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Ally Langan, account manager at TheRealReal, is an amalgamation of a few Gen Z stereotypes: has a side hustle, is very online, blunt.
She doesn’t buy into the “Gen Z is lazy” trope, for instance, saying instead that her cohort values themselves and their time more than perhaps their bosses and their bosses’ bosses do.
“Companies don’t value the time, the effort that Gen Z puts in everything they do,” Langan said. We chatted recently, discussing other misperceptions of her generation, what her generation brings to the table, and how companies can best approach their Gen Z employees.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
You’re at the beginning of your career, but what made you want to start in sales?
Working in sales, it’s working one-on-one with people all the time, dealing with conflict, dealing with a lot of things I’ve dealt with before. Being a sorority president in my past, I was like, I could do this. It kind of just, weirdly enough, fell in my lap, and I was like, “You know what? Why not? Let’s give it a shot.” And I wound up actually being pretty good at it.
You’re a budding influencer on Instagram and TikTok. How does being an influencer make you a better salesperson?
The most important thing with sales is you can’t feel like you’re selling somebody. If you’re selling somebody, you’re losing the sale. Being an influencer, you have to be your real and authentic self. You don’t want to feel like you’re selling people products. When I work with brands, I will always try out a product first before filming anything.
Do you feel that there’s anything unique that Gen Z brings to sales that other generations maybe didn’t?
Gen Z is a little more real. We’re not as stiff, right? We get on a phone call, obviously we want to close the sale, but we’ll talk to the person or try to get the conversation rolling and get them to talk about themselves, what they like, and kind of build that relationship. One of my clients loves Star Wars. I like Star Wars! I’ve seen every single movie. He started talking about all the movies, and he was so shocked, so that’s how you build a relationship. It’s building a relationship, having a conversation with your friends, and then [asking questions like]: “Tell me about your business. How’d you get started? Where do you see your business growing [over] the next five years?”
It’s having that business side, but also having that casual, fun side, which I think sets Gen Z apart.
On that “fun side,” Gen Z has a reputation for being a little bit less professional in the workplace. Do you think that the less professional disposition is actually an advantage?
I think so, because sometimes when someone’s so professional, they come off as unapproachable. You don’t want to intimidate the person you’re trying to sell to.
What do you feel like people get wrong about Gen Z in the workplace? And what do they get right?
We’re not going to go the extra mile if we feel like the company isn’t going the extra mile for us, and I think that’s fair. Something that people do get right about Gen Z: We are ourselves. We’re not trying to pin on this corporate mask. Obviously, you’d be professional, but I do think that Gen Z is very authentic.
How can sales or revenue leaders understand Gen Z a little bit better?
To make things a little bit more personal, get to know the person and get to know the team. That’s how you make a strong sales team.
Are there different priorities in terms of what a company can offer Gen Z employees?
We all love remote working.