Giannis Tsalparas: I am just a millennial

"Many times, when I read articles about Millennials, I wonder why they don’t simply call us Gen Y.This question often comes to mind because we constantly have a ‘WHY’ in our heads:Why should I buy this and not that? Why should I go there instead of somewhere else?" notes MDRT member Giannis Tsalparas, who goes on to explain::

“The first thing I need to answer when I meet people from my generation is that big WHY that automatically comes up: ‘WHY should I meet with you? What can you offer me?’

Personally, I choose and seek to work with people from my own generation — not because I know how to overcome this ‘why’, or because they have high incomes and can become great clients, but because they have characteristics I truly admire (I am a Millennial myself), and we connect on the same wavelength.

1) We are the first generation fully familiar with technology.

Many call us High-Tech, and it’s no coincidence — Facebook was created by Millennials, and its first users were Millennials.

2) We are the managers of tomorrow — and, in many cases, the managers of today.

There are countless examples of Millennials leading companies and teams.

3) In less than ten years, we will represent 80% of the market. Yes, 80%.

4) As you noticed from the introduction, one of our most distinctive traits is this constant ‘WHY’

5) We buy products and services online.

During the Covid-19 period, even the last skeptic understood this — people now buy almost everything online.

6) We dislike traditional advertising (especially in the insurance industry, where ads are often not only traditional but also boring).

We want ads to send a message, to be creative, to attract us — in short, to speak our language.

7) We are social media freaks.

Our level of interaction online is unprecedented.

We are a generation that loves to share — ideas, experiences, and practices (as I’m doing right now) — and social media allow us to do this to the fullest extent.

8) We are smart buyers

We want to buy the best from the best, but we also care about price — it must make sense and feel like a good deal. We are front-line consumers.

9) We are loyal clients

Once we decide to work with someone or purchase something, we stand by that choice — even through challenges — and support it, no matter how difficult it becomes to maintain.

We may seem to make decisions quickly, but things are rarely as simple as they look.

Of course, all this doesn’t make Millennials easy clients — quite the opposite.

We are demanding, and that’s why companies have spent and continue to spend hundreds of millions of dollars and euros studying our consumer behavior.

When this year began, I told myself: ‘This is my big opportunity.’

So, I started meeting people who share my behavior patterns, lifestyle, and mindset — those born between 1982 and 1995.

Naturally, since it was easy for me to connect with them, I had to think about how to convince them to work with me.

That’s when I established a few guiding principles for my meetings:

1. I never hide my enthusiasm and passion for my work.

2. I strive to be rational and realistic, yet always appeal to emotion.

   I was never a deeply emotional person, so it took effort to combine logic and realism with emotional connection.

3. I approach them friendly yet professionally, allowing space for personal questions and open discussion.

   Often, only part of the meeting is spent on insurance needs — the rest is conversation that helps build a personal relationship first, and a professional collaboration second.

   This year, I’ve met people I feel I’ve known for years.

4. I’ve invested a great deal in customer experience.

   Even when I meet new clients via video call, I use the same tools — an iPad and an Apple Pencil.

   (Yes, I no longer use pen and paper — it’s been a long time since I last did.)

The main reason I choose to work primarily with Millennials, however, is not just the connection — it’s because they genuinely need us.

I’ve read that our generation hardly saves at all — either because we can’t or because we’re over-consumers.

That means we might not have money for our health, our children’s education, a home (which isn’t even among our top priorities), or for continuing to do what we love most — to consume.

I believe that those of us working in the insurance and financial advisory field are intelligent and adaptable — true chameleons.

This allows us to adjust quickly to the evolving demands of the new market.

And I genuinely believe that it’s not that hard for professionals to think and act like real Millennials when needed — even if they weren’t born between 1982 and 1997.”

Biography

* Mr. Giannis Tsalparas is a Financial Health Advisor and a member of MDRT for the past year.

He collaborates with MetLife and is a member of the Circle of Successful Insurance Professionals.

He is a graduate of the University of Peloponnese, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management.

He has been active in the insurance market since 2014, continuing this path because it helps him become a better person every day.

His main sources of motivation are his family and the people who trust him to protect their financial and insurance needs.

His work is his passion — and he makes sure to show it in every collaboration.

In his free time, he enjoys reading books, tasting wines from around the world, and traveling.

Originally published in my article for the magazine and website "Asfalistiki agora" (insurance market)