Studies show that women buy or influence 80% of all consumer goods. According to a David Powers Homes study they make 80% of all $180 to $500K price range and they are likely to play a significant role in other big ticket purchases such as cars etc. In fact just because they aren’t directly involved in a particular purchase doesn’t mean they aren’t strongly behind the buying decision.
Be Aware While there are of course many similarities in how men and women reach purchasing decisions, there are also important differences. From a man’s point of view, the key is to be able to understand what these are and to be aware of them when selling to a woman. The following are some easy to follow guidelines for men who sell to women Traditional Sales Approaches don’t Work Many companies and individuals are copping on to the fact that traditional sales approaches don’t work with women buyers, in fact woman are much more likely than men to tune out if they feel they are being SOLD to.
Take Time to Understand Her Needs Women put significantly more value in the salesperson really taking the time to understand their needs. The ability to demonstrate that you care about her needs and what she has to say will help develop a strong relationship and increase the outcome of her buying.
Appearance and Body Language One aspect where men and women buyers differ is in their ability to read unconscious communication, women are naturally better at it. A woman will evaluate your appearance and dress, will listen more intently to the emotions you convey and will read much more into your body language.
Let her know you are Listening Women also listen differently, men often maintain a blank facial expression when women are telling their stories. To her this can translate as not listening at all. It’s important when selling to a woman to be a very active listener, convey expression in your face, maintain good eye contact, ask checking questions to confirm you understand what she means, take notes etc., it’s the little stuff that matters most to a woman.
Don’t Interrupt Interrupting one another’s conversations can be a pretty routine thing for men. However when communicating with women, they are much more likely to get annoyed when you interrupt. Women will also define interruption differently to men. Just because she’s not talking for a moment doesn’t necessarily mean she’s ready for you to jump in. She may just be taking a second to collect her thoughts before resuming.
She’s a Multi-taskHer Overall, a woman is a much more emotionally involved buyer; she will consider and weigh up more factors but because she is able to multi task can do this in lot less time so ensure you keep up.
She Senses She has heightened senses of touch, taste and smell and will often involve these and other senses in her buying decisions of certain products. She may talk you through her buying decision putting into words how she sees and feels your product may work for her.
A Natural Marketer A huge plus from selling to women is that they are three times more likely than men to share personal experience with friends, if you ask any woman where she came across her gym, hairdresser or beauty salon, she maay often tell you that it was recommended by one of her female friends.
With many times more connections between the left and the right hemispheres of the female brain, women tap naturally into that area that is responsible for bonding, they are natural word of mouth spreaders.
Guidelines for Men who Sell to Women - To learn more about this author, visit Niall Devitt's Website.
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Niall Devitt
(Visit Niall's Website)
Niall Devitt is a senior sales training
consultant, business mentor and
facilitator with Btb Sales Training in
Ireland. Niall is regularly asked to
contribute business articles, and his
advice has been published through the
Irish National Press and broadcast on
Radio.
For more info visit website: www.btbtrainin
g.com
Read Btb business blog at: www.btbtr
aining.com/blog
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