I got into the car business after working at a bank in college where one of the customers was a car dealer. I wanted to earn more money and he offered me a job promising that, so I took it. My grandfather was a Buick dealer in Downtown Los Angeles in the 1960’s but he passed away before I became of working age.
In this new job, I learned how to sell cars on my own, in fact, I learned the whole car business on my own. I did have an advantage though: cars were always in my blood. I grew up never playing with Barbies; I played with Hot Wheels and built model cars.
So Cal car gal, through and through.
When I got to the dealership on my first day, I quickly realized I was the only female. The reasons the car business has so many stereotypes is because most of them are true…and sadly, they are still alive and well. Through all my years in dealerships, working every job (except technician), I did my best to cope with the terrible treatment, minimizing everything. I became a manager quickly thinking, “Now they’ll see what I can do and treat me as an equal.”
It never really worked out the way I planned but I loved the business and always believed I could make an impact.
I thought I would write some thoughts down to perhaps persuade those reading this that there is a huge value in having a balanced sales and service team. When women buy 62% of all new cars sold in the U.S. and influence more than 85 percent of all car purchases, the time has come to transform the dealership workforce to better serve women car buyers.
Female salespeople only represent about 1/4 of the dealership workforce.
- Only 24.6% of all car sales representatives in the US are women, while 75.4% are men.
- Over time, the percentage of women in car sales roles has inched up slightly from around 22-23% in 2010-2013 to 24.6% in 2021.
- The 2023 Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows women make up only about 21.4% of all employees at auto dealers.
Sidenote: I had to chuckle a bit at a footnote in the data: “The low representation of women in car sales roles appears to be a persistent trend.”
As I was gathering data for this post, I found articles back as far as 2002 talking about why it’s smart to hire female car salespeople. Some of them were pretty cringy by today’s standards but hey, at least people were talking about it and trying to move things forward. But that was over 20 years ago and in many ways, nothing much has changed.
I think it’s time for evolution.
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Advantages of hiring female car salespeople
If you’re someone who hires car salespeople, you may already recognize the value of female car salespeople on your team. Let’s identify the benefits for both the dealership and its customers when an organization creates initiatives to be more inclusive in their workforce.
1. Perceived trustworthiness and approachability
Female car salespeople are sometimes seen as more trustworthy and less threatening, which can be an advantage in selling cars to women who are happy to work with another woman for a change. Many customer online reviews say, “She made me feel more comfortable during the purchase process.”
This perception can lead to a more relaxed and positive customer experience, which is crucial in sales environments.
2. Increased sales to women
Women influence over 84% of car buying decisions. Female salespeople can effectively cater to this demographic, understanding their needs and preferences better, which can lead to increased sales.
3. Empathy and customer satisfaction
Some customers have reported better experiences with female salespeople, noting less pressure and a more low-key sales approach, which can lead to higher customer satisfaction and potentially more sales.
Female salespeople often bring a different, often more empathetic approach to sales, which can be appealing to both male and female customers. They are likely to be intuitive and less aggressive than men in their sales techniques, creating a comfortable buying experience for a variety of customers.
4. Diverse perspectives and innovation
Female salespeople often bring different perspectives and insights into the business, which can lead to more innovative sales strategies and a more comprehensive understanding of customer needs.
5. Market influence
Women influence a significant portion of car purchases, with sources noting that women either buy or influence the purchase of 85% of all new cars and trucks sold in the United States. Female salespeople are better positioned to connect with this demographic, understanding their needs and preferences more effectively.
By employing female salespeople, dealerships can expand their market reach to include customers who might prefer dealing with women, either due to past negative experiences with male salespeople or because they feel more understood by women.
6. Improved customer retention
Women are more likely to return to a dealership for future vehicle service and purchases if they had a positive initial buying experience with a female salesperson. This can lead to higher customer retention rates and lower marketing/advertising costs.
7. Improved work environment
Including women in the salesforce creates a more inclusive and balanced work environment, which are key to employee retention and satisfaction. This diversity can enhance team dynamics and improve the overall workplace culture.
8. Representation in leadership
As more women enter and succeed in car sales roles, it increases the likelihood of women advancing into leadership positions within dealerships, which can further influence positive changes in the industry.
