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P R O C E E D I N G S
MP3: MP1009 CD: C1009 DVD: D1009
G
ood morning, everyone. Tank you. Its a treat
to be in front of such an elite group of people.
And I hope within the next 25 minutes or so I
will give you some ideas that you will be able to take with
you later today or tomorrowor whenever youre back
in front of your next clientand utilize. I study demo-
graphic shifts, and I study change in populations and their
attitudes. What Im going to focus on today is the four
generations of client or consumer in your marketplace,
and how theyre dierent and how they make decisions
dierently.
My goals for us this morning, very simply, are as
follows:
To determine what I need to know to quickly connect
with and develop rapport with my next generation of
client
To quickly establish a relationship of trust and value
between me and my next generation of client
To make sure I dont become known as my parents
broker
To position myself to get the last look whenever
possible
Hey, theyre shopping me, my Xers out there, you know
what I mean. Te Generation Xers shop. Teyre shopping
me; I want the last look.
So lets begin. Te ages of the generationswho are we
talking about here? Let me start out by saying I recognize
this is a very international audience. Te crux, the core
of this content is primarily Western European economies;
however, if theres time Ill make some relations to those
of you who are from those dierent economies. Im going
to show you some generational content from around the
world. Tese trends have crossed the oceans, so wherever
youre from youll nd some information here you can use.
Tese ages will change a bit in dierent parts of the
world. Tere are dierent generational denitions. Well
focus on the Boomers, the Generation Xers, and the fol-
lowing generation, the Millennials. Youll see them fre-
quently written about as Generation Y. Tese are the pri-
mary decision makers out there. Teyre the vast majority
Generational Insights
Cam Marston
Cam Marston is an author, speaker and expert
dedicated to conquering the generational divide.
Marston has spent more than a decade studying
workforce dynamics, with a keen focus on the
eects of generational bias in the workforce.
Marston delivers his insight through large group
presentations, intimate workshops and public
works. His book, Motivating the Whats in it for me?
Workforce: Managing Across the Generational Divide,
demonstrates the characteristics and motivating
factors each generation brings to the workforce
and strategies for navigating a multi-generational
business world. His clients include General Electric,
American Express and the U.S. Army.
Generational Insights
P.O. Box 81118
Mobile, AL 36608
Phone: 251.479.1990
E-mail: cam@generationalinsight.com
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P R O C E E D I N G S
Generational Insights(continued)
of the population. Were going to try and not stray o on
too many tangents, however, there is a subsection of one of
those generations that must be dened quickly, and thats
the Baby Boom, or those born from 1959 to 1964. If you
were born in those years, may I see your hands, please?
Keep them up for a moment. Everyone look around and
see whose hand is up. Tese are some of the most mixed up
and disturbed people youll ever nd. Its rude and inap-
propriate to talk about people; however, its important that
we talk about them for just a moment.
Tere is a lot about them, but the singular thing Ill
let you in on is this: More crime is committed by people
born between the years 1959 and 1964 than any other
group out there. We dont know exactly why that is, and
thats why we ask them to raise their hands rst. We want
to know who they are. Teyre the ones who, when they
leave their swanky hotel, will have picked their room clean
by the end of their stay, and they know what Im talking
about. Oh neat, a two-cup coeemaker; I love this thing.
I dont really need it, but I cant help but not take it. And
Im not sure if this remote control will work at home, but
Im going to give it a try.
Now, if youre normal, you see the world through your
generational lens, and that lens biases how you see things.
However, my goal is to get you into members of the other
generation youre talking to. To understand them a little
bit so that as you sell, as you pitch, as you try to communi-
cate, you are doing it from their point of view. Remember,
people do business with people they like and with people
they think are like them. Tis is a tool for getting you to
understand those folks.
Tere is a continuum. I want to explain this. In this
room, in this society, in our world here, people typically
fall among dierent places on this continuum. To the far
left, the attitude is dominated by we, us, team, unit, group,
company, nation, and so forth. What does that mean?
