Auto Estrogen

I don’t know what’s on your Christmas list, but I can tell you what’s on the ‘Big 3’s” — $34 billion dollars worth of bailout money. Two weeks ago the “money elves” sent them home with little more than a request for a better detailed “Christmas List”, namely a clearer understanding of just how they
would be using this money.

There is no doubt the auto companies are in trouble and they have been for quite some time. So now the question is will the government bail them out? Is this $34 Billiion dollars the gift they need to restructure their companies? Will they include a plan for making more fuel-efficient cars? Or will the CEO’s continue flying around in big jets?

What do you think — will the Detroit Big 3, get $34 Billion Dollars for Christmas?

According to the latest study conducted by Auto Retailing Today there are no differences in the male and female buying experience and the myth of gender differences has been debunked. Women it seems, are more confident than ever going into auto dealerships. Although they continue to shop with male counterparts, the majority (39%) do so mainly because the male is a spouse or significant other. Another 15% of those women surveyed stated that they brought a male to the dealership because he had more knowledge, hmmm . . .

It just seems to me, and I could be wrong (I have been before) that a lack of knowledge in and of itself would certainly attribute to a difference in experiences. Wouldn’t that be like, Honey, I like this one, now you deal with the rest? I personally believe that the disparity in knowledge is a major key to the inbalance, automatically placing women on unequal ground which pretty much guarantees a different experience. Why? Because that means that he knows something that the woman doesn’t. And isn’t that really the overriding point anyway? Women haven’t had the same knowledge or interest in car buying and maintenance that men have had, propelling the myths and stereotypes: Auto industry =male = You know something I don’t, namely how the financing works, what the lingo means, and what the true retail, trade-in, and manufacturer’s values are.

I’m excited about this study because women are and have become more empowered when it comes to their automotive needs. But I’m not fooled, either. A happy, confident 932 women is hardly the same as the thousands that are buying cars today. It is not even close to the reality of the anomalies at hand. Regularly I answer questions from women that are unsure, not comfortable, intimidated, and still just wondering how to co-exist in the male dominated arena of car buying. Listen guys (auto industry) this is not a knock in the jaw. Really it isn’t. It’s just a genuine female assessment and perception of the situation at hand.

The survey also reported that although women tend to do research prior to coming into a dealership, only 21% research financing options. Numbers, numbers, numbers, in the long run that’s what it all boils down to and financing is one of the biggest areas in which women tend to feel less assured.

So to answer the question at hand, Do Gender Differences Exist in Auto Buying? I want to say that there are still some differences; I want to say that women shop differently and I want to say that women still have a deficit in automotive knowledge. But I also want to say that things are moving forward, for both women and the industry. Hooray for that!

As the founder of Car-Buy-Her, I’m often challenged by men —- salesmen, managers and even dealership owners on the necessity of an automotive site specific to women. For those that agree that consumers do indeed need education; they rarely see the importance of focusing on auto buying from the female perspective. All consumers need to be educated they tell me. Even men outside of the industry let me know quickly, that they too are challenged when it comes to buying a car. Some just out and out disagree with me. Take Mr. Brakebill for instance, a car salesman out of Illinois who emailed me, asking for my professional opinion (which I was happy to share). I provided statistics, personal experiences, and stories shared with me from women that have led me to my passion for educating women and dealerships and my belief in the validity of the Car-Buy-Her concept and business model. Mr. Brakebill did not agree. What I received back was a somewhat close-minded, almost argumentative email of his strong conviction that there is no difference in selling to women and selling to men and competence and empathy in the profession is all that is needed. Point noted.

From time to time, I talk to a male that understands. Just yesterday I received a call from an Internet sales manager with a dealership out of DC who wants to develop a program that educates consumers, specifically women and was researching what works and what does not. Applause! Applause! He gets it. I get it, women get it, but as a whole I’m still wondering, are dealerships in denial when it comes to the needs of women?