The Green Pea

by Candie Leigh White

I think sales is definitely a gene on the DNA strand.  I was born with it.  As a young girl I was labeled persistent, manipulative, pushy, stubborn and annoying but also sweet, friendly, shy and polite. I was an oxymoron. I was always trying to figure out a way to get what I wanted without damaging my mother's reputation as a good parent. Calculating could have been added to the list of adjectives.  I was enthused by everything I touched.  Life was one big cinema.  Yet, as a young adult I suppressed my creativity and actively sought out revered professions that carried societal weight. Growing up in the heart of Silicon Valley that meant either being a chip head; a software programmer or a Stanford graduated attorney.  I wasn’t into technology and I couldn’t make up my mind if I was liberal or conservative; so I had to find something else.  I liked meeting people and networking. Confused, I did not want to believe that I would ever wear that negative label associated with sales and in particular - car sales.  I danced around corporate America by actively selling the reputation of whatever job I had without actually selling a product.  How could I continue to live a double life? Alas, I was a closet salesperson. 

Finally, in 1996 I decided I mine as well get paid for my loquacious efforts. I gave in and put on my car sales shoes.  My third month at a small dealership in Florida I made salesperson of the month.  I was hooked.  I'd found a way to combine all my favorite things; speaking, acting, negotiating, making friends and making money.  Now, ten years later I even get to write about it.

Women Who Work In Car Dealerships

Ask Patty interviewed Phyllis Foro this week about her career in the automotive field and her thoughts on the car buying experience for women.

Phyllis Foro is a 20 year veteran of the automotive industry
and consultant to many car dealerships in the Northwest

Ask Patty: Tell me how and/or what made you decide to enter the automotive industry as career choice?

Phyllis: My husband dared me to get a real job after 13 years as a teacher/administrator in California and Oregon.  One of his friends came over for dinner and showed us his new Mercedes (price tag over $40K…..late 80’s) He said it was the worst sales experience he ever had…and he paid cash!  The root cause was the sales consultant did not listen to the wants and needs of the customer….hence the entire transaction was stressful!  Hence, the beginning of the Phyllis story…teaching in another way…..

A Car Dealer who caters to women

New Mexico Business Weekly - June 2006

By Lori Johnston

 

Understanding that women make more than half the Toyota car purchases every year, Toyota Mall of Georgia has females in mind when deciding about advertising, staffing and services.

The dealership purchases advertisements on television stations and during the times in which women are more likely to be watching. It offers complimentary manicures and sponsors community events to raise money for women-centered causes, such as breast cancer.

General Manager Brian Allison says efforts like these, as well as hiring female sales personnel, have been part of the dealership's strategy since it opened in 2001.

The dealership has employed this strategy with good reason. The buying power of women is significant.

Washington, D.C.-based Diversity Best Practices calls women the "market of America."

In its "2005 WOW! Quick Facts: Women" publication, the organization reported that women influence the automobile-buying decision of a household 85 percent of the time and buy more than half of the cars themselves.

The percentage of vehicle purchases made by women ranges from 50 percent to 90 percent, depending on the automaker.

Figures from Toyota Motor Corp. mirror that research.

In 2005, females made 57 percent of car and 46 percent of the truck and sport utility vehicle purchases.

In some families, the man still holds the traditional role as the negotiator because women have, for decades, been "denigrated about their ability to make good economic decisions," says Pam Scholder Ellen, associate professor of marketing at Georgia State University.

Click here to read entire text of this article 

Why is it Difficult for Women to Shop...for Cars?

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Women are huge car shoppers...but not all car dealerships provide a pleasant experience for them.

Fifty years ago, automakers recognized that there was great promise in marketing cars to women. Today automakers spend millions of dollars annually in advertising and marketing targeted specifically to women. Women buy more than half of all new cars sold in the United States; they influence 85 percent of all new-car purchases and buy 20 percent of new cars costing over $30,000, according to AutoTrader.com.

So why do most women hate the carbuying experience so much?

Crevier Client Consultant Marlene Tapie (left) and potential client Nichelle Tenerelli (right).

