He had a firm grip. Things were looking good. The test drive was incredible. But I noticed something that seemed like. At first I was afraid to mention it, even to myself. Who was I to question the magnificence of Bavarian engineering? Then I closed my eyes and imagined myself commuting to work.
Yes, the cup holders. The cup holders in this model were almost comically inadequate—like tiny plastic crab claws that made a feeble grasping motion when you touched a button. I sat through the rest of the test drive in silence, listening to the salesman deliver a stream of performance terms in- cluding torque and zero-to-sixty, just like in the commer- cials, before I got up the nerve to say something.
How badly would I be mocked for this? I braced myself and said the words. The salesperson then shot my husband a look that could be understood in any language to mean, You poor thing, how do you stand her? I cringed. My husband looked sheepish.
I cringed again. And then the salesman said the first of two things that ensured he would never have my business or the business of anyone who knew me.
In fact, I drink a cup of coffee every morning on the way to work. We did not pur- chase the dream car from this man, on principle, and found the car somewhere else a month later, after my husband dis- covered a website selling aftermarket cup holders specifi- cally for the i. The night of the dealership incident, I went on the consumer review website Epinions. I felt vindicated. It appeared that the aftermarket in custom cup holders for all kinds of European cars was thriving.
In the automotive industry, for example, women buy more than half of all new cars and trucks and influence 80 percent of all automotive purchases. Women not only have money, they have veto power. The BMW story provides a classic example of how gen- der differences play out at their best—and worst—in busi- ness. In the case of the BMW, I knew from previous experience that spilled coffee is a tough smell to get out of a car and that the odor of sour lattes would ruin the luxury car expe- rience for me.
If the salesperson had taken my issue seri- ously and recommended an aftermarket solution, he would have gone home with a lot more money in his commission check that day. Most sales training programs include a mantra about knowing thy customer. Across the world, women are the cus- tomers who buy virtually everything there is to be sold.
Women make the purchase or are the key influencers in about 80 percent of all consumer product sales in the United States alone. But who markets and sells products to women? The answer—overwhelmingly—is men, who oc- cupy 85 percent of all Fortune corporate officer posi- tions,2 the majority of chief marketing officer positions nearly 70 percent 3 and corporate executive sales manage-.
Would the jokes be different if the gen- der split was even? For that matter, would there still be jokes? To make a massive generalization, men are the sex that manufactures products, and women are the sex that buys them. Women are females first and consumers second.
The ability to understand their brain structures, priorities, worldviews, and demographic patterns can provide your company with one of the most genuine competitive advantages it may ever know. Men had a huge head start in the business world be- cause they got there first. This means that most of the things we take for granted as conventional wisdom in marketing, sales, and product de- sign are actually based on a male point of view. And while many companies understand that women are their primary consumers, their executive teams still go about creating products and marketing campaigns for women as if they view the world the same way men do.
Take the case of the ugly Snugli, one of the incidents that became the catalyst for this book. The year was The place was Dayton, Ohio. I was with my former colleagues from the Zeno public relations agency at the headquarters of Evenflo Company, a baby products manufacturer that was one of our biggest clients. The Snugli has a proud. Worn over the shoulders, it looks like a backpack in reverse.
The upstarts were charging double or triple the price of a Snugli and still grabbing market share. It was time to strategize. The Evenflo team put the Snugli in the middle of the conference table.
We stared at the lump of cloth like scien- tists examining a new life-form. We all stared at the bulky, quilted material in front of us. Finally one of the product managers spoke. It surpasses all Underwriters Laboratories re- quirements and can hold up to twenty-six pounds. Everyone listened and nodded. The functionality of the Snugli was never in question.
I looked around the big table. I had that old familiar feeling that there was a cultural misunderstanding happening in the room—a misunder- standing of gender cultures. So I clarified. This is perhaps one of the most important books written in this field in years -- amazing and definitive. May 26, Damilola rated it liked it. Summary: Companies and corporations should focus more on strategies to woo women wince women have so much buying power as people who spend so much in the economy especially in light of changing demographics in America.
Context: For so long, corporate america has trained mostly male employees how to reach consumers the wrong way. Since so many men do not know the psychology of women and so many of those man are in middle level positions in corporate america, many corporations are missing out on wo Summary: Companies and corporations should focus more on strategies to woo women wince women have so much buying power as people who spend so much in the economy especially in light of changing demographics in America.
