Good morning! AWS went down yesterday, and with it, nearly a third of the internet. Banking apps, streaming sites, and even Wordle were down for the count. For sales reps looking for an excuse to slack off, it was a rare Monday where “my tools aren’t working” was actually true. But everything’s fixed now, so it’s back to refreshing your CRM instead of Netflix. Now, let’s get into today’s Follow Up. (:
When a call seems too easy 🗣
Selling to the TikTok generation.📱
Tricking an AI call screener to book a call 😄
Sales jobs & a meme 😂
Sales Tip of The Day 💡
When your discovery call feels too easy, assume you’re missing something.
❌ “Awesome, sounds like we’re fully aligned.”
✅ “I’m glad this is clicking. Usually when it sounds this smooth, I’ve missed a key detail. What’s one thing I might be overlooking?”
This invites honesty and builds trust, while also flushing out objections before they pop up later.
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Selling to the TikTok Generation
The TikTok generation (aka Gen Z) has the shortest attention span ever recorded.
In fact, it’s around 8 seconds.
So what do you do when you’ve gotta sell to them and keep their attention on a sales call?
Especially if you’re a Gen X-er or Millennial.
The good news is that there’s methods that work, and will grab their gaze, and stop them from getting distracted.
Let’s break it down.
What You Need to Know About the Gen Z Attention Span
You have 8 whole seconds to hook them.
That means NO beating around the bush. That’s how you lose their interest.
If you don’t win them over, or at least pique their interest in those first 8 seconds (aim for 5 to be safe), you’re “cooked” as they would say.
A good way to visualize Gen Z’s attention is with a Youtube retention graph.
YouTube retention graph
In the graph above, you can see that roughly 50% of viewers are still watching, 32 seconds into the video.
In other words, this video lost half of its viewers because it didn’t keep their attention.
Your job as a sales rep is to keep the attention of your audience (aka, buyers), so they listen to what you have to say, and don’t start thinking about what they’re going to have for lunch that day.
So… here’s your plan:
What Gen Z Expects
Make It Quick: We’ve covered this point, but it’s worth covering again. Where you used to need an elevator pitch, now you need a hook. You’ve got less than a minute to tell your Gen Z buyer why they should trust you and listen to the other things you have to say.
Get to the Point: This is not the time to present a sales pitch complete with features. It’s where you show your potential client the outcomes they’ll get from working with you. Put the value up front.
Be Authentic: One of the greatest things about this generation is that they’ll see right through anyone trying to hard sell them. They’ve been sold for their entire lives. They recognize a fake from a mile away. So drop the scripts and show up as yourself. Someone who believes in your company, your product, or your service.
Have Street Cred: Word of mouth has rarely been more important than it is right now. The closer you are to someone that your Gen Z client trusts, the better. So if you’ve got any social credibility, show it off and show it off quick. “Brand X works with us.” “You can ask Brand Y about their experience.” Trusted testimonials and referrals go a long way.
How You Can Structure Your Call to Meet Those Needs
Now you know what you’re up against and what’s expected.
Here’s how you can structure a call to keep Gen Z’s attention:
Hook: Have a single line ready that identifies their primary problem, the reason they need you.
Line: Show them the value of working with you in a single visual, statistics, or demo. Remember, outcomes are everything.
Sinker: Wrap those two points up in a quick summary and present the next step. For example: “So let’s get you started with our free trial.” Or, “Let’s schedule another call to talk about which package works best for you.”
And above all, treat them like humans. Because that’s what they are.. Humans with shorter attention spans. (:
Have you sold to a Gen Z-er?
