5 Reasons Why Every Business Should Educate and Empower Women

Any business that doesn’t make a profit could have to close its doors.

That harsh truth causes some businesses to put money before the well-being of others.

Those businesses would be better off if they educated and empowered their customers.

Being an educated consumer prepares you to make smart choices.  And before you ask, yes – education can benefit the bottom-line. Here’s how.

1. Educating women will make them less resistant to necessary repairs.

Auto repair shouldn’t be viewed any differently than rent or groceries. It is a basic life necessity that every responsible adult should be prepared to afford.

The problem? The auto industry is losing credibility. Most people have heard a story or been ripped off by mechanics in the past. They can’t tell the difference between a con and a necessary repair.

The solution? Educate your customers. Smart drivers are willing to pay for services that keep them safe. Take her outside and show her the car part that needs to be replaced or repaired. Describe how this service will benefit the customer in her own language.

2. You can make the sale without seeming pushy or annoying.

People do not like to be sold. It’s not fun to try to convince people they need something they don’t want. Desperation is not an attractive quality. If you’re too pushy, customers will get annoyed and take their business elsewhere.

If you educate your customers, they will become empowered. They don’t need to be talked into a purchase. It’s a foregone conclusion. The professional who did that educating is now empowered too. And you earned yourself a customer.

3. Earn loyal customers. Educating women is empowering.

You’re not selling anymore. You’re building relationships.

Do you think it would be easier to earn one customer who buys ten different services, or earn ten different customers who buy one service each? The first choice sounds a lot better to me!

Aggressive techniques might get a single sale, but they probably won’t result in repeat business or referral. It’s best to educate and empower customers so you can earn their trust. If you do that, they will come back over and over again. If you don’t believe me, ask Sid Syms.

4. Customers will tell their friends about you (hint: women talk!).

Word of mouth is the best friend of any business. If you keep your female customers happy, they will send you referrals. If you take advantage of women, they will warn people to stay away. Encourage your customers to leave a review at www.WomenAutoKnow.com. We’re all about women empowering other women to have a choice by sharing their auto shop experience.

5. It’s the right thing to do.

There is a growing disconnect between drivers and the shops that serve them. If the auto industry has any hope of surviving, we need to improve its perception. Join us today. Please share this post with the folks in your auto shop so they can join Women Auto Know and be a part of the solution.

Mechanically Yours,

Audra

Female Mechanics: Rarer Than Sasquatch (The Awkward Question of Women and Auto Repair)

Why don’t more women pursue a career in auto repair!? If I had a dollar for every time someone asked that question, I would be filthy rich.

My friend Charles at www.humblemechanic.com asked for my input on this subject. He received the following comment from one of his viewers:

“The state of woman in auto repair/dealership: are there any? Or are they as rare as Sasquatch? Why is that? Is the job too harsh, too physically challenging? Would customers trust a woman mechanic with their car? And not only in repair tech level, but all levels like service advisers, parts dept and all that.”

Female mechanics are very rare. In 2013, over 98% of mechanics were men. There are a lot of reasons for that, but first you should know the auto industry is woman friendly. Indeed, women held 25.4% of auto industry jobs in 2013. They just aren’t fixing engines. Where are they? Check out the chart below (source).

See that big green line next to “Office and Clerical Workers?” There’s your sign. Most women in the auto industry are filing documents, answering phones, preparing reports, and other back office stuff. That makes sense. According to socially accepted gender roles, it is “masculine” to be a mechanic and “feminine” to be a secretary.

Gender roles are just social constructs. Like the Sasquatch, people made them up. They are as fictional as a fairy tale. Individuals are too complex to stereotype. Not all men like to get their hands dirty and I know women who get a rush out of it. Guess what? I’m one of them!

It’s hard to work on cars, but women and men are equally capable to build strength and skill. The real question is this: “Will more women take an interest in auto repair?” I hope so. More and more females are getting stuck with college degrees they can’t even put to use. It’s sad to see talented women struggle looking for careers and overlook an entire industry.

A career is supposed to be empowering and rewarding for your life.  If you know a woman who’s interested in this field, please send her my way. And thank you to Charles for asking for my input (this is probably more than he bargained for!).

Dig this post? If so, please share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Click here to check out the new Women Auto Know (more updates coming soon!).

Mechanically Yours,

Audra

Be Part of The Cure for Auto Anxiety (Women Auto Know)

Hello Friends,

This holiday season, we at Women Auto Know want to extend a heartfelt thank you for all of the support you have provided to our mission to End Auto Anxiety.

