But I think the question should be why are they not there

if it is because they will not hire: I agree
if it is because by that age girls don't care about A/V tech: it is too late and I don't think it can be done.


Penny no offence but wasn't it you that had posted about a female friend and Math? I agree it sucks when people stereotype. Was it to the same guy you needed to prove your knowledge over and over again or was it to different people that assumed that you were a typical women looking more on the aesthetics then the technical. If people assumed that and then would let you prove the contrary I don't think it is "bad", it is just natural to assume what is most common, the difference is if the guys would not let you prove you knew what you were talking about. Both my parents are originally from Greece and Greeks are 80% (or more orthodox) my parents were not and neither am I, we are catholic. Many people the first time they meet me think I am orthodox, it is a mistake based on guessing the most common answer. My dad was a University professor, a lot of people (when I was younger) would ask me what restaurant did my dad own (many Greeks that emigrated here during my dads generation started off as dishwashers in restaurants and eventually moved up into owning their own). Even though type casting people initially based on very little knowledge of them is wrong, I do think it is natural, I think what is "bad" is if you don't let that person prove who they really are.

agree. My dad used to call me "master destroyer" because I would always take things apart to see how they would work. The tech was always more interesting then the toy, not to mention that I used to spend my money (Christmas, B day) on electronic toys and stuff

We need to take a look at the mobile industry.
These kids are our future clients.
There has been a huge increase in female car audio and tuner car purchases.
They are getting into the gadgets.
Women are also a strong part of the push for flat screen TV’s. It is not picture size that they object too, it is cabinet size.
You are doing yourself AND your client a disfavor by not using all available resources to make them happy.
If you think that a female with a "little bit of training" cannot do a better job of closing the total sale than a man with the same "little bit of training" please think again.
It is your money on the line.

Brentm: who said that?

Haven't read the thread but what I want to know is why are there so few transvestites in our industry? What's wrong with a big burly bearded man in a dress and what's our industry got against it?

Sorry:
Not a specific quote. But a general impression of the industry as I talk to dealers.
I am amazed at the lack of dealer interest in hiring women.
The vast amount of money spent on A/V is by married couples, and the wife does control the purse strings in most cases (male ego aside).
Yet, we as an industry have done little to exploit this trend. Other than booth fluff at shows there are not but a handful of females employed.
Face it, there is not and will not be a lot of female installers (at least for a while), could be they are smarter than me and don’t want to crawl in an attic. But, we can and should hire females for sales and integration jobs. If you work with a placement agency or even monster.com (have not looked in a while), you will find qualified women. They will help add to your bottom line.
The women that I have worked with and observed in our mobile dept. (Metra Electronics), even with minimal sales training, have done an excellent job of building profitable relationships with their cust. And this is with only phone contact.
Again this is all about the bottom line. They can make a difference with your clients willingness to work with you.

I would suggest that Julie make a questionnaire to send to dealers through CEPro and find out what the general opinion is.
I think that this would be a good article for them.

Q3:
Was that you I saw at The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

Pictures! Where are the pictures?
Especially pictures of dirty women in attics or on dirt bikes.

Sorry Q, no burly bearded transvestites please.

I have to tell you that I have had nothing but good experiences in this business so far.

I first started selling big screen TVs in NYC in 1980. Then in 1982 I became a CE journalist. In those early years I was one of only a handful of women at press conferences. I got along great with manufacturers and magazines, and was never treated any differently than any of the male journalists -- even in Japan.

In 2001, I decided to try out the custom install biz because it looked like fun, and I could set my own hours to be with my daughter and husband.

I found that as long as I made it clear to male clients that I was knowledgeable, they had no problems working with me, and the bonus was that I worked extremely well with the wives. The females could relate to me, as did the interior designers. I can't tell you how many projects I've secured just because I'm a woman.

For all you men out there -- hire a female salesperson, train her well, and you will be surprised at how many more deals you will close.

Just my .02 cents.

Dawn

I'm a woman in the industry with 8 years exp. inthe field and sales. Men call all the time and will hardly give me a chance to even find out what their questions are. After I tell them that I can answer their questions, most are glad to talk to someone who will listen to what they want to know. Some guys talk with their ego, so I put them through to one of our guys who only has a couple of years exp.

Women are always glad to talk to another female. They know they aren't going to get talked down to or bamboozled into buying something they don't need.

Here in CA, we have a lot of women who want whole-house audio, outdoor speakers or surround sound. If a woman is calling us they are the decisionmaker. Whether there is a husband or not. Even if there is a husband, remember behind the scenes, the wife is the decision maker.

Don't forget she has veto power....!

I agree, I like dirty women.

By the way, I love NASCAR. Go #48. I love going to CEDIA to see what new ideas are coming. My husband and I take as many classes as we can.

CEDIA is not as bad as the Consumer Electronics show in Vegas. The last two times we went to that show, the porno convention was in the same building.

Being in this business with my husband has given me a whole different outlook towards electronics. I'm the one always reading up in the trade mags.

And that was a bad thing?

Once again, the difference between men & women. There are differnces beyond the obvious physical.

But I say welcome. It is important to note that women will usually think from the right side and men from the left side - at least as pertains to our industry.

Perhaps the women don't want to work in an atmosphere where this is the very first thought had by the others (us men) when the subject comes up. I opened this thread, subliminally thinking "will there be pictures?" We men are just SO DAMN VISUAL. Perhaps that is another reason more men than women are drawn to this industry.

The "adult show" has coincided with CES for a long time. I'm not 100% sure but I think my husband likes CES better..... :-)

Dawn