Posted: June 9, 2021 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
All dealerships are experiencing the pinch of the chip shortage. Inventory is down and consumer interest is up. With the 2020-2021 crisis, dealers transformed how they sold vehicles during the pandemic. This article is about taking the steps to let your shoppers know your dealership has new ways of selling today, and what that entails. […]
Read MorePosted: May 19, 2021 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
Did You Know? 25% of women defect annually from their dealer’s fixed ops dept due to communication inconsistencies. That translates to an avg. loss of $1.03M in sales. REVIEW EQUALS RETENTION Let’s take a closer look at these numbers and what they really mean. Below, Women-Drivers.com showcases the latest 2021 Women’s Fixed Ops Trends on […]
Read MorePosted: May 5, 2021 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
As humans, we generally have a false sense of control that is automatically built into our thinking. Added to that is an optimistic bias, meaning, an artificial sense that things will work out. It’s there for all of us. Let’s bring this into the automotive space. Car dealerships and fixed ops managers believe that customers […]
Read MorePosted: April 21, 2021 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
Most dealerships work to get reviews and scores to show off their Sales. How does your dealership showcase exceptional experiences in fixed ops, warranty and the body shop? How are you resolving issues? Women, Dealers and the NFL Draft For many women, going to the dealer can be like the NFL draft. All the metrics, […]
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Posted: March 17, 2021 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
Women are the face of consumers at dealerships today. Nationally, 45% of vehicles purchased at franchised dealers are bought by this market segment. Women-Drivers.com has extracted the data from car dealer reviews and survey scores and correlated them to the OEM’s. The graphic on the right shows the 2021 Percentage of Women who Reported Purchasing […]
Read MorePosted: March 3, 2021 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
In this new time of digital retailing, new mindsets prevail. With change comes new opportunities. Women buy 45% of new vehicles for themselves and account for two-thirds of fixed ops service customers at franchised dealers. Increase buyer retention with this powerful market segment by making one small change in your messaging. [cost nothing]. CURRENT CHALLENGES: […]
Read MorePosted: January 22, 2020 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
Since 2015, women have purchased 38 million new cars for themselves at franchised auto dealerships. As a leader, what steps are you taking to capture your share of this consumer? A resounding 46% of women nationally report that they visited an “average of 3.2 dealerships” when buying a car. This number is two times higher […]
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Posted: April 3, 2019 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
When a woman shops at your dealership, do you know what she is thinking? Do you know what is important to her? While that may seem impossible, reports and data show surprising consistency and practicality in their thought process. Consultants can benefit from understanding what really matters to this ever-growing segment of buyers and decision-makers.
Read MorePosted: February 13, 2019 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
Women now account for 45% of new car purchases – approaching a tipping point. With this segment responsible for buying 7.74 million new vehicles in 2018, dealers need to re-examine the ‘one size fits all’ approach to marketing and better tailor to an ever-growing base of customers. As the industry evolves, it is crucial for business leaders to have open and responsive systems to compete.
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Posted: November 7, 2018 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
A recent national report “Women Car Buyers Rate Women Consultants Higher in Dealer Reviews” shows that these buyers experience higher satisfaction and improved customer experiences when they work with female consultants. A more trusting and engaged consumer experience leads to higher CSI scores, reviews and retention. Here are 8 suggestions to help dealers hire more women to the front-line team.
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Posted: October 17, 2018 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
Did you know that less than 6 in 10 women car buyers report not being satisfied with the initial greeting at car dealerships? Last week, we discussed how to improve in-store guest engagement with 7 ‘face-to face’ suggestions. However, when the initial interaction is via email or social media, your response is no less important. Digital communications have the advantage of being read when your customer has the time. It can actually be more relaxed and as effective as an in-store visit.
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Posted: October 3, 2018 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
How do your consultants greet women customers when they come in the door? Does the content, context and tone of a greeting make a difference in the interaction? Dealerships spend so much time working toward showcasing a positive resumè of reviews. However, a new national report from JoinWomenDrivers.com shows that less than 6 in 10 women are satisfied with the initial greeting and do not have a favorable first contact at car dealerships. The real-time impact of this is loss of brand credibility and concern on the part the customer.
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Read More Subscribe »If your store provides overnight loaner cars, include this in your messaging. It’s the #1 concierge item requested by women.
Ask, track, and always respond to reviews.
Women want to read others’ experiences to help verify what dealerships to visit. Showcase these valuable testimonials on your home page or their own navigation section to build trust and credibility – don’t hide them in ‘About Us.’
Step back and ask, who does your advertising really speak to?
Enhance your advertising by investing part of your ad dollars into what’s in it for her. Include dealer reviews and ‘Dealer of the Year’ awards. Remember to also sell your dealership, not only cars.
Offer a 3-minute tour, share about extended service center hours, mention that you offer overnight loaner cars, and give a free car wash coupon. Always look to surprise and delight.
Provide informative, helpful content in your BDC email response as well as link to reviews highlighting authentic consumer experiences.
As the first point of engagement for customers, be sure your website represents your brand well, conveys trust, is welcoming, and contains educational content that adds value.
Include images of women throughout your digital assets and online marketing campaigns.
The #1 reason women choose to buy is TRUST which requires implementing new behaviors, attitudes, processes, and messaging.
Always greet your customer through active listening, use empathy and understanding, and taking an interest in what they need or want – even if it’s outside the car purchase.
It helps build trust and ensures guests get value from your brand.
Dealers with outdated behaviors and attitudes are losing traction with women in this competitive industry.
You can’t grow what you don’t know.
Ask questions, listen, and get to know the customer. Never interrupt and don’t assume. Consider there won’t be a second visit.
What is your Trust Dashboard with this market?
How is your current and future customer demographic represented in your front line team?
Our platform collects unprecedented pre- and post-purchase analytics about what your #1 buyers want and prefer from participating dealers.
92% of reviewers choose to opt into a 25-question survey summarizing their visit. This unbiased data is available in predictive analytics WSI (R) Dealer Data reports chronicling what these buyers want and experience.
What women want at the dealership has predominantly been an absent dialog; those statistics and conversations have generally been national. Dealers now have access to their own proprietary data through our platform. This provides leaders at each business the ability to have honest insights allowing for predictive awareness of behaviors, preferences, and experiences.
