Welcome to Women’s Wednesday. When women perceive they are not treated the way they expect at car dealerships, 65% leave and do not return. That’s a lot of business walking out the door and buying down the street. What can your dealership do to turn more browsers into buyers? We compile a lot of data from dealer reviews, and below are the top three reasons women buy from the dealership they do.

1.Treatment by Sales Person

How well women are treated is the single most influential factor when it comes to buying from a dealership. Women typically evaluate cars on the same grounds as men like price, mileage, design and safety features. However, the deciding factor of whether to close a car deal is greatly dependent on her interaction with the sales advisor.

Treating her with respect is paramount. Show her that you are glad she’s come into your store, acknowledge her presence, put the smart phone away, and listening to her questions are all part of a winning formula. All this may not matter quite as much to men, but it is highly effective in selling to women car buyers. These little things go the distance in winning a customer for a long-time, maybe even a life-time.

2.Best Price or Deal

The second reason women buy from a dealership is the price of the car. Women prefer to buy from dealerships that understand their needs and budget and don’t try to push them into buying cars that exceed their budget.

3.Car Dealer’s Reputation

The car dealership’s reputation really matters – especially to women – as they are more apt to research and use car dealer review sites than men. They want to make an informed decision where they shop so they don’t waste time and have no regrets.

Did You Know?  

Women are 3 times more likely to leave a review – and, a higher scoring review – than men. So, be sure to ask for reviews from your female customers! If you want to be the go-to-dealer in town, deliver the ultimate car buying experience to every woman who walks in your store.

For more on this topic, click here.

Women are the fastest growing segment of buyers. Market to them before they walk into your store by showing your transparency with your Certified Women Friendly logo.

Sign up and learn more here.

Welcome to the inaugural Women’s Wednesday blog. As the leader in connecting women+families with Certified car dealers, look for brief educational tips and nuggets from us to weave into your sales and service practice to expand your sales to women. With our deep vertical expertise, we are here to assist with suggestions to make doing business with women a natural, core value and expression at your dealership. With that, let’s begin:

While women influence over 80% of all car purchases, they actually bought 27 million vehicles last year – most at car dealerships. That is almost 75,000 cars a day! How about at your store? Are you optimizing sales to this powerful buying group?

Did you know?

Women visit 2 dealerships prior to buying a car. When women leave dealerships and don’t buy, 2 out of 3 do NOT return! Ouch -- better ask the right questions and treat her exceptionally the first time. Chances are, there is no second chance. The number one reason women report they did not return is, “I didn’t like the way I was treated.”

How well a women is treated is the most significant and important factor for her staying at, staying engaged, and buying from your dealership. Price is secondary! Stay tuned for the more including the top 5 reasons women buy from their sales advisors. Again, it is NOT price!

Women are the fastest growing segment of buyers. Market to them before they walk into your store by showing your transparency with your Certified Women Friendly logo. Sign up here to learn more.

Ps - Did you get your copy of the 2014 Women’s Car Buying Report? Click here.

Good Selling!

Last year, women purchased an estimated 27.5 million (1) vehicles – an impressive 75,000 units a day. Women-Drivers.com has released a comprehensive 2014 US Women’s Car Buying and Dealership Report detailing the experiences women have shopping, buying, leasing and servicing their vehicles at car dealerships.

The research comes from over 2,900 women’s surveys from the company’s website. From these surveys, the company generates a Women Satisfaction Index® or WSI score. The range is from a 5.0 (the highest) to 1.0 (the lowest).

As President and Car Buying Advocate of Women-Drivers.com team I'm thrilled to publish this first-ever report. While women have felt underserved by the auto industry in the past, our data and analytics show that on the whole, women are having very positive experiences today at car dealerships. Not surprisingly, when studying the data by brand and certainly by dealership, distinct differences are revealed.

Unlike other 5-star review sites, Women-Drivers.com offers women the opportunity to write a quick review and then opt-in to a ‘deeper dive’ survey to share more thoroughly about her dealership visit. We were pleased that almost 90% of the reviewers opted-in to the survey. To say we were surprised and delighted by this percentage is an understatement. The bottom line is that women are receptive and generous regarding sharing their experiences and visits at the dealership.

The data collected by the company is used by manufacturers and dealerships to better understand, improve and shape the customer's experience and engagement, as well to take the guesswork out of marketing and selling to women.

