Selling to Women Revs Up Car Sales

Car dealers all over America agree that these are tough selling times. The lucky few who can see the light of day through the pall that has fallen over the automotive industry in general either have a special niche or have found a new key to unlock that magic sales door. Such an enlightened dealer might ask for help from a savvy consultant – someone like Molly Hoover – who knows more than your average car jockey about selling to the fastest growing market segment … women.

When shopping for anything from shoes to furniture to cars, many women are sociologically conditioned to respond to “Can I help you with anything?” by saying “Thanks, I’m just looking.”

“When a car salesman hears a woman say that,” explains automotive sales expert Molly Hoover, “don’t assume she’s window shopping. Unlike a man, a woman will look around until a salesperson pays some attention to her. If that doesn’t happen, or if she’s told, “Look around and if you find anything give me a holler,” she’ll likely move on out the door to another dealership.

Because in many cases women car buyers are regarded by automotive salespeople as easy marks for a no-holds-barred stick-to-sticker-price sale, women are treated with less than respect, and in some cases, downright indecently. In the zeal to score big on a few women buyers, salespeople may overlook the vast majority of women prospects who get so turned off by lackadaisical attention to their needs, hard sell tactics, catcalls or demeaning remarks that, in disgust, they just move on out the door. “I tell sales managers and dealers that women won’t put up with standard showroom games,” explains Hoover. “Women won’t confront, they’ll just leave. And then they’ll tell all their friends. Also, women are extremely sensitive to their environment. They notice nonverbal signals. They don’t feel comfortable in small cubicles or dark, paneled offices with stuffed animal heads on the walls.” In addition, when a woman walks into a showroom and sees ten guys in plaid trousers standing around watching and waiting, she may feel just a tad intimidated. If that feeling is reinforced by such comments from salespeople as: “Does Momma want a new car?” well, she’ll just naturally decide that taking a hike is better than taking the bait.

“A salesperson shouldn’t assume that a woman alone on a car lot is just looking,” Hoover says. “If she wanted to window-shop, she’d go to the mall. She’s there to buy a car or she wouldn’t be there in the first place.” Hoover waxes downright peevish when relating real life stories of women who have been insulted, even humiliated, by car salesmen. You think it’s all in the past? Think again and then start figuring the numbers of sales lost to ’30s attitudes on ’90s car lots.

To find out what a woman car buyer is looking for, Hoover suggests kicking off the conversation with the following questions: Is the vehicle for business or pleasure? Will you be buying within the next week or so? What price range were you considering? You may be surprised by the ease – and the profit – of doing business with the new woman buyer. Why not surprise her by giving it your best sell?