We’ve talked before about catering to the millennial market before and now it’s time to dive into how to keep up those modern B2B professionals.
Heinz Marketing and SnapApp reported that 41% of corporate buyers/purchase influencers are under 40. Are you shocked? We’re not! Most executive level employees are not going to respond to first tier marketing efforts. Usually they have mid-career employees or the younger members of staff package up new ideas, software, or services. So, if we’re not marketing to those individuals and limiting our efforts to “decision makers” only, we’re kind of missing the mark.
Based on this, we have to move away from typical procurement tactics and create a more personalized approach.
We’d like to take some time to chat through the key points taken from the Heinz Marketing and SnapApp report.
- “The Millennials are here!” As mentioned, millennial buyers are not longer on the horizon, they’re HERE. 13% of this group are already making those purchasing choices while another 28% of them are part of the influencing process. If we continue to leave them out of the equation in terms of our marketing efforts, we’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle. It’s time to actively shift our mindset here and start creating journeys with which millennials will resonate.
- “The new sales journey.” Because of this, the marketing and sales journey has now changed. Millennials are a lot more independent than the previous generations when it comes to research. This generation conducts detailed research before making a purchasing choice so engaging them in the right way is a must. Early sales engagement is only going to negatively impact their perception of you. It’s no surprise that white paper after white paper are not effective research tools.
- “The rise of sales avoiders.” As we said early, millennials are a bit more independent in their research process. That means that they will reach out to sales later in the process rather than early on. They almost always avoid sales until they’ve had a chance to research on their own. That means your sales team should NOT be cold calling and trying to get in early. They’ll come to you later down the road. That’s why inbound tactics are so vital here.
- “What’s in it from me?” It all comes down to finding solutions. Usually millennial are trying to solve a problem they see in their company or their boss asked them to look into something specifically. Either way, they are proactively looking for solutions. They want to know how they can solve their specific needs. They do not want a generalized experience, but a personal one that fits their desires.
- “Authenticity matters.” We cannot stress enough how important integrity and authenticity are here. This is how you will the influence of the modern millennial buyer. Previous generations relied heavily on a salesperson’s guidance, but now millennials look to their peers and experts in the field. Make sure you’re presenting your solutions in an authentic way or these buyers will not so metaphorically close the door on you.
So, what do you think? Are you up for a mindset shift? We hope so because times are changing, and you might not have a choice anymore.
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