Selling To Women
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Glass-Ceiling Selling Beliefs Exposed
Women Buy Brands: What Do You Sell Her?
Three Strategies You Need to Know to Make the Sale
Women's Pre-buying Research: 3 Strategies for a Seller to Stand Out
Kelly's Popular Articles
Glass-Ceiling Selling Beliefs Exposed
By Kelly McCormick
It hurts when you hit the glass ceiling. Yet professionals still bang their heads against glass-ceiling beliefs regarding women and sales. My recent article “Women Buy Brands: What Do You Sell Her?” also struck a nerve. A marketer posted this on a blog: “I couldn’t understand why [Kelly] was making a special case for women.” Even my research and information on why and how to earn her buying loyalty didn’t tip the scales in favor of segmenting women as a market.
Guess what? That marketer wasn’t the only one with potentially bankrupting notions about women as buyers. Some businesses and sales people express their concerns about selling to women before they hear my “How to Sell to Women” talks. Let’s be honest: The women’s market hasn’t always been seen as a big money maker.
March is International Women’s Month. It’s the perfect time to break through glass-ceiling beliefs about women and sales. It’s also the perfect time to get down to business.
Glass-Ceiling Belief No. 1: The Women’s Market Isn’t Large
Many people still believe women don’t have much buying clout, and it’s been a tough sell to justify a gender-specific marketing and sales approach. Until recently, stats and data barely existed to prove that women make a significant impact on the economy. And so the myth prevailed. Fortunately, “the power in our purses”—a great new marketing term—has shattered that belief.
Reality Check: Tom Peters, who is considered the guru of the business-management movement, says “This ‘women’s thing’ is…unmistakably, in my opinion…economic opportunity number one.”
Women in the U.S spend approximately five trillion dollars annually, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census. That’s over half the country’s gross domestic product! But her dollar doesn’t stop there. Globally women spend an estimated $19 trillion dollars each year.
Women are injecting money into the economy faster than you can say, “cash, charge, or check.” And, speaking of checks, take a guess as to who writes 80% of them. Yep…women.
Glass-Ceiling Belief No. 2: Women Don’t Spend Enough on Non-Traditional Goods
As recently as early 2000, it was a fair comment to say that women didn’t purchase many non-traditional goods—products and services not typically associated with females. Our buying power hardly made a dent in many markets. However, it wasn’t for lack of trying.
When I bought my first car in the 1990s, it was a nightmare to shop in what was considered a man’s domain. It took a brave gal to negotiate that deal on her own. Many women took boyfriends, husbands or other males along for buying advice and support. Here’s the irony: Even though we wrote the check, the sales guy often talked to the man standing beside us. It was as if we didn’t exist.
Given that selling climate, researchers tracked everything about how men spent money, from the cars they bought to how they negotiated mortgages and purchased electronics. Scads of information were collected, dissected and analyzed. Marketers knew exactly what to offer men. They also knew the best ways to do it.
On the other side of the coin, companies and product developers lined up to record every dime women spent on household and consumer goods. However, few studies tracked the diversity of our spending patterns. That’s no longer the case.
Reality Check: Women have swung all sales doors wide open. The following is just a snapshot of where she’s spreading her dollars.
* Business Start-Ups. It’s estimated that women make 80 to 95% of all buying decisions. If she doesn’t find what she’s looking for, she opens a company to supply it. Women now surpass men in business start-ups, in both traditional and non-traditional markets. These markets include construction, wholesale trade, transportation, agribusiness, and manufacturing, according to data from the National Foundation for Women Business Owners.
* Auto Purchases. Cynthia Price, of General Motors Center of Expertise Women's Market Initiative, says “women influence up to 85 percent of all [auto] purchases. And frankly, in today's environment, any company that doesn't strive to meet the needs of women is crazy!”
* Travel. Women are on the move. They travel for work and pleasure. “Eighty percent of all travel decisions are made by females,” states Marybeth Bond from The Gusty Traveler. To meet their needs, there has been an outstanding 230% increase in women-owned travel companies in the past six years.
* Technology. Today’s gal is also tech savvy. Tom Ehart, from the research company Package Facts, presents eye-opening information. “The U.S. Market for Women Technology Products and Services [reports that] women’s technology purchases amount to $55 billion annually. Women actually outpace men in personal computer, DVD and video game ownership.”
* The Environment. Diane MacEachern, founder and CEO of Big Green Purse, just launched a campaign for women’s purse power to have a billion-dollar impact on the environment. Thousands of women have already pledged to shift thousands of dollars currently spent on household products and services to the purchase of eco-friendly goods.
* Money Management. Financial planners report an increase in the number of women managing money. Get ready for this stat: Marti Barletta, president of the TrendSite group, says it’s estimated that women control 51.3% of the private wealth in the United States.
