A Women of Influence Must Read: What She’s Not Telling You by Mary Lou Quinlan

Mary Lou Quinlan’s book uncovers the secrets to communicating with women (not to them).

By: PATRICIA MINGLIN

Studies show that women influence or purchase 85 percent of everything – from clothes and furnishings for the home to consumer electronics and cars.

Yet, the majority of women say advertisers do not understand them as consumers.Why the disconnect? According to Mary Lou Quinlan, founder and CEO of the consulting firm Just Ask a Woman, perhaps it’s because women are not always saying what they really mean – especially to the marketers who want their money.

Women are not lying, they are simply not telling brands the Whole Truth.

“The Half Truth is what women are willing to admit,” says Quinlan in her latest book,What She’s Not Telling You: Why Women Hide the Whole Truth and What Marketers Can Do About It.

“The Whole Truth is what they really believe, do, and buy.”

As female consumers, we are all guilty of telling our fair share of Half Truths, and when you read Quinlan’s new book you will be amazed at how many of the Half Truth/Whole Truth situations ring true:

Half Truth: “I’d never go back to being 35. I feel so much wiser now.”
Whole Truth: “Just because I’ve earned these lines doesn’t mean I want to wear them.”

Half Truth: “I want to eat healthy foods.”
Whole Truth: “Sometimes the less-bad-for-me version of my favorite foods is good enough.”

Half Truth: “I am responsible for everyone and everything.”
Whole Truth: “I always take everything on myself because I do it better.”

According to the book, we are not intentionally deceiving today’s marketers, we are simply saving our best Whole   Truth answers for those brands who respect who we are and what our life is about, those brands who ask smart questions, and those who are honestly intent on hearing our answers.

“Women and marketers play both cat and mouse as they dodge each other and go down blind alleys in pursuit of mutual success,” says Quinlan.

This book is full of great insight into how we as female consumers often hide our Whole Truths behind five universal emotional drivers: Good Intentions, Approval Seeking, Martyrdom, Ego Protection, and Secret Keeping.

And, by allowing marketers to dig deeper to the Whole Truths, we will actually build stronger relationships with the brands we love and help them “drive brand leadership, relevance, and growth.”

The book is an easy read that blends research with real-world case studies – allowing women consumers to gain unprecedented knowledge about why it is they really buy and will make all consumers re-think the way they participate in focus groups and marketing surveys.

Whether you’re a marketer or a female consumer (or both), you will see yourself inside some of these stories – cringing at the moments of disconnect that seem, thanks to Quinlan and her team, so perfectly identifiable with our new found clarity on what women in the marketplace really want.

“Brands need to start marketing with women, and stop marketing to them,” says Quinlan. It is this philosophy that will move companies past the Half Truths that women consumers tell and help them identify the Whole Truths which ultimately lead to bottom line success.

“If you are trying to get her attention, her dollars, or her loyalty, you’ve got to avoid buying into the Half Truths that can undermine your best-laid plans,” she says. “Only her Whole Truths can save you from a marketing mistake before it’s millions of dollars too late.”

Reviewed by M2W® E-ssentials, the online community for M2W® – The Marketing To Women Conference. Go to the blog at www.justaskawoman.com/wsnty for a fresh list of examples of Half Truths in marketing.

The book is also available online at www.paramountbooks.com