Today’s younger consumers, including Gen Z, expect brands to feel authentic, adapt quickly and deliver real value. Staying relevant with this new generation of buyers is all about evolving with intention. If you’re a business developer, you may need to rethink how products connect with your people, not just how they sell.
Below, Forbes Business Development Council members share their tips for staying relevant as a new generation enters the buying market. Follow their advice to help you listen better, experiment smarter and meet the next wave of consumers on their terms.
1. Time Your Product For Market Readiness
To stay relevant with new generations, time your product’s use case to match market readiness. Launching too early can be just as damaging as being too late. Keep a pulse on trends, consumer behavior and tech adoption so you meet demand at the right moment for maximum impact. – Scott Hozebin, DirectCare AI
2. Engage Customers In Informal Settings
The market has changed; engaging with your customers and community in an informal setting is key. There are so many benefits in understanding what they love about your product or service and, most importantly, what they want to improve. When people feel heard, that’s how loyalty is created. Investing in various social platforms and communicating authentically is key. – Olga Lykova, monday.com
3. Modernize Your Product With Innovation
We’ve been busy modernizing our software, including adding new AI features that make it even more robust. Staying ahead of the curve will ensure that your business is appealing to new demographics. – Brandon Batchelor, ReadyCloud
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4. Adapt To New Audiences Without Losing Current Customers
Leaders must deeply understand their target audience, both their core base and emerging generations, to stay relevant. Success comes from balancing your current loyalty and evolution. You need to retain what works for existing customers while adapting messaging, features and value props that meet the expectations, habits and values of a new generation. – Alexandra Robertson, Visory Health
5. Break Comfort Zones
To stay relevant, biz devs must kill comfort. Don’t worship old products; evolve them like living organisms. Gen Z/Alpha want speed, values and vibes, not nostalgia. Partner with disruptors, align with causes and make your product feel like culture, not commerce. Relevance isn’t maintained; it’s hijacked with bold, shocking moves that make the market blink. – Ori Lev-Ran, Teramind
6. Stay Close To The Market With Insights
To stay relevant with new generations, I believe business developers must stay close to the market through constant insights, not assumptions. Listening actively, adapting quickly and co-creating with consumers are crucial to deliver solutions that align with evolving needs and values. – Anna Jankowska, RTB House
7. Commit To Lifelong Learning
Lifelong learning through pulse checks with consumers and cross-industry data will definitely help. An ear to the ground will facilitate agility for product decisions and the ability to make changes fast when needed. Being part of the new generation and constant engagement is the only way to learn from them and their needs. – Anoma Baste, Space Matrix
8. Focus On Delivering Customer Value
It all goes back to delivering value, both personal and professional. Research what that value would be for new generations of consumers and ensure your sales approach and solutions provide that. When you demonstrate your commitment to driving customer value as a priority, people respond—and that transcends generational divides. – Julie Thomas, ValueSelling Associates
9. Co-Create Products With The Next Generation
Let the next generation shape the product with you. Bring them into private beta groups, co-create features and give them a stake in the story. When people see their fingerprints on what you offer, they become loyal customers and natural brand ambassadors for life. – Thasha Batts, Pinnacle Global Network
10. Use Continuous Self-Analysis To Stay Ahead
Many companies do not really measure the current customers’ opinions regarding the solutions or the company overall. Consulting firms sell this type of data; however, the ability to always use the biz dev team to be forward-looking and do self-analysis as a continuous improvement/relevance practice. – Mike Quinn, Active Cypher
11. Listen And Solve Real Challenges
Relevance starts with listening. Engage new generations directly. See what problems they face and how they want them solved. Adapt your product to fit their world while staying true to your strengths. When you solve their real challenges in ways that work for them, you stay relevant and earn lasting loyalty. – Michael Fritsch, SavvyCOO
12. Evolve Rapidly With Purpose And Community
It’s essential to learn quickly and evolve at a rapid pace. Young generations, such as Gen Z, are accustomed to adapting and pivoting as a matter of course in their work and personal lives. Brands need to pivot as well. Also, Gen Z is a generation that cares about values, community and purpose, so ensuring those aspects of your brand stand out is a great way to evolve with them. – Wayne Elsey, Funds2Orgs
13. Test Ideas Quickly For Fast Feedback
The best way to stay relevant is to keep learning from the market. Do regular research, but don’t wait for perfect answers—test ideas quickly, even small ones. Fast feedback from real users helps you see what resonates with the new generation, so you can adapt your product before trends shift away. – Alexey Kachalov, UniOne
14. Align Innovation With Shifting Values
To stay relevant with a new generation of consumers, business developers must embrace continuous innovation and cultural awareness. Listening to shifting values like sustainability, personalization and digital convenience is key. Co-creating with customers, embedding feedback loops and aligning purpose with product ensure offerings resonate and evolve with emerging expectations – Salice Thomas, Wipro Limited