On and on it goes…
Final Thoughts
Five years ago, few companies were ready to learn how to sell to women. Today my phone’s ringing off the hook. Research has shattered the glass-ceiling belief that the women’s market didn’t exist. Trillions of dollars spent worldwide shattered another glass-ceiling belief: that the women’s market was too small to matter.
Women are a distinct, well-informed, financially viable group of buyers—a fact backed by evidence that’s too compelling to ignore. The same evidence proves it’s the perfect time to learn how to sell to women.
© 2008 Kelly McCormick. All rights reserved.
About Kelly
Kelly McCormick, of OutSell Yourself®, is an expert in sales. You can get Kelly’s Communication E-tips and read articles about sales and women at www.OutSellYourself.com. Her book, OutSell Yourself®, is soon to be released. Kelly writes a monthly column on women and sales for SalesandMarketing.com. She also travels the globe sharing her techniques to OutSell Yourself® with all buyers - including women. For information on Kelly’s sessions and keynote talks, call 800-889-9637 (PST) or e-mail info@OutSellYourself.com.
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Women Buy Brands: What Do You Sell Her?
By Kelly McCormick
Women buy brands. The days of simply selling a woman a product or service are over. Markets are far too crowded. To make a positive impact, today’s seller must develop a brand that’s meaningful to a woman. It’s the only way to stand out from the competition. It’s also the only way to gain access to the world’s largest buying market: women.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
We all know that one-size-fits-all clothing doesn’t really fit all. Now it’s time to admit that one brand doesn’t fit all buyers, especially when it comes to women.
Women have specific needs and wants. A brand either “gets” her or it doesn’t. Marketing communications company Frank About Women dialogued with female consumers to find out what makes a brand work for them. A cross-section of women cited looking for “brands that integrate with [their] reality, instead of trying to change it.”
Brand Her Reality: As a corporation, entrepreneur, or seller, your brand must look at the world from a woman’s point of view. Then every aspect of your brand and business must reflect that you’re ready, willing, and able to meet her needs.
Don’t Just Paint Your Brand Pink
The latest buzz phrase “Don’t paint your brand pink” is as much a wake-up call as it is a warning. To just insert “for women” or “women only” into ads, marketing materials, and sales conversations can backfire.
Unless you’re a woman with a product or service specific to women, or a brand that relies heavily on the feedback of women, “gender-specific” sales and marketing can be seen as patronizing.
Build credibility into your brand. Don’t assume that you have what women want. Ask her what she’s looking for from your company, products, and services. Then incorporate those values and benefits into your brand.
Brand Her Reality: Don’t paint superficial “pink” messages onto your brand. Hit the delete button and remove any gender-specific messages that might patronize women.
Make Sure Your Brand Is There for Her
It takes more than a designer logo or smoothly crafted tagline for a woman to believe your brand understands her. For most women, by far the most compelling—and most overlooked—element of a brand is the emotional component. A woman needs to hear and see that a brand gets her.
Women are there for each other and expect the same from you and your brand. Don’t just tell a woman you provide great service. Prove it. Give her your direct line in case she has questions, or make a quick after-sale check-in call. Your brand must earn her trust and respect.
Brand Her Reality: Your actions speak louder than your words. If you and your brand really get her, decide how you’ll let her know.
Dare to Be a Full-Body Brand
Women support brands that support them. Mothers, sisters, and girlfriends come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Dove’s Real Woman Campaign got it right on many levels. They put six ethnically diverse women with “real” bodies and curves into print, television, and Internet messages. The campaign includes a website for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. The online community’s goal, to make real change in the way women and young girls perceive and embrace beauty, tells women that the brand gets them and supports issues important to them.
There are many ways to show that your brand understands women. Put visuals of “real” women and “real” home and work situations into ads. Provide her with information, education, and a forum to communicate. This can be via newsletter, website, online communities, and blogs. You can also sponsor causes important to women.
Brand Her Reality: Dare to be a full-body brand. Be known as the company that supports women, and the issues and causes that are important to us.
Final Thoughts
The brand that earns a woman’s buying trust is the one that gets her. It integrates with her reality, instead of trying to change it. If you develop your brand to appeal to a woman in these ways, you can earn more than her trust. A woman's brand loyalty may mean you have a customer for life.© 2008 Kelly McCormick, All rights reserved.
About Kelly McCormick
Kelly McCormick, of OutSell Yourself®, is an expert in sales. You can get Kelly’s Communication E-tips and read articles about sales and women at www.OutSellYourself.com. Her book, OutSell Yourself®, is soon to be released. Kelly writes a monthly column on women and sales for SalesandMarketing.com. She also travels the globe sharing her techniques to OutSell Yourself® with all buyers - including women. For information on Kelly’s sessions and keynote talks, call 800-889-9637 (PST) or e-mail info@OutSellYourself.com.