These advantages show that female car salespeople not only contribute to a more diverse and inclusive dealership environment but also drive sales and customer satisfaction through their unique skills and perspectives.
As I researched the data, and spoke to a few colleagues, I found that many female car salespeople don’t enjoy their jobs or the environment they work in.
What are the challenges faced by female car salespeople?
Many female car salespeople feel anxious or uncomfortable in dealerships because they are traditionally male-dominated environments. Outdated gender biases, sexist treatment, lack of respect, unsafe situations, and limited career paths are major hurdles that female car salespeople frequently encounter.
Different treatment based on gender creates an unwelcome work environment, thereby impeding sales potential.
Female car salespeople frequently face harassment and sexist attitudes from both customers and male colleagues.
1. Harassment and sexism from customers and colleagues
Many women report feeling disrespected or treated like they don’t know about cars by male customers. They are exposed to sexist attitudes and harassment from some customers who dismiss them or demand to work with a male salesperson instead. This includes being yelled at, laughed at, overtly questioned about their knowledge, and enduring other derogatory comments or behavior.
This includes dealing with uncomfortable situations during test drives with certain male customers who may hit on them or make them feel unsafe. While it’s still a practice, many test drives are now done without the salesperson, which removes one obstacle for a female team member to overcome.
2. Gender stereotypes and expectations
Women in car sales must navigate a landscape filled with gender stereotypes, such as the assumption that women know less about cars or are less capable in sales roles. This can lead to constant pressure to prove themselves and can be mentally and emotionally exhausting.
3. Cultural and social challenges
The existing male-dominated sales force may not welcome women, often excluding them from social groups and informal networks that are important for professional advancement. Women may also face challenges in balancing the demanding hours of car sales with personal responsibilities.
4. Lack of support and recognition
Women often do not receive the same level of support or recognition as their male counterparts. There are accounts of women completing sales only to have male colleagues take credit and commissions.
5. Toxic work environment
Car dealerships are described as having some of the most toxic and backwards work environments encountered, which can be particularly challenging for women. This includes a culture of heavy drinking and drug use, as well as high-pressure sales tactics that may conflict with personal ethics.
6. Sexist hiring and workplace practices
The field is predominantly male, and women often face sexist hiring practices. Even if hired, they may encounter different treatment based on gender, which can create an unwelcoming work environment.
Additionally, managers often lack the skills necessary to support and develop female employees effectively.
Example (from a career advice forum member): “I applied for a few car sales positions and was told things like, “Because you’d be harder train, we’re going to pay you less.” And “You might not stay long, so starting you at $14 and your trainer will get commission.” Or “Thank you for your interest, what is your husband’s opinion on you working?” Just to name a few. I once walked into a dealership for an interview and as I walked into the showroom, a salesman yelled “Can we get less tits in applications, these broads aren’t gonna sell shit.” I walked right out.”
These factors collectively contribute to a workplace environment that can be uncomfortable, unwelcoming, and even hostile for female car salespeople, impacting their job satisfaction and career longevity.
What are the challenges faced by male salespeople on staff?
When female car salespeople are introduced to a sales team predominantly composed of male salespeople, several challenges will likely arise, impacting both the existing team dynamics and the new female members. It’s important to understand the challenges that male salespeople have in order for the entire team to be successful.
1. Adjustment to new dynamics
Male salespeople may need to adjust to new team dynamics that include female colleagues. This adjustment can involve changing communication styles, sales tactics, and interpersonal behaviors to create a more inclusive environment
2. Overcoming prejudices and biases
Some male salespeople might hold conscious or unconscious biases against female colleagues, believing they may not be as knowledgeable or capable of selling cars. These biases can lead to conflicts and a lack of cooperation within the team, which can disrupt sales processes, team cohesion and ultimately cost sales.
3. Changing customer perceptions
Male salespeople will encounter challenges related to changing customer perceptions. As some customers might prefer dealing with female salespeople due to perceived better listening skills and less aggressive sales tactics, male salespeople may find it necessary to adapt their approaches (ie: evolve) to maintain their sales performance.
