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Selling Across Generation Gaps
October 01, 2007
How to find common ground with the New Millennials
By Dave Stein
Irrelevant and interchangeableߪif there were ever two words to describe how we don't want to be viewed as B2B marketers and sellers, these certainly make the short list! Yet "irrelevant and interchangeable" is precisely what we are to men and women in other generational groups if we don't understand the context in which they live and work.
Cam Marston, of Charlotte, N.C.-based Marston Communications, sees four distinct generations, each with its own shared history, common biases and core beliefs. Successful selling and marketing to each of those groups, he says, requires the ability to create rapport, develop trust and establish long-term relationships with buyers very different from us.
Marston categorizes his groups as follows: The Matures, born before 1946; The Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964; The Generation Xers, born between 1965 and 1980; and The New Millennials (Generation Y), born after 1980.
Picture yourself as a Baby Boomer making a sales call on the 27-year-old Chief Technology Officer of a hot startup. Even as your initial impressions are forming when entering their office, you might find yourself fighting to keep Ralph Waldo Emerson's words from overpowering you: "Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying."
Selling to this New Millennial the same way you would like to be sold to won't get you very far at all. Instead, sell to them as they would like to be sold to. They are different. They don't have the Baby Boomers' need to be part of a team, our degree of competitiveness, our trophies, plaques and other visible trappings of success, our work ethic, our need for control, or our need to be defined by our jobs.
Before you ever meet that prospect, understand that "different" in terms of cross-generational selling is neither right nor wrong; it's just different. Seek to understand what those differences are. Follow that by developing an approach that leverages those differences—the attributes, biases and preferences—of your prospect.
Making no apologies for generalizing, Marston suggests that in addition to having all the skills, experience and knowledge required in every other sales situation, selling effectively to our New Millennial prospect requires that you become a non-stressful provider of information, because New Millennials are over-stressed and over-scheduled. You'll need to highlight peer-to-peer testimonials, because New Millennials seek that approval. And you'll need to position the immediate impact your product will have on their lives.
Good products, good processes and good people still comprise the foundation of successful selling. However, with all of us seeking new opportunities for competitive advantage, learning to communicate more effectively with those from other generations can mean the difference between winning and losing.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
This article is brought to you by Sales & Marketing Management, the leading authority for executives in the sales and marketing field.
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