One of the questions that comes up in almost every sales coaching or training is, “How do you sell to (blank) generation?” Usually followed up with varying degrees of moans and groans about specific nemesis experiences. ALL generations LOVE to buy, but HATES being sold. It doesn’t matter anyway, because no “selling process” will ever ethically trump the buyer’s process.
The key is “Win the HEART and the MIND will follow”. The #1 priority is always to uncover WHY they’re considering a purchase at this time’ “Tell me, what makes you think you need a new AC? I’m in the business and even I don’t wanna buy one. What’s happening?” If you don’t understand the motivation, you can “pitch” your butt off to just end up looking like another used car salesman in the prospect’s eyes. However, if you understand THEIR WHY, you can “serve” at a higher level relationally and consultively.
Buyers from any generation by emotionally, then justify their decision logically. That said, each generation does have tendencies.
Boomers prioritize 1) Quality & durability, 2) Value for their money, 3) Customer service, 4) Brand reputation, and 5) Ease of use. Leverage product reviews & endorsements. Provide no pay/no interest options or cash discounts. Share the process and who will be interacting with them. Based on your discovery, share 2-3 specific things about your company that align with what’s important to them; don’t just show up and throw up. Eliminate all the complexities and keep it simple. Avoid all the technical talk.
Gen-X prioritize 1) Quality & durability and 2) Value as well, followed by 3) Technology & innovation, 4) Brand reviews, and 5) Ease of use. Dig into the techie stuff and find out which features & benefits are important to their LIFESTYLE. Find the balance between technical and ease of use by only emphasizing the specific things that make THEIR life easier.
Gen-Y prioritize 1) Technology & innovation, 2) Brand ethics, 3) Value, 4) Reviews, and 5) Sustainability. You can broaden the technical beyond just ease of use to demonstrate cutting edge. Brand ethics matter, so core values, community involvement, etc are important. This is the generation where “green” starts to possibly matter. They’re more focused on the concept of “community” both online and offline.
Gen-Z prioritize 1) Technology & innovation, 2) Customization, 3) Brand transparency, 4) Reviews, especially influencers, and 5) Value. They still seek value, but it’s kind of an assumption that they’ll get it. Getting exactly what they want, when they want it is important versus preset packages. Transparency is crucial, so things like how you handled negative reviews and what you actually stand for versus some tagline get filtered through reviews on several platforms and the endorsement of influencers.
BRAND matters to all of them, which is a whole other kettle of fish. Also, notice none of the generations prioritize SEER, AFUE, decibels, etc, which is ironic because the majority of salespeople unwittingly emphasize those.
WIN THE HEART & THE MIND WILL FOLLOW.