Auto Anxiety is a 40 year epidemic and has affected millions of drivers, resulting in distrust between shops and consumers, auto repair neglect and unnecessary accidents.

Women Auto Know was founded by me, Audra Fordin, a fourth generation mechanic. I have used my life experience to formulate the cure for Auto Anxiety.

My solution is broken up into four main components:

1. Educate, not intimidate
2. Show and tell
3. Tell, not sell.
4. Service not sales.

WomenAutoKnow.com is user generated Auto Shop Directory & Review Community.  It’s all about women empowering other women to have a choice, by sharing their local auto shop experience, encouraged by Pledged Auto shops, which fosters relationships that aid in the cure for Auto Anxiety.

With your help, we can put an end to this epidemic and change the perception of auto repair, one woman, one driver, one auto shop at a time.

More than Money – Help Us Help YOU! That is the theme of our IndieGoGo Campaign to raise automotive awareness, empower auto shops to effectively provide education for drivers to become safe, confident and knowledgeable drivers, passengers and consumers.

Pledging your support is FREE and will enable us to highlight the shops you patronize and bring Women Auto Know workshops to the masses.

Our campaign launches on #GivingTuesday, December 2 and will run for 60 days. Our goals are the following:

 

• To bring education automotive workshops to 400,000 drivers
• To enroll and empower 25,000 new Women Auto Know members
• To add 1,500 new Pledged Auto Shops to our user generated Auto Shop Directory & Review Community

Support us by registering for a FREE MEMBERSHIP at Womenautoknow.com and write a review about your shop. Each review you write will empower 3 women to make informed decisions related to their automobiles.

Log on to our campaign and find out what you can do to be part of the cure to #EndAutoAnxiety today!

Thank you for your continued support and have a Safe and Happy Holiday Season.

Mechanically Yours,

Audra Fordin

www.womenautoknow.com

#EndAutoAnxiety #MoreThanMoney #WAK

More Than Money… Help Us Help YOU! (Women Auto Know)

I bet you never thought you’d hear that from a business! We are about to launch a crowd funding campaign through Indiegogo on #GivingTuesday, December 2. But before we do, we want you to understand our goals.

Women Auto Know has been bringing automotive education and empowerment to drivers of all ages for over five years. Now we are poised to take WAK to the next level. We’ve never been the type to sit on our butts and wait for things to happen… WE MAKE THINGS HAPPEN! And in this spirit, we are focused on dramatically expanding our reach over the next year.

Women Auto Know’s Goal for 2015:

• Bring 400,000 educational workshops to drivers throughout the nation and across the globe
• Enroll 25,000 new members to Women Auto Know’s FREE Auto Shop Directory & Review Community
• Expand our Auto Shop Directory by acquiring 1,500 new Women Auto Know Pledged Auto Shops
• Change the nation’s perception of auto repair…

One Woman at a Time

One Driver at a Time

One Shop at a Time

Pretty aggressive, we know. But with your help, we can not only accomplish these goals, we can far exceed them. When you join Women Auto Know for FREE, you become a WAK VIP and gain access to great resources that provide auto awareness and take the fear out of auto repair. Your membership gives you 24/7 access to our user generated Auto Shop Directory & Review Community, where you can find pledged shops.

Just writing one review empowers 3 women to make informed decisions related to their automobiles.

Auto shops can help us reach our goals by taking the Women Auto Know Pledge. Along with tons of point of sale perks and marketing tools, WAK Shops get premium positioning on our directory and can invite customers to review them, increasing their exposure and community reach. In fact, each customer gained results in $768 in profit to the shop!

Crowd funding is all about raising funds. And don’t get us wrong, we won’t turn down any financial donations. But…

MORE THAN MONEY – Help Us Help YOU!

WAK is on a mission to end the 40 year epidemic of #AutoAnxiety once and for all.

So log on, sign up and spread the word and be part of the cure!

What Do Women Want?

We want to feel pampered, catered to, valued and put on a pedestal. But most of all, we want to be comfortable! That may sound like a tall order to fill, but it actually isn’t. Auto shops see all types of customers every day, from business professionals to homemakers. So waiting areas and sales desks should offer an environment that makes everyone feel welcome.