Key Findings

• When shopping for a vehicle, the average WSI was 4.25. The top five rated shopping brands by women are Ford, Jeep, Chevrolet, Mitsubishi and Mercedes-Benz
• When purchasing a vehicle, the average WSI was 4.65. The top five rated purchasing brands by women are Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, Mitsubishi, Jeep and Lexus
• When leasing (a subset of purchasing), the average WSI was 4.80

A WIN FOR ENGAGED DEALERS

Earlier this year, JD Power reported that more than one third of buyers are using car dealer review sites to help them determine where to purchase their next vehicle. Buyers no longer want to go from dealership to dealership; they value their time. According to Pew Research, an estimated 80 percent of Americans will have smart phones by the end of 2014; it won’t be long until that “one-third” becomes 50 percent. No wonder there are so many dealer review platforms vying for dealers business.

REVIEWS AND WOMEN — A TIPPING POINT

Here is where it gets imperative to distinguish your dealership. First, women are the fastest growing segment of car buyers, purchasing 27 million cars a year. That is the equivalent of 75,000 cars a day just at new car dealerships. What strategic and day-to-day ways does your dealership market to and communicate with women buyers and prospects?

Next, when it comes to reviews, women are more generous than men when rating their dealership experience.

Asking women who shop, buy and service their car at your store for a review will accomplish these two things simultaneously:

• It will increase the number of reviews your store has which provides you several benefits
• It will increase your overall aggregate scores by platform (Dealer Rater, Edmunds, Google, Women-Drivers, Yelp, etc.)

BEING OK WITH A NEGATIVE REVIEW

In today’s social world, it’s acceptable to get a negative review here and there.

It is OK for your customers to see a negative review in your social channels like Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Rather than fearing or hiding from the negative review, let’s take another point of view:

• Your social customers know that you have thousands of customers. Every single one of them has unique experiences and, of course, not all can be fantastic. Simply, that is just not how life — and business — go. And, it’s OK.
• Your social customers expect to see ratings that aren’t always stellar. Starbucks, Nordstrom’s, Apple and Target don’t always have five-star reviews. Ever wait at an Apple store for more than 45 minutes, even though you had an appointment? You bet. Apple apologizes and acknowledges that. And, more important, it’ how Apple publically responds to those negative reviews. Similarly, it’s how your dealership responds to negative reviews that matter.
• If you (or any major company) don’t have a single negative review, it can show up as odd or inauthentic to the reader. Customers reading reviews want to read the good ones and the not-so-great ones. If you don’t have any negative reviews, customer think you are hiding something. Again, showing how you respond is the important thing. Your response addresses the reviewer’s concern and it improves and elevates brand perception among other social shoppers.

RESPONDING TO A NEGATIVE REVIEW

Most importantly, responding to negative reviews requires a professional skill set that includes having exceptional empathy and concise writing ability, so either appoint a dealership ambassador or outsource this position.

1. Timing, as in most things in life, matters. You receive reviews in real-time; don’t let your response lapse.
2. Authentically empathize and “get” your customer. Speak to their concern or issue. Don’t dance and never be defensive.
3. Take it offline so they can further communicate and get their issue resolved by speaking to them live and addressing their concern.

SUMMARY

When a dealership gets a negative consumer review it is truly an opportunity to further the conversation and turn the negative into a positive. Understanding the consumer’s experience behind the negative review will help your dealership’s sales practices.

The bottom line is now dealerships are now seeing the profound benefits of reviews to their dealership, and how those benefits far outweigh the risks. In 2014, smart dealers will further focus on reviews, and especially reviews from women buyers.

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:

Leaders Mercedes, BMW, Honda, Lexus, Buick and GMC

According to the latest research, women account for over two-thirds of all dealership service visits. Women-Drivers.com, the leader in capturing dealer reviews from women about their dealership experience, has reported the mid-year top auto brands in 'Service'. Scores are measured in WSI® or Women Satisfaction Index on a scale of 5.0 (Excellent) to 1.0 (Poor).

"NADA just released its 2013 Data report, sharing that the service portion of the business is flat with last year and remains the highest margin area for a dealership", said company President, Anne Fleming. "The ability to increase sales and the loyalist base remains both precarious and opportunistic in the service lane. Service personnel must be spot‐on with customer engagement and customer treatment which is a real balancing act. It’s the place in the dealership for the best listeners; the Service Advisors need to be able to hear what women are concerned about and really listen to what they are not saying. Congratulations to these brands as they are putting value where it really matters ‐ customer retention equates to real trust and excellent communication."

The Top Auto Brands for Service

The top car brands* with the highest SERVICING WSI® scores at new dealerships are listed below, while the average for all brands was 4.12.

1. Mercedes-Benz: 4.74
2. BMW: 4.63
3. Honda: 4.50
4. Lexus: 4.47
5. Buick: 4.25 and GMC: 4.25
6. Toyota: 4.21
7. Subaru 4.20
8. Dodge 4.19
9. Jeep 4.14
10. Chrysler: 4.09
11. Nissan: 4.03
12. Chevrolet: 3.92
13. Volkswagen: 3.89
14. Hyundai : 3.80
15. Ford: 3.70

*Some brands may not be represented in this report due to lack of statistically significant data.

