Women and Wheels
By Cynthia Price
GM Center of Expertise
Women’s Market Initiative
I’ve been noticing that guys make most of the comments in this blog. But I’d like to address the women out there.
It seems there is a lot of interest out on the web regarding women and GM. Some of the questions we’ve heard: Does GM have women designing products? Does GM know that women make a large percentage of buying decisions? Does GM train dealers on how to best serve women?
I’m here to tell you that the answer to all of these is an emphatic “Yes.” GM wants more women as customers, employees and dealers. And frankly, in today’s environment, any company that doesn’t strive to meet the needs of women is crazy!
Some of the initiatives we have taken to connect with women include:
- Having women play a significant role in the company’s product clinics.
- Hiring more women engineers and designers to work on our vehicles than ever before.
- Supporting a women’s employee group — The Affinity Group for Women — designed to increase GM’s share of the women’s market, and to attract and retain women employees.
- Creating the Women’s Retail Initiative to increase the number of women-owned GM dealerships.
- Developing advertising campaigns that speak directly to women. (GM recently began running ads featuring five GM women executives who spend their days engineering, building and marketing GM cars and trucks, and their nights taking care of their children and grandchildren. The ads are part of the “Only GM” corporate ad campaign.)
- And last, but certainly not least, offering training for dealers who want to learn how to best serve women consumers.
But you tell us — how can we help you in your car-buying decisions? I look forward to reading your comments.
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I will tell you what my wife told me – “I am never stepping onto a Chevy lot again”. This was after we went to look for a Tahoe for her. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say it was the typical GM dealer experience. Since she liked the car so much, I went and bought her a GMC Yukon and have since bought myself a Sierra. Good cars, lousy dealers. If my wife didn’t have me to go buy her car, she would have quickly found her way to the nearest friendly Toyota dealer where they would have happily put her in a new Sequoia.
What exactly is the difference between men and women buyers? Don’t we both want to be treated fairly and honestly?
Let ‘er rip
The GM Fastlane Blog steps into much richer territory today with Cynthia Price’s post about the role of women in GM’s universe.
That’s awesome to hear that GM is doing more to attract women.
I’ve got to second the above post about the GM dealership experience.
I’m in the process of shopping for a new car, as I’d like to get something a little more sporty in the next few months, and the GM dealers in the Southern California area just don’t seem to get it.
The first problem is pricing. It’s pretty common knowledge that a lot of GM cars aren’t selling all that well compared to the competition (despite how the sales numbers compare to last year), and that rebates are common on almost every GM model.
Strangely though, despite this common knowledge, GM dealers act like they’re selling the only cars in town.
The GM Website’s “Request a Quote” function is totally unhelpful. Instead of getting a best-price quote, as one would expect, and which one does get from the import dealerships, all I get is an invitation to call in or come to the dealership for the typical slimey dealer sales pitch.
Here’s the deal GM. I LOVE cars. LOVE THEM! I read more automotive journalism than is healthy for any one individual. I probably know more about the current and future specs about the cars I’m interested in than any car salesman in Southern California.
I don’t need to talk to a salesperson. The only information he has about the car that I don’t is the lowest price his dealership will take for the car I want.
That’s what I’m looking for, and that’s why I’m requesting a quote off the internet.
It’s not that I’m intimidated by talking to salespeople. I could easily lug my large, none-too-shy self over to the dealership and hold my own against however many sales managers they chose to throw at me before telling me what the actual price quote would be.
Here’s the deal though, I’ve got better things to do than engage in battle of wills with a bunch of salesmen. They’d be totally outmatched and I’d be wasting my time.
If I, a 6′2″ 300lb obsessive car nut, can’t be bothered to go to the dealership to find out how much a car costs, I can only imagine how the average female buyer, who (strictly statistically speaking) is not as large, aggressive, or informed about cars, feels about going to the GM dealership and dealing with these people.
If GM wants to sell more cars to women, it needs to focus on being more acommodating and helpful to both sexes.
One great way to begin this process is by ensuring that GM dealers are required to actually provide QUOTES off the GM Website’s “Request a Quote” system.
Ms. Price wrote above “any company that doesn’t strive to meet the needs of women is crazy!”
My point exactly Ms. Price.
Forcing people to go into the dealership and deal with salespeople, rather than allowing these potential customers to inform themselves about every aspect of the cars that interest them (including the best price) from the comfort of their homes, as many women (and men) would prefer, is indeed crazy.
A couple of other areas you might want to mention are the number of women in GM marketing (I’ve met several), who are highly knowledgeable about GM product as well as the number of women in GM customer assistance.
One area where there does seem to be a lack of women within GM, however, is Brand Quality Managers. Considering their direct relationship and influence in the creation of new models, as well as changes and enhancements to existing models, perhaps this is an area GM needs to focus on.
I’d like to know how exactly you “train dealers to best serve women.” Do you train them to call women “sweetie” and point out the lighted vanity mirrors? Whatever you’re teaching, it ain’t sinking in.
I read this blog almost every day and weed through the die hard automotive lingo that is hugely represented here. My husband thinks I’m obsessed, I just want to see GM succeed. Women have a lot of influence in the car buying decision. We are going to lease our second Buick Rendevous (I’ve heard a lot of it what designed by a woman) in a couple of weeks. Here is what we looked at to make our decision:
1. Roominess
2. Lease Payment
3. Color
4. Options
I’m hesistant to even put safety on the list because it really did not cross my mind – only in the sense that I feel if GM made it, it is safe for my kids.
We did not want a minivan. I don’t care how you cut it, a minivan is a minivan is a minivan. There was some guy on this blog dogging the new minivans. How drastically can you redesign a minivan? Anything that would greatly improve the appearance would render it NOT a minivan anymore! If you don’t like the minivan then buy an SUV or a crossover! There is not a minivan out there(Japanese or American) that makes me say WOW! (BTW, the front end of the new GM minivans is refreshing and congrats on the great crash test ratings from NHTSA!)
