Want Millennial Customers? Don’t Sell to Them

…rely on old wisdoms.

CP: What has been your experience as far as crafting a strategy for reaching millennials?

SD: It has of course taken time and effort to attune our strategy to the ways and preferences of our millennial counterparts in the channel. Millennials use different media and seek different kinds of engagement and experiences than the generations before. As such, they require an entirely new approach.

But the change in strategy is certainly worth it. Data suggests that millennials are an inherently loyal generation, more so than Gen-Xers. This means reaching and engaging with millennials in the right way can earn you a customer or a fruitful partnership for a long time to come.

CP: Why is it important for companies to focus on engaging millennials?

SD: In a word, influence. By some projections, millennials have already surpassed baby boomers as the largest demographic in the workforce. The oldest millennials are well into their 30s and a survey from the Arketi Group recently found that more than half of millennial employees describe themselves as decision-makers for technology purchases. These indicators describe a generation that has both significant and growing influence over their employers’ business decisions.

Engaging with millennials, in an effective and authentic way, is now a necessity. Just as successful businesses changed their go-to-market strategies to mirror with these new characteristics in the consumer environment, so must we compensate for these changes in the corporate environment. It’s a shift we’re aware of and we see it as a new opportunity.

CP: What do you hope those who attend your presentation learn and take away with them?

SD: The most important thing that I can offer is meaningful and actionable guidance for engaging with their millennial counterparts. I hope those that attend my session will then use this advice to forge deeper and more mutually beneficial relationships, not just throughout the channel, but also with their customers and even with their own employees.