This is what happened to me during my most recent car purchase. My husband and I went to a local dealership to look for a new car. I had called ahead and talked with the manager to let him know we were coming and, upon arrival, he directed me to a salesman. The salesman sat us down and then proceeded to talk to my husband for 30 minutes about car preferences, without talking to me once. We were turned off, and ended up driving an hour away to another dealership of the same brand. We even bought two cars, instead of one, from a salesman and saleswoman who were much more willing to talk and listen to me, too.


The experience I had with the first dealership sounds like it would have been out of a scene in the early 1950’s. But, it happened in 2009. If only that first salesman had known that women make 65% of all new car purchase decisions, maybe he would have changed his approach1


. After all, women account for 85% of all


consumer purchases and they purchase 50% of traditional male products2


. Dear Business World, women like cars too. We even


like to buy them. According to the U.S. Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women are the main players in most purchasing decisions. Seventy five percent of women identified themselves as the primary shoppers for their households3 of healthcare decisions2


expected to earn more than the average American male2 .


. By 2028, the average American woman is . Women


account for over 50% of all stock ownership, and control more than 60% of all personal wealth in the U.S2


This presents a great opportunity for the business world. Many new businesses can be created for these new markets, and many businesses that are struggling just found a pool of potential new clients. A growing world needs growing business solutions. Perceptions have to constantly be reevaluated and remade to adjust to fluctuating markets. Good businesses know to treat customers with respect, and great businesses know to treat everyone like a customer. What type of business do you want to be?


A WORD TO WOMEN ABOUT THE BUSINESS WORLD: IT’S FOR YOU, TOO


If you have wanted to move up at your job, begin a start-up, or just want to improve your skill set, you can and should. Women are now earning more bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees than men and, through education, will succeed5


Sources: 1: http://www.she-conomy.com/report/marketing-to-women-quick-facts, as compiled by Marketing to Women Conference


, and women make 80%


2: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/170413/marketing-to-women-30-stats- to-know.html?edition=45054


3: GfK MRI, Survey of the American Consumer (2011)


4: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, “Table 25: Wives Who Earn More Than Their Husbands, 1987-2007,” Women in the Labor Force: A Databook (2011 Edition)


5: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, “Table 279: Degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by level of degree and sex of student: Selected years, 1869-70 through 2019-20” (2010)


Finally, if you are not already on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, I am begging you to get into social media today. It isn’t too late, and it will only take you 15 minutes to get started. Do this now.


Women are gaining power in the Business World from the bottom up. The corporate ladder is still a hard one to climb, but women are making it to executive positions. Women who don’t want to work in a corporate setting are adjusting through entrepreneurial means. Go get started, and don’t let the fear of the unknown stop you. Business is founded through connections, so network, ask questions, and get moving!


. The best tips for


business are always the basic ones, so start there: Be gracious and confident, always smile, give firm handshakes, treat yourself right, and go social.


For example, you can change the face of your sales, by literally changing your face – smile. Smiling while you talk is not as easy as it sounds, and it is a habit that needs to be cultivated. Smiling is contagious. Your return on investment will be huge, especially since a smile is free.


When you treat yourself well, you are teaching other people how to treat you. Your skin, hair, nails, shoes, pen, teeth, breath, purse, car, and clothes are all cues for a connection. They communicate who you are and what your standards are, so treat yourself well and be excellent in everything you do.


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