It’s funny, when we were deciding on the car, my husbands biggest want was the navigation system and a bigger engine. I can’t tell what engine I currently have (I have the CX model), or what engine I’m getting (we are buying the Ultra), but to be honest, both engines are fine with me. How many times has a mother with two kids in the backseat needed to pass someone, pulled out in front of traffic instead of waiting for it to clear, or gunned it when the light turned green?
The truth is a lot of women would not know the difference between rear wheel drive versus front wheel drive, disc brakes versus drum, or overhead cam versus pushrod (hopefully these are correct analogies) in their day to day driving.
Everyday I read reviews and articles in the local papers regarding GM, their business, and their cars. I’ve never read such slanted crap in my life, mostly written by men. I really feel women are slightly less impressionable and a little more realistic than men when it comes to choosing a vehicle. There’s a whole lot of opinion in that statement, so take it how you like.
OnStar is a huge selling point with women, especially Moms. You are doing a great job of marketing it.
Make a car that is fresh and original like the caddys.Unlike the HHR say what ever you want but we all know its a ripped off PT cruiser.
I’m not trying to stereotype either gender. But there do seem to be __some__ differences here.
Is it possible that, in general, women desire a more PRACTICAL car (helps them accomplish their goals), while men desire a more EXPRESSIVE (act out the fantasy “from the id”.) car?
The trick is how to combine the two. It seems Japanese and Euros are more balanced while the Americans veer towards one other extreme.
BTW, if a man wants a more practical car, or a woman wants one “from the id”, more power to them!
And what about service? Do women care more about good service than men do? At least this blog “hints” at the word SERVICE – is the lightbulb over GM’s head going on at last??
In response to Lisa’s comments- I know of plenty of moms that want that type of power. Why do you think they opt for the V6 in the minivans or the V8 in SUVs? I’ve found it’s most commonly for pulling onto the highway.
Also, if safety didn’t really cross your mind on features, how and why do you know and care about the new minivans’ crash rating? And depending on where you live, front drive or rear drive can be a safety issue, given the wrong weather conditions. My point is only that more research should be at the core of catering to women. In my case, my mother racked up triple digit city/errand miles daily after buying a Sienna in 2001. Perhaps ingress/egress, steering feel, etc. should be examined. Or just do some cross-country road trips like Toyota and Honda do for their minivans.
Ok, so I go into a Chevy dealership 2 weeks before the rebates expires Feb. 1st to purchase a Cobalt. Unfortunately they do not have the color I want but tell me they have one on the way and it will be here the 21st of Jan. I state I will wait but after that I’ll go elsewhere. They want me to fill out credit authorization to which I refuse telling them I’ll do it when the vehicle gets here. On the 21st I return and they still have no vehicle. The salesman was very young and it was my intent to purchase a vehicle from him (nice guy). He asked me to wait until the 25th that he is sure it will be here by then. He brings over the sales manager who begins to encourge me to fill out credit authorization. Again I refuse. He asks me where I live and has other questions. My take on the whole affair is he was unsure I could afford to purchase the vehicle. Being an American/Hispanic and all. I guess they could not chance trading for a vehicle with another dealer since they did not know my credit score. Still no vehicle on the 25th so I call the salesman and informed him I will go elsewhere.
Purchased a vehicle from another dealership no wait no hassle had me out the door in 1hr. Seems GM needs to train all its dealers to treat all customers including women better. I would never send my wife or daughters into a dealership to purchase a vehicle. Yes they can decide on the purchase (color/options) but thats about it.
Just so you know I still have bad memories from 1978 when my father went to purchase a new Toronado. I was with him when we stood around the inside of the dealership for an hour before a salesman finally approached him.
Oh yes, he paid cash for the vehicle. I know most people at GM think thats just urban legend but I was there. Not much has changed in 30 yrs.
I’d like to suggest that there is a target market among females like myself that GM is missing and I appreciate the chance to now tell you so. I am a middle aged, single, empty nester that is enjoying an active lifestyle. I loved my 2001 Cadillac Catera (made in Germany by the former Opal Car Company) that I leased for three years. It was luxury class, handled well and had back seats that folded down so I could occasionally haul things. It carried everything with room to spare when I took my son to college (including all his clothes, desk supplies, computer, small refrigerator and a 9 by 12 carpet) and it held everything I needed for a three-day camping trip (tent, sleeping bag, clothes, food, ice chest, lantern, firewood, etc.) and my bicycle, too!
When it was time to replace the Catera last July with a new leased vehicle, GM could offer me no luxury, or even less than luxury, sedan that would carry my bicycle like the Catera could. I took my bike with me to the dealers when car shopping so I could guarantee that it would indeed fit. Talk about dealers not listening to the needs of their customers! No, I did not want a gas guzzling SUV or truck. No, I did not want to have to always remove the front wheel of my bike to make it fit. No, I did not want anything that remotely resembled a station wagon. No, I did not want to use a bike rack on the back of the car. I wanted a new model luxury sedan that was as practical for me as the Catera had been.
The hauling issue was so important to me that I sacrificed my beloved OnStar as well as the opportunity to use my accumulated GM Card dollars. I now have a four year lease on a 2004 Mazda 6 that is a high quality, sharp looking performance sedan that has an awesome amount of room in the back when the seats are folded down. I’ve even carried two bicycles in it!
Perhaps, if you think there is a market out there for women like me, or for anyone that is nervous about the price of gas but still has things to haul occasionally, you’ll win me back in 2008.
How great to see a woman posting to the FastLane blog! Keep writing and tell us more about women in top jobs at GM.