Sure, many people find it stressful to buy a car, but even women who have taken leadership roles in their professional, personal and civic duties admit that they are uncomfortable going into a dealership and negotiating the purchase of a car without the help of a friend or relative. Maybe this is due to the fact that women are consistently quoted higher prices than men, according to economists lan Ayres and Peter Siegelman. Or, maybe it's because women buyers are put off by salesmen who patronize them by pointing out how the color of the car matches their eyes rather than whether the car gets good gas mileage. (Edmunds.com)

No "hard sell"

At Crevier BMW, the number one BMW dealership on the West Coast, preventive measures are taken to guarantee a positive experience for women shopping for cars. Extensive education and training are given to all client advisors, teaching them how to make women comfortable through the car purchasing process. It is these types of hiring practices that are making car shopping less of a burden for women.

'The hard sell doesn't work on women," said Marlene Tapie, the current number one client advisor at Crevier BMW. "And that's why women tend to have a positive experience at Crevier - we don't believe in the hard sell. When you walk onto our showroom floor there is no pressure to buy. We are simply here to meet your needs; if you're looking to buy today, great, but if not, we hope to provide you with any information you came by to seek out."

The stereotypical "hard sell" car salesperson is still out there, but high-end luxury dealerships such as Crevier BMW are paving the way towards a positive and comfortable experience for everyone.

For more information about Creview BMW, please contact Jim Hogan at (714) 835-3171 or visit www.crevierbmw.com.

Why is it Difficult for Women to Shop...for Cars?
    From ; Orange County Business Journal
    Anonymous

www.askpatty.com

http://askpatty.typepad.com

EXPERT AUTOMOTIVE ADVICE

 

Expert Automotive Advice

For Women From Women

Who is Ask Patty??????????

About Ask Patty:

Women purchase half of the vehicles sold in the United States each year, spending over $80 billion. Yet, shopping for and buying a car can be a challenge for women who are first time car buyers or for women who had a bad experience in the past with a car salesman or dealership.

The “Ask Patty” blog is a safe place for women to get advice on car purchases, maintenance and other automotive related topics. Women can ask Patty for automotive advice on the Ask Patty blog, Patty will typically reply back to you the same day. Selected questions and answers will be answered by the panel of automotive women experts for the benefit of all women.

Who are these newly hatched automotive expert blogging chicks?

Deborah Renshaw - Highest Ranking female NASCAR professional race car driver and daughter of Dan Renshaw, owner of Renshaw Automotive Dealer Group, worked for the National Automobile Dealer Association and the Richard Petty NASCAR Driving Experience. www.deborahrenshaw.com

Sandra Wingate - President of the only woman owned certified automotive service advisor training school in the US www.conceptschools.com Need a good "high paying" career? Become a service advisor!

Heather Becklin - Student Body President of the Northwood University, Midland MI. Campus 2006 Graduating class , did her internship at Sonic Automotive, the 2nd largest new car franchised dealer group in the country ( 160 + dealerships), and is owned by NASCAR legend Bruton Smith. Heather is President of the Women's Automotive Association International Northwood women student memberships and starts her new job at Ford Motor Co. in August 2006 www.waai.com

Debbie Lee -- Started in the car business at 16 and by the age of started Professional Car Care - She washes 5000 + vehicles a month ( that's a heck of alot of bubbles ladies!) Debbie is an expert in car care and car care products. www.professionalscarcare.com

Karen Payton - VP of On Wheels, Inc., publisher of the premier diversity online and print publications for minorities; African Americans OnWheels, Hispanic Americans OnWheels, Asian Americans OnWheels. www.onwheelsinc.com

Gayle Clark - Owner of Motor City Sales and Service.....Gayle hold hands on classes for women to learn how to do their own car maintenance and minor repairs, she is our "fem-da-la-car-fixer"!! http://www.motorcitysales-services.com/

Daytona - First women to be a pit crew member on a sanctioned NASCAR race team...ASC certified technician, entertainer and car savvy woman extraordinaire...Daytona is the host of her own live radio show: Daytona-N-Friends www.daytona-n-friends.com

