Yet the numbers warrant women more considerations. Women make 85 percent of all consumer buying decisions, own 48 percent of the country’s businesses, account for 70 percent of new business start-ups and make up 40 percent of the domestic high-net-worth market. And this is just the beginning. As women advance further in the workplace and inherit more from their parents and husbands (women live on the average five to seven years more than men), their purchasing power escalates at exponential rates.

We see signs everywhere that marketers are recognizing the marketplace power of women. Photographs of professional women on company brochures, dynamic women on health care of financial investment sell sheets, aesthetically enticing packaging and creative, emotion-provoking ads aimed at women are gracing our landscape.

Unfortunately, it is not that easy — you need to do more than simply add women to your collateral and dress up your packaging to appeal to women and earn their business. There is little doubt that men are easier to market to than women and you are going to have to work harder to break into the women’s market, but if you are successful you will have a loyal ambassador who will faithfully tout the benefits of your product or business to families and friends.

Here are 14 points that you should follow when targeting women:

1. Lengthen the selling process — take time for the details

Women want to understand what they are buying. Martha Barletta, author of the popular Marketing to Women: How to Understand, Reach and Increase our Share of the World’s Largest Market Segments, concludes that “whereas men are seeking a good solution, female shoppers are looking for ‘The Perfect Answer.’” They do not want endless choices. They want the right choices and a nuanced, longer selling process that respects their desire to understand what they are buying.

2. Look at the world through women’s eyes

Women tend to look at the world from the perspective of the group — they cherish relationships with their girlfriends, children and families. They love to do things together. According to Barletta the top two aspirations of women are to make the world a better place and to see their kids become successful. Non-aspirations are to be younger, famous or look like a movie start. Does it really surprise you that Victoria’s Secret ads appeal to men over women at approximately a 10:1 ratio? Women will respond to marketing that sparks a connection with their world and an understanding of who they are.

3. Watch your language

According to the linguistics professor, Dr. Deborah Tannen, boys learn to use language to emphasize their status whereas girls use language to create connections. Men view life as a hierarchy with the goal of reaching the top; women minimize hierarchy and focus on relationships. Language that focuses on comparisons, casts aspersions or proclaims unilateral truths will make women uncomfortable and skeptical.

4. Don’t pressure and don’t use scare tactics

Women want to feel good about what they are buying and that they have made the best, most informed decision. If she says she wants to think about it, let her. In all likelihood, she will discuss it with her female friends and family. Similarly, if you try to force a decision by using scare tactics or by positioning yourself as the expert who knows what is best for her, she will discuss that with them, as well, and you not only will lose that sale, but also those of friends, colleagues and family.

5. Personalize the message

Last year at the International Advertising festival in Cannes, a world-renowned advertising agency featured a seminar — “Miss Understood — She’s Not Buying Your Ads.” They concluded that most ads do not motivate and move women in ways that they find relevant and meaningful. Building on the popular belief that women are the more emotional sex, advertising that tries to portray emotion often falls flat because it does not truly evoke emotion. The seminar concluded with a series of calls to action, including make it fun — women welcome more humor in their commercials — and make it real — present women with authentic characteristics to which they can relate.

6. Recognize milestones

As Barletta points out, family milestones affect women substantially more than men. Marriage, new homes, births, birthdays, new jobs or new businesses are all marketing opportunities to women. Offering “packages” related to a milestone are a great way to capture a women’s attention.

7. Know when to use the “for women only” ploy

Think twice before traveling the “for women only” path with brochures and products. Women do not consider themselves different or in need of special treatment. Unless skillfully crafted, such an approach will lead to skepticism among women and alienate men. Conversely, women do like to share information with other women, free of competition from men, so seminars, classes and meetings for women have been successful tools.

8. Don’t dumb down

There’s a lot of conflicting information about women and technology. Most agree, though, that while women influence 75 percent of the sales decisions of consumer electronics, they have been virtually ignored when it comes to product development, marketing and retail initiatives. Todd Thibodeaux, president of eBrain Market Research, notes that men often see a product they like and find a reason to buy it, while women identify a need and look for the best product to fill the need.

Yet women are having trouble finding information and researching products in a way that is understandable to them. Women are so put off by the experience that 78 percent often feel stupid or intimidated when shopping for electronics. HP got it right with their award-winning “Picture Book” ad series. They’re fun, focused on function rather than technology and feature shared moments to the delight of women of all ages.

9. Ask her opinion

Women like to share their opinions in focus groups, online or in surveys. This enables you to build a profile, define preferences and more directly target your market. Be sure to keep it short — women have very limited time. Sharing the results is an effective way to gain their trust.

10. Offer her guarantees, warranties and support hot lines

Women tend to be multi-minded and integrated. As a result they are often more concerned about “back-end” product guarantees and support than men. Offering 100 percent guarantees will likely yield far more sales than redemptions.

11. Tell her what you do for the community and the environment

Remember that the number one aspiration of women is to make the world a better place. Let her know what you do for the environment and for the community and tell it as a story, not as cold, hard facts.

12. Appeal to aesthetics and senses

Women appreciate the nice touches and are turned off by the offensive ones. If a store or office is untidy, dirty, smelly, noisy or just plain dull and boring, you will not impress the female customer. There are also colors and fonts that appeal to women more than men. Packaging and design can help seal a decision, but it is important to know that it will not make the decision. Functionality, reliability and warranties come first. For example, women regard cell phones as a device that enables hem to make phone calls. Reliability, phone-book capabilities, operating time and ease of operation are important to them. And, as Nokia proved, color of the phone can help seal the deal.

13. Think efficiency when marketing on the Web

For women, the Web is a tool, not a toy. When the archetypal women is online she wants ease of operation while she looks for pertinent information. She searches the Web efficiently, bypassing cumbersome sites, and views 40 percent fewer pages than men. She responds well to sites that are well planned, attractively designed and easy to use. When she finishes, she is gone.

Take the time to understand your audience. Build a bio of the typical user by collecting data about lifestyles, demographics, technical savvy, etc. If your audience is technically proficient, building your site in Flash will be appealing. If not, a more traditional approach is recommended.

14. Be sincere

Women have great antennae — they pick up the nuances faster than men. Designing your collateral advertisements and Web sites to attract women will only be successful if accompanied by a business culture that respects and responds to women. Your frontline CSRs and salespeople must be trained, knowledgeable, sensitive and willing to listen to women and learn what they want to buy and how they want to do business with you.

Magnet Marketing is about placing your service or product in front of the customer and drawing the customer to you. Creating the magnet to draw women is complicated, demanding and requires a coordinated and cohesive program. Once achieved, you will have a loyal customer.

(Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the Spring 2005 Issue of Graham Communications’ publication, Magnet Marketing & Sales. Reprinted with permission.).