I see lots of books, articles, podcasts etc. about how to better interact with millennials, and it is no doubt important. Interestingly, I do not see much out there that offers insight into how to effectively communicate with the generations that are ahead of the millennials (and still largely running the world – consider the record setting age of our new president, and other political leadership as an example). While it may seem that the world is getting younger, if you are targeting the C Suite, it is not. In fact, the average age of a CFO has been trending UP since 2005. Now, according to statista.com, the average age at hire is 49 compared to 44 in 2005 when looking at companies of all sizes. This gets truer as you head up stream. Amongst large employers, the average age has passed 50 and now sits at 52.8 years – also up 5 years in the last decade (according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal).
Contrast this with the fact that many B2B salespeople are now part of the largest working generation – millennials. What does this mean for effective outreach and follow up in your sales process? If you are targeting the C Suite, you are still going to have to pick up the phone if you want to get the best results!
We have spent the last few weeks analyzing the results of 6 months’ worth of sales and marketing metrics across more than 20 markets where we are running campaigns. The numbers are undeniable – effective follow up includes making the call as well as sending an email. In fact, it doubles the results.