Understanding Female and Male Customers

Men and women are as different as night and day and this should be remembered when one tries to reach their targeted markets. For salespeople who are selling to both men and women alike, it is wise to remember that they should approach the same sale much differently.

As a general rule a woman will respond to beauty, cuteness and colors when selecting products. However, men generally are not as concerned about the color of a product, or its beauty. Instead a man usually wants functionality. Is the product in which they are purchasing functional, and will it wear well and if an item of clothing or furniture will it be comfortable?

As a furniture consultant I witness just this on a daily basis. A couple comes into the store and the wife states that they need a recliner. However, the husband feels much differently. While the wife it tired of looking at that worn out piece of furniture which many times is sagging and broken, the man of the house feels as if he is losing his best friend. His chair is comfortable and broken in as he wants it to be. Likewise when a woman is shopping for an automobile, they tend to look for cars which are the color they like, how many accessories the car has, how attractive the automobile is. Men will be more concerned about the engine and functions of the machine.

As you can see you should gear your conversation and sales pitch to the sex of the person you are dealing with. It is true that this can be a challenge and it is also true that selling is an art. The very first thing any sales person should do is to learn their product inside and out. By taking time to do this you will be able to relate information to both male and female which they will find interesting and enticing.

A woman will judge a salesperson by their appearance more than a man in most cases. While a salesperson that is not so well groomed may go unnoticed by a male customer, the female customer will find this very unimpressive and unprofessional. The female customer will expect her salesperson to have all their supplies organized and ready for use, while it will generally make little difference to a man if the salesperson is not so organized.