Since so many men do not know the psychology of women and so many of those man are in middle level positions in corporate america, many corporations are missing out on wooing the their most profitable people group - women. While many strategies have been thought to get the female spender to spend the color pink in women products, etc , the key to getting women to spend is actually very simple and corporations could benefit from having more women as their employees because women get women.
One example of this explanation is that women like to see advertisements of how things do something as opposed to how things work. Evaluation: I like this book but felt the thesis was not that compelling. It is something I could have read in a Consumer Report.
That being said, it trained me to pick up on the antics that companies use to get me as a woman to spend. I hope to orient my budget and thought process in a way that is aware of these schemes. For example, Brennan noted that many marketing schemes rely on the understanding that consumers desire a product because they believe it will fulfill a long awaited fantasy.
With this in mind, I hope to ask myself questions before buying products. Are my fantasies even true to reality and what I believe about the world generally?
If I believe that a makeup product or any product is meant to fulfill the fantasy I have of being "beautiful" for example, I would make sure to follow up with these questions.
Sep 25, Cornelia rated it really liked it. This book clues marketers into everything from gender differences to a typical day in the life of a woman to the top ten rules about female consumers. I love the way she did her Notes bibliography page in the back much simpler and less distracting than the usual way but all the pertinent info is there.
If you market to women, I'm sure you'll find something helpful in this book. Oct 12, Jean rated it it was amazing. I might be a little prejudiced, as I know the author! But I have to say, Bridget has a great style of writing. Her book is packed full of information and she lays out details of good marketing strategy. I know there is a difference in male and female psychological makeup, but Bridget does an incredible job of explaining how this impacts marketing decisions.
Oct 18, Nollie rated it it was ok. I think I was the wrong audience for this book. The first chapter was really redundant and a lot of it is just common sense stuff that women already know about themselves. I think it would maybe be more enlightening for men because of gender differences and understanding how women think and what makes them purchase things. Aug 24, Dennis Cuffel rated it it was amazing. The purchasing framework for women and men are completely different.
This book clearly describes the thought processes for men and women using both humor and real life examples. Feb 25, Sunna rated it it was amazing.
Brilliant read, taught me so much about marketing and business and shined a light on how important women are as a consumer. Would recommend even as a general read as the insights into men and women and how they view the world are really interesting. May 27, Estela rated it liked it.
This book made some interesting points. I appreciate that though she was making general statements regarding how and what women buy, she acknowledged that this did not speak for all female consumers. Jul 08, Carole Martell rated it liked it Shelves: occupational-health , non-fiction. For brands overlooking the shemale marketplace, this is a must; for others, it comes off obvious and outdated. Aug 23, Samantha Shawhan rated it really liked it Shelves: personal-growth.
This a great book for everyone to read. Men and women both! Mar 08, Budd Margolis rated it liked it. Outdated but still useful. Oct 23, Emily rated it did not like it.
Full of sexist overgeneralizations, lacking in substance. Totally get the premise, and some good stuff within the pages, but felt as if the writer could have written the book in half of the content, and her target audience IMHO is a male audience.
Feb 10, Noah Sachs rated it really liked it. Positives When dealing with a hot topic like gender, I think it's important to approach it from a point of facts and science.
And Brennan delivers on that front. Throughout the book, the discussion is fact-based and data-driven. Brennan uses data and scientific research to explain how women function during the purchasing process.
I also like that she goes over specific gender differences and explains why they exist and then shows us what the business implications of these differences are. She tak Positives When dealing with a hot topic like gender, I think it's important to approach it from a point of facts and science. She takes you through step-by-step and answers three important questions.
What differences exist? Why do they exist? How do they impact business? Negatives The only negative is that I would have preferred a global perspective on the female consumer market. There are two great sections that focus on India and China and the history and transformation of women and business, however both sections are very brief. I think Brennan could have explained the global impact of women in business instead of solely speaking from an American perspective.
Who should read this? I think men working in teams that hopefully include women would benefit from this book, as it would shed light on a variety of issues women face in business and give you a new perspective on how to market products.
I always find it difficult to identify who a book is intended for, because I think that there are lessons in almost any book that can apply to different people. Although this book focuses on women and business, there are parts of it that apply to a daily life. The ability to empathize and understand other people's needs and perspectives is a skill that will bode well both at home and in the office. Full book review on my blog It seems pretty obvious that companies need to pay attention to women, who make many of the household purchases and influence scors of others.
Yet some companies just don't seem to get it. It also drives home the point that so many companies today need to learn - the importance of standout customer service. Please select Ok if you would like to proceed with this request anyway. WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
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