Tere is value in being a part of a group. Tere is value in
blending. Teres value in not standing out. Teres value
in being a part of a team. And success, however you de-
ne it, will come to you as a participant or a member of
something bigger than yourself.
If youre under the age of 45, the chances are that this
other side of the continuum is what speaks to you. Its I,
me, my. You are special and unique and dierent from
everyone else. In the last 40 years or so what we have seen
is an enormous number of individuals exploding into our
global society. And on the right side of that continuum is
where the Generation Xers and the Millennials have ex-
isted their entire lives. Parenting and schooling and coach-
ing began to change. Tese kids were called special and
unique and dierent from everyone else. If youre a Baby
Boomer or a Mature, did you ever hear the words special,
unique, dierent from everyone else? If you did it sounded
something like this: What, do you think youre special
or something? It was an accusation. Ten all of a sudden
the attitudes began to shift. We began to see participating
and trophies. Tose of you with children or grandchildren
know what Im talking about. Te parents would say, You
know what, you didnt even nish your swim race. You
didnt even get halfway. In fact, you cant even oat. You
know what, there are very few people who cant oat. Tat
makes you special and unique and dierent from everyone
else.
Te chances are you are steeped in this attitude, in
my opinion. Its my bias, my soapbox, and rightly so.
However, the people you may be looking at from a dif-
ferent generation are steeped in a dierent attitude. And
weve got to understand them. Lets rst start by under-
standing ourselves.
Who are the Baby Boomers? What do I need to know
about me and how am I dierent? Who are the workahol-
ics, the 55-, 65-hour a week standards? Youre very com-
petitive. Tis room is full of competitors, as weve heard
before. Your success is visible: the trophies, the plaques,
the lifestyle elements. Unique to the Baby Boomers are the
visible signs of success. Whether it is a beautifully appoint-
ed oce or a cube on a factory oor, most Baby Boomer
workspaces have some sort of wall of fame that says, Im
succeedingheres proof. Lookthis is a certicate that
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Generational Insights(continued)
says I did a good job. Tis was one that said I completed
the Microsoft Word 1.0 course in 1987, or something like
that.
Tey have pictures of themselves with prominent peo-
ple on their wall. Oftentimes, the Boomers will just have a
picture of themselves staring there on the wall. I need to
motivate myself every day, so I brought a picture of me,
or something like that. Tese are visible signstangible
signsof success, unique to the Baby Boomers. Teyre
an optimistic generation. Teyre a generation of consum-
ers. We know this. Teyre dened by their jobs. Im out-
side here in Vancouver and were downtown and Im doing
a survey. You dont know me, and I stop you and say, Tell
me about yourself. Im going to get a name and a job
description. Tis changes with other generations.
We saw the continuum, with one side completely the
team and unit and the other side completely the indi-
vidual. Te Boomers are a little bit to the inside, to the
right of the far left edge. Lastly, we are the world; we are
the children. Does anyone remember this song? Anybody
have an overwhelming desire to sway? You can hardly stop
yourselves. Your arm is linking the elbow of the person
next to you right now. So youre very, very inuential.
Heres how the Boomers have changed. In 1970 it was
killer weed; today its weed killer. Tings are evolving. In
1970 it was acid rock; today its more like acid reux. In
1970 I was hoping for a BMW; today Im hoping for a
BM. In 1970 it was the Rolling Stones; today its kidney
stones. In the 1970s we were trying to look like Liz Taylor
or Marlon Brando; today we are trying not to look like Liz
Taylor or Marlon Brando. In 1970 it was long hair; today
its more like longing for hair. Te Boomer revolution.
So what are we going to do? Im an Xer; Im going to tar-
get a Baby Boomer. If Im normal, if there are Generation
Xers, Im going to pitch myself, my product, from my own
generational point of view. It isnt going to work. What do
I need to know about the Baby Boomers?
Im going to save them time. Tese are tools that Im
going to teach them. Im going to save you time. Te Baby
Boomers are busy. You Boomers know that. You cant get
your kids to leave. Your parents are making noises about
moving home, and youre busy at work. Youre busy. Im
going to help you save time. How am I going to do it?
