3 Things You Absolutely Need to Know About Selling to Millennials
All I wanted to do was take the car out for a test drive! I did my research and knew the car that I wanted. Now that I was in the dealership I just wanted to get behind the wheel myself and see if the car was for me.
The salesperson drives the car off the lot and pulls to the side of the road. I thought he was doing this so that I could get in the driver’s seat. Nope.
He wanted to show off the car’s turn radius.
The salesperson pulls the car out and performed a sharp 180 degree turn so I could see the benefit of the car’s very tight turn radius. That’s when he lost me because I didn’t care about the car’s turning capability, I just wanted to drive it!
By not speaking my “buying language” this dealership lost the sale. I bought the same car from another dealer who understood what I needed in the sales presentation.
As a sales professional, you need to speak your customer’s language! If you’re trying to appeal to Millennial customers (and with over 80 million Millennials, you really should!) here are three things you absolutely need to know about selling to them:
The First Thing You Need to Know: Millennials are “values-driven” customers
When TOMS shoes first came on the market I remember thinking “Wow, those are ugly and not very comfortable! No one is going to buy those!”
I was wrong.
Customers (especially Millennials) loved the idea that the company gives away one pair of shoes for every one sold to the tune of $250 million of sales in 2013!
Now, I know that you probably cannot give away one product for every product you sell! The key takeaway here is that you need to find out what is important to your Millennial customers and help them feel “whole” about their purchase.
It’s important to Millennials that the company, the products, the services, and yes, even the people they buy from reflect the values they strive to live by.
Consider this: Millennials are 71% more likely to purchase a company that supports a cause they care about. (Source: MillennialMarketing.com)
The Second Thing You Need to Know: Millennials want “relationship developers” not just “information providers”
Millennials are the most technologically connected group of the four major generations and came of age (or are coming of age) in an era when access to information is instantaneous.
So, they have probably done a lot of research on your product or service before contacting you. Instead of just dumping information all over them (which they probably already know!), take the time to develop a genuine relationship during the sales process.
Remember, Millennials need to feel good about the people they do business with.
The Third Thing You Need to Know: Keep It Moving!
Have you noticed that Millennials seem to have a reduced attention span compared to other generations? You have to capture their attention and keep their attention, that’s why it’s so important to keep things moving in the sales process.
If your traditional sales presentation consists of sitting at a desk for 30 minutes, or trying to prove the merits of a car’s “turn radius”, before you get into the “meat” of what your Millennial customer wants then you will absolutely lose them!
They live fast, move fast, text fast and talk fast!
Want an example of this? Watch re-runs of “Gilmore Girls.” The show’s tagline was “Life is Short-Talk Fast!” and featured insanely fast (and witty) dialogue, pop culture references and quick visual cuts.
Find opportunities to keep things moving, engaging and interesting throughout the sales process. Have conversations while walking. Use visuals to illustrate your points. Be creative and engaging. And have some fun!
Yes, speaking a different “selling” language can feel like more “work”. And maybe it really is. But don’t you think it is worth it if you get to change someone’s world?
