It is no secret that those of us from the millennial generation differ distinctly from our grandparents. This is seen not only in the way we dress and speak, but also in our inherent motivations and values. Kiven Wenman, an experienced sales manager and consultant, has put together an chart comparing some of these basic categories of differences.
When we understand the inherent discrepancies here, it is no surprise that selling to members of these different generations is going to look differently. Tim Moore of Tim Moore Speaks has drawn up some helpful considerations for selling to different age groups:
Millennials:
-Prefer that the product or service must have immediate benefit or relevance to them
-Are more likely to purchase from or volunteer with a business connect to a social cause
-Are technologically-concerned, leveraging the integration of work, life, and tech in any context
Generation X:
-Tend to be skeptical and cynical, requiring hard factual evidence
-Appreciate preemptive answers to questions about quantifiable data
-Do not want to be pushed too hastily make a decision
Baby Boomers:
-Value hands-on exposure: they prefer face-to-face communication to build rapport, and they prefer a demo exposure to the product or service over a mere visual presentation.
-They are more skeptical of technological solutions
-It is strategic to simply explain the implications and significance of the product—save them the time
By considering these generation-specific sales techniques, you can better identify qualified prospects for your products and services, and direct your sales efforts with appropriate consideration for your target market.
BoweryJE22
This is so true. We as sales people must remember that depending on who we are dealing with, we must render our sales tactics accordingly. I know for me personally I am very good at “selling” to kids. I know exactly how to make them interested because of their attention span, and also how to gear it towards showing them that they would benefit from what i’m offering them. The same thing goes for adults. We as teenagers all knew exactly how to adjust to our parents when they would tell us “no” or “i’ll think about it”. we had specific tactics to work around their responses. This is the same thing for selling to different target markets.
I think this is a great point and important to interact with different types of people all the time to master this skill!