What Type Of Person Thrives In The Natural Products Industry, According To A Director Of Sales And Strategy At Draco Natural Products
Russell's biggest challenge as Director of Sales and Strategy at Draco Natural Products is overcoming industry inertia, as "people are very satisfied with the limited tools that they have always been using," hindering the adoption of more analytical, data-driven approaches to sales and strategy. This resistance to change, exemplified by the continued reliance on Excel spreadsheets, presents a significant hurdle in modernizing operations.
Data Analysis, Overcoming Challenges, Industry Realities, Workplace Challenges, Executive/Leadership
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Russell Zhang
Director of Sales and Strategy
Draco Natural Products
UC Davis
UCLA MBA
Biology & Related Sciences
Food, Beverages & Alcohol
Sales and Client Management
Video Highlights
1. Balancing tradition with data-driven strategies in established industries is a key challenge.
2. Many companies still rely on outdated methods like spreadsheets, hindering progress.
3. Successfully implementing analytical tools requires overcoming resistance to change within an organization.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
In the industry I work for, I would categorize it as one of those a little bit older school industries. A lot of things have been done the same way for over X amount of years.
For example, keeping track of progress using Excel sheets might sound crazy to outsiders. But for this industry, I think it's still standard today.
The challenging part is trying to be more analytical and rely on more data. This is difficult when people are satisfied with the limited tools they've always used.