Sales Prospecting Perspectives

5 Tips for Mentoring the Millennial Generation in Inside Sales

  

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By the end of the decade, millennials will encompass 50% of the workforce. Not only will they be employees, they will also be customers. They’re changing the workplace with adaptive views on feedback, mentoring programs and socialization. They’re vocal about their beliefs and ideas, and are confident that their input matters. The millennial generation is changing the way all employees, Baby Boomers and Gen X alike, work in the new millennium.

It’s important to learn how to reign in and retain talented millennials, communicate with them effectively and provide an environment conducive to innovation for all generations.

AG Salesworks produced a new, free guide that offers advice for how to manage and mentor millennials. The guide outlines the history behind generational personalities including Baby Boomers, Gen X and millennials, dispels rumors about managing the millennial generation, details characteristics of the generation as evidenced by surveys from the Pew Research Center and People at Work, and offers specific advice for managing millennials.  

Here’s a glimpse of what kind of tips you’ll be able to read in this guide:  

1. Trust them. People respond better when they’re trusted. Instead of passing around an employee handbook with boring rules and gruesome punishments, use a simple guideline, like Hubspot does: Use good judgment. While it may seem scary to put all your trust in your employees, remember that you hired them because you thought they would be a good fit for the job, and that you wouldn’t hire anyone who wouldn’t be. That knowledge should be enough.

2. Be flexible. The biggest factor in whether a millennial stays in a job is flexible work situations. But what does that even mean? By being flexible, you’re advocating for a deviation from normal proce­dures, allowing employees to work at home or take an afternoon off. Instead of focusing on hours spent in the office, focus on results and reward them for good work.

3. Make it meaningful. Claiming the highest volunteer rates in recent history, millennials want a chance to do work that will benefit society. Make a direct connection between their work -- the product they’re selling, the people they’re leading -- and how it helps others. In Deloitte’s Millennial Innovation Survey, Millennials stated that the purpose of business was to improve society, generate profit and drive innovation; show that your company is innovative and helpful and show your employees how to become part of its success.

4. Challenge them. It’s important to encourage a learning culture at your business by giving incentives for participating in training programs or completing goals. Train millennials on their “soft” skills, such as communication, business and email etiquette, and presentation-making, and cater to different learning styles by offering multiple training formats, including downloadable modules, interactive group sessions and mentor pairing. Challenge them to go to the next level; they want to learn how to be the best.  

5. Be yourself. Don’t scare millennials away with a constantly formal outlook. They want to know what kind of person you are outside of work. They want to get to know you. Be approachable. Take the time to be personal. Communicate outside of work. Become their friend. For many employees, a dream job consists of working with friends.

To read more about managing millennials in your business and creating harmony between all generational cohorts, download our free guide here or by clicking the link below.