
Three things I know: taking over the family business Â
How many times did I secretly wish for my father to leave the business and leave me the sole âQueenâ on board? Ten years later, I cannot imagine working without him by...
by Jenny Darroch Published April 15, 2025 in Brain Circuits ⢠4 min read
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The first art to master is knowing your customers. Itâs critical to have some sense of how gender shapes the group you need to address. Look at your data to understand how the women in your customer group behave and if they buy your product for themselves or others. This will help pinpoint the gender dynamics at play, and how to focus your marketing to women: as influencers, buyers, or users.
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Even more than products, youâre in the business of selling solutions to problems. You need to have conversations with your customers (focus groups, questionnaires, digital surveys) to identify the real pain points that your product addresses.
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Research shows that women are typically more knowledge-based and relationship-focused in their purchasing decisions; tending to seek the advice and opinions of other women (eg by reading or posting on social media).
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All women are not the same â there are as many differences between women as there are between men and women. Think about womenâs different roles â they might simultaneously or at different times be leaders, experts, executives, mothers, partners, daughters, or friends.
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Marketing to women is complex and can be confusing. As times change and norms shift, you can navigate the minefield by observing these key principles â principles that affirm the primary importance of knowing the customer and respecting their identity, individuality, and dignity, whoever they are.
Jenny Darroch is Dean of the Farmer School of Business (FSB) and the Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Business Leadership at Miami University. Prior to joining FSB Jenny was Dean of the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. Here she launched the Drucker School Global Family Business Institute. Before moving to the USA, Jenny was Director of Entrepreneurship at the University of Otago in New Zealand and launched New Zealand’s fist master’s degree in entrepreneurship. Jenny has authored three books and numerous journal articles.
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