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In today's Womens Wednesday, we focus on selling to women. Let's get real: Research indicates that women rely on reviews 50% more than men. They account for 52% of the vehicles purchased in the US and influence over 80% of the total purchases! So developing a marketing strategy to target this substantial buying segment is critical. Wouldn’t becoming a Certified Women-Drivers Dealer be a great first step?
 

7-Ways to Leverage and Merchandise your Certification to Increase Sales and CSI
Leverage your Women-Drivers Certification by distinguishing your dealership from others in your city! Advertising the Certification like this shows women that you are serious about their business and treat them exceptionally. Over one-third of women buyers feel that the dealership website that they visited was not helpful. So that is an excellent place to start!

1. Integrate the Women-Drivers Car-Buying and Service Guide into your website. The WCBSG is a micro-site within your site that contains an abundance of content and tips for women on many areas of shopping and servicing vehicles and is a clear indication that you appreciate their business. CLICK HERE for more information. Make sure you include the WCBSG in your navigation and main site rotator.

2. Incorporate the Women-Drivers logo into your website. Include it in main navigation items such as About Us, New Cars, Used Cars and Service and Parts. Provide a link to your reviews.

3. Be a ZMOT practitioner. Incorporate W-D Reviews on your VDP’s to take advantage of that Zero Moment of Truth when the shopper is trying to determine if you have the Right vehicle and if you’re the Right dealership for her!

4. Improve your Women-Drivers conversion ratio by including your Certified Logo and status in every lead response to female shoppers. Let them know that you are the only, or one of few, W-D certified dealers in your town and provide them a link to your reviews.

5. Make your reviews more engaging. With our mobile platform and photo upload system, you can get a positive review AND take a picture of your happy customer with their new vehicle, right at time of delivery. This will make your reviews much more engaging and more likely to be shared by your women buyers. Remember all Women-Drivers positive reviews are automatically pushed to Facebook.

6. Targeting your Digital Advertising. One of the best ways to reach women these days is on Pandora radio. Its unique format and technology allows you to target JUST women. One of the neat aspects of Pandora radio is your radio ads come with “companion” digital display ads. So you could create a digital ad specifically targeting women and link the ad to the WCBSG on your website. Pretty cool!

7. Traditional Advertising still strong among women. As you know, there are certain TV and Cable shows geared specifically towards women. Your rep can show you the research and put together a buy to target women. Using your W-D Certified Logo, produce a commercial specifically designed to reach women and leverage your certification and desire to make their shopping experience both pleasant and productive.

The Good News?
Women are having very good experiences on the front end of the dealership. 93% of women report it was easy to schedule their service appointment. Furthermore, a stellar 95% of women report being satisfied with the way they were greeted by the service advisor. Better yet, 96% were completely satisfied with their dealership experience. Bravo!

The Bad News?
There is a drop off at the end of the interaction. How so? Only 69% of women report receiving follow-up communication from their dealership… a huge miss! Why not send them a personalized email for a free car wash? A free tire rotation or oil change? Additionally, 13% of our reviews report the service was not completed correctly, on time or at the estimated price. This is more troubling, as over one in 10 women can be leaving your dealership, and because you don’t even know it , you can’t resolve the issue and retain that customer.

Did You Know?

Today, when a woman walks out your store dissatisfied without making a purchase, it’s a matter of concern, because:

1. If she isn’t buying from you then she IS going to buy from your competitor
2. If she isn’t buying from you then there is a good chance she will be writing a review on a car dealer review platform about that experience
3. If she isn’t buying from you, you not only lost the sale, you lost the RESIDUAL REVENUE
4. RESIDUAL REVENUE = Vehicle + (Service Drive Visits X 3-6 years)
   + Future Vehicle(s)
5. THIS is happening at your store EVERY DAY; It's what you DON’T KNOW THAT YOU DON’T KNOW

Double Check Your Automatic Response, “That Doesn’t Happen Here, We Treat Everyone the Same”
Women shop at 1.9 dealers before buying a vehicle, or the equivalent of 30% more dealerships than men. Why is that? They want to get it right, and avoid getting it wrong. Don’t be so quick to think she is not leaving your store. An unhappy potential car shopper walking out of your store costs you a fortune - literally. Here’s what is put on the line when this happens:

1. You Lose the Opportunity to Make a Quarter-of-a-Million Dollar Sale
Women buy or lease an average of 8 cars in their lifetime. At today’s average price of $32,500 that money adds up quickly. Plus service drive visits over the long haul; that is a huge chunk of gross profit and sales, too.

