Tailor Experiences to the Decision Maker
The Chief Purchasing Officer
Gender defines the way a message is perceived, from sales and service interactions, to marketing, and call center scripting. All of these messages, moments, and service interactions sum up how your customers perceive your overall Brand Experience.
A Tailored Experience For The Decision Maker
So why would you want to take the time to create ways to tailor your Consumer Brand Experience to the female consumer? Women are the Chief Purchasing Officer in their household and the most influential consumer in the world. Women are the economy of the United States — according to inclusionary leadership group women spend or influence 83% of all non-business to business consumer purchases. Not only do they hold the veto vote on the majority of purchasing decisions, they are your number one referral source!
The reality is, most businesses don’t take this customer segment very seriously, and do not have the tools to give their team members to tailor the experience a woman receives when doing business with them. Furthermore, according to author Bridget Brennen, men make up 85% of the executives of the world! This gap between who buys and who designs the Customer Experience is enormous. The Brand Experience is ultimately created by men who are physiologically different from the female who influences almost 30 trillion dollars in consumer spending.
Gender Matters
Women crave connection more than their counterpart gender—men. Moreover, if gender defines the way a message is perceived, then we need to get better at connecting with The Chief Purchasing Officer as she holds the most significant influence in all purchases and influencing almost 30 trillion dollars in spending power.
Today’s woman has grown to be more educated, with far more financial power and decision-making abilities. Through all this growth for the female gender one thing remains the same, they care an awful lot about connecting with you and are the best at building relationships. Unfortunately for you, she also expects you to be as good (or better) at connecting with her!
*Related – Katie Mares presenting at the 2018 Customer Service Revolution
Perception = HER Reality
Here’s the kicker: the female customer is built differently than a man. It means the excellent experience you think you are providing actually isn’t – not in her opinion anyway. Perception is the reality, and it no longer matters what you think is exceptional service. It only matters what she feels is exceptional service.
When it comes to perception and seeing, feeling, hearing, and sensing things, there is no such thing as objectivity. The consumer sees, hears, and feels from where they stand, not from where you, the sales associate, stands. There is often a big gap between what experience we are providing and what the consumer, especially the female consumer, thinks she is receiving. A study by management consulting company Bain calls this disparity the “delivery gap.” In a study of 362 firms, Bain found that 80 percent believe their business offers a superior proposition or experience. However, only eight percent of customers held that same view. The extent of this difference is extraordinary.
We may think we are providing an experience that is welcomed by our consumers when in fact we are offering them an experience that we feel is right for them.
The golden rule that Grandma preached as we grew up – to treat others the way you would like to be treated – is a thing of the past. The higher standard that is demanded by customers in this day and age, especially the female consumer, is the platinum rule – treat others the way they want or need to be treated. By designing your consumer brand experience from her point of view, you will be able to speak to what she sees, hears, smells, and feels and ultimately close the “delivery gap” between perception and reality.
5 ways to Tailor your Brand Experience to The Woman
Attention Pays
“To get the results you want, you need to get attention. But most people don’t know how to get it and keep it,” says Neen James, author of the best selling book Attention Pays™: How to Drive Profitability, Productivity and Accountability. “People often see attention as a transaction, something to trade, but it’s much more than that. Neen has identified that people pay attention at three different levels; personal, professional, and global, and she’s designed a powerful methodology that makes it easy to leverage all three.”
Neen James Emceeing The Customer Service Revolution
The DiJulius Group is thrilled to be bringing back Neen James as the Emcee of the 2018 Customer Service Revolution. Think force of nature. Boundless energy. Timely topics. Laugh out loud fun. Eye opening ideas. Take-aways that create positive change. Known as the ‘energizer powerhouse’, Neen’s Intentional Attention model helps individuals and organizations be more deliberate about the choices we make and the actions we take.
*Related- 2018 Speaker Spotlight Interview With Neen James
Register by August 31st and save $600 for the 2018 Customer Service Revolution, October 24th & 25th in Cleveland, Ohio.
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