Does the industry need more women to do the Selling in order to sell more cars?

 

Let's face it. Talk to a woman about buying a car from a male sales person and almost every time you’re going to get a horror story about being treated poorly, coming away feeling like they were taken advantage of, and in some cases, being told to bring your husband back with you when you’re ready to buy a car.

Thanks to the internet, women have slowly but surely gotten their hands on the tools and information they needed to go in, negotiate their terms and buy a new car with a sense of preparedness they never dreamed of!

Women are dominating the consumer buying decisions in all markets!  In the auto industry, women influence over 60% of the car buying decisions, yet less than 10% of automotive sales people are women.  Is that a good formula, or can we do better by increasing the percentage of women on the sales team?

First of all, why would women make a great addition to your sales team? 

1. We know that they can relate to all types of women buyers, have experience with families and of course, men tend to like them.
2. It’s not just about the cars.  YES, the sales person must know their product, but they must also know how to develop and maintain a personal relationship.  Who would you say is better suited to both of these requirements?

It all goes back to knowing your customers!  If your buyer is logical and can walk away from a purchase, chances are a male sales person is a good match.  But, if your buyer processes emotionally and associates themselves with the brand…you might want to take a second look at adding some women to your sales team.  Women can flourish in the automotive industry by making their customers feel good about their decision to purchase.

Get some feedback from the guys, and then mix it up a little for the better!

 

Yes, you'll pick up product knowledge about cars as you go, but almost all prestige car purchases are made based on the feelings that they give the client.  Generally speaking, it's no secret that women understand feelings better than men do.

Can you see how this would give women ( you ) a huge advantage in a business relationship where the client is making an emotionally-driven decision ( acknowledging that the decision is often camouflaged with 'logic' )?

 

• As women make 60% of buying decisions, the auto trade needs to draw women as sellers in order to win women as consumers.

• Research by the UK Institute of the Motor Industry shows that car retailers need more women because they are better suited to the modern auto sales environment than men. Women are better at following car-sale processes and are better organized than men, the research found.

• Warwick University research has shown that women are more adept at “relationship” retailing than the traditional (and increasingly less popular and successful) “transactional” form. That sea change in sales is acute in auto retailing.

• In a New Straits Times of Malaysia article, Jo Cameron of the Institute of the Motor Industry said the auto retail sector should welcome “Women in Work” program funding from the government.

 

 

Does the industry need more women to do the Selling in order to sell more cars?

 

Let's face it. Talk to a woman about buying a car from a male sales person and almost every time you’re going to get a horror story about being treated poorly, coming away feeling like they were taken advantage of, and in some cases, being told to bring your husband back with you when you’re ready to buy a car.

Thanks to the internet, women have slowly but surely gotten their hands on the tools and information they needed to go in, negotiate their terms and buy a new car with a sense of preparedness they never dreamed of!

Women are dominating the consumer buying decisions in all markets!  In the auto industry, women influence over 60% of the car buying decisions, yet less than 10% of automotive sales people are women.  Is that a good formula, or can we do better by increasing the percentage of women on the sales team?

First of all, why would women make a great addition to your sales team? 

1. We know that they can relate to all types of women buyers, have experience with families and of course, men tend to like them.
2. It’s not just about the cars.  YES, the sales person must know their product, but they must also know how to develop and maintain a personal relationship.  Who would you say is better suited to both of these requirements?

It all goes back to knowing your customers!  If your buyer is logical and can walk away from a purchase, chances are a male sales person is a good match.  But, if your buyer processes emotionally and associates themselves with the brand…you might want to take a second look at adding some women to your sales team.  Women can flourish in the automotive industry by making their customers feel good about their decision to purchase.

Get some feedback from the guys, and then mix it up a little for the better!

 

Yes, you'll pick up product knowledge about cars as you go, but almost all prestige car purchases are made based on the feelings that they give the client.  Generally speaking, it's no secret that women understand feelings better than men do.

Can you see how this would give women ( you ) a huge advantage in a business relationship where the client is making an emotionally-driven decision ( acknowledging that the decision is often camouflaged with 'logic' )?

 

• As women make 60% of buying decisions, the auto trade needs to draw women as sellers in order to win women as consumers.

• Research by the UK Institute of the Motor Industry shows that car retailers need more women because they are better suited to the modern auto sales environment than men. Women are better at following car-sale processes and are better organized than men, the research found.

• Warwick University research has shown that women are more adept at “relationship” retailing than the traditional (and increasingly less popular and successful) “transactional” form. That sea change in sales is acute in auto retailing.

• In a New Straits Times of Malaysia article, Jo Cameron of the Institute of the Motor Industry said the auto retail sector should welcome “Women in Work” program funding from the government.

 

 

Every once in awhile, you’ll hear somebody, usually an older person, say to a younger, more frazzled person, to step back and take one thing at a time.  That’s because a long time ago, people prided themselves on being able to clear their minds and focus on the task at hand and not let anything deter them from completing their job.   My how times have changed!  Now, the more hurrying and scurrying we do, the more agitated we are and the more balls we’re juggling in the air just goes to show everyone how important we are and how well we; wait for it…MULTITASK.   Multitasking has become such a way of life that we have 9 ways to check email, Facebook, Twitter, send and receive messages and generally stay connected with people we want to and even those we don’t.  It’s so important to multitask that some companies require it as a skill in their job descriptions!   Have you ever been talking to someone either professionally or personally who is “multitasking?”  Yeah, it’s pretty annoying.  They don’t retain half of what you’re saying and you come away feeling pretty unimportant to that person, whether you admit it or not because the bottom line of what we’re talking about is paying attention.   We are wired to pay attention.  When you don’t pay attention, mistakes are made. Plain and simple.  The more you focus on something, the better you get at that particular thing. If you’re focusing on your customer and helping them achieve their goals then your sales will reflect it.  If you’re multitasking, chances are, your sales will reflect that as well.   I’m not saying cell phones, emails and texting are bad things.  I love them!  What I am saying is learn to manage them instead of letting them manage you.  Leave all of that in the background and pay attention to what’s in front of you…the customer.  It works every time.

Every once in awhile, you’ll hear somebody, usually an older person, say to a younger, more frazzled person, to step back and take one thing at a time.  That’s because a long time ago, people prided themselves on being able to clear their minds and focus on the task at hand and not let anything deter them from completing their job.   My how times have changed!  Now, the more hurrying and scurrying we do, the more agitated we are and the more balls we’re juggling in the air just goes to show everyone how important we are and how well we; wait for it…MULTITASK.   Multitasking has become such a way of life that we have 9 ways to check email, Facebook, Twitter, send and receive messages and generally stay connected with people we want to and even those we don’t.  It’s so important to multitask that some companies require it as a skill in their job descriptions!   Have you ever been talking to someone either professionally or personally who is “multitasking?”  Yeah, it’s pretty annoying.  They don’t retain half of what you’re saying and you come away feeling pretty unimportant to that person, whether you admit it or not because the bottom line of what we’re talking about is paying attention.   We are wired to pay attention.  When you don’t pay attention, mistakes are made. Plain and simple.  The more you focus on something, the better you get at that particular thing. If you’re focusing on your customer and helping them achieve their goals then your sales will reflect it.  If you’re multitasking, chances are, your sales will reflect that as well.   I’m not saying cell phones, emails and texting are bad things.  I love them!  What I am saying is learn to manage them instead of letting them manage you.  Leave all of that in the background and pay attention to what’s in front of you…the customer.  It works every time.