Is gender based selling still a thing?
Posted: April 30th, 2019, 2:23 pm
I was recently digging through some of my old audio programs when I stumbled upon one from about 15 years ago. This audiobook was on the subject of gender based selling.
When I spotted it on the shelf, I thought to myself… “oh yeah, I kinda remember you. Although I don’t exactly remember what you were about?”
So I blew the dust off… popped the CD into the player… and turned up the volume…
As I listened to this guy, I started wondering if some of the things he was talking about were relevant in today’s society?
I won’t go into details about the book. But basically he was saying how women tend to make buying decisions based on the emotions of how something makes them feel.
And men tend to buy more with regards to material and utility value of the purchase.
Of course one of the first lessons I learned when I started selling was “almost everyone” buys on emotion and justifies the purchase with logic.
But apparently, some people are still preaching that women are the more emotional buyers.
Now personally, I’ve had men buy from me when it was pretty obvious they were buying from an emotional angle. And, I’ve had women ask me a lot of logical, material oriented questions before making a purchase.
So I have to wonder, how wide is the dividing line in reality?
Of course I’m not asking about gender specific purchases. I understand men and women are different. And things that appeal to one gender, may never appeal to the other.
(for example: no matter how compelling the advertising is… It will always be a tough sell to get women to buy a prostate health supplement. And few men will ever see an ad that compels them to get a yearly breast exam)
But in a general sense, when it comes to gender neutral purchases (like electronics, or IM products, or general services – just to name a few) how much does gender based selling come into play these days?
Now just for the record, I have my own thoughts and conclusions about this question, based on my own testing and experiences over the years.
But in all fairness, I was also raised by a mom who was a staunch supporter of the feminist movement (back in the late 1960s and early 1970s). So basically, I was raised to believe that men and women are equal. (and I was also taught to put the toilet seat back down when I was done in the bathroom)
So my own opinion on this question has always been slightly obscured.
That’s why I’m wondering what you guys think.
Do you sell the same product or service differently, based on the gender of the buyer?
And if you do… In what ways is it different?
When I spotted it on the shelf, I thought to myself… “oh yeah, I kinda remember you. Although I don’t exactly remember what you were about?”
So I blew the dust off… popped the CD into the player… and turned up the volume…
As I listened to this guy, I started wondering if some of the things he was talking about were relevant in today’s society?
I won’t go into details about the book. But basically he was saying how women tend to make buying decisions based on the emotions of how something makes them feel.
And men tend to buy more with regards to material and utility value of the purchase.
Of course one of the first lessons I learned when I started selling was “almost everyone” buys on emotion and justifies the purchase with logic.
But apparently, some people are still preaching that women are the more emotional buyers.
Now personally, I’ve had men buy from me when it was pretty obvious they were buying from an emotional angle. And, I’ve had women ask me a lot of logical, material oriented questions before making a purchase.
So I have to wonder, how wide is the dividing line in reality?
Of course I’m not asking about gender specific purchases. I understand men and women are different. And things that appeal to one gender, may never appeal to the other.
(for example: no matter how compelling the advertising is… It will always be a tough sell to get women to buy a prostate health supplement. And few men will ever see an ad that compels them to get a yearly breast exam)
But in a general sense, when it comes to gender neutral purchases (like electronics, or IM products, or general services – just to name a few) how much does gender based selling come into play these days?
Now just for the record, I have my own thoughts and conclusions about this question, based on my own testing and experiences over the years.
But in all fairness, I was also raised by a mom who was a staunch supporter of the feminist movement (back in the late 1960s and early 1970s). So basically, I was raised to believe that men and women are equal. (and I was also taught to put the toilet seat back down when I was done in the bathroom)
So my own opinion on this question has always been slightly obscured.
That’s why I’m wondering what you guys think.
Do you sell the same product or service differently, based on the gender of the buyer?
And if you do… In what ways is it different?