Renee Higgins, Director of E-Commerce at Davis-Moore Auto Group in Wichita, Kansas adds "The service aisle is a prime location for us to build trust with our female customers and assure then we are here to help them solve their automotive problems – not take advantage of them, as is the unfortunate stereotype. At Davis-Moore dealerships our service advisors and technicians are specifically coached on best communication with female customers to both clearly communicate and diagnose their vehicles, but also to build a long term, honest and open relationship."

Room to Improve – Negative Data Trends

To be sure, there is ample opportunity to improve among many brands. The company reported on key findings, including:

• 43% were dissatisfied with their last experience (up from 41% last year)
• 36% didn’t like the way the service advisor spoke to them or the way they were treated (up from 34%)
• 34% said that their problem wasn’t resolved to their satisfaction (up from 33%)
• 20% thought the dealership was lacking in concierge services (improved by 3%)
• 21% said the dealerships hours weren’t convenient
• Just 60% of women receive follow up communication from the dealership (down from 66% last year).

Other highlights in the report showed that 53% of the women reviewers have their vehicle serviced where they originally purchased, whereby 22% of them used another dealership. Of these two groups, 74% plan to use their dealership in the future. With service departments open 56 hours a week compared to an 80 hour average for specialty car repair chains, the number one requested concierge service on the list was courtesy vehicles. Women want to be able to drive home when their vehicle is in the shop overnight or for an extended stay.

For more, visit Women-Drivers.com.

As a car dealer, you’ve been thoroughly trained on all steps of a sale from greeting through negotiation and final sale. And, you apply these steps well. But, it’s a good bet that even armed with all of your knowledge and experience there have been more than a few times when you found yourself wondering, "What happened? I thought everything was going well and yet the prospect walked out the door."

Here, you will learn unusual but highly effective tips to help you focus on signals that you might otherwise miss – signals that could be the difference between clinching a deal and having the potential buyer walk out the door. Women-Drivers.com reveals that women car buyers visit 1.9 dealerships before purchasing. That means that while 5 out of 10 women who walk in are going to buy a car from you; and 5 are going to leave - and 89% of those who do leave will not return to your dealership.

Do you track the number of browsers that visit your dealership? If you did, you might see there is a whole lot of business walking out the door. Knowing how the unconscious can undermine effective communication enables you to pay attention, better read a buyer and increase sales potential. Here, we concentrate on your interactions with women buyers in particular. But, the same principles of observation, awareness and being "in the moment" apply in every sales situation with all customers.

Your Brain on Auto Pilot Have you ever said something or acted on something and then asked yourself, "What was I thinking?" Let's face it, all of us have found ourselves acting first and thinking second at various times. When this lapse of 'conscious consideration' happens during the car buying process, it means that you could be missing something vital.

Let's take a closer look. The brain has three essential components:

• The Neocortex, smart and conscience, produces language, reason, and analysis.
• The Limbic part stores memories and reactions and records and produces emotion.

The Reptilian part is unconscious, designed to create fight or flight when survival is at stake, and can be quite irrational, allowing one to jump to unwarranted conclusions.

Clear Intentions International® is a company that provides executive Neuro-Emotional Coaching and works with sales professionals in the US, Israel, and Germany. "The common challenges that sales people have are fear of rejection, poor time management and lack of confidence – or, in some cases, the sense of deserving to be successful. Even though it's 2013 and we have all this technology and are highly sophisticated, our emotions still rule our decisions. Sales people think the deal closed and in a nano-second something happens and they derail it," says founder and President Dr. Barbara Schwarck, PCC.

To address this, Clear Intentions created the BreakThrough Now app (iphone users can download here) that assists salespeople in powerfully dealing with their blind spots As a result of some simple tests, you can achieve dramatic improvements in productivity, procrastination, feeling disempowered, and against rejection. Adds Dr. Schwarck, "it's a litmus or PH test to locate individual weaknesses and what to go to work on."

When you stop paying real attention to your sales interaction and, instead, operate on auto pilot or assume or just jump to conclusions, your limbic brain takes over meaning you are acting on instinct, history and internalized prejudices rather than being present to happening right now. For more on how the brain functions, and how car buyers also become 'hijacked or hooked', read Women-Driver's article on The Neuroscience of Buying a Car.

With women going to 1.9 dealerships before buying, read on to understand 3 key developments you can employ to maximize your sales opportunity well beyond a 50-50% chance.

