Generational selling tactics that work : quick and dirty secrets for selling to any age group

252 Pages·2011·1.73 MB·English

by  Marston

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GENERATIONAL
SELLING
TACTICS THAT
WORK
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GENERATIONAL
SELLING
TACTICS THAT
WORK
Quick and Dirty Secrets for
Selling to Any Age Group
C A M M A R S T O N
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright#2011CamMarston.Allrightsreserved.
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ISBN978-1-118-01838-5(cloth)
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Thisbookisdedicatedtothosewhoareinthe‘‘peoplebusiness’’
andarelookingfornewwaystoconnectwiththosewho
couldbeorshouldbetheircustomers.
AlsotothecorporatebehemoththatisGE,withoutwhomIwould
haveneverbegundownthispathoflearningthesellingpreferences
ofthedifferentgenerations.GEtrainstheirpeoplewelltobe
toughnegotiatorsanddemandingclients,but,intheend,
theirdemandingprocessestendtomaketheirvendorsbetter
atwhattheydo.Thathascertainlybeenmycase.
AndtotheMellowMushroomatthecornerofOldShell
andUniversityandSatoriCoffeeHouseonOldShellRoad,
whereIdiligentlyeditedandreeditedthemanuscript.
Finally,I’dbefoolishtoneglectmywifeandmyfamily.
Theytoleratedramaticmoodswingsbasedonmymostrecent
clientcalls,longperiodsofmybeingawaywithclients,and
mycallsfromtheroadfromexoticlocationswhilethey’re
sloggingawayathomeincarpoollinesandendlessswimmeets
undertheblazingsouthAlabamasun.Lisa,Reiney,Spencer,
Mackey,andIvey–thanksforlettingmedowhatIdo.
I’moneluckyhusbandandfather.
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CONTENTS
PREFACE ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii
CHAPTER1 SellingandtheGenerations:
MakingaConnection 1
CHAPTER2 SnapshotofBabyBoomers 27
CHAPTER3 SellingtoBabyBoomers:
TheSearchforControl 53
CHAPTER4 SnapshotofMillennials 83
CHAPTER5 SellingtoMillennials:
TheSearchforConnection 109
CHAPTER6 SnapshotofGenerationX 137
CHAPTER7 SellingtoGenerationX:
TheSearchforTruth 161
CHAPTER8 SnapshotofMatures 189
vii
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viii Contents
CHAPTER9 SellingtoMatures:
TheSearchforQuality 213
CHAPTER10 ClosingtheDeal:Connectingand
SellingacrossGenerationalLines 231
ABOUT THEAUTHOR 241
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PREFACE
E
ight years ago an audience member asked me if my
informationonthegenerationscouldbeadjustedto
apply to sales. ‘‘It makes sense,’’ she said, ‘‘that if
these generations have such strong biases about their work-
places that they may also have some biases about the sales
process.’’Atthetimemyfocuswasthegenerationalchanges
impacting the workplace. ‘‘Probably,’’ I said, ‘‘But I’ve not
done any research into that.’’ A few months later she called
me and said, ‘‘Do the research. I want you to come speak to
my sales force.’’ Thus began my odyssey into generational
biases around salesand discovering specific sales tactics that
each generation prefers.
Intheaudienceofthisfirstpresentationongenerational
selling was a gentleman with General Electric (GE), whose
responsibility was to educate the entire U.S.-based GE sales
forceonsellingtactics.Helikedmypresentationandsaidhe
found some truth in my content, and not long after that I
began touring the country speaking to the GE sales forces
across the nation. Those speeches and seminars continue to
this day, but now it’s not just with GE; it’s to a broad
spectrum of companies across North America.
ix
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x Preface
Most normal people tend to think of sales and service
from a few standard frames of mind:
(cid:1) If I like my product or service for a certain reason, you
willlikeitfor that reason,too. Therefore, Iwillsell itto
you featuring the reasons I like it.
(cid:1) If I want to learn about a product or service, you will
likelywanttolearnaboutitthesameway.Therefore,I’ll
assume you’ll want to learn about it like I do.
(cid:1) And if I like a salesperson for one reason or another,
you’ll probably like the salesperson for those same rea-
sons.Therefore,I’lltrytobehavelikethesalespersonI’d
like to do business with.
What this creates is salespeople, marketers, and service
providers who essentially replicate their own preferences on
their customers. And, frankly, sometimes this works, but
many times it doesn’t.
I’ve written this book to get you ‘‘out of you and into
them’’—into your customer’s frame of mind. I want you to
becomeawareofyourgenerationalbiasesandnottoletyour
biases dominate your sales, marketing, or service processes.
It’s nottoo hard, actually, and intheprocess you’llprobably
learn something about yourself.
Always remember:
(cid:1) People do business with people that they like.
(cid:1) People do business with people they think are like
themselves.
This bookis writtento helpyoubecome likableto your
different generations of customers and to give you tools
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xi
Preface
andideasforhowtobecomelikeyourdifferentgenerations
ofcustomers.AretheywaysforaMillennialtobecomelike
a Boomer? Absolutely; if they know what a Boomer prefers
when they’re making buying decisions, then that Millen-
nial can adjust to become more like the Boomer. The same
with a Mature to a Millennial or a Boomer to an Xer. It
works from all generations to the others. The key is being
able to get out of your habits and routines and into the
preferences of your prospect. Knowing what those prefer-
ences are is step one.
Good selling.