In this issue: Five new Sales Source posts and another amusing email interchange.   Remember: as a member of this newsletter, I'll critique your sales message for free. I may even rewrite it for you.

NEW SALES SOURCE POSTS

• Where Are the Great Sales Jobs? -- Here's where entrepreneurs should look for a job if they want a break from building their own firms.  Read story
• Want More Sales? Stop Selling So Hard -- Don't assume what customers need, even when they express an interest in your product.  Read story
• 9 Ways to Not Be a Bosshole -- Bossholes drive away talented employees and cost your company money.  Read story
• 4 Ways to Become More Relevant -- Relevance is the only job security that exists in today's uncertain business world.  Read story
• Top 10 Things I've Learned at Work -- These ten simple truths about life and business were extracted from years of working with people and ideas.  Read story

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IS GEN-Y ACTUALLY MORE INFORMED??

Hardly a day goes that I don't run across at least one article about how Gen Y (aka the millennial generation) is vastly different from every other generation. The following email thread encapsulates my opinion of such stories. 

Note: I changed the name of the book because I'm not sure the PR guy wants this kind of publicity. However, I do commend him (if anonymously) for his patience and professionalism).

Original Email: Geoffrey, I read your column today on Inc. and it occurred to me you'd be interested in a book called "Selling to Gen Y" which dives into how to handle a new consumer-driven marketplace and actionable strategies and tactics businesses can use to reach the most informed generation we've ever encountered.

My Response: In what possible sense could the average person born 25 years ago be more "informed" than the average person born 25 years earlier?

Him: Well, I mean to say they have instant access to far more information at their age than any generation prior. And so, unlike older generations, intuitively look to other consumers and peers to make decisions and don't need to hear brands/businesses or controlled messages at all.

Me: Let me see if I've got this right...  They're more informed because they're more easily swayed by the opinions of their peers? 

Him: No, they are the most informed because unlike generations before them, they have unlimited access to unlimited amounts of information anywhere they are. The byproduct is that they, therefore, only listen to their peers/other consumers/trusted sources (i.e. not commercials)--because, plainly, if you have access to what everyone you trust says about a product or business, why would you listen to those marketing the product? So if businesses want to reach them, they need to think beyond the traditional marketing funnel, much more so than older generations who, although have access to the same information, have been brought up with the traditional marketing funnel.

Me: Oh, I see. They're *more* informed because they're *less* experienced. Glad we cleared that up.

Him: Not really the same conclusion I'd come to. I do appreciate you taking the time to respond to my emails, have a great a night!

Me: Maybe they're more informed because it takes them 3 emails to figure out that somebody's yanking their chain.  :)