real estate marketing, advertising, blogging, and technology

Men buy differently, and thus must be sold differently, than women. Secrets of the Male Shopper, an article in Business Week Online claims marketers are currently missing half the male buying population. Here are 3 secrets to selling to men:

1. Use Tech Appeal: Seduce the inner geek:. A new gadget or technology really stimulates the male buying bone. Boys like playing with toys. The Dyson vacuum cleaner is marketed with tech appeal. So is the Bugaboo stroller. Now we know why Zillow markets itself as a “tool”.

2. Make a man comfortable and he’ll buy. Why to you suppose stores began putting comfy chairs near the women’s shoes and handbags? They’re for the restless husbands or boyfriends that hated standing around holding shopping bags, or worse, a purse. When I was in Istanbul I walked into a rug shop just to look around. But it seems the Turks have a wonderful custom of serving tea and making you relax while they show their wares. And it worked. I walked out with a carpet and only later understood the marketing magic. The way to a man’s buying heart is also through his stomach.
The Grooming Lounge in D.C. is doing this with ESPN and alcohol.

3. Never rush or put pressure on a man to buy. Men are salesmen (how do you think we get wives) and we can spot another one at the first “Hello, how can I help you?”. Back off buster. Men want to buy but they don’t want to be sold, at least not quickly. Let us browse and we’ll approach you. Car dealers have finally come to understand this shopping characteristic. When it comes to buying grooming products similar to those used by women, we want to slowly step into that pool, not be pushed. Like mousse, we had to get it in small doses (free) when we got a haircut. Eventually, we felt at ease with it to buy it at the supermarket.

The “male shopper” was thought to be oxymoronic. And men were considered shopping morons. Marketers appealed to them with sophmoric ads. Bikinis and beer were the marketing mantras. Later this group came to be known as Retrosexuals to make room for the Metrosexuals, who were considered closer in spirit to the shopping female—willing to get a $100 haircut, manicure, pedicure and indoor tan, all on a regular schedule. Shows like Queer Eye for The Straight Guy saw the trend. But were these the only two male shopping styles? Evidently not.

The article claims the Metros & Retros account for less than 40% of the male market and there is a little understood shopping majority. Who are the mysterious men in the middle? Well, they include those in their 20’s and 30’s, beer drinking , sports loving guys who still want to look good, the “boomer” dads who shop more than their fathers ever did, and the web-savvy “maturiteens”, weened on Google juice and video games, who are looking for brands they can interact with (YouTube). This large diverse group does not fit the other extreme peg holes. There are nuances that are still being studied. Looking & smelling good are now tied to health & fitness rather than pure GQedness.

KB Homes is building townhouses for singe (or newly divorced) men in Cary, NC. Teens are used in consumer focus groups and gamers provide feedback on website navigation.

Now what about marketing & selling real estate? Do brokers sell to men differently than women? They sure do. Remember the controversial Century 21 ad that hit a manipulative nerve. Perhaps you can apply the new found secrets of the male buying psyche in marketing homes. Try tech appeal and comfort for starters.

What trait differences do you find between males and females when you’re showing real estate?