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The news of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s new book “Lean In” hit the front page of The New York Times this week. But how will it affect the way women, especially younger women look at work? My blog on today’s Huffington Post gives my two cents. Enjoy, comment, like, disagree…whatever. Love to hear from you! Or leave a comment on Huff Po!
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On TODAY today, Andrea Canning hosted a segment about why women talk more than men, see it here. New research indicates that women may actually over-index on a brain protein linked to language, called FOXP2.
Of course, the piece concluded with lots of irate husbands on the street complaining that their wives never shut up and in-studio banter about who talks more and ‘Chatty Cathy’ defense. After listening to thousands of women–especially my besties–talk over the years, I know they talk more than most men. (I sure do!)
I have used the ‘women talk 20,000 words to men’s 7,000 words’ stat but never knew about the protein rationale. Here are my five unscientific reasons why women talk more:
1. They notice more and therefore, have more content to share. And they want you to know it.
2. As a gender that feels unlistened to, they figure, if I just talk more, something has to get through!
3. They like to tell stories and provide context rather than just ‘get to the point’ as they are so often (annoyingly) told to do.
4. Talking is therapy and connection. By talking, I am soothing, sharing, being alive with you. Silence is often a signal that something is wrong. Unless it’s during savasana, which means, ahh.
5. If they are like me, talking is a way to fill in the sentences that others leave unfinished. Because others don’t talk fast enough. And we know what they are going to say anyway!
The good news for marketers is that women are the talking gender AND the buying gender. Silent types can’t help you figure out your marketing problems. Talkers can. A person of few words, like “Me, too!” isn’t a great help to you. A talker is, and your best talkers are….women.
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Marketplace Radio interviewed me this morning to get the women’s perspective on Under Armour, as they opened a test store in Baltimore today to help draw a larger female crowd. I weighed in on why bringing bright colors and joy to their clothing and stores is key when building a devoted female consumer base, like their competitor Lululemon.
We all know that staying committed to getting fit is tough. It takes a lot of hard work, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it. Actually, you need to have fun with it. If getting healthy isn’t fun and rewarding, then you’ll never stick with it. Fitness apparel sets your mood and can change your mind set before you even enter a gym or start pounding the pavement. Spandex that hugs in your trouble zones and bright tank tops that make you feel sexy play a bigger role in your workout success then you may even realize. When you look good, you do good.
Click here to listen to the Marketplace interview, it’s only a minute long.
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If you ask any of my friends they can all attest to the fact that I love a good deal. And I’m not talking about an extra 20% at the register with your Friends and Family coupon, those gimmicks don’t even make me flinch. I’m mean deep discount, red slashed, brag worthy purchases where you save more money then you actually spend. I am no stranger to flash sale websites and Gilt Groupe is one of my favorites to visit. This past week I happened to see they were having a sample sale at a warehouse in Chelsea. My mind immediately started working like a cash register, figuring that normal Gilt loot is already reduced about 50% or so and getting an additional discount on top of that seemed like gold. But the catch to it was you had to purchase an entrance ticket, which varied in price depending what time slot you choose to go. I sent the link to my roommate Christine and immediately she was game to go. We purchased the $20 ticket, figuring we didn’t have to be the first ones in but we should get there early enough so we wouldn’t be left with odd sizes and shoes with broken straps.
When we arrived at the sample sale we had to wait in a short line before we were ushered into an elevator and brought up to a large loft. I b-lined straight for the shoes, as Christine bravely began navigating the jam-packed clothing racks. It wasn’t a mad house, it was actually fairly calm, and of course I didn’t expect the merchandise to be displayed all neat and pretty, but it was difficult to sift through a table of shoe boxes to find something I liked and in my right size. And the worst part was the lack of chairs to sit on, so here I am trying to balance myself as I shove my size 9 foot into a WAY to high size 8 L.A.M.B pump. Needless to say I looked like a 6 year old trying my mom’s high heels on for the first time. The clothes were even more of a maze to work through, but I did have a lot of fun finding high end designer labels that I have only ever seen in magazines. Like this beautiful Valentino jacket on sale for $1,000. A deep discount I am sure, but not for this girl who’s working on a tight budget.
