Flooring The Consumer: Developing Community and Delivering Wow!

Flooring The Consumer : Developing Community & Delivering Wow ! The Luxury Marketing Council Orlando Christine B. Whittemore April 2010

The Plan
Who is the consumer?
Why is it difficult to develop community and deliver Wow ?
How to deliver Wow ?

Who Do You Think Is The Core Consumer ?

51% of the population
Better educated than men
Majority of college students since 1979
Earn 50%+ of all bachelor degrees, 57% of masters degrees, 42% of doctoral degrees
Some Facts About Women! Source: IES National Center for Education Statistics

And…
60% of women work
47% of the labor force*
42% of management, business and financial operations
56% of professional and related occupations
57% of service occupations
64% of sales and office occupations
In 55% of US households, make half (or more!) of their family’s income!
Control family finances in 75% of households
* Catalyst – US Women in Business Jan 2010

Chief Purchasing Officers
Own businesses!
10.6 million women business owners
Generate $2.5 trillion in sales
Employ 19.1 million workers
Thoughtful about how they spend their money:
Quality matters
Before price and service
Source : Center for Women’s Business Research 10/2/09 research

66% of all personal computer purchases
67% of financial services
70% of travel decisions
80% of home-improvement
83% of all consumer purchases
88% of retail customers in the U.S.
91% of home sales
Single women:
2 nd largest group of homebuyers at 21%
18% of all first time home buyers [vs. 9% men]
94% of home furnishings
Major Purchase Decision Makers: Source : Tom Peters: Re-imagine! And BWN Wow! Quick Facts

Why is it difficult to develop community and deliver Wow ! ?

Tougher To Satisfy
The Era of Frugality
Simplify her retail experience
She doesn’t trust what marketers tell her
Don’t lie or waste her time
Her definition of value: let’s make the world better.
Don’t make her regret her decision
Source : FCW: Have you adapted your retail experience? by Christine Whittemore

Conflict in the Marketplace!

People vs. Organizations
Real vs. inauthentic
Human vs. faceless corporation
Connections vs. hierarchy…
Communities vs. brands

Women vs. Men
Most marketplace environments:
Consumers are women
It’s a man’s world
Men & women communicate differently
Women have higher expectations
Satisfy women’s higher expectations, satisfy men, too!

In the Beginning…..
Early roles shaped our marketplace behavior:
Hunters
Gatherers

Brains Optimized Differently
Men:
For hunting & defending
Localized, specialized
Efficient at focusing
Think linearly
Women:
For gathering & nurturing
Distributed, connected
Better at integrating
Think contextually & holistically
Source : Martha Barletta. Marketing To Women

Attitudes, Priorities, Preferences Overlook detail Men It’s either right or wrong Maintain self control Do stuff together What’s the bottom line? Just the facts Conceal weakness Resist outside influence Play to win Dominate Competition Individual Perspective Notice detail Women It depends Experience & show emotion Talk together What’s the context? How does it make me feel? Reveal weakness Seek advice Play to improve Nurture Interaction Group Perspective

Take the Purchase Decision Process
Step 1: Activation
Step 2: Nomination
Step 3: Investigation/Decision
Step 4: Success
Source : Martha Barletta. Marketing To Women

1. Activation It starts differently

Getting Input From People
Offline
Conversations with friends and family
Online
Search engines
Social tools
Forums
Networks
Blogs
Context matters

2. Nomination The outcome is different

Women are More Particular
Men want something that “ will do ”
Pair down criteria
Buy first suitable option
Women want the “perfect answer”
Start with generalized concept
Add criteria
Keep exploring until they find the perfect one

3. Investigation/Decision More information & more options

Investigating Options…
Women undertake comprehensive research
Spiral Path
Research is due diligence
It takes time
Women rarely purchase early in the process

Women Take Their Time
“ Presales indicators ” may improve before sales increase
Literature requests, web visits, store browsing
Watchouts:
Don’t always be selling!
Offer value, help answer questions, listen, be committed to customers and there for the long haul…

Women Go Online
Women are majority of online audience & growing!
Communication
Content
Commerce
Sense of Community
Convenience [i.e., 24/7]
Women are online
84% of social media sites are frequented more by women than men*
Source : * CRM Buyer

Search & Social Media
Can you be found from a search window?
Does your website tell your story?
Do you offer valuable and unique content?
What about social media?
Can your website content be shared?
Do you have Facebook Page?
What about a Blog?
Are you personally engaged with these tools?

