Why you shouldn’t sell to Millennials?

Have you ever heard that Millennials are disloyal and always jumping from product to product? Well, that is a MYTH! There’s no doubt that Millennials are choosier than the other generations but that does not mean that they are disloyal. Indeed, a research conducted by Elite Daily stated that more than half of all Millennials see themselves as extremely loyal to their preferred brands. So, why are brands somehow struggling to sell to this younger generation? The answer lies in the fact that many labels are still stuck using traditional marketing and sales techniques.

The traditional ABC’s of sales (always be closing) no longer works. In this sense, brands have to start using the modern ABC’s which stands for “Always be collaborating”. Millennial customers expect service providers to stand for more than their bottom line. If the mindset does not change, brands won’t succeed with Millennials. On this week’s post, I am outlining 5 strategies to better sell to Millennials:

1. Don’t sell

Now you are thinking: I’ve open this post to learn how to sell to Millennials and now you are telling me not to do it? Yes, that is exactly what I am saying! But, what I really mean is that you can’t become too sales-y otherwise, you are going to make them turn their heads away. Gone are the days when you could use a simple “Buy Now” pitch and that would work. Don’t forget that they have grown up being bombarded with those types of advertisements, thus they’ve become sick and tired of it. So, the key rule is to don’t sell right away, first, you ought to convince them why they can’t live without trying or buying your product/service.

2. Emotions matter

Have you been paying attention to the things Millennials have been trending on social media throughout the years? If so, you know that there are certain causes that are a BIG deal for them. For instance, environmentally-friendly projects, social issues, animal rights, among others. Their emotions are one of the dominant factors for their engagement predispositions. You need to make them laugh, cry, be empathetic or give something that will have an impact on their beliefs and world. Think about an advocacy that you can see your company doing that matters to millennials, and just subtly let them know that you can help fight for their cause.

3. You can be informative but keep it quick

Millennials are curious but they are also busily fluctuating from one activity to another. If you hold them for a large period of time, you will end up boring them and your sales pitch will not have the desired effect. In addition, Millennials will fact-check what you are offering regardless of what you will tell them. Therefore, it’s useless to give too much information because they will search for it anyways. So, all you have to do is to convince them why they need your product/service leaving out the boring and heaving information. Always keep your speech short!

4. Don’t make them look like a fool

As said before, they have a tendency to fact-check, whether you want them to or not. You can’t do anything about it. They will search the web to learn more about what you are trying to sell. Millennials want authenticity, hence you must be consistent and transparent with what you tell them about your goods or services. If their fact-checking confirms that you were right, they will be keener to listen the next time! In the case that you are caught lying, besides losing all credibility, they will talk about you with their peers, damaging your image!

5. Skip TV or Radio

In fact, Millennials barely pay attention or use those anymore, consequently, you should watch how they communicate! If it is on smartphones or mobile devices that they spend the majority of their time, it’s there you must be — that’s the best avenue to reach them! Messaging apps are their preferred method to communicate with friends and family. Thus, you should keep it in mind when directly communicating with your Millennial Market.

Lastly, one cannot fail to mention that most messaging apps allow you to launch chatbots and live-messaging tools with custom experiences. Bots offer the same convenience and ease-of-use as instant messaging. Plus, they let your customers perform tasks within Messenger that would otherwise require them to open an app, go online, or make a phone call. In addition, AI-powered bots also deliver automated customer service in a more personal-feeling way, answering questions conversationally and in real-time.

NB: This is a viewpoint by Mariana Marques from HiJiffy. HiJiffy brings chat to the hospitality and travel industry, enabling customers to effectively connect with you through instant messaging apps.