Youve got to become versed in it. Heres how Im going
to help save you time: Im going to send you the docu-
ments lled out. All you have to do is sign it. Im going
to send all the standard stu. Im going to put a stamp on
the envelope for you. Im going to make this as easy and
convenient and time saving as possible. Im here to help
save you time.
But be careful of too much technology. My Xer peers,
anybody out there who is heavily relying upon the tech-
nology, you need to understand that the Baby Boomers are
divided about 50/50 into pro-technology and con-tech-
nology. Most have it. Most can use it. Some like it; some
dont. My experience is that some of the Boomers think
this stu is the greatest, and some of them really prefer the
days prior to this. So which is which? Something like Ive
got the proposal for you, or Ive got the plan for you. Can
I zip it up and send it as a PDF? And depending on the
look of the other person at that point, you can determine
whether theyre pro- or con-technology. Either they will
not respond or they will say, Youre sure welcome to do
that. Ill have my children gure this out later today. Ill
call them up. If they give you that response, youve got
to say, All right, listen, Ive got it. Ill write it longhand
on a piece of parchment. Ill roll it up and tie to the leg
of a pigeon, and Ill send it on over for you to review, or
something like that. Teres a 50/50 divide. Weve got to
be careful of assuming.
For my Xer peersand Ill show this momentarily, and
for the Millennials, tooour denition of service is fewer
contacts with people. Our denition of service is fewer
contacts with people. Let me check in online; let me pay
the bill online. I dont want to have to spend a lot of time
talking to people. My denition of service is to save me
time not to develop relationships. And thats a signicant
gap.
Anyway, back to work. Help them feel in control.
Teyre a very optimistic group. We use a lot of optimistic
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Generational Insights(continued)
language with the Baby Boomers. Teyre positive and
optimistic; they become a teammate. Te Baby Boomers
changed the denition of team. Teammates include any-
body whos going to help me. Anybody who is going to
help me solve my problems is a teammate. Its not just
somebody I work with or a family member; its anybody
who helps me solve my problem. So you enter an agree-
ment with the Baby Boomer to be a teammate. Tis is
not a transaction. Im a teammate of yours for life. Tis
is a commitment of a team. I am committing to a team
position with you. Tis is not a transaction. Become the
teammate.
I brought something. I thought this would be fun.
Truly, in such a compressed talk this might be a poor use
of time; however, its fun. Its just genuine pure fun. Its
a commercial. Youll remember this. Te Baby Boomers
in the room, youre going to remember this. Tis is go-
ing to stir you up a good bit. So I encourage you to get
your hankie; get your Kleenex and get it ready. It lasts a
minute and its going to really get you going. If there are
any Generation Xers out there, nd a Baby Boomer near
you and watch them watch this Coke commercial. Its ab-
solutely amazing. Better than the commercial is to watch
them watch this commercial. Tey ush white, they get
dizzy, their arm begins to link, they start to tear up and
look cool about it. Its just amazing. When I have young
audiences, I have to tell them that this is a minute long
and to hang in there with mewell start talking about
you in a little while. So lets roll the tape if we could. [video
clip]
Are you okay? Should we dim the lights for a moment
so that you can get yourselves together?
Generation Xers, we are some of the most cynical, pes-
simistic, antagonistic, unhappy, and unfriendly people
youll ever come across. Were a dicult group of people.
We show up at meetings with you with the plan. Ive done
the research; this is what I need. Would you sign this? or
Get me what I need; Ive done the research. Youve been
doing this for the last 25 years. It doesnt mean youre cur-
rent; it means you may have had success doing this 25
years ago, but things have changed.
Teyre very cynical. And to anybody who calls himself
an expert, Generation X hangs a banner over themselves
that says, I dont know about this. I dont like experts;
they tend to be wrong. Im going to talk to you about
Generation X.
Why are we important? We are coming into our prima-
ry earning years. We are now in positions of responsibility.