I think there is still resentment towards women to become dealers at all levels of management in GM. My mother is a Chevrolet dealer celebrating her 50th year with Chevrolet at the same location. I remember a time in the late 80’s when at one point she had almost the entire sales force female (6 of 8),with the whole upper management being female.She also has several other non-GM franchises both domestic and imports. Yet,because of being a women, she has had trouble getting anywheres with GM in getting the Saturn and Caddilac franchises for her market or any other market. She has attended the Woman’s Retail Initiative conference in Scottsdale a couple of years ago, but realized nothing will change in GM in her lifetime. She has never had a problem outside of GM. One of her franchises treats her with the upmost respect and support, that one being Toyota. It’s unbelieve how together they are. Just out of curiosity, how many female Caddilac and Saturn dealers are there in our state of Florida? None I know of. Yes,there still are issues with women in GM that won’t change until they see the light. And that day won’t come until they fall into the junk bond status or did that just happen?
Left field Mike Griffin. The HHR is anything but a Pahtooey Cruiser. Put the HHR between a PT and a 50’s vintage Chevy Suburban and it is obvious were the styling came from. It’s just a lot smaller than that old suburban.
I come from a GM buying family, and my mom refuses to enter the car dealership. She cedes this to my father an I. The thing is, it’s very hard for a person who has had 8 years of college education to be talked down to and be treated like child by a greasy salesman.
The one time I did convince my mom to go our local Pontiac dealer to look at the GTO, the salesman ignored her and talked directly to me. Now let’s think about this for a second, who is more likely to be purchasing a $35,000 car – a 19 year old or a 40 year old?
I think you guys need to take a serious look at converting all your dealers to the Saturn system. I realize this would a heavy investment, what with dealer contracts and all, but honestly the dealer system is one of GM’s weakest links.
GM blog continues to push the envelope
There’s a new blogger on the GM FastLane Blog, with a new approach – talking to women. A post yesterday by Cynthia Price, GM Center of Expertise, Women’s Market Initiative: I’ve been noticing that guys make most of the comments
Mike,
My missed point was I’ve never had a problem with the power of any GM vehicle I’ve owned. I test drive them and if it feels good, great.
Front wheel drive? Yup, I think in Michigan winters, that is the way to go. I was making a point to all those on previous blogs insisting on RWD as being the way to go!
I’m glad you brought up the safety issue! What I have a hard time accepting is all the rhetoric that GM cars are less safe than the Japanese. How do I know about the minivans safety ratings? I read two articles dogging the safety of the Terraza and of the Relay, and praising the safety of the Odyssey. I looked at the ratings NHTSA gave these minivans. I contacted NHTSA to question the 5 star ratings for the Honda Odyssey since the side driver rating for the Odyssey, although a five, stated the driver side door became unlatched during the crash test increasing the liklihood of occupant ejection. I wondered why it did not receive 4 stars for that test. NHTSA’s response to me was:
“The safety concern for the 2005 Honda Odyssey is not included in the star ratings. For side impact only the chest is included in the crash test rating. The star rating is based on the readings obtained by the dummy during the crash. If you are concerned with an ejection, and we think you should, a four star without a safety concern is better than a five star with.”
NHTSA gave the Terraza and Relay: Front Driver-5, Front Passenger-5, Side Driver-4, Side Rear Passenger-5.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say the Odyssey is “safer”, would you? One of the articles that dogged the Terraza’s safety went so far as to quote a mother expressing concern for her children’s safety in a Terraza, even though both the Terraza and the Odyssey received 5 stars for the side rear passengers.
Glad to hear your mom had luck with her Toyota. Maybe next time she could test drive a GM minivan!
I bought a Ford after the GM dealer kept talking to my husband about my car. I told each dealership what I wanted and while most dealers took me to the appropriate car, the Ford dealer talked to me like an intelligent person. The GM dealer assumed I didn’t understand or car about mechanical items and kept gearing me to the color options and other vanity options. I want a reliable, kid transporting vehicle with great gas mileage. The Ford dealer addressed that. Your dealer didn’t. The good news is that the Nissan dealer didn’t compete with either.
I think that alot of you are missing the boat here when it comes to the car buying expierence. Instead of walking in alone to make a huge purchase (the only things you spend more money on are homes and college) why not have someone on the inside? Although my wife was nervous to go pick out her next car she went in to our local dealership with a name of a salesman that i knew and was refered to me by several people.
She knew going in exactly what she wanted (pretty much a base model envoy) and knew exactly what her price range was. After driving a couple (one heavily equiped and one base model) it was easy for her to decide that the base model was what she wanted. The salesman didnt have to do a thing as the car sold itself. To cement the deal he had an aged invoice model that had extra incentive money attached and pulled that one off of the showroom floor for her. She loves it and I know its the place that i will go next spring when my lease is up.
I think GM has made great strides in marketing to women. Onstar is huge but look at some smaller things such as the hight selectable pedals, cars like the malibu (especially malibu maxx), rendevous, and the suv line all appeal to women.
I may live in a gm town but i am glad to hear that dealerships here are better than where most of you live.
Cynthia:
I noticed that not a single item on your list involved BUILDING GOOD CARS AND TRUCKS!
Sheesh, do you folks just not get it???
It’s all about the product. Training salesmen not to be pigs is all well and good, ut don’t you think that the dealers should be responsible for this? If I went to the Toyota daler and they treated my wife poorly, the salesman would be out of there like a shot. Not because Toyota is so wonderful, but because the dealer won’t allow a salesman to drivew away potential clients.
The more I see, the more I think GM is headed for Chapter 11. Eveyone is focused on the hype, and no one is focused on the product.
GM stands for General MOTORS, not General Marketing.
