I read this interesting article which I have linked below for your enjoyment. The article is a little old now (Plublished in Forbes in May of 2014) , but it very much as relevance as to sales in the auto industry. Sarwant Singh makes several relevant points, but on a larger global scale. But what does this mean for sales at the dealership level?
Quite frankly, it means that women are a force that never should be ignored. Eighty percent of women have the deciding vote whether a couple purchases a vehicle or not. In most households, women are the ones who control the family's finances and they are the ones that know whether payments will fit into the family budget. In addition, more and more women are not married, divorced, or widowed. Rather than relying solely on men in their families to accompany them to the dealership, they are turning to the web and educating themselves on what they want in a vehicle. I have seen more and more young ladies out car shopping with their mothers, not with their fathers. Many of the women I have worked with are very practical with their vehicle purchases. They have searched the internet within the parameters of their needs and within their budgets.
I recently sold a vehicle to a young lady who just moved back to Wisconsin. Her mother came shopping with her and after a short interview, I was able to find her the best vehicle to fit in her budget. Mom is a no nonsense lady and her daughter is cut from the same cloth. When it came down to the negotiations, both were ready to go in swinging. It was quite amusing to watch my manager squirm under the unified front of Mom and daughter. Even my male sales counterparts were enjoying the excitement. My manager does not to give out anything, but in this case, he got quite the thrashing and the ladies did get a great deal.
Today, you see many more of the commercials at the national level being directed towards women, but the regional and local levels have some work to do yet. Many of our dealerships are starting to provide more family friendly services: areas for children to play, clean restrooms, and refreshments. I still feel that there could be more done to provide a more inviting atmosphere for women. If you have any thoughts or comments, please feel free to post them.
In addition, please take a moment and read the article below by Sarwant Singh, published in Forbes in May of 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment