Marketing expert offers tips on selling to women

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - How best to explain the different shopping habits of women and men?

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Nationally recognized sales and marketing expert Delia Passi asked one of the few men attending a recent marketing luncheon how long it took him to buy a white shirt at the mall.

"Three minutes," he said to much laughter.

"Your three-minute trip takes us three hours," said Passi, author of "Winning the Toughest Customer: The Essential Guide to Selling to Women." "We think and then we think some more and then we think some more. We have to feel really good about the purchase ... and then we buy."

Women influence more than 80 percent of all purchases in the U.S., Passi said. Women also are starting businesses at more than twice the rate of men, and those with revenues of more than $10 million have grown by about 40 percent since 1997. So learning their method of purchasing can make for a big payoff, she said.

Passi was a top Xerox saleswoman to small and medium-sized businesses _ most owned by men _ before leaving the field for six years to be with her young children. When she went back to sales in an industry dominated by women, she found it much more difficult.

Instead of closing a deal after two or three points of contact as she had done previously, now it took six to eight times, and sometimes not at all.

"How can you possibly treat her the same if her buying process is at least twice that of a man?" Passi said.

Women operate under a different set of rules _ they take longer to make a decision, need more input, expect more attentive service and require more follow-up.

Typically, when potential customers stop talking, the salesperson will step in to pull them in the direction of the sale. But Passi said women average nearly three times as many words a day as men, so when a woman pauses for four seconds, don't jump in to tie up the sales pitch. She probably hasn't finished her thought yet.

First impressions also are extremely important for women.

Passi gave an example of walking into an office for an appointment, and the receptionist had no idea who she was. She asked for Cheryl, and the receptionist asked which Cheryl, because the company has more than one.

But how much better would it have been if Cheryl had told the receptionist to expect Passi and to offer her a cup of coffee?

"Now I walk in, and I walk up to the receptionist and it's 'Oh, Ms. Passi, great to have you here. Cheryl is waiting for you. Can I get you a cup of coffee? I know you like it black,'" Passi said.

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Women also prefer to establish a relationship and are less hierarchical.

"When you meet the needs of women, you exceed those of men," Passi said. "Women are tougher (to sell to), they take more time but they are worth their weight in gold because they are loyal. She is the mass market. She will get you through this tough time."

(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)

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THE FEMALE TOUCH

Women purchase 83 percent of all products and services, including:

_ 80 percent of all health care

_ 55 percent of bank choice

_ 50 percent of all business travel

_ 65 percent of herbal remedies, vitamins and minerals

_ 66 of all autos (and influence 85 percent of purchases)

_ 50 percent of all computers

_ 90 percent of all jewelry, perfume and related items

Source: "Winning the Toughest Customer: The Essential Guide to Selling to Women"

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© 2008, The Kansas City Star.