4. Competition and job security
The introduction of competent female car salespeople can increase competition within the team, which is often perceived as a threat to their job security and established hierarchies among male team members. This translates to resistance to the integration of female colleagues.
5. Professional growth and adaptation
Male salespeople will likely need to develop new skills or enhance existing ones, such as improving their communication and empathy, to effectively collaborate with female colleagues and adapt to a changing market that increasingly values diverse sales approaches. The bonus of growth and adaptation is that it will often enhance their sales techniques with female customers.
6. Shift in sales strategy
With the inclusion of female car salespeople who might employ different sales strategies, such as focusing more on relationship-building than aggressive closing tactics, male salespeople might find themselves needing to reconsider or diversify their sales strategies to remain effective.
These challenges highlight the need for ongoing training and development in diversity and inclusion, as well as adaptive sales strategies to ensure all team members can thrive in a mixed-gender environment.
Here’s what a recent forum had to say
During my research, I found a SubReddit: r/careeradvice where someone posed the question, “Why don’t you see women car salespeople?” Lots of current and former car salespeople – male and female – were chiming in, sharing their experiences.
I sold luxury cars for a few years, and this was definitely a thing. I made bank and did basically nothing other than being conventionally attractive and smiling…. but it was also horribly unsafe. I literally had customers refuse to return me to the dealership on test drives, was cornered by male coworkers and managers multiple times, often late at night, and had a gun pulled on me during a test drive as a “joke”. I was damn good at my job, knew every car on the lot inside and out, well enough that I was picked to do walkthrough videos for the brand’s national website, but most of my coworkers and 50% of my customers thought I was only there for sex appeal, and that I was willing to sell a lot more than just cars.
I used to be car saleswoman! It’s a crappy environment with 90% of the men being gigantic pigs (not just customers but basically all the dealerships I dealt with) but it does pay well. The environment was alcohol/drug ridden and making large commissions normally meant that someone was paying a really high markup for it and at one point, it actually made me feel bad.
Before I started working though, I did read somewhere online that women tend to be successful in car sales because we tend to appear less threatening and not the arm-wrestle-over-a-deal type.
My sister did it for a while and she knew her stuff, but she got fed up with customers assuming she didn’t know anything, and other salespeople trying to swoop in and correct things she was saying (incorrectly, almost every time).
Because it is an extremely toxic work environment with horrible hours and is disturbingly unsafe. Most women have enough self respect to not do that to themselves. I did not. I spent two years working in sales at various dealerships.
Hours were 9am-9pm seven days a week, with one day off a month, and if you actually took the day off, you were publicly shamed for it and were given worse leads.
If you did better than the men, it was because you were woman and were accused of exchanging sexual favors with management for better deals or with customers to close deals. If you did worse, it was because you were a woman and too stupid for the job. There was a lot of sexual harassment from management, coworkers, and customers.
It was dangerous. I had a gun pulled on me as a “joke”, had a male customer refuse to return me to the dealership on test drive, and multiple coworkers or managers corner me late at night offering to swap me sales in exchange for sexual favors.
The flip side was amazing pay for doing barely anything, lots of cash bonuses, and three free meals a day catered from some seriously nice restaurants.
If you’re shocked by these comments, I’m glad you’re reading this post.
If you want to review the entire thread on Reddit, here’s a link. This is only one of the many that I saw during my research for this post.
Practical strategies
Let’s discuss some practical strategies to help you navigate the transformation to a well-rounded sales team that includes females. I will readily admit that it’s not easy and as with all transformations, it won’t happen quickly. But, I can guarantee that the effort will be worth it with improved employee morale, satisfaction and retention…along with happier, satisfied customers who will rave about their 5-star experience.
Strategies to attract and retain female car salespeople
It is not lost on my how difficult this effort is and will be to evolve. Changing one person is hard enough, but the idea of changing an entire department is anxiety-inducing. But I do believe that with the right tools, mindset and leadership, it’s possible to transform a dealership sales department. I have witnessed it happen, and it can happen to you.
Here are some strategies to consider:
1. Improve managers’ skill sets on how to more effectively manage women (coaching style, listening, recognition, training).
