Cam Marston is the leading expert on the impact of generational change and its impact on the marketplace.
As an author, columnist, blogger, and lecturer, he imparts a clear understanding of how generational demographics are changing the landscape of business.
Marston and his firm, Generational Insights, have provided research and consultation on generational issues to hundreds of companies and professional groups, ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations, as well as major professional associations, for over 16 years.
Marston’s presentations are informative, engaging, and humorous. He offers concrete demographic research that is tailored to his audience. But he enlivens the data with anecdotes, tales from the real business world, attention-grabbing visuals, and quips that make the message memorable.
Marston’s clients consistently report that his research makes his programs relevant and his presentation style makes them interesting and fun.
Insight and impact
Your session on Selling to the Generations was one of the highest attended and one of the highest rated. Our audience just LOVED YOU. Your timely topic, delivered with your wit and style was thoroughly captivating. I’ve never received such an enormous outpouring of thanks.
Lincoln Financial
Business need
During the annual education conference, Manulife wished to provide their top selling advisors with information on how to stay successful when selling to the next generation. Because this training was to take place in Hawaii with spouses in the audience, the company wanted a presentation that was informative, convincing and entertaining.
Insight and impact
Cam Marston and Manulife recognized that the company’s top advisors were primarily Baby Boomers selling to other Boomers and Gen Xers. They also realized that the Millennials represented a remarkable untapped market, not currently being pursued by the company’s best. Cam provided the research and analysis to demonstrate that Canadian demographics were, indeed, following the same patterns as Millennials. Through stories and statistics he demonstrated how the delayed adulthood that halted sales efforts to this generation in the past creates an excellent opportunity to reach out today with the right message and delivery. To be engaging and accessible to all members of the Canadian audience, the presentation included French translation of all slide content
ManuLife Case Study
“Cam’s presentation was thrilling. He has the ability to weave humor into actionable material – all of which hit home for everyone in the audience. We have received feedback from our attendees that Cam’s presentation and topic has made this event the best one we have held yet. He is a class act, not only was he gracious with his time afterwards with our audience, but he was delightful to work with leading up to the event. Very knowledgable and extremely talented in what he does. He has added value to our organization and to the clients we serve.”
Meghan Meier Bank of Holland
Cam’s Client List Includes…
As a consultant providing generational insight, motivational speaker Cam Marston has provided insight and advice to leadership at the nation’s most prominent corporations as well as numerous multinational corporations.
Marston’s books, articles, columns, and blog describe and analyze the major generations of our time: Matures (born before 1946), Baby Boomers, (born 1946-64), Generation X (born 1965-79), and Millennials (born 1980-2000). He explains how their generational characteristics and differences affect every aspect of business, including recruiting and retention, management and motivation, and sales and marketing.
His first book, Motivating The “What’s In It For Me?” Workforce (2005), explores the characteristics and motivations that each generation brings to the workforce and suggests management tactics applicable to any business setting. His next book, Generational Insights (2010) is a guide to the best practices in managing generational issues. Generational Selling Tactics That Work (2011) is the first book-length study of generational approaches to sales and marketing. His two training videos have been best sellers since introduced in 2005. His short book The Gen-Savvy Financial Advisor (2012) is a must-read in the financial services industry.
Marston’s expertise has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, the Chicago Tribune, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Money, and Forbes, as well as on Good Morning America, CNN International, and the BBC. He writes a column for InvestmentNews, CNBC, Investment Advisor, and has been a featured columnist in Agent’s Sales Journal, AdvisorOne Magazine, ThinkAdvisor and Multi-Housing News, among others. His blog at generationalinsights.com tracks the latest changes and developments in generational issues and demographics.
As a consultant, Marston has provided insight and advice to leadership at the nation’s most prominent corporations as well as multinational corporations including American Express, Fidelity, BASF, Nestle, Schlumberger, Merrill Lynch, Kellogg, Coca-Cola, Macy’s, Warner Brothers, ESPN, Qualcomm, RE/MAX and Eli Lilly. He has also offered presentations and consultations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Army, as well as major professional associations such as the American Bankers Association, the Financial Services Roundtable, and the Million Dollar Roundtable. He is an ongoing instructor at Belmont University’s Scarlett School of Leadership.
