Are Women Negotiating Harder Bargains than Men at the Car Negotiating Game?

According to a recent report ^[1] from NPR Morning Edition’s Sonari Glinton, women not only negotiate harder bargains than men when it comes to vehicle purchases ^[2], but also they do more extensive preparatory work (See: Negotiating for What You Really Want ^[3]. Conventional wisdom has always placed the automobile in the realm of the masculine, but the emergence of the prepared and educated female customer has changed the way car dealers sell cars and the way car manufacturers market and design them.

Women who negotiate good deals on automobiles approach negotiations with an objective orientation and ask different and more probing questions about their intended purchase (For more about developing an objective orientation in negotiation, consult Program on Negotiation Chair Robert Mnookin ^[4]‘s groundbreaking book, Beyond Winning: Negotiating to Create Value in Deals and Disputes ^[5] from the PON Clearinghouse ^[6]). While aesthetics and mechanical performance were among the top concerns for male customers, female customers placed premiums on price and reliability. Moreover, the expectation that a female car buyer may be less knowledgeable than her male counterpart when making a vehicle purchase allows female customers the advantage of surprise, because their preparation quickly overcomes gender expectations.

The Value of Negotiation Preparation

The value in preparation ^[7] and limiting expectations combined with an objective outlook can pay big dividends in future negotiations, whether it is for a car, a home or your salary.

Related Article: So You Want to Buy a Car? ^[2]