If you’re a dude, who’s only worked with other dudes, and you have a desire to be a more effective manager in today’s dealership workspace, you’ll need to venture out beyond your comfort zone.
2. Zero tolerance for “showroom cowboys.”
Any individual or group of individuals that does not display the appropriate level of respect for their female counterparts does not belong in a modern dealership.
3. Encourage peer support, especially when witnessing unacceptable behavior.
When a customer is showing or outright expressing distrust, harassment or sexist behavior toward female car salespeople, encourage her male team members to step in and support her expertise.
Provide training on specific situations that arise and how to handle difficult conversations to move the sale forward without alienating the customer. The main goal is to not make the customer wrong, but to prove through words and actions that the female team member is just as or even more qualified as her male counterpart.
4. Update compensation plans.
“Adopt a more salary-based compensation plan, paying on the gross in general is an antiquated compensation system.” – Mark Rikess (top car sales trainer/expert)
Gross-based pay plans reward salespeople for “trying to make as much money as they can off of everyone they meet.” This compensation structure just won’t resonate with women (and can backfire with informed customers).
We have so many interesting and well-proven salesperson pay plans in our industry that don’t set up an adversarial approach to customers. Isn’t it time to make things better for employees and customers alike?
5. Adopt something close to a 40 to 45-hour work week.
If you’re demanding 60-80 hour work weeks, or a “ding to dong, 24/7” schedule from your employees, it’s time to rethink it. Ask most anyone under 30 and they will tell you that they don’t care to work like that – they’d rather spend time away from work enjoying life experiences.
I have personally proven that with some determination and creativity, flexible work schedules can be implemented in the sales AND service departments, while still retaining profits and providing a 5-star customer experience. I’m not saying you have to jump right into it, just think about how it might work at your store.
6. Mentors not managers.
It’s a dog-eat-dog kind of setup, an ‘every man for themselves’ kind of environment on the sales floor. Women need mentors to offer advice and support and few get such help.
One could argue that male salespeople would benefit from the ‘Mentors not managers” approach as well. I can’t tell you how many sales floors I’ve been in where managers simply throw salespeople out on the floor without an ounce of training – the sink or swim fallacy. It’s cruel, it’s lazy and it costs you so much more in the long run. (That’s the former CFO in me talking).
7. Positive work culture.
Promote a harassment-free workplace and a supportive environment where all employees feel safe and valued. This can be a significant factor for women when choosing their workplace.
I’ve been at organizations where management perceives a positive culture but employees have differing perceptions. Conducting periodic employee satisfaction surveys to determine staff’s perceptions can often reveal results that are quite eye-opening.
8. Career development opportunities.
Clearly outline career paths and development opportunities within your organization. A great place to start would be a cross-training initiative. Women are often attracted to roles where they can grow professionally.
9. Community and Networking.
Encourage and support participation in industry groups, particularly those advocating for women in automotive careers. This not only aids in personal growth but also enhances your dealership’s reputation among potential female applicants.
Implementing these strategies can not only help attract qualified female candidates but also contribute to a more dynamic, successful sales team.
What do I do if our female car salespeople are quitting?
I’m not going to sugar coat this: Take a hard look at your culture. I consider company culture as its character.
Character is who you are when no one is looking.
If you’re witnessing quality female car salespeople quitting, whether they’ve been there a short or long period of time, do an exit interview with each one to find out why. Make the interview as comfortable as possible for them to speak freely without retaliation or repercussion.
If the space isn’t comfortable for them, through lack of rapport or mistrust, they’ll simply tell you what you want to hear, and bolt out of there.
Be genuinely curious and express your desire to understand why they’re leaving. Present no judgment so they can share freely, and they’ll likely provide very valuable feedback.
If you’re not able to obtain feedback from exiting employees, give me a call and we can strategize your next move (This is a topic that could be it’s own post!).
One last piece of advice.
This is a difficult endeavor and one must truly believe there will be positive outcomes. Depending on the organization’s level of evolution, it’s always possible to start somewhere and take one step.
Outline your potential strategies for shifting the prevailing male-centric culture within your organization towards a more inclusive and supportive environment that actively encourages the participation of women in all aspects of daily operations, ensuring that they are not only included but also appreciated for their contributions.
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