You watched a woman walk into your dealership alone so you immediately approached her and introduced yourself. You made her feel comfortable, showed her a few vehicles, and even took her on a test drive. It looks like you are doing everything right and may have a sale on the board before the night is over. But there is an important step that many salespeople either don’t think about, or are too lazy to do. And that is you need to introduce her to the key people in your dealership.

Like the “meet and greet,” introducing the female shopper to the other people at your dealership sounds simple enough. But it’s something that most salespeople just don’t do.

First let’s review the key things to remember when introducing yourself. Don’t make a woman wait when she first arrives or else she may feel ignored. And if she brings a friend, which most women will, greet them both equally. Remember that it takes less than 10 seconds to make a permanent impression, and much of that is based on silent signals that you send during the first contact. So make sure you smile, give her your complete attention, don’t let your eyes wander, and stand straight and tall.

The way you shake her hand provides clues to your personality, so give a firm, not crushing, handshake. A limp handshake is a sure sign of insecurity and low self-esteem. And always remember to give each person in the party your business card, and offer everyone refreshments. Never forget that the buying process for women is based on trust, not on whether the buyer thinks she is getting the best deal. The more effort you make to get to know her, and the more she gets to know you, the more likely she is to buy a car.

Part of that trust-building process is to introduce her to the key people at your dealership. It’s the same psychology as when you introduce a new person to your family or friends. It’s a way of bringing an “outsider” into your close group of “insiders.” It just so happens that these insiders work with you. Have you ever been invited to a party where you were not introduced around? It’s awkward because the introduction is really an invitation to join the group. Without that invitation, the new person will probably feel like an outsider, not accepted and welcome.

Logically, it really shouldn’t matter to a customer if she meets the F&I manager, the service manager, the parts manager, or even the owner of the dealership. After all, selling cars is traditionally very impersonal, at least to men. But from an emotional standpoint, the introduction of key people at your dealership is the same as welcoming someone into your circle of friends. And creating positive emotion is critical when selling to a woman.

Use the pretense that you want to give her a quick tour of the dealership to familiarize her with the layout of the facility. She will feel more comfortable when she has the lay of the land and can easily find the service drive, for example, when she returns.

The introductions also convey to the female customer that she is important, important enough that you want her to meet other important people. It also sends her the message that you are so confident that she’s going to buy a car that she will be returning to the dealership again and again. Therefore, she needs to meet these people now because they will be helping or working with her in the future.

It’s critical that all dealership employees understand how important the Introduction phase is to the success of the sales process. If the service manager is preoccupied or the cashier acts uninterested, the Introduction may do more harm than good. Each employee has to be prepared and ready to be introduced themselves, or to allow other employees around them to be introduced. There’s nothing worst than waiting for two people to stop their conversation before you can make an introduction. It’s rude and sends your customer the opposite message.

So before you make an introduction, ask the person that you want to introduce to your customer if now is a good time. Your customer will understand, and probably appreciate it, if the employee is in the middle of helping another customer.

Your dealership should take a cue from Disney, where every employee, regardless of rank or role at the amusement park, is “in character” at all times. Every dealership employee should also be “in character” and ready to act enthusiastically and respectfully when they are being introduced to a customer.

Remember that introductions only take a few minutes but create a friendlier and trusting environment for your female customers.

Peter Martin is the founder of Cactus Sky Communications, an e-mail marketing and e-mail matching business. Martin also founded and is a current shareholder of AskPatty.com, the premier automotive advice site for women.