Why selling yourself doesn’t have to be selfish

Jennifer Ouyang Altman approached sales with skepticism.

“I thought in my head, ‘It’s just conflict, conflict, conflict. It’s pushy,’” she says.

But after some convincing from a trusted manager, she took a leap into the industry, selling e-learning software for tech company EVERFI. There, she discovered that sales was much more than script-reading and product-pushing. While creating narratives to sell her company’s product, she developed an interest in education and design. She also learned to become a much better storyteller —?a skill she has carried into her current career as an entrepreneur and leadership coach.?

This week on The Starting Line, I spoke with Ouyang Altman, who identifies as first-gen, on what her experience in sales has taught her about selling yourself, and how first-gen professionals can use sales skills to grow as professionals, even if they don't work in sales.?

Get to know your inner critic

Many sales professionals can let misguided assumptions about themselves or others fester until they feel like reality, Ouyang Altman says. That may mean feeling like they are performing at a disappointing level, or that coworkers are doing better work than they are.

To feel comfortable with what we bring to the table, we often need to conduct some inner detective work, according to Ouyang Altman. Take some time to vocalize and reflect on assumptions you may have been harboring about your background or abilities. For first-gen, this may mean directly confronting certain insecurities about your experiences compared to others’.?

“People who are first-generation are putting up barrier after barrier,” she says. “They think, ‘There’s someone more qualified to do this than I am. So why am I taking up the space?”

Think of yourself as an educator?

To succeed in sales, you need to be a great storyteller. Sales professionals need to create a clear, persuasive message on why a prospective client should consider their product or service.?

“In sales, I’m trying to make it as easy as possible for them to understand what the issue is and what value I can bring,” Ouyang Altman says.?

The same logic can be applied to selling yourself at work, she emphasizes. When you’re a part of a team, you can put in effort to share more about yourself and what you can do for your company. But first-generation professionals often believe that keeping their heads down and working hard will be enough to propel them ahead, she says. They may refrain from speaking about themselves or their upbringing at work because it feels irrelevant or like they’re oversharing.

“I think something that makes sales hard for people is that they think it’s selfish,” she says. “A lot of first-gen values around humility and community really butt against that.”

To get over this hurdle, first-gen professionals can try and view themselves as educators in addition to salespeople, Ouyang Altman recommends. Aim to present a narrative that can give your team a clearer picture of your character. This can be critical in building meaningful relationships that will help you and them in the long run, she says.?

“Think about it like this: I’m telling you my story because it’s going to help you as my boss or my peer I’m working cross-functionally with,” Ouyang Altman says. “To help you understand how I can help you and how it connects to your own goals.”

Sometimes ‘no’s are more important than the yes’s

Sales professionals may be used to hearing no’s from prospective clients, but for first-gen, the two-letter word can feel especially intimidating. Try to view a “no” as an opportunity to ask questions rather than admit faults, Ouyang Altman encourages. Many times, you’ll be led to answers you may not have otherwise known about and discover something new about yourself along the way.?

“In sales, I want to hear ‘no,’” she says. “A ‘no’ is data, it’s information. It’s saying, let’s peel it back —?what’s behind that objection?”