Female-Friendly Dealership

Dealerships streamline car-purchasing process for well-prepared women

By Bondi Wood

Women tend to be more prepared than men when they walk into car dealerships. Women also buy half of the cars sold in America and influence 80 percent of all automobile purchases, according to national research.
Consequently, in the past few years, auto manufacturers have begun including more female-friendly features. Although this is a step forward for women who can now find the models and features they want, many still find treatment by sales staff at automobile dealerships unsatisfactory.

Across the nation, many women feel intimidated when they enter dealerships, and research shows that 90 percent take a male companion along on car-buying trips even though the woman will be making the decisions.
Recently, Columbia Home & Lifestyle conducted its own focus group among a diverse group of women in mid-Missouri. It found that the top car-buying concerns among local women mirrored those nationally though most felt that local dealerships were accommodating.

According to Mary Jo Henry, director of marketing for the Joe Machens dealerships, women do their research and are typically much better informed than men prior to shopping for a new car.

Mark Alley, who has been selling cars for 20 years and is sales manager for Perry Chevrolet, said he’s seen a similar pattern among women buyers. “A lot of women are prepared with more information than ever,” he said.

This new dimension has allowed sales staff to speed up the car-buying process, thereby addressing the No. 1 concern of most women.

“The process has been streamlined and is much quicker and easier than ever before,” Alley said.

Whether a customer is looking for a new car or needs service on an existing one, Machens owner Gary Drewing said his staff accommodates the needs of its customers. And it does so without a wait. “We’ll take cars out to people at work or home. Our business managers will talk to people all along the process; we keep things flowing.”

Women come prepared and typically have an iron-clad budget, according to Henry. They also focus more on safety and reliability than the cosmetic features of a car. “Our sales staff identifies what’s most important to the buyer, and for women, that is usually safety and dependability,” Henry said.

But there is still a lingering misperception about car salespeople and their historical reputation of suspicious maneuverings in trying to close a deal, according to Drewing. “The type of sales training and certification our staff has today is comprehensive,” he said. “The difference between car sales now and five years ago is the difference between night and day. Things have changed a lot.”

Changes, however, do not include women-specific policies because they strive to treat every customer with respect. “The thing that helps us the most, which is true in anything, is our people,” Drewing said. “Our philosophy and mindset has always been that we don’t treat women any differently than anyone else.”

Kate Driskill, new car sales manager for Joe Machens Toyota-Scion, said, “Being a woman in the car business, I definitely expect our sales staff to know how important it is to treat women and men the same.”

There is one area that both Alley and Drewing would like to see more women become involved in-automobile sales. Machens has 65 sales associates among its approximately 435 employees, and only one of the sales associates at the four dealerships is a woman. (Not counting Driskill, a manager). Likewise, Alley says Perry Chevrolet only has one female in sales. Drewing blames the low number on the misperception of what it takes to sell cars.

“I don’t know why we don’t have more women,” he said. “It would be ideal for women. Today we offer certification and training. If a woman is good at sales, basically sales are sales.”
Alley says, “We have one woman in sales and would love to have more. Most women that have sold cars here have been fairly successful.”

Female-Friendly Dealership Checklist

The CHL focus group’s list of expectations when purchasing a vehicle:

1. A quick, effortless transaction.

2. A salesperson that appears genuine and engages both men and women.

3. No haggling on pricing. Quote a price and don’t resort to games about getting that number lower.

4. Listen to what the buyer wants. Don’t show other cars or other features not on the original “want list.”

5. If a deal is struck, make everything clear up front. Don’t try to add on services or upgraded features at the end of the transaction.

6. Offer comfortable and clean seating, restrooms and a play area for children.

7. Follow up with buyer after the sale.

Female-Friendly Car Buying Tips

1. Time the purchase of your car. Research shows that the best deals occur at the end of the month and especially at the end of the year.

2. Do your homework. With the plethora of Web sites on the Internet, there is no excuse for not being able to find free information on purchasing a new or used car, including insurance costs, consumer ratings and financing.

3. Pre-qualify yourself for financing. First, look at your personal budget and determine how much you can afford for car payments. Next, check your credit report to ensure accuracy. Finally, compare financing rates prior to visiting a dealership.

4. Determine if you want a domestic or import brand, the size of the car, the performance, the estimated fuel mileage, cargo space, safety features, resale value and warranty.

5. Once you’ve narrowed your search to a few models, do further research on sites such as InvoiceDealers.com or CarsDirect.com for features and pricing. 

6. Compare incentives such as rebates, low- or no-interest financing, cash back, customer loyalty rewards, etc. You can also use incentives as negotiating points among dealerships.

7. Calculate the total cost of the car by researching parts replacement, new tire costs, insurance, warranties and maintenance.

8. Take all your research with you on car-buying trips and stick to your guns. Don’t feel pressured to buy on the day you visit a car dealership.

(Web sources for more information: autoAOL.com and insidecarsecrets.com)