Marston’s insights and expertise are the product of 16 years of research and consultation across a wide range of industries as well as his own early-career background in corporate sales and research. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University. He is a native and resident of Mobile, Alabama.
Keynote speaker and author of The Gen-Savvy Financial Advisor, Cam Marston brings you his latest program, The Gen-Savvy Wholesaler.
How does a wholesaler best use their understanding of generational nuances and differences to more effectively succeed with a broader array of financial advisors?
Cam Marston understands the attitudes and expectations of financial advisors and what they expect from service providers. He has learned how they value different types of information, what their definition of “expert” is and how they apply it to wholesalers, and how they want wholesalers to partner with them. He understands their preferred methods of communications and what sales tools to use and how to use them effectively.
Generally speaking, wholesalers are younger than the average advisor. While advisors today average over fifty years old, wholesalers are often a generation younger and in some cases, two. Wholesalers live a young man’s game – lots of motion, lots of energy, lots of enthusiasm for their products, and lots of interest, real or feigned, in the advisor.
Both wholesalers and advisors recognize the gap between their respective groups in both age and attitude. “Here comes the wholesaler,” the advisor says, “full of vigor and vim and can-do attitude, but little awareness of what type of person I look forward to connecting with; little awareness of the types of relationships that mean something to me. It’s not all about product. There needs to be a connection.”
Could generational gaps be a reason there is little connection? Absolutely. Whether it be a young wholesaler and a peak-of-career advisor or vice-versa, a senior wholesaler and a junior advisor, there are some steps that all wholesalers, whatever their age, can take to connect and develop rapport with the advisor. The challenge is for the wholesaler to get out of what they think the advisor should want and consider the advisor’s point of view. And generational norms are a part of this.
In this program Cam will:
The Gen-Savvy Financial Advisor Video
For decades financial services have focused on demographic groups that are now moving into and past retirement. The Matures (born 1945 and prior) and the Baby Boomers (born 1946 – 1964) are the generations that the financial services industry grew up with, and their client relationships were defined by traditional business models. Now, new generations who have different economic and cultural experiences are moving into age ranges that make them prime markets for investments, retirement planning, insurance, and other financial services.
The challenge for financial advisors today is to provide financial services and create new advisor-client relationships that match the expectations and experiences of the next generation of investors. New generational attitudes have surfaced in response to the Great Recession and its aftermath and advisors need to understand not only each generation’s characteristics but also each generation’s distinct anxieties and concerns prompted by the downturn.
Cam Marston understands the attitudes and expectations of the upcoming generations and what they expect from service providers. He has learned how they buy, how they value different types of information, what their definition of “expert” is and how they apply it to financial advisors, and what they want financial advisors to teach them. He understands their preferred methods of communications and what sales tools to use and how to use them effectively.
As an InvestmentNews columnist and the author of The Gen-Savvy Financial Advisor, Cam provides tips, ideas, and examples for how to best court and serve each generation of client. His presentations are full of “take home value” content, even giving his audiences the words to use in specific scenarios.
Selling Across the Generations – Generational Selling Tactics
For decades, financial services have focused on demographic groups that are moving into and past retirement, such as the Matures (born before 1946) and older Baby Boomers (born 1946-64). Now, new generations are moving into age ranges that make them the prime market for financial services.
Four Generations in the Workplace Video
Employers and managers need to understand the attitudes and expectations of each of the four generations so they can best work with each. The days of “treat everyone the same” are no longer with us; now we must accept the needs and desires of the individual.
This insightful and entertaining Plea and recommendations for best practices are shared.
This presentation can be highly customized to feature census data (where appropriate), company initiatives, company demographics, etc.
Workforce Leadership – Understanding, Connecting with and Engaging Your Workforce
Quality employees are your organization’s most valuable resource. How do you find the best candidates, and how can you keep the ones you have? Who is on your ‘lifer list’? What are you doing to make sure they’ll stay?
Is it the right thing?
This presentation uses best practices across industries to show how today’s most competitive companies are competing for, winning, and retaining their top people. It breaks down the motivations of each of the generations of employees and illustrates how companies “in the know” are using those motivations to better attract and retain their talent.