Women put the âÂÂmouthâ in the phrase âÂÂword of mouth.âÂÂ

ThatâÂÂs one of the lessons the Lawrence-based brand consulting firm Prerogative has been trying to teach clients across the country for more than a year.

The firm, a division of Lawrence-based Callahan Creek Inc., was started in September 2001 with the specific purpose of helping companies better understand how to do business with women.

Lesson No. 1: It is no myth that women talk more than men, at least when it comes to shopping.

âÂÂOne of the things we try to help people understand is how important it is for a company to understand its women customers because if you can please one woman customer you can potentially please 10,â said Helen Thompson, managing director for Prerogative.

âÂÂWomen really do listen to other women about what to purchase, what to buy. ThatâÂÂs why we tell our clients it is important to remember that the one woman you are serving could become your greatest advocate or your worst enemy because theyâÂÂll tell lots of other women about their experience.âÂÂ

Understanding what women want is the main business of the firm, and earlier this month it took its biggest step toward figuring out the age-old question. The division launched its own 1,000-member, national e-mail panel asking about 700 women, and about 300 men for comparison purposes, what they think about new product names, marketing ideas and overall business strategies.

âÂÂIt gives us a very good way to get an accurate read on what women are thinking,â Thompson said.

Previously, Prerogative relied primarily on outside firms to gather research for projects. Thompson said officials hoped the panel would help the company land more major clients.

Currently, the division is using the panel to ask questions for one of its larger clients, AXA Advisors, a national financial services company.

Prerogative is using the results to provide sales training to AXA Advisors on how best to understand how women view financial investments.

âÂÂWeâÂÂre finding that women have different ways of looking at money than men,â Thompson said. âÂÂMen tend to want to invest money for the sake of creating more money. Women want to invest because it will give them more freedom, more security and a chance to leave a legacy.âÂÂ

Cindy Maude, president and CEO of Callahan Creek, said she thought her companyâÂÂs new division ultimately would produce big results. So far, though, it hasnâÂÂt helped add to the bottom line. Sales growth at Callahan Creek has been stagnant for the first time since Maude bought the company in 1996, a fact she blamed on the nationwide slowdown in advertising.

But Maude said she was convinced the division helped her firm win some new accounts, like ChildrenâÂÂs Mercy Hospital. She also thinks it has made some existing accounts, like Hills Pet Nutrition, more comfortable in adding projects to Callahan CreekâÂÂs workload.

She said the division should start paying dividends in the future as small and mid-size companies begin following the lead of larger corporations, like Nike and LoweâÂÂs, both of whom recently announced store changes designed specifically to appeal to women.

âÂÂI think marketers have known for quite some time that women are now their primary target in most areas, but I think the difference today is that people in the business world are beginning to understand women and men make decisions differently,â Maude said.