Dr Karen Salvaggio - Is there a doctor in the Ask Patty Hen House???????? YES ! Dr. Fem Automotive, race car driver, educator and editor evangelist for women racers seeking corporate sponsorship, which is a tough road to hoe for female race car drivers trying to get to the top of their respective racing series.  Check her site out: www.thundervalleyracing.com

Kim Tinkham - Owner and Editor of Tink Ink Publications, Kim is writing a new book on women's car buying experiences and has much to share on the do's and don't when visiting car dealerships. Kim needs your help on her research ...take the Well Wheeled car buying experience survey here:

http://askpatty.typepad.com/take_the_well_wheeled_wom/

Glenda Gill - With 20 years under her proverbial "skirt" working on diversity programs at General Motors....Glenda recently accepted a new position and relocated to the Los Angeles area to work for Jessie Jackson at www.rainbowpush.org , as the Executive Director of diversity/minority based Automotive initiatives.

The RainbowPUSH Coalition is a progressive organization fighting for social change. As a mighty coalition of conscience; workers, women and people of color have the power to make the American Dream a Reality!

   

Go to Ask Patty and post your Car Questions , Stories and Comments!

Link to Ask Patty http://.askpatty.typepad.com

Still laying eggs so please "blog in' once in a while to meet the new automotive expert  Ask Patty bloggin' chicks hatching soon..............

Jody DeVere

Mother Hen
       &
President 
Ask Patty
      &
President
Women's Automotive
Association International

www.waai.com

 

WAAI Mission Statement:

The Women's Automotive Association International is the automotive industry's

premier professional organization, established in 1995, to:

· recognize the achievements of women in the industry;

· provide educational e-news to automotive career-focused individuals;

· build relationships through networking and other interactive forums; and

· encourage growth through mentoring, educational endeavors, and scholarships.

The focus of the Association is on the development and retention of women leaders and the education and support of all persons, without prejudice, who have an interest in the automotive industry.

77% of Women Take Men to Dealerships

Capital One: 77% of Women Take Men to Dealerships

McLEAN, Va. (June 2, 2006) -- A significant number of women continue to feel disadvantaged during the vehicle-buying process and prefer to bring along a man when shopping, according to the recently released survey Gender Rules of the Road. Nearly seven out of 10 women said they feel at a greater disadvantage than men when it comes to purchasing a vehicle.

The survey found that 77 percent of women out of 1,000 questioned plan to take a man to a dealership when making their next vehicle purchase, up slightly from 75 percent in 2004.

Although 85 percent of women said they were treated fairly during their most recent car purchase, Capital One executives said the study findings suggest that women are most likely to bring men to make their purchases in order to better manage the financial aspects of the transaction. More specifically, 70 percent of women surveyed said they find the financial aspects of the car-buying process the most difficult. This means that women feel their greatest challenge is getting a good price, executives explained.

"It's troubling to see that women still do not feel empowered to manage the car-buying process on their own," said Diana Don Colby, director of financial education at Capital One. "It's important that women realize that confidence and purchasing power requires education -- not a male companion. Rather than turning to a man for support, women should instead take advantage of the variety of educational resources available to them."

According to Joni Gray, Kelley Blue Book's consumer advice editor, there is a distinct link between a woman's ability to manage the car-buying process with confidence and her level of knowledge about the financial aspects of the transaction.

"Managing the car-buying process with confidence means doing your homework," Gray explained. "Research each element of the transaction before arriving at the dealership. The good news is everything you need to know about car-buying is available online today, including dealer invoice pricing and the 'New Car Blue Book' value, the price that other people are paying for the same car.

"But, that's just one part of the equation, women also need to shop around for financing, which is also available online," Gray continued. "Women have become savvier car buyers, but they often forget about shopping for financing, which can cost thousands of dollars over the life of the loan."

When asked to rank which aspects of purchasing a vehicle women spend the most time researching, financing came in last at 4 percent. Moreover, nearly 18 percent of women said they won't conduct any research on their vehicle purchase, according to the study.

http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping http://www.rsspad.com/getFeed.php?feed=AskPatty.

Buying a car should never become the battle of the sexes - 05/31/06 - The Detroit News Online

Link: Buying a car should never become the battle of the sexes - 05/31/06 - The Detroit News Online.