More than half of us have children now. And the plans
and the options that you provide are becoming increas-
ingly important to a cynical and pessimistic generation.
Bad things happen; lets be prepared. Its the whole Plan
B, which well talk about in a moment.
So what do we know about Generation X? As youths
they were advised to question authority. You are authori-
ties; youre the top of the top. Youre not here because
youre not; youre an authority because youre here. Teyre
going to question you. Your success makes you worthy of
question. Tis generation has said, Authority gures say
one thing but do another. Its their characteristic. So as
youths they were taught to question authorities.
Tey have no shared heroes. Teir heroes are not ex-
plorers or politicians. Teir heroes are not activists. Teir
heroes are parents, grandparents, coaches, and teachers.
Te four top categories of heroes for Generation X are
parents, grandparents, coaches, and teachers. Teyve
been raised as their parents friends. Teir parents would
come home and say, Boy, we had to work today. It was
a long and hard day, so between now and the moment
you go to bed, you and I are going spend some quality
time. Baby Boomers, do you ever remember your parents
emphasizing quality time with you? Unless your fathers
belt was named Quality, it never ever happened. All of a
sudden this new family, this new friendship with the par-
ents began. It all corresponds to the individual becoming
more important than the group. Tey were raised as their
parents friends. Teyre a bit cynical, skeptical, and pes-
simistic. Teres a chip on their shoulders, and they dont
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Generational Insights(continued)
know why its there. Teres an itch that they cant scratch.
Teyre a tough group.
But theyre the most loyal of all generations. Teyre
the most loyal generation in your workplace, and theyre
the most loyal generation in your client base. Tey nd
people, and they stay close. Tey dont just simply say,
Your expertise makes you the best one for me. Tey say,
Who are you? Can I trust you? Are you going to be the
same person tomorrow as you are today? I want some ref-
erences; I want to know about you, not your plans or your
products. I can nd that. I want to know about you. Tey
nd people and they stay close. I like to say in the buy-
ing environment that Generation Xers dont buythey
stalk. Tey stalk products. Tey stalk services. Even some-
thing as trivial as a toasterthey stalk the toaster. Tey
call their friends up and say, Hey, I can remember back
a little while ago I had a remarkable piece of toast at your
house. Tell me about your toaster. And then theyve got
Consumer Reports reviews in front of them. Tey stalk
these things. Tey dont buy; they stalk. But once theyve
found what they like, they dont shop. Teyre the most
loyal of all the generations out there.
To sell to Generation X, what do you need to know? I
want you to list everything youve got. List all the available
products, services, options, everything. If you take one ap-
proach and say, Ive heard about you, this is exactly what
you need, they immediately dismiss it. Tey say, What
else do you have? Why are you trying to sell this one?
Youre trying to get a bonus trip to Maui or something,
arent you? Show me everything thats available. I want to
know everything. So you list everything youve got.
Te short-term solutions: Lets make decisions or lets
set goals that we can answer by the end of the meeting, by
the end of the weekshort-term solutions.
But you have to have a backup plan: If this doesnt
work, if you dont like it, if you take a look, this is the
backup plan; Ive thought this through.
Tey want involvement in the sales process. Tey do a
lot of their own research; they call a lot of folks. Tey will
use technology to double-check what youre telling them:
Prove to me youre telling me the truth.
To sell to Generation X, remember that theyre skepti-
cal of too much marketing and advertising. I like to say it
this way: Sell the steak; theyll see right through the sizzle.
Tis is what it is; this is what it means to you. Tis is the
comfort and security it provides. Do not hum the national
anthem while youre doing this. Tis is it; this is what it
does for you.
Peer to peer testimonials: Tey trust their peers more
than any other group. You get a Generation Xer whos
been a good client of yours. You say, I want to use you as
a testimonial resource. Can I have folks call you? If they
say yes, you then say, I want you to tell them about me,
working with me, about working with my company, but
primarily about me. Touch on the products, touch on the
services, talk to them about me.
