A Generational Sales Challenge, Part Two

Last week, I introduced a generational sales challenge (click here to read last week’s post). Here is one way to resolve that challenge.

Meet the Generational Clues to Solving the Puzzle

Marcelle knows:

1.    Joan is a Traditionalist and her generational values are: frugality, loyalty, patriotism, dependability, duty and hard work.

2.    Mike is a Baby Boomer and his generational values are: independence, creativity, optimism, freedom, teamwork and making a difference in the world.

Meet the Conversation

So how can this knowledge help Marcelle? Her job is to:

1.    Speak each person’s generational language in a meeting with them

2.    Find ways to bridge the generation gap.

Here’s how she does it:

Marcelle: Thank you both for coming today. I appreciate your time. Joan, I want to especially thank you for all your generous donations to ARC. Mike, I know how busy you are and I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me at your mother’s request.

Mike, I’d like to ask you a question: If you were stewarding your mother’s wealth, how would you use it to make a difference in the world?

Mike: I’ll be honest in saying that I wouldn’t give to ARC. No offense, but I’m more into environmental organizations, like WWF, Nature Conservancy, etc. They are finding creative solutions to combat global warming.

Marcelle: What kinds of solutions most interest you?

Mike: Protecting biodiversity before it’s too late.

Marcelle: I’d like to learn more about that Mike. Before I do, Joan, how does dependability impact your giving?

Joan: It’s important to me that the charity is dependable and frugal with my money. It’s their duty to take the money that my husband worked hard for, and pass it forward to those in need.

Marcelle: What kind of need?

Joan: Any need, but mostly emergency situations. Floods. Earthquakes. Disasters.

Marcelle: Which is why you want to leave ARC a generous gift, right?

Joan: Right.

Marcelle: If I showed both of you that a large donation to ARC would fulfill both your needs, would you both be willing to engage in a further conversation about an ARC gift?

Mike and Joan: Yes.

Marcelle: ARC gives relief for victims of disaster, often environmental disasters. Those disasters can occur in developing countries where biodiversity is high. If ARC helps the victims recover, the local people will be able to eventually take care of the fauna and flora. If not, the environment will be scarred forever.

Mike: I never thought about it that way. I’m listening…

Meet the Solution

Will your inter-generational conversation go like that? Probably not. There is no magic formula or cookie-cutter solution to intergenerational puzzles. Yet, if you remember the following steps, you’re likely to move forward successfully.

1.    Determine the generational mindset of each person in the room

2.    Learn about the generational values of each person in the room

3.    Find ways to weave those values into the conversation, to start bridging the gap

4.    Continue to use the generational values and words in follow-up conversations, as you make the final ask