Because a woman has four times the number of connections between the left and right hemispheres of the brain than a man, your female customer’s “human operating system” functions more like a web than a railroad track.

Her brain takes in millions of signals and continuously works to recognize patterns; it then builds networks of those patterns in order to make decisions, strengthen relationships, and devise solutions to everyday challenges.  Connection, both human-based and information-based, affects everything in her life, including her purchasing process.

An enormous amount of energy is required in order to keep your female customer’s operating system performing at an optimum level day-in and day-out.  Where does that energy come from?  The answer will differ depending on which woman you are talking to.  There is an important, essential difference in how women make purchasing decisions.

For a system to produce energy, it needs the right kind of fuel.  And different women are “fueled” from different sources.

One woman may draw on external sources of energy to feel connected; she relies on stimuli from the outside world (such as interacting with groups of people) to charge herself up and get what she needs to make it through the day.

At the other end of the spectrum, you’ll find a woman who draws on internal sources (like inner thoughts and feelings) for the energy she needs.  She looks inward for guidance and generates energy through the time she spends thinking and mulling things over.

Therefore, a group of female customers may all come to the same decision to do business with you using completely different pathways.

Are you delivering your brand message and product information in ways that compel both types of energies to do business with you?

Here are just a couple of examples:

Surfing vs Dialing
Did you know that one of the biggest reasons you may be missing out on website revenue is that you don’t provide your phone number on the home page?

There’s a large segment of “external energy” customers who, when they have a question, want to pick up the phone and speak to someone.  They need that energy charge that comes from connecting with a human being, which cements the sale.  For example, take a look at the home pages for Home Shopping Network and QVC.  It’s no surprise that QVC has a much higher rate of converting website visitors to customers – their phone number is on the home page.

Discounting the Ruminator
Too often, in-store sales staff write off the customer who says she’s “just looking.”  It should actually be a clue that she may rely on internal energy to turn things over in her mind for awhile before deciding to make a purchase.

Are you letting her walk away?  Wouldn’t it be better to have a printed piece on your product or service that gives her a little more information and fills some of the gaps her brain will encounter when determining whether you’re the brand for her?

By delivering information to a female customer in the way she needs to see or hear it, you’ll be taking an excellent first step toward creating rock-solid brand loyalty.  Remember: she needs premium fuel to charge up enough energy to do business with you.  It’s up to you to make sure you’re putting the right kind of tiger in her tank!

Stay tuned to WonderBranding.com for future posts on the other essential difference in female consumers:  her time horizon.

Fuel of Female Energy from Michele Miller on Vimeo.