Generationally Savvy

Selling to the Generations - X-ers The Forgotten Market

X-ers grew up on sophisticated marketing and have been deconstructing advertising messages since they were "knee high to a grasshopper" (aka very young).

X-ers, only 44 million ever born, are book-ended by the Boomer and Millennial generations and tend to end up being over-looked on many levels, and they resent it. The good news is if you pay attention to an X-er's interests and values and answer their piercing questions, you have a loyal customer who spreads the word quickly and earnestly about you.

          What are the X-er's thinking when they make purchases...

Well ... X-ers are quite cynical of big promises and hype. During their formative years they saw:

• institutions and leaders caught lying,
• divorce rates sky rocket, and
• big business layoff their parents without warning.

As they entered the workforce, they found it already filled to capacity by their Boomer predecessors and parents. However, a small window of promise and opportunity opened up through Technology. The Dot.com era was a time of possibility and opportunity for X-ers.

The world wide web was somewhere X-ers could thrive and be respected for their talents and unique contribution. But the crash in 2000 and the increases in off-shore outsourcing of IT jobs have left the X-er's more skeptical than ever.

So be ready to give it to them straight! They can spot hype from a mile away. They are street-smart and advertising savvy. X-ers need to be convinced that they can trust you and your promises. Remember they grew up on broken promises.

With guilt-ridden, divorced, dual-income parents showering them with presents, they grew up with expensive tastes and a good eye for quality. They respect quality and know it when they see it.

Being treated with respect is something they passionately desire. Avoid messaging that obviously stereotypes or compartmentalizes them. They are a generation of individuals. They don't like the term "Gen X" because it hasn't been explained that it is not a derogatory term. (And frankly too often it's been spoken with a derogatory tone by superiors.)

X-ers need more reassurance than other generations. With an underlying insecurity to their generation, you will do well if you position your products with positive and reinforcing signals, remedies and encouragement.

• Forget the hard sell.
• Get to the pragmatic facts.
• Reduce their uncertainty and show how they are protected with your product or service purchase.

But not in a schmaltzy way.

• Be straight
• Write in a clear and bottom line tone
• Be sincere  and show you caring about them

X-ers don't care about your product until you demonstrate you care about them as a customer, as a person, as a valuable partner for the future.

      

Selling to the Baby Boomers

                 The Baby Boomers 80 million strong created a cultural wave in purchasing never experienced before. From the time Boomers entered adolescence to now as they begin to enter "retirement age" the sheer numbers of people in this generation has dramatically impacted the market.

Boomers purchasing power is at an all time high. Millions of business people and organizations already directly target their marketing, messaging, and solutions at serving and selling to the Boomers, a generation of wealthy, I want it now, liberal spenders.

However, don't forget it is a "seller beware" market. Boomers are demanding customers who expect great things for their money. Contrary to popular belief they are not brand loyal like their Traditionalist parents. A  2001 Roper/ASW study reports that buyers age 45+ are no more brand loyal than younger people in most categories.

The good news, Boomers can be influenced by advertising and marketing messages. They are constantly looking for new products and services that meet the demands and life opportunities and obstacles they are facing. Here are a few tips on what Boomers are dealing with:

• Boomers are time-stressed.
• They are dealing with aging parents who need their care.
• They have Boomerang Millennial children who keep coming back again and again.
• They need products and services that will save them time.

Boomers are at the peak of their careers and earning potential. Time is money to a Boomer and they are willing to pay handsomely to get back the balance in their life.

But be aware that Boomers have a healthy skepticism of authority from their activism, flower-power years. So be ready to present your convenient, easy, trusty time-saving solutions in a highly ethical and straightforward manner.

These civil rights, human rights babies are value-driven and optimistic by nature. But they will do the research and you will need to match up what you promise with what you deliver.