My wife and I were in the market for a new vehicle last year. We searched for eight months before making our decision. We went to a GM (Chevy) dealership in our area. The first salesman that “CHARGED” us, was your typical salesman. He totally ignored the fact that we were purchasing the vehicle for MY WIFE, not me. He talked to me exclusivly. After we left that dealership, my wife told me how upset she was. That salesman called us twice after that to tell us about vehicles we might be interested in. The vehicle we need would have to be able to carry 6 people comfortably. Me, my wife and our four growing kids. The dealer called to let me know about a car he thought we would like. It was a used BMW SUV. IT ONLY SEATS 4. Do your salesmen have ears or what. How were we supposed to cram 6 people into a vehicle designed for four. After shopping around for quite a long time and trying almost every vehicle that the family would fit in comfortably, we finally did something I never thought I’d do. We purchased a foreigh vehicle. I have always owned American vehicles. From my first Oldsmobile Delta 88, Pontiac Fiero, Ford Escort (2 of them), Ford Ranger, Cadillac, Dodge Grand Caravan (get an extra transmission when you buy it), Ford Windstar and now Ford Contour. We have a brand new Toyota Sienna. It’s a great van and MY WIFE loves it. You still have a lot of work to do with training your salesmen about how to treat ANY customer. Listen to them and help them get what they need and want, not what will get you the biggest paycheck.
As a GM employee I have noticed that sometimes the dealers don’t treat even me right. My wife also had a few rough visits where I had to intervene. I try to give the dealers a fair amount of leeway as I know the inner workings of the process and feel that I understand thier side more than regular customers. Just last month a friend of mine took her 2002 Cavalier in for service and they gave her such a hard time that she almost sold the vehicle. On her next visit I had to get the dealers account manager involved to make sure they treated her right. Most of the complaints I get from our customers seem to be how dealers treated them. Perhaps we should work on this a little more. They do tend to treat people like sheep at times and there is the leftover perception from the bygone days that the dealer service department will work you over every time.
My last car buying experience was September 2003. At the time my husband and I had a Mazda Protege. We’d both grown up in GM families, but we’d fallen for the hype of foreign cars. What a mistake! The car was low quality compared to the GM cars. After 8 years we (finally) realized it would be cheaper to buy a new car than to continue to repair it, and there was no question that our next car would be a GM. We went online and found out which dealers in our area had models on the lot that fit our needs, and narrowed it down to two possibilites: a Pontiac Grand Am and a Saturn Ion.
We went to the Pontiac dealer first. The Grand Am was nice but didn’t ‘wow’ us. The Ion amazed us. I hear a lot of complaints on this board about the center dash, and I just shake my head. I’m five foot with shoes on, and this is the first car I’ve ever driven where I didn’t have to choose between a good view of the dash and proper distance from the airbag. It handles well, has plenty of power, and gets nice gas mileage. Since we bought ours, every one of our friends who was in the market for a small car has purchased an Ion, and we all love them. Several of them were dedicated Honda or Toyota purchasers- until they drove our Ion!
The dealer service after the sale has impressed me as much as the Ion itelf. My service knows my name, knows that I’m the one who deals with all the maintenance, and has never once been treated me as anything other than an intelligent and valued customer. We’ll be adding a second car this fall- and it’ll be another Ion.
Ms. Price:
It’s very simple. Make the Saturn selling model mandatory in all GM dealerships, so that every potential customer gets treated as a PERSON, male or female.
And like others have said, GM should focus on best in class product that will sell itself.
GM’s Female Blogger
About the addition of a female to GM’s FastLane blog.
Dear Mr.Lutz:
I am a G.M. employee. I work in Doraville , GA. Please put a hybrid engine in our product!!!
Hierarchy, Subverted
Was reading the recent post by Cynthia Price on the GM Fastlane blog. (hat tip: nevon) Down in the comments were two items that stood out: Mary Freund: “Dear Mr.Lutz: I am a G.M. employee. I work in Doraville ,
If we want more people to buy our products, lets make them more appealing. Im asking why the buick royaum, is not available in the states? Also its all about tapping into peoples emotions, read the book trading up by michael j silverstein and neil fiske, and you will see what i mean. I too am a gm employee at the wentzville missouri plant, its not about just hybrids, where are the diesel hybrids, lets get them here before the competition does, oh yeah and one more thing, as soon as kekorian gets his shares wait one year lutz will be ceo. hey anything is possible.
Spaceships, autos, and horses – Oh my
Got an extra quarter million dollars laying around? Get a seat now while they last. Subsequent flights will be discounted to $150,000 per seat. Seems to me that first flight is a tad riskier and should be the discounted one but I have no head for busin…
Dealership issues seem to be a major topic this week. My wife and I have had our share of issues with different dealerships. During our last purchase, in 2001, we were ready to close the deal on a Trailblazer. The salesman was great. However, before we could close we had to talk to the warranty salesperson. She would not take no for an answer. Good thing too. She convinced us that the vehicle was of such poor quality that it would require a $1000+ extended warranty. In fact, she was so convincing that we decided against the purchase and walked out of the dealership.
Personally, I find the concept of extended warranties a degrading insult to any product.
I agree, Saturn dealerships are awesome. I’ve owned two Saturn’s in the past. My first delivery, they had a birthday cake for me. They explained every feature on the vehicle before I left. Getting my oil changed was a breeze. Nobody handed me a sheet showing what “GM” recommends for maintenance. Nobody tried to ever sell me something I did not need. Both Saturns I owned ran flawlessly and got great gas mileage.
I was a GM owner for my first 22 years as a car owner, moving from hand-me-down Chevys and Oldsmobiles to my own bought-and-paid-for Chevy nova, then a Saturn…which I liked a lot.
My last car purchase was in the luxury sport sedan segment…and I learned a lot about poor customer service during that purchase. As a woman who refuses to “dress up” to go car shopping (as my mom actually suggested) i was ignored and/or dismissed by dealers at BMW, Cadillac and more. Add to my deceptively youthful appearance the fact that I didn’t want leather interiors, and you get dealers everywhere who just didn’t take me seriously.
I could have whipped out a check book and paid cash for one of their cars if I had so desired. I will NEVER buy a BMW after being treated like a little kid on three different occasions.
Bottom line. I bought my first non-GM car because GM’s one car in the right style didn’t have a non-leather option.
