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By Percy Chong, 7th October 2015
How do the different generations of salesperson entering the marketplace, affect selling strategies? Does it matter how Gen X, Gen Y, or Millennial sell, or are sold?
ASG found that It doesn’t really matter whether you are Gen X, Gen Y, or Millennial salesperson, the selling principles does not change. But each different generation of consumers do need to be sold differently, while still grounded within established sales principles.
We have shared in our earlier sales articles about some of these sales and marketing mantras, and how these principles will be the necessary anchors for all sales professional.
Example: The 4-stage AIDA sales process is:
- Capturing Attention;
- Triggering Interest;
- Nurturing Desire;
- Committing Action.
This 4-stage AIDA sales process has been taught to generations of salesperson, and it has endured decades of test on the field. And today, it remains as relevant to our prospects and clients as when it was first conceived.
Take for example the sales approach of a sales consultant today.
With the proliferation of the social media platforms (ie. content marketing), some sales consultants have departed slightly from the traditional operation method (ie. telephone and face-to-face). However, the difference in prospecting medium does not preclude the use of AIDA principles.
Like all initial prospecting step, the message/content posted on the social media platforms still need to be notice by the prospective readers, in order to successfully lure them to read, or explore more (ie. capturing Attention). Many well crafted messages attracts a steady stream of prospect to be set-up for impactful “unique selling points” to trigger the prospect’s interest, or curiosity to wanting to find out more about how their interest may be furthered. And this leads them to advance the sales process to the next step.
With the sales meeting successfully baited and set-up, sales consultants today still need to uncover the prospect’s “hot-button”, in order to nurture their desire for the sales solution proposed. And with that achieved, the sales consultants still need to be able to navigate pass all the “genuine” objections to commit the prospect for a sales closed (ie. committing Action).
A change in the operation method does not affect the sales process or principles any one bit! The challenge of a new generation of sales consultant is really to be able to adapt and apply the established sales mantra into any given new media or prospects of their time.
Even with the whole new generation (ie. Gen X, Gen Y or Millennial) of prospects and clients, it will only require the adaptive sales consultants to quickly identify what and how to capture their prospect/client’s attention, interest, desire and commitment to successfully secure the sale. The sales consultant therefore needs to learn and speak the language of their time and continue to dangle the carrot to entice their prospects/clients into action. The challenge is to be able to identify the right carrot to dangle.
So remember, Operation or Buying Methods may change, buying attitudes of prospects/clients may change, but sales principles are evergreen. Learn to look beyond the “noise” and apply the proven science to unlocking your sales success.
Article contributed by Percy Chong (through Asian Sales Guru)
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