I’m writing fast today because I have a call in 10 minutes – but this stuff is too important not to share! As a 56-year-old who spent 18 years in corporate marketing, I know exactly how the old ways worked. I still see my clients using outdated sales tactics that simply don’t work on the generation now dominating corporate purchasing. Millennials (ages 25-44, depending on who’s defining it) will soon make up three-quarters of all corporate buyers. After founding The Repositioning Expert and working with B2B companies daily, I can tell you: if you don’t adapt, you’re dead in the water.

Old Tactics That Are Killing Your Sales

First, stop focusing on ads and SEO as your primary strategy. Millennials don’t care about you telling them you’re great – they want peer reviews and industry reviews. This is the generation that gets into strangers’ cars (Uber) and stays in strangers’ homes (Airbnb) based solely on reviews. According to the 2024 B2B Buying Disconnect Report from TrustRadius, 77% of buyers check review sites. Word-of-mouth is more important than ever, while self-promotion is out. Second, stop the spray-and-pray marketing approach. Forty-four percent of buyers wish vendors wouldn’t call before they’re ready. They want to research independently and resent follow-up calls. Meet them with content where their eyes and ears already are – industry publications, groups, and events, both online and offline.

Building Trust the New Way

Third, understand that trust and safety look different now. Remember the old saying “Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM”? That safety principle still exists, but millennials build it differently – through peer conversations. Forty-two percent wish they could easily talk to people like them who’ve used your product. Organize current and past user references into discussion groups and gatherings where prospects can hear authentic experiences. Fourth, stop force-feeding data through your sales deck. Salesforce reports that 61% of buyers prefer on-demand demos. They’re looking for ROI calculators and white papers they can access themselves, not your capability presentation. Your content must be relevant to their specific pain points, use their industry keywords, and be available where they’re already searching.

The Direct Access Revolution

Finally, millennials want less sales rep interaction and more access to the people who’ll actually deliver. According to Gartner, 43% want direct contact with engineers, coaches, and implementers – not salespeople. Think of it like the horse whisperer story I often share in presentations. Monty Roberts learned “Equus” by watching alpha mares in the wild, then used their body language to gentle horses without pain in minutes instead of the months traditional “breaking” required. Learn to speak millennial “Equus” – their language of self-service, peer validation, and direct access – and they’ll want to meet with you.

The Bottom Line

Millennials aren’t hard to reach, but they’re drowning in what author Sam Horn calls “infobesity” – so much information they can’t find what they need. Hook them with pain messaging so specialized and relevant it cuts through the noise, hitting them repeatedly in their world. Then provide the self-service tools, peer reviews, and industry validation they crave. At the end of the day, everyone wants safety, value, and success. When you help them succeed on their terms rather than yours, you become the trusted partner they’re seeking. Challenge whoever handles your marketing to consider millennial buyers and stop wasting money on old sales tactics that no longer work.

Want to reposition your messaging to grow your leads? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, watch my Podcast onYouTube or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk.