Dealing with both men and women as clients, most farriers probably haven’t given any serious thought as to how the two genders might need to be treated differently.

Leading motivational experts maintain there are distinct behavioral differences in the way you should deal with men and women. Understanding these differences could pay off big-time for your hoof-care business.

Author Paco Underhill in his book, What Women Want, maintains that the female dollar has never been as strong as it is today. He points out that it’s a real profit-builder for you to figure out new ways to more effectively work with both audiences.

In 2005, for the first time in history, he says women under 30 years of age living in the largest American cities overtook men in earning power.

Underhill says that chief among the demands of women is a desire for cleanliness. He cites numerous adaptations that companies are making to win more female customers. Similarities also exist in the way you should approach both types of your footcare clients.

Four Items To Stress

Besides cleanliness, he’s found that women want control, safety and attention. Give female horse owners, trainers and riders these intangibles and you’ll likely find they’ll be valuable clients for many years to come.

As an example, Underhill points to the Best Buy chain. While two of its biggest competitors, Circuit City and Comp USA, have disappeared into bankruptcy, this chain of electronics stores has prospered by adapting distinctly female-friendly ways.

At Best Buy, digital cameras are displayed on tables that are curvy and organic-looking rather than hard-edged and angular. Female customers are constantly reassured that employees don’t work on commission, since most women dread being hustled. Giant photos on the walls show people warmly enjoying the store’s products.

Underhill says the selling theme at Best Buy is this: “Men buy instruments of technology, whereas women buy instruments of relationship.”

He’s advised Japanese clients to move women’s hair-removal products from the men’s razor section to the lingerie section. He’s helped a beer maker expand sales in Brazil by replacing the photos of buxom young women found on labels and signs with images of families celebrating together.

In Holland, female-friendly parking lots offer spaces that are laid out as four-lined boxes and not just with two parallel lines. Dutch designers have found females are more comfortable positioning themselves — and their small cars ­— over four boxed lines rather than within two defined lines.

What This Means To Farriers

While these are generalizations about the differences in dealing with men vs. women as clients, it’s a concern to think about. Discovering new ways of dealing with clients could lead to finding — and keeping — significant amounts of dollars for your footcare business.