Statistics show that not only are women making up the majority of car purchases, they also want to buy from other women. They trust them more and as such when women customers see saleswomen in a dealership rather than just men, they’re more likely to make a purchase. So why aren’t more women working in car sales?
Women in dealerships
An auto dealership in Victoria, Texas is trying to change that. Victoria Auto Smart has an all-female staff. Apparently, the dealership never intended to do this until they realised the accident was working in their favour.
“People are always surprised when they see it’s all women who work here. We get that all the time.” – Jessica Peinkofer, Sales Manager in an interview with the Victoria Advocate.
Victoria Auto believes their success comes from understanding their customers’ needs and that they’re more equipped to relate to female customers.
Unfortunately, most dealerships don’t do a great job relating to their female customers, with 74% of females saying they feel misunderstood by car marketers and salespeople.
According to Jody DeVere, president, and CEO of Ask Patty, “The auto industry today is in trouble and automakers are struggling so hard. Yet they’re only doing lip service to women in terms of marketing and selling. When want they need to do is change, and create an environment where women don’t equate buying a car or getting is serviced with going to the dentist.”
Women in dealerships in Australia
Closer to home in Australia, women also make the majority of all purchasing decisions and Australia’s sales industry is gradually recognising the importance of female employees. A car dealership in Queensland recently applied for an exemption under the Anti-Discrimination Act in order to advertise for female-only sales positions. The company told the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal that less than 5% of its sales team were female and that needed to change.
Women are better at negotiating car deals
On the flip side of women making better car dealers than men, women are also better at negotiating car deals. According to the Harvard Program on Negotiation “Women not only negotiate harder bargains than men when it comes to vehicle purchases but also they do more extensive preparatory work. Conventional wisdom has always placed the automobile in the realm of masculine, but the emergence of the prepared and educated female customer has changed the way car dealers sell cars and the way car manufacturers market and design them.”
So next time you’re considering making an auto purchase or even selling your old car, make sure a female is doing the talking because you’re likely to get a much better deal.
