What Influences Woman’s Buying?

In a word, everything. A recent conversation with a bridal salon got me thinking about how the purchasing habits of women are influenced. There is always talk in the industry about price and how that is the determining factor in closing the sale. That’s not altogether true. It may be a factor in whether they ever meet with you but price alone won’t ultimately be the only influence in their purchase.

Women are hard wired differently than men. They see, smell and hear everything around them and on one level or another are influenced by it. Men tend to hone in on the things that are of interest to them with complete focus and clarity. Why does this matter and what can you do with it?

First it matters because your customers are primarily women. Even if this wasn’t the bridal industry it would still matter; women make or influence 85% of all purchases.

What Influences Women

Even if you provide men’s formal wear women control the purse strings.

If a woman loves your work, accepts the price and isn’t put off by your contract you may still lose the sale on something that you never even considered, like say your lighting or your bathroom. Remember I said woman see, smell and hear everything. Do you? You probably don’t because you see it everyday.

From the time a woman makes contact with you, everything counts: how fast was their email answered, was the phone answered by a human during business hours and were the answers given helpful? Remember also that you are dealing with them at a highly emotionally charged time in their lives. Even the slightest perceived disconnect may take on more significance than usual.

The shop owner I spoke with asked if I thought that personal appearance mattered. Yes, everything matters. Women pick up subliminal clues. If your appearance does not match what you are saying they will catch it. For instance, if your style of photography is hip and trendy but your clothing is stodgy and traditional you are projecting a disconnect. If you are selling high fashion and your manner of dress is purely for comfort with tennis shoes and old sweaters your clients aren’t going to trust your judgment. I don’t know how often I have said it here but perception is reality. What your customers perceive you to be, you are.

This same philosophy carries all the way through what ever contact you have with your clients. If you meet with clients in an off site location like a restaurant or coffee house you need to consider how that location reflects you and your product. While the local diner may be convenient and familiar does it project the image you want to send? If the image you are trying to project is upscale you may do better to set up camp in a chic dessert shop across town. Everything matters.

Sometimes we are to close to the situation to really see it. An interesting, though sometimes painful exercise is to ask a trusted friend to tell you what they see. Pick a friend that can be brutally honest and have them meet you as a client would; dressed as you would be in the place you most often meet clients. Find out what their perception is. Does it match what you were hoping to project? I often send articles I am working on to an editor friend of mine with the subject line “Shred my copy”. Sometimes it hurts, but it always makes me a better writer.

It may come to a point where you need to reallocate some of your already stretched marketing budget and hire a consultant to look over your shop or office to get a new perspective. Be sure and have a clear picture of the image you are wanting to project; an image that reflects the style of your work. Remember it is the total package. I know some people that are wonderful at their chosen field but struggle because they just aren’t projecting the right image. It may sound sad or petty, but in today’s highly competitive world it is the tiniest pieces that separate the winners from the losers.

This is another tidbit you can use from the archives of Think Like A Bride. To read more articles like this subscribe to Think today