Now I’m going to be in the market again, but my needs/desires have changed. I want a hybrid. And again Chevy can’t help me.
I’d actually be quite happy to buy a Saturn again if such a model existed.
Cynthia: since GM is not only reaching out to all customers via blogging, but to women specifically – I really recommend you check out BlogHer Conference ‘05 this summer in Silicon Valley. You’ll find a big crowd of avid female bloggers who would love to hear about how GM is using the Internet and blogs to communicate with them.
http://www.blogher.org
In response to Zarba:
Yes, of course, product is paramount. That’s why GM is introducing 20 new vehicles in North America this year and 13 next year. And, it’s why the bulk of this blog is dedicated to talking about cars and trucks. BUT we also have to make sure our customers have a chance to see and experience the product. So we’re training dealers and sales staff on how best to treat all customers – women and men. We’re also showing dealers the business reasons for doing so. The training works and we offer it to any GM dealer who wants to participate.
I post on a GM board and common complaint I hear on the board is the dealership. Overpriced cars and bad service is the prevailing theme. For example, the whole GTO pricing problem. I wonder how much of GM’s current problems lie in their bad dealer network.
My best buying experience has been at a Lexus dealership.
Elisa: BMW dealers are known for their horrible service and lack of courtesy. Lexus is a lot better in that regard.
Ms. Price:
Having visited Japan several times, I know that customer satisfaction and service is THE priority with auto dealerships in that country.
I’ve noticed a distinct change over the past few years in the way my Toyota dealership (in California) treats me and other customers, for the better. It appears to me that Toyota is transplanting their domestic market customer satisfaction process to the U.S. Another reason for GM to do something quick in this area – like imposing the Saturn model companywide.
One more thing: I think American companies spend a lot of time and $$$ on busy work positions that develop strategy this and strategy that. At the end of the year, the results are a big fat ZERO. I’d like to see GM get out of this mode, and quickly implement measurable changes in the customer dealer experience before it’s too late.
Cynthia:
Thank you for your reply. What I was getting at, as many of the responses her indicate, is that product sells cars. Everything else is just frostingon the cake.
However, I can attest to the treatment women get at dealerships. I accompanied my mother in law when she purchsed her Ponctiac Grand Am . We went to a dealer in ATL, and we found the car we wanted. We sat down with a Sales Weasel. I said, “So what is your best price?” He replied, “Well, are you going to buy right now?” Me: “Yes, if the price is right”. Him: Well, i’m not going to just give you a price if I don’t know you’re ready to buy.” Me: “We have a checkbook and will stroke a check today. Now what is the price?” Him: Are you buying today?” Me: “That all depends on your price.”
This went on for 15 minutes, and I could not get this clown to GIVE ME A PRICE! We left.
Unfortunately, she bought a Grand Am at another dealership. 55K miles and it is falling apart. Windows, locks, steering pump, coolant, you name it. She’s 55 years old and does not abuse a car, but this heap is disintegrating. It’s a 2001 and it’s falling apart. She now wants a Honda. Won’t even discuss a GM car, and she’s owned GM cars for 20 years. Lost another one, guys.
Oh yeah, Cynthia:
Don’t make training optional for your dealers. It should be MANDATORY.
Cynthia,
There seems to be lots of differences between GM dealers which need to be addressed in some form or fashion by GM. In Detroit, we are certainly spoiled by good GM dealers because this is the heart of their market. Outstate, it is a different story. (esp in a place like Florida trying to use the GMS pricing!!!!!)
My best GM dealer experience was at the Cadillac dealership in Plymouth, MI. Those people know how to treat people correctly. (they at least act like they are happy to see you and they kiss your butt). The Saturn dealers have also learned this.
I always tell the females in my family to go to the Saturn or Caddy dealers for best treatment. All the dealers should learn from these models.
I’ve been reading articles about U.S. auto manufacturers trying to cater to women (about 50% of the population), for a long time.
It looks like these marketing efforts along with huge rebates try to compensate for the fact that the Big 3 are perceived to have inferior product.
What’s interesting is that I don’t recall reading anything about Honda having such an ongoing effort, although the majority of Honda Civic and CR-V buyers are women.
I think every brand has its share of lousy dealers, but it ultimately comes down to the fact that all women (and men) want a reliable, well designed car that gives them their hard earned money’s worth.
So here’s my suggestions, especially in light of the fact that GM is in crisis mode:
1. Focus all your resources on designing best in class vehicles that are affordable and will sell without the bribe of a huge rebate or other gimmick.
2. Immediately impose a radically different buying process on all GM dealers, better than Scion or Saturn.
3. Conserve resources by not wasting money on efforts such as special marketing to women. Women don’t buy cars because the car engineering team included women.
I have little respect for american car makers. They give lip service to reliability and quality. They are behind the curve in understanding what consumers want- or pander to only certain consumers forgetting that there are many of us who wish for a vehicle other than an SUV and truck. I would love to buy a sporty hybrid, but they are not to be found. And why the delay in getting head air bags etc.. into all vehicles. I just bought an acura RSX (even the foreign -not truly foreign anymore- automakers don’t understand the market either) but it was missing many features that I would even have paid extra for. A sports car w/ the safety features and comfort (and a way to easily store my sports equipment) is what this 40+ women wishes someone would produce.
I think the women of the Women’s Market Initiative could better help GM by redefining their mission as the “Market Share Women’s Initiative”. The goal of this initiative would be to win back market share lost to the Japanese.
To start off, I say put together a team of the best GM women engineers and give this team the initial mission of producing a Camry beater.
Here’s why I think this mission is easily achievable. GM has plenty of world class talent, I’m sure among its women engineers. And even though the mission doesn’t involve rocket science, the engineers are, after all from a country that sent a man to the moon first!
I couldn’t agree more with the post from USA, about getting the women at GM to focus on market share.
