Daniel Zillante

Commander
DISC Type : D

Head of N.A. Business Planning and Market Insights - Sales and Delivery Ops at Tesla

San Mateo, California, United States

Overview

Daniel leads North American Business Planning and Market Insights at Tesla, leveraging 13 years of experience in engineering and management. An MIT Sloan MBA graduate, he previously co-founded the construction-tech startup Zilper Trenchless, which was later acquired by Petra, where he then served as COO and boosted sales by 20x in 18 months.

He is passionate about building high-performing teams and fostering professional growth, believing it is one of the most rewarding aspects of life. Daniels entrepreneurial journey began with his brother, Roberto, turning a family Christmas dinner conversation into an innovative company that would go on to win numerous awards.

Unique fact: His startup, Zilper Trenchless, was created at MIT to significantly reduce the cost and disruption of installing underground infrastructure.

Personality Overview

Impact-Driven

Candid & Clear

Very Quick

They are less concerned about the product and more about its potential impact.  They respond better to strong and respectful interactions. They do not care very much about building rapport or relationships.

Topics They Care About

Startup Growth
Co-founded a startup, led it to be acquired, and then dramatically scaled the acquiring company's sales and operations as its COO.
Disruptive Technology
His startup specialized in creating cost-efficient equipment to innovate within the traditional construction industry. He shows interest in agile startups outpacing large corporations.
Team Leadership
Expresses a passion for building high-performing teams and helping people grow into the best version of themselves, considering it a privilege.

Media Appearances

Daniel has no verified media appearances

Work History

7-2024
Head of N.A. Business Planning and Market Insights - Sales and Delivery Ops at Tesla
7-2022 - 5-2024
Chief Operating Officer at Petra
8-2018 - 7-2022
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Zilper Trenchless Inc
6-2018 - 8-2018
Summer Consultant at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
8-2016 - 6-2017
Insights Manager – Member of the Marketing Leadership Team at British American Tobacco

Education

2017 - 2017
Master of Business Administration - MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management
2007 - 2012
Engineer’s Degree from Universidad Simón Bolívar

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 12 Location : San Mateo, California, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Head of N.A. Business Planning and Market Insights - Sales and Delivery Ops at Tesla
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Insights For Selling To Daniel

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Refer to testimonials from well-known industry leaders
  • Make sure that you circle back fast on any action items, it wins their trust
  • When negotiating terms, help them build an impression that they are the ones calling the shots

DONT's

  • Avoid being a storyteller and don’t try to oversell
  • Do not spend too much time focusing on product tech or features
  • Don’t take too much time in sending them information if they ask for any

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Daniel is

  • Conviction around the impact matters the most to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Daniel

  • If they decide not to use your product, they will say no clearly.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Daniel move?

  • If convinced, they can reach decisions quite fast.
  • Can Daniel take some risk or not?

  • They do not shy away from taking risks, but can be quite binary about them.

You And Daniel

Personality Compatibility


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