A recent article in Automotive News reports that when it comes to auto dealers, women in auto sales may be just the recipe needed to increase the bottom line. The tradition of having male salespeople in the auto sales industry created a “testosterone barrier” that may have been appropriate when purchasing decisions in American households were made mostly by the husband. However, today’s sales figures suggest an almost complete shift toward women making more household purchasing decisions. This holds true when it comes to auto buying, hence more auto dealers have welcomed women in auto sales in order to best serve today’s market.
A friendlier sales environment with women in auto sales
Automotive News uses the example of Cindy Monson of White Bear Lake, Minn., when discussing women in auto sales. Monson had a very successful sales career in consumer electronics, but wanted a new challenge with the potential for greater reward. She then went into auto sales. Her husband Vince discouraged Cindy from the high-pressure, male-dominated world of cutthroat sales. However, the dealership eventually shifted to a no-haggle, one-price sales model. Cindy had been prepared to take on the competition before, even if the constant sales crush was less than desirable. But she found the new no-haggle environment to be appealing.
Low pressure and also high on fun and repeat business
Cindy found that the world of pressure and bait-and-switch that previously characterized automotive sales as a whole has gradually faded away. “I pride myself on repeats,” she told Automotive News. And Monson has had 400 of them over her successful 12-year- career at the Polar Honda Mazda that is in White Bear Lake. That is because of the new atmosphere in auto showrooms across America, although much change still needs to occur.
If it is true that women buy more than half of all the new cars being bought and that at least 80 percent of all automotive purchasing decisions are made by women, then auto dealers should take notice. Dealerships like Leona Kenney’s 2nd Chance Auto Sales in Ottawa, Ontario, have gone so far as to credit a “Women Certified” brand of auto sales, and it makes a great deal of sense. Consumers who hold the buying power should be well-served.
Read more on this topic here
Automotive News
autonews.com/article/20100622/BLOG14/100629982/-1 (subscription required after first view)
On a dealership being “Women Certified”
youtube.com/watch?v=eC4dtysWQEQ