Although both Christine and I walked out empty handed, well not technically because I think we took enough free KIND bars, Pop chips and sipped on a glass of champagne to make up for the $20 ticket we bought, we had a great time. It was fun to see the merchandise, look for a bargain and watch others frantically dive through bins looking for a necklace that wasn’t broken into pieces. However, it dawned on me that we both spent money in order to have the privilege of sifting through merchandise that was not only left over from the designers past seasons, but also was unable to sell on the discount site. So essentially I spent my morning trying to find love with someone’s leftovers (twice removed).
After leaving the sample sale, Christine and I headed over to Marshalls and TJ Maxx where my inner Maxxinista got the best of me. I satisfied my desire to get a great deal that day with a new pair of pumps and leopard printed jeans for a total price of $49. I headed out that night for a friend’s birthday in my new purchases, and was rather proud by the compliments I received on my jeans. And like a true bargain shopper I wasn’t ashamed (actually rather proud) to share my secret that I found them in the teen section at TJ Maxx.
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If you need a reason to get your butt down to Soho, (actually you should be running since this message expires in five days,) I am here to give you one: The Etsy Holiday Shop. This pop-up store is aglow with holiday chic-ness. It is that unique factor that we New Yorkers brag about (although let’s admit it, most days we are all far from unique, standing in line at Starbucks or ordering the same Chop’t salad every day of the week). However, a visit to this pop-up store will be sure to reenergize your inner New Yorker and put you in the holiday spirit.
If you happen to be unfamiliar with the Etsy website (which would make me question where you go during the hours you spend surfing the internet…?) it is a marketplace to discover, buy and sell handmade and vintage goods in every product category imaginable. It’s one of those sites that sucks you in for hours “ahhh-ing” and “ohhh-ing” at products that are so cute and creative you feel more artsy just looking at them.
The Etsy Holiday Shop has found a temporary residence at 131 Greene Street until December 8th. A place where you will feel right at home when you walk in. Immediately you are greeted by a friendly Etsy Gift Guide Expert, a crafty elf spreading holiday cheer and who is genuinely excited to watch as you are inspired by the products that adorn the walls and the living room scenes around the store.
Even if you aren’t in the market to buy a tree branch coat rack, personal engraved flask, recycled skateboard stool or a pom pom light fixture, you can schedule your visit to the store around one of the many events they have planned. Check out the website to see the list of performances and workshops offered.
The magical thing about pop-up shops are that one day they’re there and the next day they’ve disappeared. So please don’t put this on the bottom of your never ending to-do list; unless you believe that by the time you actually get to cross it off, it will be next year when it has reappeared again. So seize this moment right now, YES NOW, and call up your girlfriend and tell her you have something way cooler to get into the holiday spirit than seeing the Rockefeller Center tree for the 10th year in a row.
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Department stores have been outdoing each other with bigger and more extravagant shoe departments. Barney’s recently rehabbed their emporium and Saks floor bears its own zip code. This month Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square opened a new 63,000 square foot shoe floor with 300,000 pairs—stepping up to be the biggest shoe store in the world. A champagne and chocolate bar is located on the floor to celebrate when you find the perfect glass slipper. But what’s really behind the shoe madness?
Listen to the interview here!
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Image: guestofaguest.com
If you’re a fan of makeup superstore Sephora, you probably already know that the store’s newest campaign is that of same-day delivery from their local store. For $15, makeup lovers can have products from around the corner delivered to their doors… or the doors of their friends.
The appeal is obvious: We don’t have to find the time to sneak from our desks to the Sephora store—a timeless, alternate universe of perfume clouds and color palettes. We also don’t have to dampen the fun of makeup shopping by going when we’re just refreshing the basics (sorry, can’t get excited about concealer), or sit at home waiting for our online order to arrive. And when our order does arrive a matter of hours later, it will be via “iconic Mini.” Let us know if you spot it around town!