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Three Strategies You Need to Know to Make the Sale
By Kelly McCormick
Here’s the good news: Women have a lot of power in their wallets. In the U.S. alone, women spend $6 trillion annually. This is equal to the entire annual GDP of Japan. The power of her dollar doesn’t stop there—worldwide, women now make up the largest group of buyers.
The bad news is that the typical selling conversation turns off female buyers. Even worse, sellers of both genders often unknowingly engage in costly communication blunders daily when dealing with women.
Throw Away Your Script: She’ll Tune You Out
A woman will tune you out faster than you can say, “Show me the money” if you sound like you’re trying to make a sale. In the 1980s, when my first business opened, I began a 20-year endurance test of sitting through endless vendor sales presentations and pitches. Like many women before and after me, I had to come to my own rescue.
Sales presentations don’t work with women. Women place a high value on their connections with others. Good connections in their personal and professional lives are built on a foundation of trust. Sounding and acting like a salesperson doesn’t earn the trust of women.
When a woman senses she is being SOLD she can quickly and skillfully tune a seller out. Most sellers don’t even recognize that she’s turned her attention to other things. They’re too busy reciting the amazing benefits of their products and services. You sound like you’re selling if any of your sentences start with “Our company,” “Our product,” or “Our services.”
Ask Questions: Quit Telling Women What They Need
You’ve come a long way, baby. Women influence and/or make up to 80% of all buying decisions. A woman views buying products and services as making an investment. The higher the price, the greater the investment. To feel fully confident in her decision making, a woman needs to know that the seller really gets her and her needs.
The paradigm of boldly telling a buyer why certain products or services are perfect for her doesn’t cut it with women. Even if you have the charisma of a rock star, if a woman hasn’t been asked targeted questions that reveal her exact needs, she’ll move on so fast it will make your head spin. She is on a mission to find the seller who will take the time and interest to understand her. For a woman, the ideal seller is one who fully grasps her situation. Using open-ended questions is a great way to find out what she really needs and wants.
Classic open-ended questions that begin with “Who,” “What,” “When,” “Where,” or “Tell me about” work very well. They not only provide valuable information, they also include a woman in the buying and decision making process. All of this builds trust. A woman’s sense that a seller can be trusted increases her comfort in sharing essential information.
Listen, Listen, Listen: She has a Story to Tell
The most exercise some sellers get is jumping to conclusions. When a woman responds to their inquiries, many sales pros engage in what I refer to as bottom-line listening. They listen to hear only what is of interest to them, quickly deciphering what the customer wants and when she needs it by.
If their assumptions are correct, they lucked out. If not, they’d better move on and find a different customer. At that point, the chances are high that she’s already mentally crossed that seller off of her preferred-vendor list.
The long story short on how women communicate is that women tell a story when answering questions. Within that story there is a goldmine of important information. You’ll hear about her fears, concerns, hopes, and wishes for everything from what she needs in products and services to her expectations from vendors and companies.
Listening to a woman’s story is the surest way to find out what she is really expecting from you and the wares you provide. It also puts you in a great position to make customized recommendations that are a perfect fit for her situation. Then all you have to do is deliver.
Communicating a Woman’s Way Pays Off
Asking a woman targeted questions and truly listening to what she wants, needs, and expects can quickly put you at the top of her list. The best news is that after you’ve demonstrated you can meet her high buying expectations, a woman will typically pass your name on to at least 10 other people in her personal and professional network. That powerful word-of-mouth marketing is worth its weight in gold.© 2008 Kelly McCormick, All rights reserved.
About Kelly McCormick
Kelly McCormick, of OutSell Yourself®, is an expert in sales. You can get Kelly’s Communication E-tips and read articles about sales and women at www.OutSellYourself.com. Her book, OutSell Yourself®, is soon to be released. Kelly writes a monthly column on women and sales for SalesandMarketing.com. She also travels the globe sharing her techniques to OutSell Yourself® with all buyers - including women. For information on Kelly’s sessions and keynote talks, call 800-889-9637 (PST) or e-mail info@OutSellYourself.com.
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Women's Pre-buying Research:
3 Strategies for a Seller to Stand Out
By Kelly McCormick
Talk about embarrassing…your buyer knew more about your products and services than you did. She arrived armed with stats, data, and product comparisons—all easily collected from the Internet.
Two minutes after you opened with “Hello,” your buyer took control of the sale. In rapid-fire succession, she blasted detailed questions at you. Many of them you struggled to answer.
