Just Ask a Woman: Cracking the Code of What Women Want and How They Buy

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Summary: I just knew it!
Review: If you are a woman, you really knew all this already or, at least, suspected it. We are tough customers who demand respect and pity the poor seller who doesn't "get it." If you add to her stress, you are going to lose.
My biggest disappoint was that Quinlan did not pay enough attention to small businesses and e-businesses, so many of which are run by women, themselves. E-tailers need help in learning how they can effectively differentiate themselves from the competition. Help!

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Summary: A Great Read!
Review: It's amazing how Mary Lou opens our eyes once again and reminds us of good marketing fundamentals. I found the book to be full of valuable insight as well as good anecdotal facts. Definitely worth the read for any marketing and sales executive looking to target the country's most important consumer: WOMEN!

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Summary: Packed with Knowledge!
Review: 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. We suggest 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.

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Summary: The Right Words To Say It
Review: Mary Lou Quinlan is clearly at the top of her subject. Quinlan first reminds her audience of the importance of listening in marketing, especially when one keeps in mind that women influence the purchase of or buy 85% of all products and services. Some marketers have preconceived ideas about marketing to women at their own peril as Quinlan successfully shows through her punchy listening checkup. Quinlan then goes on to stress the otherness or focus on the others that many women display. Women are often their worst enemy because they feel that they need to be superwomen: i.e., a perfect woman, hybrid being, unique crossbreed of "executive woman", "supercharged mother" and "femme fatale": perfect in all respects to quote Michèle Fitoussi in her entertaining "Le ras-le-bol des super-women (superwomen's dissatisfaction)." Marketing stress-reducing, life-simplifying products and services that internalize women's wants and needs then makes perfect sense. Marketers can also take a leaf out of "Simplicity Marketing" by Steven M. Cristol and Peter Sealey for these purposes. Furthermore, Quinlan demonstrates that women, who rely on multiple sources of information, are both procedural and disciplined in their decision-making process. Women more regularly take a more holistic view of the researching/shopping experience than men who tend to compartmentalize their attention. Quinlan also draws the attention of her readers about the importance of how women are portrayed in advertising and communications programs. The perceived image of women that a brand carries, consciously or unconsciously, influences women's inner and outer beauty dialogue. In addition, Quinlan addresses the interaction between women and technology and its pitfalls. Quinlan then proceeds to look at the disrespect that some marketers show towards women due to their lack of listening skills. Women often put themselves last in line. However, they also crave for being taken care of. Quinlan explains to her audience how smart marketers are responsive to women's wants and needs in terms of self-comfort and restoration. Finally, Quinlan assists marketers in developing a listening action plan to better meet women's desires. As a side-note, readers can find some very useful information about marketing to women in the references that Quinlan mentions in her notes.

Rating:
Summary: Waste of Money
Review: This book is a waste of money - I bought it thinking I was going to learn something new - the BIG revelation -Woman want to be treated as people - there I told you - so don't waste your time or your money....Mary Lou Quilan states the obvious again and again, it is not worth the [$$$].

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Summary: TELLS IT LIKE IT IS...
Review: This book was recommended to me by a friend who runs marketing at a Fortune 500 company and who says he is buying copies for all his staff. Good move. This book is chock full of solid, useful examples-- most of which are common sense observations, but need to be highlighted. It's also extremely readable and insightful, even poignant in places. The author has done a real service. I'm sure this will be used for years to come-- in companies, large and small, as well as in the classroom.

Rating:
Summary: On Target
Review: This is an essential book for anyone involved with marketing products to women. It gets to the heart of how to increase relevancy with the valuable female target market - what's important to them, how to speak to them, what they really want & need in their lives. This book is well written and packed with insights on every page. Well worth the read!

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Summary: La femme est l'avenir de l'homme!
Review: Translated, this sentence written by Aragon means: "Women are the future of mankind".
Indeed, you might say that women are the future of any commercial company. They purchase (or share equally in the purchase decisions) of about 83% of all consumer products. For example they purchase 74% of all cars, 66% of all home PCs!
This book brilliantly explains what it takes to successfully market products to women. (It was an invaluable source preparing my own book about women and job hunting). I can highly recommend it. The main strength of the book is that every single point Mary Lou Quinlan makes has been carefully researched through focus groups and discussions with a very large number of women. This is first-hand authentic stuff! Read it and your ideas on how to be successful while marketing consumer products in the 21th century will definately gain a new perspective.
David Veenhuys
http://www.davidveenhuys.com