Meade Lexus "female friendly" certification is Michigan's first

Henry Paniccia and Kristina Reid

When you walk in the door at Meade Lexus in Southfield, you expect luxury.

Yes, the service waiting room has enormous, comfy chairs, elegant appointments and a wall-mounted flat screen television. Yes, you can borrow one of their iPads to play with while your car is up on the rack. Yes, there's a coffee bar with smiling attendants asking whether you'd like a beverage or a cookie.

But that's not what makes Meade Lexus unique. Last month, Meade became Michigan's first dealership certified "Female Friendly" by the popular automotive web site AskPatty.com

"We try to stay abreast of new things that are happening," explained marketing associate Kristina Reid. "The idea had been circulating when I came on board two months ago, and we decided to kick it into gear."

The certification is obtained through an on-line training class. Sales associate Henry Paniccia was among the 67 sales and service employees who jumped at the opportunity when it was offered. Raised among strong women, he was inspired to learn more after his mother's negative experience with a Florida dealership.

"The facts presented (in the course) were amazing," he said.

The coursework revealed that women don't shop the same way men do. While a man might walk into a dealership and close a deal within a few days, women need a little more time. Seventeen weeks more. Women will quite often walk into a dealership to start the car shopping process several months in advance of the actual purchase. And that can play havoc with a sales associate's self-esteem.

"When someone doesn't buy right away, you start questioning yourself," Paniccia said. "Now I know it's just part of the process."

The on-line program takes the student through a series of lessons about the way women shop for cars. It's not a "script" that tells a sales person what to say, but more a look inside the way women think as they approach a dealership, whether it's for sales or service. Students learn how to look for verbal and non-verbal clues and the value of listening over speaking.

"That was a big thing," Paniccia said. "You need to listen to their needs. You have to understand that's what they want."

Paniccia is convinced his new level of understanding has had a positive effect. One woman who walked in said she'd been to another luxury car dealership and found herself passed on from one sales person to the next, all because she wasn't ready to sign on the dotted line.

"She said, 'Don't kill me, but I'm not ready to buy a car yet.'," Paniccia recalled. "I could say to her, 'Don't worry about it.'. We went through cars, and it was a little bit frustrating, but she called me yesterday and said, 'I want to focus on one car', and she's taking delivery in a week."

Reid said hearing stories from women customers who were asked to bring their husbands in, or who were severely pressured to complete a sale demonstrates the value of the Female Friendly certification program. While the company has the means to track whether it has a concrete effect on sales, that's not the primary reason Meade Lexus got involved.

"We know there are ways to improve what we do, and this was one of those ways," she said.

Meade Lexus owner Ken Meade has committed to the Female Friendly certification program for a year. Reid said the folks at AskPatty.com have been very attentive to their needs and helpful with the process. The company set up a tracking system, as well as a micro-site that will direct women to Meade Lexus when they do a search for dealerships in this area. The company even replaced the car in its logo with a Lexus, for Meade Lexus to use in its promotions.

"It's definitely been a collaborative effort," Reid said, "which is really reassuring when you're starting something new. Their owner is highly qualified, and it's also reassuring to have someone like that to work with."