But with a minimum order of $50 and a delivery fee of $15, same-day orders have to be substantial. Therefore, we leave you with the following question: What’s it worth to you to avoid the perfume lady?
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Half Truth: Women are demanding customers.
Whole Truth: Women don’t like retailers who take advantage of their perceived reticence.
Women, who may be mild or diplomatic under most circumstances, will whip out their evil twin when it’s time to duel with errant sales and service people. When we’ve asked women to describe their identities as shoppers, they are proud to claim their power. As one woman told us, ‘I’m a ‘you’ve got one chance to screw up’ shopper.’
Another woman we interviewed demonstrated her revenge technique on a salesman who made her feel he was too busy to take her call. In what was clearly an oft-repeated performance, she mimicked her best imperious voice, as she raved at the hapless receptionist, ‘You tell your boss, this is an escalated phone call, use that word and tell him I want service right now!’ As the other women in the group applauded, I could see her relax into the knowledge that this story only got better with the telling, securing her place as queen of customer
Marketers of services faced with an irate customer like this can figure out whether her anger is real or manufactured by starting with the magic words, ‘You’re right. Now, how can I make this better for you?’ Play to her ego; all she’s really wanting is the respect she deserves and to not be seen as the cowering, customer chump.
Want to learn more about half and whole truths? This post is straight from our book, What She’s Not Telling You: Why Women Hide the Whole Truth and What Marketers Can Do About It. Read the first chapter online HERE, and grab a copy for yourself from Amazon.
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I was standing in the checkout line at GAP yesterday and in the mix of the hustle and bustle of the shoppers, heard someone crooning something once, then twice, until I finally looked up and realized the cashier was summoning me with the liquid-y new lingo pilfered from Target, “Following guest?” Huh? Believe me, I am as rabid a line stander as anyone and wouldn’t miss the chance to hurry to the register but after so many years of being shouted at with “NEXT CUSTOMER!”, I was tone deaf to this gentle invitation to step forward. It happened again at another mass outlet and I watched the customer in front of me stand silently like a car that doesn’t respond to a green light. So, the cashier re-announced, a little louder, “Following guest, please”. But it’s hard to yell that phrase, so still no action.
We’re not used to being talked to as guests after retailers spending years training us to respond to “NEEEEXXXTTT!”. But it seems that this holiday season, with every dollar on the line, stores are not only offering discounts, they’re extending courtesy. Wow. What a concept. Hope it sticks if things pick up!
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Today’s New York Times article lauded the arrival of the Holy Grail: Lucy Phone, a technology that answers the perennial consumer scream “WHY AM I ON HOLD SO LONG?” Customers who truly hate automated systems will rejoice to know that now they’ve got a button of their own that forces the company to call you back, rather than waste your time. I know that there are already businesses who do this themselves, inviting you to press whatever # and an operator will return your call. But Lucy puts the choice in consumers’ hands. (One scary side note in the piece is that the Twitter universe is fanning consumer rage, with hoards of on-hold folks banding together to gang up on companies…sort of a mass citizens’ arrest. Something to keep an eye on.)
Meanwhile, thanks to services like Lucy, I was thinking of all the phone messages that soon may be a thing of the past.
“Your call is important to us. Please hold.” (If it is, then why don’t you answer now?)
“All customer service representatives are currently speaking with other customers. Please hold.”
(in other words, “other customers” who are more important to you than I am.)
“This call may be monitored for quality by our customer service specialists.”
(really, when has anyone ever interrupted your frustrated profanity as you watch the waiting minutes drag by? )
Go, Lucy, go! You’ll not only save waiting customers’ needless anxiety and wasted minutes, you might even save some companies the money lost to customers’ exasperation…and defection.
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May 25, 2013
by Chelsea Castner
When I talk about my heart, I picture it as a big child-drawn outline, colored in red with a front door on it. Why a door? I need a...
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The most powerful female relationship begins as mother and daughter. With the God Box project - a book, play, series of short films, website, iPhone app, a virtual community – Mary Lou shares lessons of life and love from her own mom.
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