Over the last 25 years, GM has lost about 20% of American market share. During these 25 years, successive GM management teams haven’t been able to figure out how to develop products that can retain or grow GM market share.
So what’s wrong with this justification for the Women’s Market Initiative? “we’re training dealers and sales staff on how best to treat all customers – women and men. We’re also showing dealers the business reasons for doing so”.
Hello! Cars have been sold by dealers in the United States for about 100 years! And 25 years after GM started losing market share your dealers haven’t figured out the basic business reasons to treat all customers right?
Is it just me, or does this sound like busy work while GM continues to bleed market share?
My wife refused to look at any minivan without stow and go seats.
But given two similarly equipped vehicles in the same price range, she chooses based on which model has the paint color she likes the most.
Go figure.
I find it troubling that everyone references to a bad experience with a GM dealer. As a GM salesperson for over 28 years, I have a greater repore with female clients. I guess having 3 sisters and 0 brothers and 3 daughters I relate better. Where are these dealers that treat women bad? Here in West Michigan, most salespeople know that over 58% of all vehicles are purchased by women. I understand that there is a problem. I encountered a problem where saleswomen are talking to men, mainly older, about trucks and they didn’t want to talk to them. I would always encourage the ladies to study up on trucks and told them that I would gladly help them, especially with the old farts that insisted on talking to a male. As a salesperson the problem as I see it, is the dealer and the manufacturer always pushing for more. Thus salespeople do not take enough time with female buyers who are not as technical, but want to know more about value and benifits the vehicle offers to them. As I see it untill “numbers” stop being all so important at all levels “this” problem will continue. I have noticed women realy do not care how many you sell a month, but rather does the salesperson/dealership care for them.
One problem today is – buying a car is evidently no big deal. The process is handled as quickly as possible – you are processed and on your way. Hey wait – I just spent $40k couldn’t we all get a little more excited. After all, you may do this every day, but I sure don’t! Nobody is even watching me drive off.
GM also needs to penalize the dealers who gouge customers on hot selling vehicles like the Corvette, SSR and probably the Solstice. It really turns people OFF to GM.
How many other customers went to other brands when the prices are over MSRP?
So maybe your dealers should take part of the blame for the marketshare LOSS!
They should be held accountable for their actions – or lack thereof.
First, when I went into a Toyota dealer a year ago they were very arrogant about their cars and they didn’t move much on price. I told them I could go elsewhere and they replied “You’ll be back”. I bought a new Avalanche and never went back! Toyota dealers suck just as bad as GM, Ford, Chrysler, etc.
The individual dealership is responsible for their people and unfortuantely, due to high turnover and a history of questionable techniques, they usually get it wrong. I bought a Durango 4 years ago and it took 12 hours to get that truck at my price!
Second, maybe if the focus was instead placed on providing a good dealership experience to all, things would get better. I have been in both sales and service for the last 15 years and anytime a training session focuses on one subset or another, it usually just alters the focus instead of enhancing the overall experience. I quote a colleague after a session a year ago, “This year we’re gonna push (xyz)”. I replied that what they stated was to enhance xyz sales in addition to maintaining the push on the other strong products in the lineup. My point is that GM does not need to focus on women more, as I speculate half of the dealers will then just focus on other things less, but instead needs to greatly enhance the dealer experience from an omniscient viewpoint. I am a specs, features, and haggle kind of passionate car guy while my wife is a conservative, penny-pinching, basic transportation kind of girl. If they focused on her I would walk and vice versa, so you need a salesman who, like good salesmen in every field, can address different viewpoints simultaneously. This is the key because if they can do that well, the close is easy.
Third, the HHR is SUCH A BLATANT RIPOFF ON THE PT CRUISER IT’S SAD!!!!!!!!! I like it but really, a retro sedan delivery with windows but junior-sized only described one product two years ago and that was the PT. Now it also describes the HHR. They may be styled differently and the HHR may tie its’ styling directly to the old Sub, but just like the minivan, Chrysler invented it. The rest are just copies.
Speaking of innovation, with Olds gone where is your direction? Olds was the innovation division even as recently as the original Aurora. Mass production Front wheel drive-Olds. Affordable luxury-Olds.
Automatic Tranny-Olds.
Safety dash-Olds.
Airbag-Olds.
That was a mistake. Saturn could have been folded into Olds as their whole personality is changing and becoming Olds anyway. I am not even an Olds fan but I know stupidity when I see it.
Pontiac, which I have been a diehard fan of for over 30 years, is also lost. They don’t need a minivan or an economy car, they need exciting styling and good performance. They need a sports car, muscle car, muscle luxury car, and performance sedan. They do not need a high performance coupe that looks like a bloated Cavalier! And don’t even try that “modern interpretation of the classic GTO” crap because if you didn’t want retro you shouldn’t have used a Retro nameplate!!!!!!! Stop abandoning your heritage nameplates for stupi-a$$ letters and numbers. I don’t want a G8, I want a Bonneville! My father always told me to never forget “what brung ya”. GM needs to heed that warning as I am a footstep away from shifting my loyalties to DCX.
I am a 36yo father of two who is happily married with a family income slightly above 100K. I am your target audience yet you continue to abandon me and send me shopping elsewhere. The Solstice is the first Pontiac in a long time that may deliver on its’ promise, yet at the Chicago Auto show I couldn’t get close to it as it was up on a turntable. This was a car only 4 months short of production and 6 months short of delivery and I couldn’t even truly show it to my wife. I had already told her she was getting one no matter what and we then spent 30 bucks to see it and were rejected. Guess what GM…..I bought her a 98 firbird convertible instead a week later and you lost another sale. That’s two in the last two years. A GTO for me due to bland styling and a Solstice for her due to the inability to actually experience the car. Over $55,000 flushed in sales and you think that focusing on women is key! Focus on common sense and market appeal. Focus on less rebates and more resale value. Focus on excitement instead of de-contenting the cars every year. Focus on a simple ala-cart option menu with percentage discounts given when multiple options are chosen. 5 options means an overall 2% discount on the options prices, 10 options means a 5% DISCOUNT, ETC. I don’t want packages but I still want the discounts for spending more on options.
