Three Myths About Gen Y Reps

[image error]We get it: Gen Y is different.  So why should you pay attention? Over the next 10 years most of your experienced sales reps (the boomer generation) will retire, Gen X will take on the leadership ranks, and millennials will fill your sales organization.

According to research from our sister program for HR executives CLC, Gen Y constitutes about one-third (34%) of the current high-potential population globally, and represents the majority of high-potential employees in some geographic locations, such as China (58%) and India (64%).

So what should you be doing differently today, if anything, to deal with Gen Y reps?

The conventional wisdom: Millennials are high-maintenance. They want it all (work-life balance, a higher sense of purpose, and rapid career progression).

Truth 1: Yes, Millennials expect a lot out of their organization, but Gen Y employees also have high expectations of themselves. The young professionals joining your sales ranks have grown up in super competitive environments (putting together college applications since grade school), like over-achieving, and expect to be and feel valuable.

Take away: Don’t stunt your young Gen Y ‘s desire to achieve. Empower your reps and give them enough rope to sell in ways that make sense for them, and not just for your managers.

The conventional wisdom: Gen Y wants different things out of their employers. They are used to receiving constant praise, expect their manager to be highly involved, and need to receive a lot of feedback.

Truth 2: While there are meaningful differences in drivers of attraction for Gen Y sales employees vs. Gen X sales employees, CLC Employee Value Proposition (“EVP”) data shows that in fact the two generations share in common 80% of the top 10 EVP drivers, and both generations rate Development Opportunity as a top 10 driver.

Take away: Millennial reps, just like Gen X reps, want to receive feedback and be coached in order to develop in their career. Top sales organizations continue to assess their coaching capabilities, equip their managers with the tools and coaching resources they need, and measure their progress to see coaching’s impact on sales goals.  See SEC’s newest diagnostic tool, The Anatomy of World-Class Coaching Practices.

The conventional wisdom:  Millennials have no work ethic; they are entitled and it’s hard to focus their energy as they are easily distracted by technology.

Truth 3: Millennials are technology-fluent and they do value work-life balance, but they also like efficiency (they grew up in a world of instant gratification), and they know how to leverage the resources available to them (especially technology) to complete tasks faster and better.

Take away: Millennials’ comfort with technology is an untapped resource for your sales organization.  SEC research shows that the best reps actively engage in social media channels and are able to position themselves as key influencers in those channels in order to shape customer demand.  Consider how to best leverage Gen Y reps’ social selling skills, and empower them to engage in reverse mentoring to help Gen X and Boomer reps hone their social media skills.

Share your thoughts on Gen Y reps!  What challenges are you facing with the increasing number of millennials joining your sales organization?

SEC Members, take our 10 minute Sales Coaching Effectiveness Pulse Survey to gauge the quality of your sales managers’ coaching, and learn about how SEC Solutions Hypothesis-Based Coaching can help you build a world-class coaching organization.