Dealership focusing training, Web site on women

We have all heard that women make the majority of the decisions when it comes to car repair. One dealership group has taken steps to educate this segement more through its Web site and other programs.

The Flemington Car & Truck Country dealerships in Flemington, N.J., has started new internal training programs and created a women-friendly educational Web site (www.flemington.com with a Women’s Friendly link).

“Women want to buy from someone they trust, and they want to be informed, empowered and in control of the process,” says Steve Kalafer, chairman of Flemington Car & Truck Country. “And as consumers, women need connection. My partner Byron Brisby and I want to be the dealership of choice where women are treated with respect and professionalism and leave feeling very positive about their experience here - whether they buy a car or not,” he added.

The statistics tell the story. Women are the fastest growing segment of automotive buyers today. Women influence 85 percent of vehicle purchases, represent 65 percent of service customers; are worth $85 billion to automotive and related businesses; and purchase 65 percentof all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S.

At Fleminton, a corporate-wide training program was instituted in May in which every customer-facing employee participated, learning specifically about how women behave as consumers and their decision-making styles. The training program included all sales and service personnel, and involved a self-assessment and comprehension test.

“Women do more research when buying a car,” says Beth Delaney, executive manager of Flemington Nissan and project manager for Flemington Car & Truck Country. Delaney is an 18-year veteran of the automotive industry. “The creation of our website is really an online community in which women can do their research and get a better understanding of the culture of our dealership. The site offers informational articles and educational seminars for women and a place to provide feedback and interact with the community.”

Kalafer and Brisby believe that the Web site can help foster an environment where women (or anyone) can pose questions about the cars, features, maintenance, financing and more. “The anonymity of the website offers a safe place to get questions answered, helps to solidify relationships and possibly boost sales.”

“We are doing this because it’s important our employees understand this critical market,” says Brisby. “We’ve had excellent training and now the launch of our women-friendly website makes this an exciting time in the history of our brands."