5 Ways to Attract and Manage Millennial Sales Representatives
May 4, 2016
By: Adam Vortherms
In the globalized, increasingly complex world of today, talented professionals are more important and less prevalent than they once were. According to a report at Forbes.com, the issue of talent availability in the workforce has even become an executive concern. Many companies with a goal of sales recruiting have attempted to rectify this imbalance by courting millennial workers—those ages 18-33, who are educated, feedback-oriented, and socially engaged.
It is no coincidence that some of the leading tech companies are fronted and staffed by millennial workers, definitively upending the notion that millennials are unwilling to professionally engage. It only stands to reason that since millennials will eventually lead the future professional world, the time is now to engage, hire, and successfully understand how to manage millennials as future top sales representatives and sales managers.
Below you’ll find some tips and tricks to attract millennials sales representatives for your business, as well as a few additional techniques to manage a millennial team member:
- Foster Ambition: Provide the Potential for Growth
Fair compensation and the opportunity to grow within a company are mainstays on a millennial’s must-have list when looking for work as sales representatives. In a recent report, 44% of millennials polled said that competitive wages were a motivating factor in choosing employment, while 52% of millennials polled reported that growth opportunities were paramount.
- Be Straightforward and Transparent
Because millennials grew up amidst the technological revolution, most have a certain expectation of transparency—a reason why many millennials put their dollar towards ethically minded businesses. Fostering an open atmosphere, being communicative about big decisions, and building a business culture of trust are excellent ways to attract millennial sales reps, and keep them around for the long haul.
- Ditch Traditional Hierarchies
Just as millennials prefer companies lean towards transparency, they also prefer to work for businesses that value individuals’ voices and insights. Promoting due to longevity rather than performance is a surefire way to lose a millennial worker’s trust and jeopardize his or her morale. The old standby of waiting 3 to 5 years to be promoted won’t fly with the millennial generation, who would rather put their ambition to work and reap the proportional result.
- Feedback in All Its Forms
Millennials have a reputation for asking a lot of questions, but a staple of the younger generation is their thirst for feedback and clarity. An excellent way to provide feedback and nurture professional growth from within is to consider mentorship as a business tool. Mentoring and reverse mentoring—where the young mentee also provides valuable insights to the older mentor—can improve the weak areas of both parties, providing value and developing talent within your business.
- Get Connected
Millennial workers highly value a personal connection with the brands they want to associate themselves with. The same is true for the place they choose to work. Millennials are more than happy to share positive news and stories about their workplace through social media, an indispensable way to gain traction online, as well as with likeminded and talented young professionals. Defining and championing a company-wide message or mission is a great way to personally engage with potential millennial sales reps.
There is a wealth of potential within the millennial generation. Raised in an era of groundbreaking ideas and digital expansion, millennial sales representatives can provide an untapped well of talent that can drive your sales numbers up and boost your business for the long term.
Adam Vortherms is a recruiting manager at Grapevine – Targeted Sales Recruiting. Visit www.grapevinerecruiting.com , call 952.856.2371 or email adam@grapevinerecruiting.com.