Remember your customer when you decide what to put in your waiting area. Try to design a room that feels cozy, relaxing and inviting. Here are some tips to help you make a waiting area that your customers WANT to visit:

• Kids Corner – remember, ladies make 65% of all auto related decisions. Many women show up with children. Designate a kid-friendly area in your waiting room, complete with crayons, books, kid sized furniture and toys. You will keep kids and more importantly, moms, very happy.
• Car Cafe – Starbucks and other coffee houses are cash cows because they offer ambiance and good eats. You can too! Set up a coffee corner and a comfy seating areas that give customers ample room to multi-task courtesy of your free wi-fi. And it wouldn’t kill you to set out some fresh cookies either!
• Television – Keep the television on mute and use closed captions so that the sound doesn’t disturb other customers. I suggest a family friendly channel, like the Food Network or National Geographic.
• Music – Have some sort of background music, preferably seasonal or elevator type, to cater to all preferences. A silent waiting area can feel like a morgue, and makes the shop noise (and staff chatter) that much more noticeable.
• Promote Your Community – If you sponsor a little league team or have a Girl Scout in the family, spread the word with your customers. Keep pictures of your staff and community involvement front in center so your clientele will feel like they know you, even if they don’t.
• Resources – Your job is to provide service. Giving your customers access to great resources, like Women Auto Know, provides extra service that they can take with them. Long after they pay the bill, they will be getting value from WAK,manufacturer sites, safety organizations and other resources you direct them to. And every time they use those resources, they will think of YOU!
• Customer Testimonials – Your customers are your best asset for improving your service ratings and your bottom line! Get to know them and greet them by name. Take pictures of them (with their permission) with their cars and ask them to write a small testimonial about your business. Post it on your WAK micro-listing and print it and hang it on your waiting area wall.

Real customers giving real compliments will make everyone in your shop feel real comfortable.

• Pick a Theme – Go retro, country or rock and roll. Find accessories, pictures and furniture to compliment your theme and carry that over to your printed material. People love being ‘part’ of something. And your shop may be just what that next customer is looking for.

Got any other great ideas on how to create a custom waiting area? Share them with us in our comments section. Ladies, share this post with your shop and encourage them to step up their game and put you, the customer, first!

Service (Not Sales)

Empower Women with Choices (Women Auto Know)

Although this is a great way to let the wait staff know the service was terrible, this doesn’t let future customers know. As a WAK woman, you have the power to inform other women of your good and bad customer service experiences. You can save them the frustration of being mistreated and instead direct them to the shops that support women, provide excellent service and have taken the Women Auto Know Pledge. Join WAK today for free so that you can write a review and rate your shop on our Auto Shop Directory.

TOGETHER… We Can Do GREAT Things!

Service not Sales. That’s part of the WAK philosophy. This is just one of our beliefs that supports our commitment to incredible customer service. WAK Auto Shops actually pledge to provide excellent service to the WAK community and their customers. In a world filled with crazy sales gimmicks and spam emails, focusing on providing customers with stellar service experiences, regardless of whether they buy a product or not, is a dying art.

But WAK is bringing service back!

And we need YOU, the driving community, to partner with us and our Pledged Shops to create a culture of customer service. Drivers aren’t floor mats, they have floor mats. So don’t let shops walk all over you by selling you parts you don’t need, repairs your cars don’t need or warranties that nobody needs.

Take the first step and register to become a Women Auto Know member for free. With a few clicks, you’ll have access to oodles of excellent resources that will arm you with automotive education and empower you with the knowledge you need to make informed decisions. Say so long to auto anxiety and intimidation. Kiss creepy mechanics good-bye! Don’t settle for anything less than honest technicians, fair prices and full transparency about the service that your car needs.

We’re doing our part by spreading the word about the WAK Mission. We are recruiting new shops each week and are partnering with other companies that believe the stigma surrounding women and cars can and will be shattered! Can you hear the glass ceiling breaking ladies?

Now it’s your turn. Check us out and find out why we do what we do and how it benefits you, your family, your community and your bank account. Cruise around our blog, download some great safety tips and get social with us. Share your experience with our WAK community members and tell all your girlfriends about us so they can stand up for better automotive experiences and clean restrooms! Our goal is to change the way women communicate with their cars and mechanics, one woman at a time. We can’t do it alone. But as Mother Teresa said,

Let’s do this!

WAK Agrees… The Customer Comes First

“The most important adage and the only adage is, the customer comes first, whatever the business, the customer comes first.” Kerry Stokes

Women Auto Know is Bridging the Gap!

Women Auto Know is all about bridging the gap between female consumers and auto shops. In general, we want to bridge the gap between ALL consumers and the automotive industry as a whole. We want to tear down the walls that separate mechanics from drivers, break down the stereotypes that all women are automotively ignorant and all shops are dishonest. We want to build an environment of respect, trust, equality and empowerment for ALL drivers and ALL shops that agree to pledge for a more transparent automotive industry and more accountable, educated consumers. Help us by joining WAK for free today!