Jacqueline Mitchell: Car Culture

Buying a car should never become the battle of the sexes

Shopping for a new car is still a hassle for many women. Forget that women purchase or influence the purchasing about 85 percent of all new cars sold in the U.S. Forget that many women don't even look to a man for opinions on what to purchase because they are single or run the house.

In today's competitive auto industry, I can't understand how salespeople can discriminate based on gender. If anything, they should cater to women or risk missing a sale and the opportunity to recruit a loyal customer.

Yet, here we are reviewing another survey that says women aren't any happier with the car buying experience than they were several years ago.

Time tops list of gripes

According to a CarMax survey of nearly 10,000 women, the car-buying experience for women isn't measuring up into a good thing.

Topping the list of gripes: Time. Twenty-one percent say buying a car is not quick and effortless.

I personally can attest to this. My family was recently in the market for a new car. We found something we liked and happily traveled to the dealership. The salesman who initally helped us was with another customer so we were handed off to someone else. Some time after the handoff, the process turned into a slow and painful one.

But driving home didn't mean it was over. The dealership asked me to return to complete more paperwork.

Of the women surveyed, 15 percent said they didn't like or trust their salesperson. I agree. While in our search we looked at a vehicle at another dealership. I kept asking the salesman if ABS and side-rear airbags were optional or standard on the vehicle we were considering. He didn't know and kept asking me what color I wanted. I didn't care about the color; I am interested in safety. Needless to say we didn't buy our vehicle there.

Still more women complained about not getting some respect. A friend of mine wanted to buy a new car that is deemed in car ads to be a guy car. She liked the car and wanted to buy it but was dissuaded by the salesman who asked her, "Don't you know this is a car for guys?"

Let them know

My advice is to walk away from the foolishness. If you feel like you're being treated like a second-class citizens, leave.

Then, write the dealerships that lost a potential sale.

If enough women start to do that, then the dealership just might get a clue. Letters from women who said they would have purchased a car at a particular dealership had they been treated better can have economic impact. Consider just 10 women sending letters to one dealership. That easily adds up to a quarter of a million dollars loss in sales.

And in today's competitive automotive environment, who can afford to lose that kind of cash and a potential loyal customer?

Jacqueline Mitchell is a Metro Detroit-based freelance writer.

CarMax: Purchasing a Vehicle Remains a Hassle for Women

CarMax: Purchasing a Vehicle Remains a Hassle for Women

RICHMOND, Va. (May 19, 2006) -- According to a recent poll conducted by CarMax, women say purchasing a vehicle remains a hassle. Executives said this year's study showed dealerships had made no improvement in women's biggest gripes in the buying process since the last time the poll was conducted in 2004.

"Women continue to experience stress when buying a car as demands on their time and need for convenience increase," explained Donna Wassel, regional vice president for CarMax. "That's why it is important to find a car retailer that focuses on providing a transparent, customer-friendly and easy car-buying process."

Women ranked "a quick, effortless transaction" at the top of their list as most lacking when they purchased a vehicle. A total of 21 percent of women said this was their biggest issue, which is exactly the same percentage who listed it last year.

Next in line, 15 percent of women said they had a hard time finding a salesperson they liked and trusted, as compared to 16 percent in 2004. Lowest pricing, or fair pricing, was the next largest gripe from the women, as 14 percent listed it as what they found most lacking, which is flat when compared to 2004.

Women also showed concern when it came to a fair trade-in value, with 14 percent naming this as lacking in their last purchase process, which is steady from 2004. After trade-in value, came the desire for respect and attention for a female's wants and needs, which 14 percent reported lacking, as opposed to 13 percent in 2004.

Another 6 percent of women identified "a fair, reasonable finance rate," as their biggest complaint, as compared to 7 percent in 2004. CarMax also found that women thought the paperwork they were handed during the buying process needed to be more understandable, as 4 percent cited this as their biggest problem, remaining flat from the 2004. As for the "other" category, 12 percent of women questioned listed items not covered by CarMax's list, compared to 11 percent in 2004.

The company said it surveyed more than 9,800 women on carmax.com for the study.