Daniel Lozano
Co-Founder and Sales Director at Non Grata Cervecería and Tejo La Embajada
In today’s episode, we have Daniel as our guest, who in his two companies, focuses on selling experiences more than products or services – mainly celebration experiences. At Non Grata, their brewery, they offer their audience something distinct from the conventional beers that have been in the market for so long. At Tejo, they aim to create a space to live the experience. As Daniel mentions, both are part of the industry that makes people celebrate and connect.
The Ideal Profile of a Salesperson
Daniel tells us that when they founded the brewery, among the group of founders, they chose him as the salesperson because he was the best public speaker. However, in the interview, he shares how this perception of the ideal person for the sales role has changed with experience. Nowadays, he would define a salesperson as someone who asks the best questions, the most inquisitive, and the one who can develop the most empathy to understand what the customer needs.
“A salesperson is completely made, I have no doubt about it (…) Everyone can learn to ask questions and develop a curious, inquisitive mind, and start working on how to empathize with the person in front of them to change the role from a transactional seller to a relationship builder.”– Daniel Lozano
Tips for Designing a Sales Strategy from Scratch in a Startup
As this process is so different from that of an established company with established processes, Daniel explains how he has dealt with the tension this generates and how he has taken the sales department of the brewery and Tejo forward. An interesting point he explains is how these environments of need and difficulty are perfect spaces to tap into creative potential.
The Best Way to Generate Qualified Prospects
For Daniel, the most important thing is to know how to segment and then prospect. Quickly realizing the type of audience you’re targeting is crucial. Based on this, it’s important to decide whether to focus on a niche or go for a broader base. He shares that in the case of Non Grata, they chose the niche approach, which has allowed them to have a stronger relationship with their customers to understand consumption dynamics.
He also gives tips on how to segment your company’s customer correctly. According to Daniel, the most important thing to know is that you never finish segmenting and identifying your customer. After understanding this, two steps follow. First, understand the value proposition; what do you want to change in this world. Second, understand the market you want to serve based on the previous step and know what tools are available to segment by population, geography, interests, etc.
The Training Every Salesperson Should Have
Continuing, we asked Daniel if he believes every salesperson should have training in marketing. For Daniel, communication between the marketing and sales departments is indispensable. Salespeople should understand the importance of marketing, and marketing professionals should understand the power of sales. But to our surprise, Daniel spoke of a third training that every salesperson should have: financial training. From his perspective, the sales department has a significant influence on a company’s cash flow, and every salesperson should understand how they impact it.
The Spirit Every Sales Team Should Have
Lastly, we spoke with Daniel about how he has managed to instill his sales spirit in his sales team. For him, the most important thing is to understand that the motivations of the team are different from those of the founders. However, the good news is that they can be aligned. Transmit the meaning of their work. If motivation is solely about selling, the team will be indifferent to selling any product. But Daniel emphasizes that success comes when the team understands and knows how what they are doing can impact people’s lives; when the team understands the meaning of the company’s mission.