Youll have to prove that you are an authority. What
have you done lately? Whom have you worked with the
last six months? Let me know what youve done in the last
year. What is your recent success? Te history is less im-
portant. What have you done lately? And appear to enjoy
your work. Te inherent cynicism in that one just kind of
makes me giggle. Appear to enjoy your work. Oh, Im
having an appointment with another Generation Xer. Im
looking forward to this. Im looking forward to this. Im
looking forward to this. Its going to be fun. Teyre a
tough group. Appear to enjoy your work. No hard sales.
You push them to close too fast, and they simply dont
respond.
Te Millennials: What do we need to know? Teyre
an optimistic generation. Now their oldest age is 28, 29
years old. Tey may not be a target-rich environment for
you, but I want you to think about this: Tey have a huge
inuence over their parents spending. Te Millennials do
the research for their parents, who say, Im interested in
this. Go to the computer and get me some information.
Teyre an optimistic generation; theyve been pro-
grammed and well cared for. No child left behind. Amber
alerts, child seats that have the silhouette of their body
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Generational Insights
carved into the seat with a ve-point harness, sunshade,
mobile, all sorts of stu. You Baby Boomers, when you
came home from the hospital, if your parents really loved
you, they cracked the windows while they smoked. Tings
have changed. Millennials have been well cared for, well
taken care of.
Teyre group oriented. Tey travel in packs. Tey trav-
el in teams. You call one and say, Hey, come in and have
a meeting, and they show up with two or three friends.
Tey travel in groups, in herds: Tink wildebeests, or
something like that. Tey move in unison. Te doctors
are telling me this. Teyre scheduling physicals with the
Millennials, and two or three of them are in the examina-
tion room when the doctor shows up. Te doctor opens
the door and says, I had a physical with one of you.
Tese are my friends. Tey didnt have anything to do.
You sure you want them in the room with you? Is this
such a good idea?
Teyre instant graticationdriven. We know this.
Teyre busy and stressed. In this generation the Girl
Scouts have begun teaching stress management. Teyve
been raised as their parents friends. Teyre not adoles-
cents; theyre not adults. Te future is very short term.
Tis is the other side of the continuum; the individual
side: huge goals but clueless on the execution.
What do we need to know about these Millennials?
Tey have a strong sense of individuality. Recruiting post-
ers have been targeted for this generation: Te Army of One.
Tis is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Tey are going highly after the individual. Tis is the New
Zealand Army: Arm me with the future; training that
lasts for life. Very little about patriotism and the need for
the country. Its all about the individual. Tis is again out
of Auckland, Project Me: Ive worked hard at University;
now Im looking ahead. Ive got goals for one, three, ve
years. How will I achieve them? Its my project. Its all
about my future, my goals, my career, making sure that I
make the right decisions.
So what do we know? Teyre inuential. Weve got to
target this group. You must have an immediate applica-
tion. Tis is what its going to do for you short term. Tis
is what it can do for you by the end of the meeting, even
if its peace of mind. Tis is what its going to do for you,
unique to the individual. Tey want what their friends
have and what their friends are doing with a unique twist.
Yes, Ive got something like that, but mine is a little
dierent. We can do something like that for you, but
youre a little special. Were going to have to do it a little
bit dierently. Te sale of the Millennials is more. Spend
time, answer questions, become a non-stressful provider
of information. Consultative selling. No push, no push.
Be sensitive to their needs. Tink of the car seat, think of
the sunshadethe whole generation has been raised in a
society sensitive to their needs. Individual relevance: Why
is this important to me? Work on the individual again
more individuality.
Here are a couple of things to leave you with: Always
remember that peoples nal decisions are 85% emotional
and 15% logical, except for the doctor a little bit earlier
todaythat guy doesnt t this one at all. Eighty-ve
percent emotional and 15% logical. Relationships are
not logical, and someone giving you the last look is not
making a decision based on logic. People do business with
people they like. People do business with people that they
think are like them, and thats you. Good luck. I wish you
the best. Take care.