In a recent survey of large corporate sales forces around the country, the Millenial generation (those born between 1978 and 2000) have a distinctive presence in sales and their prominence is expected to increase. Additional survey findings revealed:

• Are more productive and work more efficiently than initially perceived by employers.
• Are highly motivated and strive for success.
• Are very goal-oriented and ever-critical of their own performance.
• Are interested in a career in sales.
• Strive in an environment in which team goals are infused with individual performance linkages.
• Achieve sales performance equal to or greater than that of other generations.

The survey found that there is a divide between employers and Millennials when it comes to customized, digital communication. Employers also often fail to create generational harmony within their organizations and suffer from a lack of understanding between generations, leading to numerous missed opportunities.

Furthermore there is a significant perception gap between employers and Millennials. Whereas 92 per cent of employers said that attainment of sales goals by Millennials was just as good or better than by non-Millennials, only 79 per cent of Millennials thought their sales performance was as good or better than the others.

An even larger gap exists regarding how willing Millennials are to work long hours. Forty-seven per cent of employers reported Millennials are below average, but only 15 per cent of Millennials said they are below average in willingness to put in long hours.

Perceptions of turnover also differ: 63 percent of employers believe turnover is the same for Millennials and non-Millennials, but nearly 80 pe rcent of Millennials indicated turnover in their generation is higher than in the rest of their sales organizations. Interestingly, almost half of employers and nearly 90 per cent of Millennials said Millennials are more likely to leave their companies than other generations.

With regard to why Millennials leave, ambition was the top reason mentioned by Millennials, and lack of advancement opportunities and no loyalty were most often cited by employers.

Communication between employers and Millennials is clearly a problem, but a large majority of employers report doing nothing new to reach Millennials for recruitment or in their communication with presently-employed Millennials. One tool Millennials all use is text messaging, but relatively few employers are texting with their employees these days.

For more on the topic of compensating Millenials visit www.synergymagazine.com to view the article "Greater Expectations".

Source: http://www.talentmgt.com/industry_news/2009/June/4867/index.php