sale should be the start of a long relationship of trusted service, leading to your woman shopper’s next car purchase.

8. Learn to walk the walk when it comes to women shoppers and the strategies necessary to engage women in a long-term, trusted relationship. Hire a Diversity Executive Director to lead and direct the changes necessary to market to your demographic.

Download this white paper and get the insights and real-case scenarios about how your dealership can begin tapping into the magnificent sales to women. Now.

Do you know how many women ups visit your store each week? Each month?
Do you know how many of them actually convert and buy from you?
[We didn’t think so. Most dealerships don’t track this.]

Start putting your attention on these new mindsets to SELL YOUR DEALERSHIP at the zero moment of truth (ZMOT) and during the entire digital-to-showroom continuum. Your results will surprise and delight you; how does an additional $3 million to $6 million sound? Sound far-fetched?

DOWNLOAD WHITE PAPER NOW

You have women jumping in to check out your store at various points during this shopping continuum; be prepared to provide her with what's important to her. After all, two-thirds of women are not confident or comfortable stepping in to your showroom.

In this white paper, receive 8 Steps to Differentiate your Dealership to start converting more browsers to Buyers today.

Dealers who fast forward, starting now, will be the early adopters of a changing sales methodology and will reap the benefits.

Today's Women's Wednesday is a rich historical look back reflecting on 50 years of women and automobiles. Its is a great way to view the huge industry and cultural shifts that have taken place in five decades. Fom A to Z. Here are just a few of the trends and events that changed the marketplace and perceptions:

Click Here to Read It Now

For Previous Issues of Women's Wednesday, click here.