How Customers Want to Communicate with Your Business

There are multiple ways for buyers to communicate with your business. So many in fact, that it can be hard to know which methods are the best. Phone calls, emails, texts, and social media messages are just some of the options currently available. Since everyone has their own preference when it comes to sales or business communication, there is no real cut and dry way to go about it. However, there are some things you can look at to help you better understand how your buyers might want to communicate with your business.

Understanding How Your Buyers Want to Communicate with Your Business

The key to understanding how your buyers want to communicate with your business is simple. Ask them. Who knew right? The problem is, when you cold call a potential customer, the majority of the time they are probably in the middle of something and do not have time to shift their focus to listen to what you have to say. So you may just use the initial phone call to explain a little about your company, as well as your product or service, and then to ask the best way to get the rest of the information to them. By doing this, you can open up a dialog with your buyer and then show them you are listening to what they say and that you respect their time and preferences by following up in the manner they prefer.

While cold calling and just asking might seem like the logical thing to do for some, you could look at which age group you are targeting, and use that information to help better understand how your buyers would like to communicate with you. Each age group has a different preferred way of communicating and it is based on what they grew up around and are comfortable with.

Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation

While phone calls are a sure fire way to open up a line of communication, this type of communication is more appropriately suited for a traditionalist or possibly someone in the baby boomer generation. A traditionalist, also known as the silent generation, is the generation that came before the baby boomers and is someone born before 1945. The silent generations tend to respond the best to more traditional methods such as postal letters and phone calls since social media, cell phones, and email can become overwhelming for them.

Baby boomers also respond well to phone calls and are more likely to respond to face to face communication. Baby Boomers were born in the years between 1946 and 1964 – still short of the technology boom. However, baby boomers have adapted more to technology than their predecessors, and while they prefer phone calls or face to face, they are comfortable with emails and text as well.

Gen X, Millenials, and the Newest Generation

Generation X are the individuals born between 1965 and 1976. While it was still right before the technology boom, by the time a lot of this generation were in their mid to early twenties, the world wide web was up and running. Because of this, Generation X prefers to communicate via telephone and email but will also communicate via text. However, they are not big on social media communication.

Generation Y, or Millennials, are the generation that grew up with the internet. By the time they were teenagers the internet was entirely up and running and not only are they used to talking on the phone, they are also comfortable with the web and email. This generation also grew up with cell phones and went on to see the beginning of social media, and so text and social media are also acceptable to them although not preferred.

Born in 1996 or later, Generation Z or Centennials, have grown up with it all. However, for a group of people that have grown up with it all, this generation likes to avoid forms of communication such as face to face and phone calls. The best way to communicate with an iGen is through various platforms on social media and text messages, although they will use email for work or school if they need to.

Learn How Your Customers Want to Communicate with Your Business

Taking the time to understand how your targeted buyers prefer to communicate with your business will go a long way in conveying your marketing message to them. By doing so in a way that is more comfortable to them, you will find they are more accepting and willing to listen to the information you are trying to provide.

Source: http://www.jenfongspeaks.com/communicating-with-many-generations/