Nana Aba Duncan

Published in Women’s Post

If you’ve seen the Sony ad with a slim and attractive woman scratching the new Bravia flat TV with catty jealousy, then you know about the consumer industry’s focus on the female buyer. There is quite a lot of market research demonstrating that women influence over 80 percent of large purchase decisions. Over the last few years, some of the more successful companies are those that not only target certain niche markets but have focused on probably the biggest niche market in North America — women.

At Donway Ford, a family-run business located at 1975 Eglinton Ave. East, they’ve taken the approach to women a step further. Staff members know that after seeing a female-friendly ad, the first stop a woman makes on her journey through the car-buying process is the dealership. With an understanding that it makes sense to see a strong number of females greeting the potential buyer to seal the deal, at least 40 per cent of the staff hired at Donway Ford have been women.

According to Statistics Canada, this isn’t generally the case for the rest of the auto industry. As of last year, 57,000 women were employed in this sector — just a quarter of the entire workforce. But Donway Ford partner Terry Fisher has fully applied the goal of catering to women by employing at least one female in almost every department, from sales to the body shop.

In an area typically dominated by males, where females often feel intimidated, women who have purchased their cars or had their cars serviced often express gratitude for the sensitive and understanding treatment they’ve received at Donway Ford. For June Thomson, their service advisor for almost 12 years, it’s partly because of the women on staff. The secret is in letting female clients know everyone is equal. “They just don’t want you to look down at them,” she says. She is happy to take the time to explain in detail the exact problem with the car so the client gets a better idea of what needs to be done.

As opposed to the stereotypically aggressive car sales approach, Leslie Jankowski, in sales for ten years, opts first to make women feel comfortable. “Everyone wants to be greeted properly, and treated honestly and fairly,” she says.

It’s a small but important jump from the ad campaigns. By moving the focus on women from television and billboards to the sales floor, service department and auto shop, Donway Ford’s smart use of current market trends and good old customer service is a testament to its 50 years of success.