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Just Ask a Woman

Cracking the Code of What Women Want and How They Buy

Mary Lou Quinlan

Wiley, 2003

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Mary Lou Quinlan interviewed 3,000 women consumers about their desires and buying habits. When you finish her book, you will actually be able to answer the question, "What do women want?" Quinlan’s style is direct and personable. She backs up her arguments with quotes from successful CEOs and marketers and with a smattering of do’s and don’ts from the world of advertising. The book has heart - after all, Quinlan maintains that for women, business is personal - as well as practical advice, although you may have to dig for it. She provides a lot of information on broad thematic lines, sometimes making it tricky to sort out strategies from stories. This is less of a textbook than Marketing to Women (by Martha Barletta from Dearborn Trade Publishing); it is more research-based and extends beyond communications into comparable hands-on, practical counsel. getAbstract.com suggests this wakeup call about the buying power of women to professionals in marketing, advertising, sales and customer service. Use this primer to decode those mixed signals you’ve been getting from women in your marketplace - and in your life.

Summary

Listening to Women

Women in the U.S. directly influence more than 85% of all purchases. They hold the wallets. Therefore, to stay ahead in the marketplace, you need to learn how to market to them. Yet, women want to be marketed to differently, a source of frustration for many marketing teams. The lack of widespread success in this area is due to how information about women is collected and to marketers failing to take women consumers as seriously as they should.

Most marketers are not working with good information about how to address women (and focus groups don’t provide it). As a result, most women consumers do not feel that their voices are heard in the marketplace. Your task is to learn how to listen to women. High-quality listening will tell you what women want, and will make your consumer feel respected and understood by your brand.

Is your company already listening to women? Do a quick check-up to see if you really hear them and engage them. Good check-up questions include: 1) How long has it been since you collected information about women’s concerns? 2) Does your team believe that they know better than women about what they need? 3) Does your team believe...

About the Author

Mary Lou Quinlan is the CEO of Just Ask A Woman, a marketing consultancy firm where she helps clients build their business with women. Quinlan is an author, public speaker and expert in brand turnaround.

Just Ask a Woman

Cracking the Code of What Women Want and How They Buy

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Listening to Women

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