A woman’s checkbook is hot-wired to the Internet; the seller who recognizes her research and meets her questions head-on will make her preferred vendors list.
1) Her Buying Information Is a Keystroke Away
According to the Internet Research Group, “Women are far more likely to use the Internet for research or information-gathering than for fun or entertainment.” Today’s consumer does her buying homework online at the speed of light. Her access to a multitude of information is literally a keystroke away.
In addition to the Internet, studies have tracked other valuable online sources that a woman seeks out in her quest to self-educate. In 2005, Pew Internet & American Life Project (Washington, DC) reported: “Women tend to treat information-gathering online as a more textured and interactive process—one that includes gathering and exchanging information through support groups and personal e-mail exchanges.”
Take Action:
It is vital to your selling success that you position yourself as an expert in your field, business, or company. Just as your purchaser has made it her business to know about your business, so must you stay informed about your products and services, as well as industry trends.
This is especially true during times of uncertain economies. Fluctuating dollars, rising oil prices, and high mortgage rates shake up markets, regardless of what you sell. As a result, experts survive and generalists fall off the map.
Do your own homework and know your stuff.
2) Pre-buying Research Saves Her Valuable Time
Contrary to the stereotype that women are born to shop is the fact that most women are just too busy. Whether she is a CEO or a stay-at-home mom, for a woman, time is a precious commodity.
According to a survey by Ketchum, a leading global public-relations firm, 58 percent of women ages 25 to 54 have “much more” on their minds now than five years ago:
“The average woman in this group mentally juggles a constant mix of career, family, and self-care decisions at any one moment.” Ketchum has even invented a new word to describe her mental balancing act. No longer does a woman just multitask her way through life; today she has so many details to look after that she is now “multi-minding.”
Anything that will simplify a woman’s life and save her time is a necessity. This is where her pre-buying research fits in. Spending even an hour on her computer can dramatically reduce the amount of time that she needs to spend with a seller.
The most time-intensive part of any buying experience is that spent learning about products and services. When she does her research, a woman is educating herself on everything from what is hot and what is not to which specific features and benefits will do the best job.
Take Action:
Show respect for her time, her multi-minding lifestyle, and the fact that she’s done her buying homework. A great place to start is by eliminating excessive technobabble…
“This laptop has a Turbo Booster Processor, Model X-Y-WHO-CARES, 50 million gigabytes of high-octane RAM, 27 USB ports, 18X rewritable DVD drive, high-definition 5.1 onboard sound, optional PCI-16-YOU-ARE-PAYING-TOO-MUCH-VGA card…blah, blah, blah…”
It’s not that a woman doesn’t understand technical jargon—heck, she may have written it. It’s just that there aren’t enough hours in her busy day to decipher reams of unnecessary data. Especially if a seller blathers on about things that she doesn’t need or want.
Make your selling point by getting to the point…
“Because you’re looking for a laptop for business applications, I suggest this one. It has a Turbo Booster Processor. This allows you to open all your programs at once, without losing speed. I’ll show you how it works.”
3) She Asks Tough Questions
Women now make buying decisions in all sectors of the economy, not just those traditionally associated with women.
Deep-sea diving has long been a sport dominated by men. Not anymore—today approximately 60 percent of divers are women. During a recent OutSell Yourself with Women Buyers® session, I asked retailers of deep-sea diving equipment, “Who has noticed an increase in the number of women who know as much, if not more, about your products than you?” More than two thirds of my audience raised their hands. These merchants aren’t alone.
As products and services advance technologically, sellers are often put in the uncomfortable position of being asked questions for which they don’t have an answer.
Take Action:
Do not try to fake your way out of answering tough questions.
Women place high value on your being real, authentic, and trustworthy. If you act or sound like you don’t know what you’re talking about, you risk losing her buying respect.
When you don’t know an answer, it’s best to say, “That’s a great question. I will get the information and will get back to you.” Then follow through.
Final Thoughts
Women are informed buyers who do their homework. Sellers who stand out know their stuff, respect her knowledge and time, and provide answers to her questions. Presenting her with this level of service can turn a minimal purchase into a multi-digit contract.© 2008 Kelly McCormick, All rights reserved.
About Kelly McCormick
Kelly McCormick, of OutSell Yourself®, is an expert in sales. You can get Kelly’s Communication E-tips and read articles about sales and women at www.OutSellYourself.com. Her book, OutSell Yourself®, is soon to be released. Kelly writes a monthly column on women and sales for SalesandMarketing.com. She also travels the globe sharing her techniques to OutSell Yourself® with all buyers - including women. For information on Kelly’s sessions and keynote talks, call 800-889-9637 (PST) or e-mail info@OutSellYourself.com.
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