Selling To Younger Buyers (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1)
do some serious adapting to stay relevant. Here are three things that you must know about style-matching in order to sell to younger buyers: 1. Younger buyers flip the relationship-building script. The conventional way to build a relationship with a buyer was pretty simple. You’d walk into the office, look around for family pictures, hobby pictures, college diplomas, or other clues as to the buyer’s personal life, and then you’d start a conversation based upon those interests. This approach has become so hackneyed that it has a name: “Fish on the wall” selling. “Hey, you like to fish? I like to fish, too! Let’s talk about fishing and then I know you’re going to want to buy from me.” It sounds a little disingenuous because it is. Salespeo- ple have, for generations, been starting conversations about personal issues that they didn’t really care about.
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That’s because, for generations, you had to find the per- sonal connection first, bond over it, and then you had earned the right to talk business. Younger buyers flip that script completely. Younger buyers are business-first. They aren’t going to schedule an appointment to talk football for 30 minutes. Instead, you get the appointment by telling them how you can help them do their jobs better. Then, when you get in the door, you get to the point with great business-focused questions and showing them that you can help them do business better. If you are able to actually solve their business needs, then they are open to lunch, drinks, golf, or personal conversations. For sales- people used to the old ways, this is a significant but very important shift — but it’s one that you must make in order to succeed. 2. Younger buyers demand versatility in communication. “All these younger buyers want to do is text! They don’t want to have phone calls!” That’s a common complaint from older buyers. The solution? Get good at texting. Learn how to send a persuasive, grammatically correct (yep, that’s im- portant) message in 240 characters or less. That’s hard for salespeople who are used to lengthy phone conversa-
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June 2, 2025
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