2. You Lose a Customer for Life, or at least a Long time
Lose the loyalty that this woman and family + friends bring. Not to mention, her many referrals. Huge miss!

3. You Lose More Potential Buyers
Women are influential. This can work in your favor or against you. So, whether she is just looking around and browsing, you need to offer the ultimate shopping experience so that she walks out your door feeling content. If that happens, she’ll spread the word and - return to buy. If it doesn’t, she will walk and talk. It’s a pretty simple formula. Which side of the $4 million will your dealership be on? In today’s hyper-competitive market, its time to pay much closer attention.

Did You Know?

Every other woman in the United States purchases a car by herself. While many women are confidant and excited, others walk in with different emotions. Consider, that 3 in 10 women report being apprehensive about their visit while 20% are nervous and overwhelmed. You don’t know which woman coming in your door is feeling what. Nonetheless, it is vital to encourage and boost women's confidence, respect and trust from the get-go. Establishing trust-based relationships and assisting them in a considerate, flexible, non-intimidating manner is the equation for having a browser convert to a buyer. Anything short of that, she walks.

Tips to Empower Women and Increase Buyers + Retention:

1. Respect and Trust are the building block to every car sold today. It begins with greeting her in a timely and friendly manner. Eye contact is locked in and the smart phone is put away.
2. Invite women to use your wifi or child play area. Would they like a cold or warm beverage?
3. Have them lead the conversation, but it's your job to ask questions. What distance does she drive to work? Does she have children? What type of activities does she do? Talk to women like you are having coffee with her. Don’t be in a hurry to get her into the car for a test drive.
4. When asking about features, be sure to use full sentences with women, not “leather or cloth.” Our senior trainer friend, Vicki Parker, provides these tips that make a difference when engaging with prospects. Women don’t want to be rushed, they want to build and create a sense of relationship.
5. The four-corner-around-the-block-11-minute-test-drive doesn’t serve all customers anymore. Let women make their own trail. Bring the car to their work place to test drive when needed. Better yet, let her take it overnight so the family can give it a true road test. That is one way to surprise and delight your customer.
6. The average length of time it takes a woman to buy a car is 3 hours and 30 minutes. How about a “Buy a Car in 120 Minutes or Less”? Women love saving time.
7. Have an open door Car Wash Policy.
8. The #1 concierge item requested by women is an overnight vehicle. It is no mystery women do not want to have to wait for someone else to pick her up, be dropped off by a van, or — have to pay for a rental car. Make it easy for your customers.

Did You Know?

The 6th reason women buy a car from a salesperson is price. Of course, it doesn’t mean that price is not important to women. It means that having a personable, empathetic, real, approachable, open, and friendly engagement is paramount first and foremost. Pretty much like a first date. Nothing can happen before she sums you up. You have to pass the first test - then, and only then will there be a discussion regarding the price of the vehicle.

Did You Know?

3 in 10 women are apprehensive about their car dealership visit when buying a car. In fact, 20% feel downright overwhelmed. Top rated dealerships get the critical importance of establishing trust with their female clients the moment they walk onto the showroom floor or reach
out digitally. It is the only thing that matters to her. Price is secondary.
If rapport and respect cannot be immediately established, she will buy a vehicle elsewhere.

Congratulations to dealers that are using the Women-Drivers.com Certification to distinguish and market their store! They are selling more cars and their WSI® shows how satisfied - how happy - women are when buying their car.

Our model goes beyond reputation management to an expanded level of really understanding your women clientele. Dealers with 50 reviews and more receive their own customized WSI® Dealer DATA Report that helps take guesswork out of marketing to women. Click to view Demo.