4. Success! Influence goes beyond purchase

Women Consumers are Worth It!
More profitable than men
Shorter repeat purchase cycle
IF SATISFIED!
They give referrals
The “Multiplier Effect”
Resulting word of mouth
Most powerful & effective marketing tool
Source : Fred Reichheld. The Ultimate Question

And….
Success leads to a community of fans
Online
Offline
Worth nurturing over time

Understand Communication Differences… Between Men & Women

Selling to Women
It’s about:
Communications & listening
Being focused on the consumer
Adapting your environment to meet your customers’ needs
Done successfully, it not only appeals to women, but also to men

Remember Men’s “Individual Perspective“
The world is a hierarchy
Hear & speak language of status & independence
Goal:
Get information, establish status, show independence
Linear approach
Source : Deborah Tannen. You Just Don’t Understand

Reaching the End Goal
Competitive communicators
Solve problems, win conversation, get it over with, move on
Dominate conversation with women!
Tell facts, give advice, interrupt more frequently
Nouns, verbs
Concise, precise, to the point

Remember Women’s “Group Focus”
The world is a network of connections
Speak & hear language of connection & intimacy
Goal:
Connect, create relationships, encourage interaction, exchange feelings
Spiral Path

It’s About the Big Picture!
Facilitative communicators
Understand & be understood
Be thorough and be sure salesperson is thorough
Want / need time to get to know you & have you get to know her
Use qualifiers, disclaimers, apologies, explanations
Adjectives, adverbs
Start at beginning to discuss a topic: more detail

Capturing These Extremes…
Women : people, feelings, relationships – to increase sense of connectedness with others
Value:
Perceived honesty & integrity of salesperson
Can you be trusted & counted on in the future
Men : business, dollars, sports -- to accomplish, solve, finish task
Value:
Salesperson’s financial understanding, knowledge of construction pro/cons, negotiating skills

What This Means For Delivering Wow!…

Translate What She Wants
Women rely on representatives to:
Listen, interpret needs & understand end use
Recommend solutions
Advise on best choice to enhance the quality of her life
Build a relationship & earn her trust
Take her, her research, her sources seriously
Listen to her life story to personalize your pitch

Connect with Her
Do you understand & respect women’s information gathering?
Acknowledge her , respect her
It will take longer! Don’t rush her or waste her time! Expect questions!
Avoid interruptions
Ask more about what she said
Paraphrase and Restate
Follow-up with her

Show Her You’re Listening
Body language & tone of voice signal respect
Appear attentive and convey genuine interest
Women make eye contact and expect it in return
Vary facial expression, nod head, acknowledge
Head nods
“ I’ll think about it ”

“Listen” Online
Go to a search engine
Find search terms of interest
Start with broad terms
Refine them as you obtain more information
Google blog search
Google alerts
Reviews

Listening Means
Reading and absorbing how people interact
Blogposts
Comments
Tweets
Reviews
Hearing what others say about you, brand, company, products, relevant terms…
Being willing to interact & engage

Selling to Women
Be helpful, open to general conversation, take her seriously
Introduce yourself, shake hands,
Encourage her to browse and be available
Be in high listening mode
Active listening with no interruptions
Ask for clarification at appropriate time
Be a partner, team player, collaborator, advocate. NOT an adversary
Respect, trust, ask questions, listen

Zappos: Strong Core Values
“ Powered by Service”
Deliver WOW Through Service
Embrace and Drive Change
Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
Pursue Growth and Learning
Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
Do More With Less
Be Passionate and Determined
Be Humble

Zappos Online

10 Principles For Flooring Her
Listen
Be authentic and transparent
Be responsive
Offer relevant value & quality
No hard sell
Be consistent online & offline
Be human, conversational
Be welcoming of different perspectives
Offer lots of information to address big pictures contexts
Be dependable

Deliver Wow!
Learn how to communicate with her
Your physical environment, representatives, online presence
Improve the experience for her [and for him]
Make her feel appreciated, welcome & make transactions easy
Train to allow for longer purchasing process
Happily offer additional information
No hard sell!
And community will develop!
It’s a relationship , not a one-time transaction
Source : Andrea Learned. Marketing to Women For the Common Man .

To Learn More…
Christine B. Whittemore , Chief Simplifier
Simple Marketing Now LLC
[email_address]
Tel: 973-283-2424
Flooring The Consumer weblog
http:// flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com
Simple Marketing Blog http:// SimpleMarketingBlog.com

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Flooring The Consumer: Developing Community and Delivering Wow!

by Simple Marketing Now LLC on Jun 16, 2010

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