1. Get to Know Women Car Buyers Better
Here's a quick test to help you understand why some women have a difficult time relating to their sales advisor.

1. When "browsing for a car'' what percent of women feel the salesperson was directing real or, valued, communication toward them?
   (A) less than 60% (B) 75.0% (C) 79.3% (D) 82.1%
2. When "buying a car'' what percent of women feel the salesperson was directing real or, valued, communication toward them?
   (A) less than 60% (B) 67.9% (C) 84.3% (D) 90.7%
3. 3. What percent of women 'browsers' would recommend their salesperson?
   (A) 41.4% (B) 51.5% (C) 61.5% (D) 71.6%
4. What percent of women 'buyers' would recommend their salesperson?
   (A) 61.5% (B) 71.5% (C) 81.7% (D) 91.6%

According to Women-Drivers.com, the answers are:: 1. (D); 2. (D); 3. (D); 4. (D)

These few answers show that women experience browsing and buying very differently. Women give their salespeople much higher scores when buying. Clearly, there is room for seller improvement. Consider to what extend you might be responsible for these perceptions. Do you interact or pay attention to her the same if you think he is "just looking or browsing"? Do you pull out all the stops, however, when you (think) she is buying?

2. What a Woman Really is Communicating When She Says, "I'm Just Looking?"... Continue Reading Here

Mercedes, Lexus, Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep are Top Leaders with Women Buyers

Women-Drivers.com has released its 2012 report showing the top car brands as rated by women. Each year, Women‐Drivers.com tracks thousands of consumer reviews with regards to women’s purchasing and browsing experiences at new car dealerships. These scores are compiled from thousands of reviews written in the 2012 calendar year. On the site, dealerships’ scores range from 5.0 (the highest) to 1.0 (the lowest). Dealers with a Women Satisfaction Index or WSI® scores between 3.8 – 5.0 are recognized and marketed as CERTIFIED Women‐Drivers Friendly™.

2012-wsi-purchasing-graph.jpgWomen now account for over half of all car purchases; however, they influence and initiate an estimated 80% of them. One of the reasons the company captures the ‘browsing’ is that on average women visit three (3) dealerships when in the market for a new vehicle; the higher a dealership’s browsing score is a critical indication that consumers were treated well and will return to this dealership to buy.

"When a woman walks into a dealership that treats her with respect and engages her during the buying process, the dealership is out to gain a purchase from that customer," said Anne Fleming, the company’s president, and Car Buying Advocate. "It’s pretty simple, respect + customer engagement = sale and potential future purchases. And cleary, these dealerships get that." The company notes a positive correlation between the WSI® and CSI. Higher ranking WSI scores at many dealers have impacted those same stores’ CSI scores.

The Top 15 Brands for PURCHASING experiences at dealerships:

Mercedes dealers received the highest WSI® ranking among women buyers with an almost perfect 4.90 score in the purchase category. Lexus followed second, with the rest of the top five going to Chrysler's brands – quite a testimony to this family of brands, and how well the in-store buying experience is for their women shoppers.

The average WSI® score for all brands was 4.46. These top brands ranked consistently high with women customers who were very satisfied with the engagement and treatment by the sales person, their overall dealership experience, as well as the financing process.

1. Mercedes: 4.90
2. Lexus: 4.83
3. Dodge: 4.78
4. Chrysler: 4.76
5. Jeep: 4.75
6. Lincoln: 4.72
7. Acura: 4.55
8. Chevrolet: 4.51
9. Buick: 4.48
10. Honda: 4.39
11. GMC: 4.38
12. Toyota and Mazda: 4.36
13. Cadillac: 4.35
14. Ford and KIA: 4.33
15. Hyundai: 4.23

The Top 15 Brands for BROWSING experiences at dealerships:

Mercedes dealers scored the highest WSI® ranking pulling in a 4.50 score from browsers ‐‐ women customers who went to a dealership but did not purchase that day. The average WSI® score for all brands in this category was 4.01. These top brands ranked consistently high with women customers who were very satisfied with the engagement and treatment by the sales person and their overall dealership experience. The higher a dealership’s browsing score, the higher the probability that women will return there to purchase.

1. Mercedes: 4.59
2. Jeep: 4.53
3. Mazda: 4.38
4. Chevrolet: 4.24
5. Lexus: 4.10
6. Chrysler: 4.07
7. GMC: 4.02
8. Hyundai: 3.99
9. Acura and Ford: 3.97
10. Dodge: 3.92
11. KIA: 3.82
12. Volkswagen: 3.67
13. Audi: 3.44
14. Buick & Cadillac: 3.37
15. Toyota: 3.26

* Some brands are not represented in this report because they were no longer being marketed in 2012, or, due to lack of statistically significant data.