by Cheryl Kerr

Created on: March 09, 2007   Last Updated: March 10, 2010

Increase Sales by Cashing in on the Other Half:
Overcoming Basic Female Objections to Audio System Design

Why are women so difficult when it comes to selling whole home audio? (You may think this is a universal problem reaching far beyond audio, but let's take this one step at a time, fellas).

Here's a familiar scene: You've effectively awed your male client with the myriad of possibilities in high performance audio. Ready for an opportunity to show up his buddies, he's about to sign on the dotted line. But then you hear, "What do you think, honey?" It's going to be a long afternoon.

The reality is, women make up more than half of the population and arguably make the majority of household decisions in the United States. Whether single or attached, strong, intelligent women are everywhere and clearly control the purse strings. No doubt about it, learning to overcome basic female objections to high performance whole home audio will increase your sales like nothing else.

Address her actual concerns.

The number one secret to overcoming female objections may sound obvious: address her actual concerns. As a successful salesperson you overcome customer objections right and left, yes? You are practiced and effectiveuntil it comes to female clients. Here's why: stated objections are often different from actual concerns.

What does this mean? Women tend to give objections such as "we don't need it" or "too powerful an amp could damage my speakers" or "there's no reason to spend that much when my low end CD player works just fine." However, the concerns actually affecting the sale are never mentioned.

The typical male response to hearing the above "stated objections" is to resell the amp's benefits, build value and explain that the speakers are more likely to be damaged by distortion caused by an underpowered amp than the other way around blah blah blah. The female client is tuned out which means she is not in a buying mood!

Face it, your typical sales logic is not going to work here because you are addressing the wrong objections! The truth is, the large majority of women could easily learn and understand the world of audio technology but simply have no desire to do so. That being the case, jargon and unlimited component combinations leave otherwise knowledgeable women feeling overwhelmed, uncomfortable and unwilling to spend money. Consider the following suggestions when overcoming female objections in the future.

Make your client feel comfortable.

This does not mean to over educate and bore her to death. It means to reassure her that she is not expected to know everything about audio, although you acknowledge that se would be perfectly capable of doing so if she wanted. You are the expert, hired to take care of all that mumbo jumbo. (An obvious exception is if she shows an interest in the details and asks specific questions about the inner workings of your recommendation.)

Give her options with specific benefits.

Present two or three workable recommendations and describe exactly how they will fit into her lifestyle. Show components in a cursory way, giving heavy emphasis on the resulting benefit. Tell your client what she will actually be able to do with the system as designed. For example: she could enjoy her personal iPod music while relaxing in the tub, cooking alone before the family gets home, etc. The rest of the family could enjoy music from various sources in their various rooms or garage, leaving the rest of the home quiet for her whenever she wishes. And, the quality of the sound will be much more life-like than her existing system.

Hint: "boasting rights" is not a benefit.

From a male perspective this may be perplexing, but as a woman I can tell you it is all perfectly clear

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