15 Ways to Connect With Baby Boomers

1. Tell them your story.
2. Communicate face to face, or at least person to person in phone calls.
3. Show optimism.
4. Position yourself as part of their team.
5. Help them get control of their lives and stress levels.
6. Customize your work for them (remember, this is the "Me" generation).
7. Help them feel like winners; validate their importance and uniqueness.
8. Don't make them feel old.
9. Provide visible rewards of their relationship with you.
10. Find the right level of technology to communicate with them.
11. Ask about their children and include the kids in some events.
12. Capitalize on their affinity for "tried and true" by using trusted names.
13. Don't be afraid to refer to the past.
14. Selling is OK.
15. Show your work; ask for the business.

Adapted from "The Gen-Savvy Financial Advisor: Advising the Generations in the New Age of Uncertainty" by Cam Marston. Used with permission.

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Read Olivia Mellan's feature story on connecting with different generations, "Making the Connection."