Selling Across the Generations: Choose Your Message Wisely

Written by Cam Marston

There has been a lot of buzz lately about the dynamic created by having four generations in the workforce simultaneously. Dozens of experts, myself included, have spent hours with businesses worldwide to help management better understand how to connect with employees by understanding how a generational perspective can color the world and affect business relationships.

Delving more deeply into the generational conundrum, it is apparent that not only the workplace relationship is affected, but also the way companies do business overall. How do you communicate with vendors and customers who may be Matures, Boomers, Gen Xers or Millenials? What does this mean for your sales and marketing messages?

Selling Across Generations; Choose Your Message Wisely The same basic principle applies to selling or marketing to a generation: if you meet them where they are, you can bring them where you want. Forcing change will get you nowhere.

You need to know where they are in order to craft a message that brings them closer to your company, product or service.

Boomers.

Where have you been? Born between 1946 and 1964, they are optimistic consumers who value a strong work ethic. Boomers grant credibility based on proven history. There is your hook. If the company is young, focus on the strengths of its founders. If the product is new, speak to the company’s history of success. Find a way to say, “we’ve proven ourselves worthy of your attention and investment.”

Where am I going? We all know that the Boomers are beginning to retire – the business world is preparing (or should be) for a wave of leadership vacancies nationwide. This shift also means a shift in the way Boomers think about themselves and their own legacies. Craft a message that speaks to this hunger…how will your product or service help Boomers leave a legacy? Tell them.

Why should I change? Boomers are often traditionalists. They may use technology happily or begrudgingly, but as a whole they view it as something to augment the old way, not replace it. Remember, too, this is a group that thrives on a proven history of success. Do not let your excitement about the new imply a disdain for the traditional. Instead, focus on how your offer will enhance what they are already doing.

Generation X

Born 1965-1979, Gen Xers are a smaller generation – 49 million compared to 80 million Boomers and 75 million Millenials - that has a made a big impact. Raised in a world that appeared to be falling apart, they have always questioned authority and maintain a strong skepticism today. They are not easily impressed and want to know all the details for themselves before making a decision.

Oh yeah, I’ll see about that.
Understand that Xers take nothing at face value and will seek out their own information and referrals. Look at your marketing as an introduction that directs them to further information. Make sure your web site is stocked with data and product specifications. Want to further your credibility with Xers? Point them to an unbiased resource and show you’ve got nothing to hide. Remember, these are the folks who lived through church scandals and presidential affairs. Honesty is unexpected yet highly treasured.

What’s with the attitude?
Another way to address the cynicism of GenX is to poke a little fun at it. Gen Xers can laugh at themselves and will appreciate your direct approach, if done well. Be careful not to belittle the choices they make, but rather the cynical way they see the world. It’s all about the attitude.

Let me ask around.
Gen Xers are influenced by real people. Peer-to-peer testimonials – especially at the grass roots level – carry tremendous weight. Xers invented the reader reviews and buyer feedback for online merchants. They are not going to simply believe that your widget is the strongest, shiniest and most versatile widget known to man; they are going to log on and find out what the people who already bought your widget really have to say.

Millenials

Born between 1980 and 2000, the Millenials are split between being direct consumers and parental influencers. As a whole, they are more optimistic and ambitious than the Xers before them. However they are in a tricky spot right now as they slowly, and sometimes reluctantly, extricate themselves from their increasingly coddled childhoods and take on the world. They have been taught to look for the helping hand.

I’m unique. Kinda sorta.
The Millenials want to stand out from the crowd, without standing apart from it. This means they want the same things their friends have, as long as they can customize it and make it their own. Successful brands and marketing campaigns – think Crocs & Jibbitz, iPOD, etc – have given Millenials a way to individualize something that is seen as a “must-have” by their peers.

Where is everyone?
Millenials as a whole are an inclusive crowd. They have been raised in a world of increasing diversity and their optimistic nature wants to continue that. Because they ultimately trust their peers over any other source, they want to see their peers in your campaign. And this means diversity - economic, racial, social - is simply expected.

Now what?
Millenials are incredibly active – frequently to the point of being stressed – and on the move. They look for the immediate application in everything. When selling to them, you should include actionable information. Don’t simply tell them about a product, give them a code to use online to find out more. Let them feel like they are part of something bigger and the information will be retained longer and hold more value.

One Size Fits Some.
Each generation in today’s marketplace has a strong personality and perspective that drives decision making. Ignoring those differences can backfire completely, pushing away a generation of potential customers, or at the very least wasting valuable resources on a message that doesn’t fit. So while the rules of communication may change, the fundamental rule of sales and marketing does not – know your audience. Not just household incomes or spending habits, but what do they value and how do they see the world? A generational perspective provides that understanding and helps make the connection.

Cam Marston -
	Cam Marston is president of Marston Communications, and speaks to businesses worldwide about generational issues in the workplace. He is the author of Motivating the “What’s In It for Me?” Workforce, released in May 2007. Visit his website at http://www.generationalinsights.com/ Read More >>
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