# #150 - Field Sales Part 1: Sean Lynch, Halfday & Liquid Death

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2024-07-09
- Length: 45m
- Episode: 55
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-07-09-150-field-sales-part-1-sean-lynch-halfday-liquid-death
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/00b097e3

## Summary

Sean Lynch, President of Halfday Iced Tea and former Head of Sales at Liquid Death, details the construction of a high-velocity field sales team and Direct Store Delivery (DSD) network. He explains how Liquid Death leveraged beer distributors like Anheuser-Busch to bypass traditional beverage channels, the critical role of regional sales managers (RSMs) and field sales managers (FSMs) in executing in-store displays, and the 'trust and verify' management model using tools like Repsly and SpotCheck. Lynch also advises early-stage brands to focus on winning specific 'tribe' retailers like Lucky's Market before expanding, and discusses the strategic use of trade shows like Expo West and NACS.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Sean Lynch and Halfday Iced Tea
2. Liquid Death's DSD Strategy and Distributor Selection
3. Building the Field Sales Team Structure
4. Managing and Verifying Field Reps
5. Hiring Culture and Team Dynamics
6. Trade Show Strategy and ROI
7. Halfday's Broadline Distribution and Growth Advice

## Topics

- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Liquid Death (company)
- Halfday Iced Tea (company)
- Anheuser-Busch (company)
- Coca-Cola (company)
- PepsiCo (company)
- Unfi (company)
- KeHE (company)
- Whole Foods (company)
- Lucky's Market (company)
- Repsly (tool)
- SpotCheck (tool)
- Vip (tool)
- Expo West (other)
- NACS (other)
- Nightclub and Bar (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [259 - It's definitely NOT beer with Not Beer founder Dillon Dandurand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-05-01-259-its-definitely-not-beer-with-not-beer-founder-dillon-dandurand) (People of Packaging)
- [Guayakí Yerba Mate: David Karr and Chris Mann](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-11-28-guayaki-yerba-mate-david-karr-and-chris-mann) (How I Built This)
- [Liquid Death: Mike Cessario](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-22-liquid-death-mike-cessario) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Travis Boersma of Dutch Bros](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-02-13-advice-line-with-travis-boersma-of-dutch-bros) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-08-08-advice-line-with-jim-koch-of-boston-beer-company) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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