This kind of common sense could put you back on track. The bean counters don’t have it, the executives don’t have it, your customers do have it! Pay me 100 grand a year to come up with ideas instead of some overly complicated multiple degree earning professional student and you may get somewhere. Bob Lutz was supposed to be that guy, but it appears now that he is being corralled by the bean counters.
I am done now!
A Loyal (it’s getting harder) Customer.
Shaun,
I have had excellent treatment at my local BMW/MINI/VW dealer. I stopped in the other day because I wanted to test drive a Mini Cooper S Convertible. They only had one in stock, not equipped with the manual transmission I would want. So the saleswoman I was dealing with suggested I take out the convertible and take a manual transmission hardtop Cooper S out too. I was treated extremely well. And the same people who sell Minis there sell BMWs. I don’t know if they are the exception or the rule as far as BMW dealers go.
To Diane,
That same BMW dealership I visited seemed very excited that I was there and interested in their products. You are right on about dealer excitement. Even $15k is not a small chunk of money for most people. If the dealer staff seems genuinely excited about people being interested in their products, people will feel at ease. If the sales people are also genuinely enthusiastic about the products they are selling, then you have a winning combination.
My experiences at GM dealers have been utter crap though, barring a really Saab dealer that is owned by the head mechanic. If anyone comes over to me, I get talked down to, no matter how I’m dressed. I’m a white guy, age 24. I look like a young professional. There is no reason for anyone to make the assumption that I couldn’t afford one of their products. I got the same kind of treatment at the Toyota dealership run by the same people
GM focusing on women is a small step toward the larger problem…looking outside the box of a colorless company. One of the bloggers mentioned No women in brand management…well not only are there no women but there are no people of color marketing any of the GM lineup. Not being able to look beyond the scope of what sells to people in Detroit will be the ultimate demise of GM. They trickle in commercials with hispanics, black, asians etc…but it really to check a box of done that! I hope for the sake of the country’s economy, the embrace those colorful people who really make this country special….and diverse.
It’s good to see GM acknowledging the value not only of women’s economic power in car-buying decisions, but it is heartening to see its interest in design concerns. Until 18 years ago, I only purchased foreign cars. Then my sister married a GM exec and a few years later my then-3 year old nephew looked at my Toyota Tercel and said, ‘Auntie Beth, that’s a bucket of rust.’
That comment was incentive enough to switch to American-made cars (esp. since the Prizm was a cooperative project with Toyota’s Corolla).
I have been very happy with the two Prizms I have owned, but 3 years ago I had a chat with a GM employee about hybrids. I asked him why GM wasn’t producing hybrids — I told him my conscience would not permit me to buy another gas-only vehicle. He said hybrids wouldn’t make it. People talk a good talk about sustainability but in order to make a profit on hybrids, the car companies would have to charge a sticker price so high that people would not pay it.
Now we see that Toyota has, once again, been way out in front on this issue. Not only is the Prius wildly successful but USED ones are being sold for MORE THAN the sticker price of 2005s because people want to own them NOW and because Priuses score off the charts in terms of reliability and customer satisfaction.
There is a lesson here for GM. One can only hope that soliciting imput on the GM blog demonstrates a genuine interest in paying attention to the wishes of your customer base.
I will hang on to my Prizm for a few more years, hoping that GM can meet the hybrid commitment. I want nothing more than to have my next car be American made.
It is up to GM to make that happen.
The answer…the sales process. Gone are the days when good old boys want to negotiate over tinted windows and mud flaps. Women are looking for a no-nonsense, upfront sales negotiation process where they don’t feel like someone is trying to pull the wool over their eyes. Until the process changes, it’s my opinion that GM will not capitalize on this market demographic.
Indeed, the sales process.
I’ve always used GM heavy 3/4 ton pickups for my business. Right now, there are two of them sitting out front; a GMC with over 375 thousand miles, and a Chevy with around 100 thousand miles. When my wife decided to get rid of her minivans and get small pickups, I suggested the Colorado for her business.
Just like I do when I buy my trucks, I went on line and found out the dealer base cost, the options packages cost, available rebates, GMAC financing rates, etc. We also pulled a copy of our credit record from Equifax.
My wife found a truck optioned the way she wanted, drove it, and liked it. When it got down to negotiating, the salesman immediately started talking to me, even though he was told the truck was for her business. He started the usual shuck and jive about MSRP, and writing figures on a piece of paper and asking her to sign it, agreeing to a price. Told him his price stunk and showed him how much the truck cost the dealership and how long it had been on the lot. Showed him the printouts of the available rebates and finance rate. The rate he wanted to sign her up at was 3 times higher. Told him what she were willing to pay over their actual cost of the truck. Showed him a cashier’s check for $1000 that she would use to close the deal that day.
Salesman again tried to talk past her to me about lack of accuracy of her data. He didn’t seem to comprehend that the same data worked fine for me when buying trucks myself.
When he started writing figures on paper again, she told him to draw up a contract at the rates we wanted, make a valid counter offer on a contract form, or he would blow the deal. He went out to talk to the sales manager for a while, came back and went into the same line of typical jive about needing to check our credit. She pulled out the credit report and told him not to run ours again until he had a valid deal. He went to his sales manager again, and from checking, they ran us 3 different times, but still couldn’t manage to come up with the rate quoted on the Chevy site…. and we do have A+ credit. Also, still wouldn’t give her a deal written as a contract, still only a figure scribbled on a piece of paper.
After an hour and a half of playing idiot games, my wife was thoroughtly pissed, told the salesman, “You blew the deal”, and we left. We went over to the Nissan dealership, and she bought a Frontier pickup. In and out the door in under an hour, picked the truck up the next day.
