Single Women Fueling Current SUV Sales Boom

Nora Patey knew what she wanted when she went car shopping over Presidents Day weekend: a small SUV, with a backup camera, high carriage and a reasonable monthly lease payment. Even so, many of the salesmen made their pitches to her boyfriend.

“He would have to say, ‘It’s not my car, don’t talk to me, talk to her,’” the 24-year-old recalled. “Even though I would initiate the introduction and say that I was looking for the car, and I was buying it, a lot of the conversation would frequently get directed to him.”

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TomM - 5/31/2016 6:00:54 PM

+2 Boost

Car salesmen have a built in bias toward people they perceive as having the ability to make the buying decision - even if they are not the buyer. And often people that a buyer brings along have to be sold just as much as the buyer themselves. I have not purchased a car - even when I had the money to do so - when I was treated as a nuisance rather than a real customer (My first MB was that type of experience - I was told that it would be nice if I could afford to DREAM about owning a car like that).

In this case - bringing along a male - was perceived as if the make was going to be asked to make a recommendation - and the sales person wants to cover all bases. It may or may not be an actual "dig" against the woman.

MDarringer - 5/31/2016 8:09:36 PM

0 Boost

Said the man rooted in 1959.

MDarringer - 5/31/2016 8:11:26 PM

0 Boost

@TomM is a unaware of current marketing. Salespeople know that women are behind sales big time and our people on the floor know that.

Tommy needs to get past his Mad Men-era clusterfuck.