Kelly Ford Named Top 2014 Women-Drivers Friendly Dealer

Posted: March 1, 2014 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate

Reviews Show Consistent, Extraordinary Experiences by Women

PITTSBURGH, PA – Last year, women purchased an estimated 27.5 million vehicles – an impressive 75,000 units a day at new and used car dealerships. Women-Drivers.com, the premier car dealer review site focusing on women car buyers, has recently named Kelly Ford of Melbourne, Florida the Top 2014 Women-Drivers Friendly Dealership.

“We are thrilled to honor Kelly Ford with our top 2014 recognition. Our company works with about 600 dealers nationally and all of them are committed to great service. What separates Kelly Ford is the degree and consistency of service being delivered, experienced and acknowledged by their women shoppers and buyers. Glenn Wood’s team shows transparency and their exceptional service has women driving further to buy from this store as a result,” said President Anne Fleming.

Women have felt under-served by the auto industry in the past, but reviews and ratings on Women-Drivers.com show that, on the whole, women are having very positive experiences at car dealerships like Kelly Ford. Not surprisingly, when studying the data by dealership, distinct differences are revealed.

When it comes to buying a car, women no longer spend months shopping around and researching dealers. They value their time and use trusted car dealer review sites to help them determine where to purchase their next car.

Women usually browse dealer review sites when at home or use their smart phones. According to Pew Research, approximately 80% of Americans will have smart phones by the end of 2014; this means more potential car buyers are scrolling through dealer review websites to find the best dealership experience in town.

The truth of the matter is that dealers should now focus on reviews – especially reviews from women buyers. According to JD Powers, women are more generous in rating their dealership experience and leave higher scoring reviews than their male counterparts!

About Women‐Drivers.com – Women-Drivers.com is the premier women’s online rating and review service, connecting female auto shoppers to Certified Women-Drivers Friendly© Car Dealers. We encourage extraordinary commercial experiences and lasting relationships between these two groups. The Company provides innovative web‐based integrated marketing solutions that build trust and transparency, resulting in greater sales and servicing from women. Follow us on Twitter @womendrivers.

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Communicate tangible value-adds in your advertising.

If your store provides overnight loaner cars, include this in your messaging. It’s the #1 concierge item requested by women.

A confident, pleased buyer who writes a great review of her experience can influence countless other women to follow her lead.

Ask, track, and always respond to reviews.

Reviews are 3 times more influential than advertising when women buy a car.

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.’

One Size Does Not Fit All.

Step back and ask, who does your advertising really speak to?

Women are looking for connections with car dealerships.

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.

Never miss a simple action to upsell your store.

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.

Develop relationships with online guests.

Provide informative, helpful content in your BDC email response as well as link to reviews highlighting authentic consumer experiences.

76% of women rated their dealership’s website 3 out of 5 stars.

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.

The #1 digital resource women use when buying a car is the dealership’s website.

Include images of women throughout your digital assets and online marketing campaigns.

It takes more than having a female spokesperson to market to women.

The #1 reason women choose to buy is TRUST which requires implementing new behaviors, attitudes, processes, and messaging.

Make your dealerships a welcome destination for all customers.

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.

Include informative, engaging content on your website.

It helps build trust and ensures guests get value from your brand.

Behavior Economics demands tracking when your customers fall off.

Dealers with outdated behaviors and attitudes are losing traction with women in this competitive industry.

Measure and track the number of women leads and buyers each month.

You can’t grow what you don’t know.

Create the right conditions for the sale on the first visit.

Ask questions, listen, and get to know the customer. Never interrupt and don’t assume. Consider there won’t be a second visit.

Dealers need to shift the paradigm to effectively engage, market and optimize sales to women.

What is your Trust Dashboard with this market?

53% of millennial car buyers are women. Almost 4 in 10 women are the breadwinners in their family.

How is your current and future customer demographic represented in your front line team?

Crack the code by turning reviews into real-time data to make yours the go-to store.

Our platform collects unprecedented pre- and post-purchase analytics about what your #1 buyers want and prefer from participating dealers.

Transform your messaging and make the showroom more customer-centric.

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.

Game-Changing Predictive Analytics.

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.