The next day the salesman called _ME_ (NOT her) back to attempt to – I don’t know what… I told him in no uncertain terms, “You blew the deal, boy. She went out and bought a Nissan” and hung up on him. He had the nerve to call me back. I didn’t feel like talking to him, so I let the answering machine get the call. He left a message chewing me out for being rude and hanging up on him. When my wife heard about this, she told me that she wouldn’t put up with that kind of treatment buying a toaster, let alone a truck. She also said that even though I bought my last two Chevys there, I’d be foolish to go back again.
I haven’t.
Going back to Cynthia Price’s comments as to what women are looking for in a vehicle, it seems as though it has gotten off track about our experiences at dealers. Basically, I don’t believe GM can control how a salesperson acts- the dealerships are independently owned and operated and as such as responsible for their day to day operations. As consumers, all we can really do is to make sure that we let GM know about our experiences. Face it everyone, you can have the same experience, whether it be Ford, Toyota, Kia or Chevrolet- which unfortunately, I’ve seen some pretty horrible things at all dealerships no matter the brand.
In response to addressing the women’s opinions- for me it is all about price and comfort. I do not require a lot of things that distract me, in fact it becomes mind boggling how people want so many accessories that are just more prone to distracting drivers that can possibly lead to unpleasant circumstances (accidents.) I want to know that when I purchase a vehicle, I’m getting my money’s worth. Granted, I’m very young, I’m very careful how I spend my money and what I am getting for every dollar I place towards a purchase. But that doesn’t mean I want a “shiny” car either. I don’t want it to look like a 90s Cavalier (now Cobalt) with shiny plastic thrown at it, I want it to stay in style for longer than the prerequisite 6-9 months before it is replaced with a car just like it but with more shiny plastic. I want quality, durability, cost effectiveness and the knowledge that the manufacturer will stand behind me in the years to come. (Off note: I know GM will weather the recent storms; changes are required for any company to last and you all have shown that for decades now. Keep up the wonderful, diverse products being offered and don’t stoop to Nissan and Toyotas answer for demand- MORE SHINY PLASTIC!)
I am President of National Association of Women (NAWBO)Bangor, Maine. Our group of more than 35 women business owners would like to know about women-owned car dealerships in Maine or New England. How can we find them?
As a woman who has driven and owned GM vehicle for past 24 years, I would like to request an important feature that I would like to see in your mini-vans–roll-up second row seat windows. Saw this in the Toyota Sienna at auto show — have kids who get car sick and this would be a great feature! Need a new mini van within next year or two and would love this feature.
I have to admit – my husband and I went to a Hummer dealership last night and as soon as he told the woman dealer that we were potentially looking at an H3 for me she was awesome. She spoke to both of us but directed most of her comments to me as she knew I would be the primary driver of the car. She even told us a couple of experiences she had with the car and it was nice to hear that from a woman. She really gave us our space when we needed it and were discussing the car but also gave us useful information about the car. She admitted that she had only worked there for a month – so she was really doing well. Believe me I will be buying GM cars for the rest of my life – right now I have a Buick Rainier and love it.
I think most people get into dealerships with an attitude. Well I have found in life, you get more results with sugar than salt. If people went into a dealership and gave the dealer and salesperson the respect and chance we all want, then maybe reactions would be different. Seth Godins new book hit’s the mark (Marketers are Liars) because although we all say we want to be treated honestly, the public at large likes to be shmoozed by tricks like “free oil changes for life” when in reality, there is never a free lunch – and they know it. So I have to ask: When is the buyer beit woman or man going to want to be dealt in a manner thay say they want? You’ve done the research, tell the dealer what you’ll pay and if they say “no”, go to the next dealer … after all you don’t haggle anywhere else except at Garage Sales and in Mexico!
Wanted to put my 2 cents in on car buying. I am a female sales consultant for a GM Dealership and simply enjoy what I do. I have had the pleasure of selling to both men and women who are very receptive to a female in this business. Men have told me that as woman in a male dominated business that I have a “One Up” on the female market. I have to disagree, some women are very stand offish towards me and would rather deal with a man. My success has been selling to the men. I don’t try to claim that I know everything there is to know about a certain vehicle and when tested on this which is very rare I simply give an honest answer..I don’t know.. but I will find out the information for you. I feel as long as you don’t BS a buying consumer, pressure sell, ignore their questions and dominate the playing field, you gain their respect and the SALE.
I would like to know how to go about gaining women as clients in this business. I network with many groups and this does not seem to be the answer. Women in these groups say they are happy to know a woman in the business and that they would call me when they are ready to do something. To date, not a whole lot of sales from these groups. My sales come mainly from people walking into the dealership and previous customers. Any suggestions:??
What makes women buyers different? Here are a few things my friends and I agree on:
-When I’m shopping, I’m shopping, not buying. I don’t want to go to the office. I will go to various dealers and sit in cars to see if they “fit”. Don’t make a big deal out of getting the keys. I will research the mechanical aspects online if necessary – so don’t think you are going to wow me with words like “dual overhead cam”. Once I’ve finished shopping, then I’m buying. I do not need a sales pitch at that point. I just want the price. I have no spare time to visit, and I’m not looking to make friends – just tell me the price. On the internet or email would be my preferred way – I don’t need to see the cars anymore because I’ve made up my mind. I recently bought a truck like this, the Dodge dealer was very willing to do this, the Ford and GMC dealer was not. I bought a 2500 Ram 4X4.
- what may seem small things to you are important to me. The colors have to match – don’t make the dash a slightly different color than the door panel. Give me a place to put my purse! The seat needs to be very adjustable. etc, etc.
and, most importantly,
- If I’m shopping for ME, don’t talk to my husband like I’m not there!!!
If we’re REALLY trying to save on fuel why are speeds on freeways set @ 70mph? Records show that this speed wastes fuel and increases accidents.If your driving a morgan @ 70 mph,aren’t you really a pool ball on the freeeway?