By Melissa McGuire
In the 1960s and ’70s, women flooded the U.S. marketplace” causing upheaval and controversy. The ’80s brought the argument of equal pay for both sexes. Today we’ve settled into the common understanding: Women are working right beside men. And with all those jobs come income. And with all that income comes buying power.

In a Chicago Tribune interview in May 2006, Michael Silverstein, author of “Trading Up,” stated that women not only control 100% of the discretionary family income, but they will earn more than the average man by 2030. (So much for equal pay.) Given the $5 trillion women spend annually in areas like new home purchases, healthcare, consumer electronics, investments, automobiles, vacations and do-it-yourself projects, it’s no wonder most of today’s manufacturers and retailers understand the necessity of marketing to women.

Even companies that have traditionally targeted men, such as Home Depot, are realizing women hold and control the purse strings in the majority of households. That’s why they are now offering home improvement classes for women and portray more women using power tools in their ads. Furthering the point, on March 17, the country’s largest auto retailer, AutoNation, unveiled a program geared specifically to women: Car Buying Her Way. The program links members of affiliated women’s groups with more than 50 call centers staffed by AutoNation.

The flooring industry is no exception. Mannington, for example, plans to pull in the “every woman” to its newly re-launched Web site through a virtual decorating tool. Women can upload an actual photo of a room in their home and digitally place a Mannington floor in the photo. This consumer-friendly technique gives the customer a sense of a Mannington product allowing a starting point for the customer/salesperson relationship before she even enters a Mannington showroom.

Selling to women is not rocket science. You don’t need to channel your inner female or spend countless hours and unlimited dollars learning how to connect to the female buyer.

Tips for selling to women:

• Know your customer. Women are not “one size fits all.” Nor can they be stereotyped with a “typical buyer” portrayal. The power-shopping woman may be severely eco-conscious while the tough businesswoman may be a mom of six—and it’s no guarantee any of those kids play soccer. And there’s also a chance that neither of those women are shoe fiends. It’s important to get to know your customer as an individual to determine what she wants and needs.

• Know your product. Women do their research. Whether she’s interested in appearance, function, cost or performance, a woman will research a product— mostly online—and will spend a significant amount of time on that research if the product is a major investment. According to a recent marketing survey, 78% of women in the U.S. use the Internet for product information before making a purchase and 63% research products and services online before buying offline.

It is imperative to know your product and anticipate the answers to possible questions your customer may ask. “Will the flooring scratch when my 6-year-old roller-skates through the house?” “Can it be recycled when I decide to replace it?” “How is the flooring made and from where does it come?” Betsy Amoroso, director of corporate communications at Mannington, believes that educating the retail salesperson is key. “This will help the salesperson discuss the product intelligently and in a language that each woman understands. Discuss the beauty, durability, the fact that the flooring stand up to soccer cleats and animals.”

• Understand word-of-mouth advertising. Women talk to other women. A woman can highly recommend or condemn a business or product depending on her satisfaction. Faith Popcorn, author of “EVEolution— Understanding Women,” says the average satisfied female customer will recommend a service, shop or client to [an average of] 21 other people. Since women speak around 20,000 words a day vs. a man’s 6,000, word-of-mouth advertising is a natural fit for women. Women are also more likely to ask opinions from people they know and trust before buying a product or service. If they have a positive experience, they are more likely to share it with their friends. And if they have a negative experience? You better believe they’re going to share it—with everyone they know.

• Be emotional. Women are expressive creatures. Speaking to the heart and from the heart is influential, particularly if you reason with your customer as to why she should own what you sell. Appeal to her personally and steer clear of making her feel helpless, anxious, embarrassed or vulnerable. Above all, believe in what you are selling.

• Make your product a necessity. Women are practical—at least they are now. With the economy slumping, women have turned from recreational retail to replacing necessities. Make sure she knows that what you offer is a “must have.”

• Don’t let her go. Women are loyal. Once you’ve got her, don’t let her get away by offering lip service and false promises. (She’ll see through it in a minute.) A well-known marketing fact is that it costs four to six times as much to acquire a new customer as it does to keep an existing one, so stay true.