When John Steinbeck penned his 1937 classic, "Of Mice and Men", I’m pretty certain he didn’t think that one day there would be a correlation made between Lennie and an automobile customer. And I know for sure he wouldn’t have seen George as a finance manager.

Now don’t jump to conclusions; I’m not suggesting that the average consumer has a mental capacity similar to Lennie’s or that the gap between Lennie’s level of intelligence and that of George is the same that exists between customers and finance people (although it is interesting to note that the average finance manager has an IQ that is over 10 points higher that the average customer). What I am suggesting is that finance people often see themselves as "George" and often consider customers, especially women, like "Lennie".

To make sure you’re not adversely offending customers in this way, ask yourself the following questions:

- When a husband and wife are purchasing a vehicle together, do I make eye contact and make my presentation primarily to the husband?

- Do I in any way change my presentation (in a condescending manner) when addressing a young, single or female buyer?

- Do I try to slide in a warranty or etch (never acceptable in our opinion) more with certain types of people than with others?

Case Study

If you don’t think this type of thing goes on, just ask my wife, a Registered Nurse. When we recently purchased a car, much of the work was done in advance via fax machine and e-mail. A complete application was sent that included both of our information. But when we arrived at the dealership, the approval and all the documents were only printed up in my name. But wait, it gets worse.

After we corrected the paperwork and approval, we sat in front of the finance manager to complete the transaction. For the first 3 minutes, he never once made eye contact or addressed my wife. It wasn’t until she asked a question that he even acknowledged her. After that, things were fine.

Treating all customers with respect and dignity is critical to success. Consider how old attitudes or stereotypes may be adversely affecting the way you treat customers. Ask other team members (especially women) if they feel you treat certain people differently. Then make the necessary adjustments.

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