Want to get more customers and retain the ones you have? Lisa Hiebert spoke to about 30 people at the business luncheon held Oct. 27 at Chez Jude. Hiebert is a marketing expert employed by the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. The meeting was sponsored by Cook County Higher Education.
Lisa Hiebert had a lot of interesting things to say at the October 27 Cook County Business Networking Luncheon at Chez Jude sponsored by Cook county Higher Education.
An employee of the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota, Hiebert is a director of strategic marketing. Part of her job entails speaking to groups about ways to improve their businesses, and Hiebert was full of tips to share.
For instance, “Women drive 85 percent of all sales. Women trust women and talk brands. On average they talk about 92 brands per week. Women say they would buy a product based on another woman’s recommendation,” Hiebert said.
Business owners, said Hiebert, need to know, “Who’s your customer now and who do you want your customers to be in the future? Get to know your customers and find out what they want.”
Because of rapidly changing technology, the customer base is much more diverse than in the past. Hiebert then broke down the four generations of consumers and gave some tidbits about how to reach them.
Traditionalists
(1922-1945) Their core values include a respect for authority; they tend to be disciplined, hard working and are conformers.
Their families are nuclear; education was a dream for them, something strongly encouraged for their children.
Traditionalists grew up with rotary phones, lived through the Great Depression, New Deal, and served in World War ll and the Korean War. Theytend to pay with cash and communicate best face-to-face, use formal language and don’t waste time.
Words that define them include respectful, practical, dedicated and personal sacrifice. Traditionalists are stable, detailoriented, loyal and hard-working. Theytend not to like a lot of change, are reluctant to buck the system and uncomfortable with conflict.
Messages that motivate them are, “Your experience is respected; it’s valuable to hear what’s worked in the past, and your perseverance is valued and will be rewarded,” Hiebert said.
Baby Boomers
(1946-1964) They are optimists, involved, team-oriented, loyal and career driven.
Baby Boomers’ families tend to suffer from high divorce rates and are classified as “disintegrating.” Education is a birthright. They grew up with touch-tone phones and live with the “buy now, pay later” syndrome that’s overtaken the country.
Cultural events that shaped them include the Civil Rights Movement, sexual revolution, Cold War, space travel, and assassinations of John and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Unrest and discontent with government have been constants in their lives.
Baby Boomers speak in an open and direct style, avoid controlling language and show flexibility.
Boomer relationships are often fueled by personal gratification. They are driven to work hard and like consensus from leaders. Boomers are optimistic and have a love/hate view of authority. People in this generation are driven, service-oriented, good at relationships, good team players and want to please. They are not good at minding budgets, uncomfortable with conflicts, reluctant to go against peers, are self-centered and overly sensitive to feedback. Give them a corner office, a nice title and pay them lots of money and that will motivate them.
Generation X
(1965-1980) Xers core values include fun, informality, independence and skepticism. They have a balance between work and personal life. Many of them were latchkey kids and education is seen as a way to get what they want.
Communication is by cell phone and they only want to be called at work. In dealing with money they tend to be cautious, conservative and save money.
Xers lived through Desert Storm, Y2K, the Challenger explosion, activism, and the energy crisis(es); the world stage tended to be stable but their home lives tended to be unstable.
They communicate by e-mail and cell phones in short sound bites. They like facts and straight talk, are informal and listen and ask for feedback.
Messages that motivate them for work include telling them what to do and not how to do it. Hiebert said that definition fits her to a tee.
Their outlook tends to be skeptical; they are unimpressed with authority and like leaders that are competent. A balanced work ethic and a reluctance to commit to relationships combined with independence, adaptability, creativity and techno literacy help define them.
” Liabilities include impatience, poor people skills, inexperience and cynicism.
Generation Y or Echo
Boomers
(1981-2000) They are realists, have a lot of confidence, are socially conscious and like to perform civic duties. They are achievement-oriented and like extreme fun.
Many Echo Boomers come from merged families. Education is an incredible expense and out of reach for many of them. In dealing with money they earn to spend.
Events and experiences that have shaped their lives include school shootings, Oklahoma City, technology, and September 11.
Echo-Boomers feel that language should paint visual pictures. They like to use action verbs and don’t like to be talked down to. If you show respect to them they will show respect to you. They like humoring and using e-mail. They get feedback “whenever I want it.”
Echo Boomers work best with other bright, creative people. They like more coaching and less bossing and having tasks aligned to help them meet personal goals.
Echo Boomers tend to have hopeful outlooks, have polite views of authority, like leaders that pull everyone together, show a determined work ethic and their relationships are inclusive.
Liabilities include need for supervision and lots of structure coupled with inexperience in dealing with difficult people.
Marketing for
each generation
Hiebert said the best way to communicate with Traditionalists is “face to face or in a memo.” She suggested using language that includes “we or us.”
Contact Boomers face to face, voice mail or maybe by e-mail. Use language that implies trust, is interpersonal, and is tolerant and consensus building.
Gen Xers like to be contacted via cell phone at work or by e-mail. Listen and ask for feedback; they like competence, results, reality and sensibility.
Gen Y (Echo Boomers) like to be contacted by cell phone or in a group. Language should paint pictures and emphasize the future, fun, humor, achievement or community.
“Because people are working longer,” this is the first time in history that four generations are together. By 2015 there will be five generations in the workplace, said Hiebert.
Hiebert stressed the Golden Rule, “Treat people like you want to be treated. Get to know your customers and what they want.”
Chez Jude owner Judi Barsness said it was important for business owners to become more tech savvy. Since adding a website last winter Barsness said she has received as many as 2,000 hits a month from potential customers using cell phones checking restaurants in Grand Marais as they are heading up the shore. This has resulted in an increase in reservations and visibility for Chez Jude. “You need to get into technology,” Barsness said.
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