How to Sell to Gen Z & Millennials
How and when you grew up will have a substantial impact on how you view the world, access information, and make decisions. In sales, it becomes critically important to understand exactly who your buyers are, how they make decisions, and how to position yourself, your company, and your offerings in a way that speaks to them. Today, we’re here to talk specifically about how to sell to Gen Z and Millennial buyers.
Let’s start with what they’re after. What type of relationship or partner are they looking for? Baby Boomers and Gen Xers have historically looked to partners to be the providers of all information. Younger buyers, like Millennials and Gen Zers, want so much more. They want an expert to not only provide them with information but also to act as a filter. They need someone to guide them in making sense of what they have read, heard, or experienced before—someone who is invested in understanding who they uniquely are so they can make informed decisions. These roles require a deeper level of connection between you and the client, which is why younger generations perceive connection as vital for credibility.
Now, how do we reach them? When communicating with Gen Z and Millennial buyers, keep in mind their communication preferences:
- Like fast, visual communication
- Are motivated by visual images and action words
- Favor emails, texts, IMs, voicemails, and social media outreach
According to the CRM and sales optimization experts at HubSpot, Millennials and Gen Z buyers turn to social media, internet searches, and YouTube ads to discover new products, services, or solutions. Specifically, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are the top social media platforms where these two groups spend their time. It’s important to note that 28% of Millennials and Gen Zs have bought a product through an in-app shop in the past three months. Over a quarter of the Millennial and Gen Z population has made a buying decision in these spaces.
So, the obvious question is—are you present where they are looking? Are you findable and active on the platforms they spend their time on, communicating in ways that appeal to them?
If one of your target demographics includes those born between 1981 and 2012, and you aren’t actively feeding these sources, you’re missing out on a huge portion of the current buying population. As someone who personally falls into this segment, I fully agree that these are the spaces and preferences my friends, acquaintances, and I have. We want to work with people and organizations who know what they are doing and take their jobs seriously—but who are also relatable, easy to work with, have fun, and are inspired by the work they do.
So, I encourage you to think outside of your comfort zone and step into these spaces, even if it makes you uncomfortable. Record a short video to post on Facebook, create an Instagram post introducing yourself and how you can help people like me, and consider adding texting and instant messaging to your prospect outreach strategy. Start to build an online presence that speaks to these two generations, keeping in mind, of course, their communication preferences—fast and visual!
Communication, and more importantly, connection in selling today is no longer a one-size-fits-all, or even one-size-fits-most. It’s custom, it’s unique, and it’s built around the person. These two generations are wildly opinionated and vocal! So, go to the people in your life who fit this profile and ask them what would speak to them—what they would like to hear or see from people doing what you do. We will GLADLY tell you.
With that, thanks for watching, and have a fantastic day!
Author:
Alex Cole-Murphy, Sales Development Expert
Anthony Cole Training Group
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