Millennials and the Future
The Question Soon to Be on Everyone’s Mind...
What Do Millennials Want? By Beth Berry
They’re attached
to their cell phones, devoted to social media and are the fastest growing segment of homebuyers. If they aren’t already, soon Millennials will be your customers. If you learn to speak their language, walk their walk and pay attention to what’s important to them, you will be rewarded with loyal customers who will sing your praises to their friends, as well as on social media, says Beth Berry, vice president of service solutions for Real Green Systems, a company that specializes in green industry software. Berry has 30 years’ experience in the landscape industry, including a stint as director of customer service for ScottsMiracle-Gro, where she hired and managed many Millennials, as well as time as the executive director of the Ohio Better Business Bureau. She has developed expertise in customer engagement for both business to customer and business to business aspects of the industry. That includes what works best for different age groups. (continued on page 12)
10
Generational Scorecard — •
Traditionalists — Born before 1946
•
Baby Boomers — Born 1946-1964
•
Generation X
— Born 1965-1976
•
Millennials
— Born 1977-1995
•
Generation Z
— Born 1996-2009
The Landscape Contractor April 2018