What She's Not Telling You: Why Women Hide the Whole Truth and What Marketers Can Do About It [Paperback]

Mary Lou Quinlan (Author), Jen Drexler (Author), Tracy Chapman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2009

Discover the remarkable Whole Truths that can help you trump your competitors in today's hard-fought female market. Once you know What She's Not Telling You, you will never listen the same way again.

Have you ever rejoiced as women raved about your product in research only to discover months and millions of lost dollars later that they've all changed their minds? Ever wonder why even successful fashion retailers misfire with women over 40? Or if moms are really as ''squeaky green'' as they claim to be? If women say they're tired of seeing supermodels in ads, do they mean it? (Would you even know it if they didn't?)

Get ready to hear the whole truth about the Half Truths that can undermine your best-laid plans with women. For the past decade as partners in the powerhouse consultancy Just Ask a Woman, Mary Lou Quinlan, Jen Drexler, and Tracy Chapman have been changing the way marketers listen to women. Inside this book they share their best Power Listening strategies, honed during their groundbreaking work on behalf of global leaders in dozens of industries. They will save you from wasted research and marketing mistakes before it's millions of dollars too late.

In this provocative, tell-all book, you will learn how to detect women's hidden Half Truths and to dig deeper to the Whole Truths that drive brand leadership, relevance, and growth. Inside you'll find

• The five key motivators that drive women s Half Truths and how to overcome them
• Compelling cases of Whole Truth marketers (and those shortchanged by Half Truths)
• Techniques to break Half Listening habits that sabotage Whole Truth insights

Praise for What She's Not Telling You:
''I believe this highly readable book, founded on years of personal research and brought to life through vivid case histories, will be a goldmine for marketers.''
--John E. Pepper, former CEO and chairman, Procter & Gamble Company

''As the father of four daughters, I tried to understand women. As the founding editor of People, I had to understand our predominantly female readers. If only I had had Mary Lou Quinlan's book back then! It is, so to speak, the Mother Lode of insight and counsel. And that's the whole truth.''
--Richard B. Stolley, senior editorial adviser, Time Inc.

''Focus group, schmocusgroup! This book helps you listen between the words to get to a woman's real bottom line.''
--Donna Hanover, broadcast journalist and former First Lady of the City of New York

''Much research is wasted because it fails to understand the psychology that influences women's responses. A must-read for any results oriented marketer.''
--Roy Bostock, chairman, yahoo! Inc.

Gold medal winner in the advertising category of the 2010 Axiom Business Book Awards!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

CEO Mary Lou Quinlan is an internationally recognized marketing strategist with 30 years experience advising blue chip clients. She's the author of two rule-changing books, Just Ask a Woman and Time Off for Good Behavior, has written for national women's magazines, and has been a correspondent for CBS News and a prime-time ABC-TV personality. She founded Just Ask a Woman with codirectors Jen Drexler, a highly sought-after trend tracker, content creator, and keen strategist; and Tracy Chapman, a fearless ethnographer and deft planner who has delved into consumers' minds and homes. Mary Lou, Jen, and Tracy have built reputations as acclaimed speakers, sharing insights at client conferences and industry events around the world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Just Ask a Woman (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982393806
• ISBN-13: 978-0982393802
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #854,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mary Lou Quinlan has written inspirational features for Real Simple, O, the Oprah Magazine, and MORE, and other magazines and, is the author of the books Just Ask a Woman, Time Off for Good Behavior, and What She's Not Telling You.

Mary Lou's latest venture is the launch of The God Box Project, including a new book The God Box: Sharing my Mother's Gift of Faith, Love and Letting Go (Greenleaf Book Group, April 17, 2012), as well as a one-woman, one-act performance, an app, and a series of short films. The God Box project tells the story of Mary Lou's personal transformation, thanks to the remarkable discovery of her mother's unique ritual for resolving her most heartfelt wishes and worries.

She is the nation's leading expert on female consumer behavior, and as the founder and CEO of marketing consultancy Just Ask a Woman and Mary Lou Quinlan & Co. has interviewed thousands of women about their lives. Mary Lou has keynoted hundreds of conferences around the U.S; has appeared on television programs such as The CBS Early Show, Good Morning America, and the Today show; and has been profiled in The New York Times, the Wall St. Journal, and USA Today, among many other media outlets.

Mary Lou is Jesuit-educated with an MBA from Fordham University and an honorary doctorate in communications from her alma mater, Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, where she earned a BA in English. She and her husband, Joe Quinlan, live in New York City and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, along with their dog, Rocky.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars mucho insight, November 14, 2009

By 

Ellis Verdi - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What She's Not Telling You: Why Women Hide the Whole Truth and What Marketers Can Do About It (Paperback)

when I read this I go "yeah, that makes sense, why didn't I think of that." It's that kind of book, where you feel that you are getting new and wonderful insights on every page. The info is well packaged and simply presented--easy to digest. Terrific book for all marketers, advertising people, and any person with a new product or service. What's really weird is that you kind of read it thinking about all the women you know, including daughters, mothers etc...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read, November 23, 2009

By 

Neil D. Brown "readerdon" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What She's Not Telling You: Why Women Hide the Whole Truth and What Marketers Can Do About It (Paperback)

For more than 40 years I have tried to tune my male ears and pysche to the complications of women. Ms Quinlan pulls back the stylish cloak and patiently and simply reveals some of the most perplexing secrets of why women say what they do. And most importantly what they don't say and how to hear it. Anyone wishing to understand the why and how of female shopping and buying should spend time with this fascinating book. If you sell to a woman, work with a woman, live with a woman, know a woman you'll get something from this book.

donbrown
Principal brownchild ltd inc Houston TX

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for All Marketers, November 18, 2009

By 

Nicole B. (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What She's Not Telling You: Why Women Hide the Whole Truth and What Marketers Can Do About It (Paperback)

This is a great book for all marketers. It really gets to the heart of consumer research, and why it is so important to ask the right questions vs. hearing what the brands want to hear. Kudos for calling out Olay for listening to the "whole truth" vs. the "half truth" in product development and marketing.