When it comes to making buying decisions, female consumers place a big emphasis on knowledge and trust, according to Dr. Rhonda Savage, an internationally acclaimed expert on women’s issues, strategic communication, and leadership. They value the opinions of their friends and family, and they especially want businesses to make them feel they’re being listened to. “Women are much more sensitive to eye contact, body language, and gestures,” Savage says. “If you’re busy doing paperwork, [a woman] will feel you’re not listening and will not give you her trust.” Savage offers these tips for increasing sales with female buyers:

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• Remember that image is everything. Women are detail oriented. From the very first call, you need to make them feel special. You can’t ever redo a bad first impression. If you have a store location, the front office area needs to be warm, inviting, clean, and neat. Your team needs to wear professional clothing. Women notice details.

• Don’t put down the competition. While communicating with women, it’s important to remain neutral when discussing your competitors. Never speak badly about another business. Instead, talk about the benefits of your products or services, and how they will best suit the customer’s needs and those of her family.

• Emphasize benefits. Women look for the perfect answer. They want to be certain they’re making the right decision. Make sure you move them in that direction. Women are also multitaskers. If you keep them waiting, they’ll be thinking of other things they need to do and will be more stressed than the majority of your male customers. Women especially like to buy the best they can for their family’s needs. Provide them with options, but do tell them what you feel is the best one for their situation.

• Always follow up. Many times, sales are lost with female customers because of a lack of follow up. When a woman says, “I’ll think about it,” it means she truly will think about it. Ask permission to follow up within a week to answer any questions she may have. From there, a female customer will let you know what she wants. She’ll either need more time, more information, or want to buy from you.

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