😎 Processing $1b/yr with creators, parting with your boss, and spooky Sunday texts from your manager

SELLER’S SECRETS

Who is Dan Tellekamp, and what is WHOP?

Dan Tellekamp or “Tells” as he commonly goes by, is a 22 year old front-running creator partnerships at WHOP, a "Shopify for digital products" platform recently crossing the $1B/yr processing threshold. They’re based in Brooklyn, NY and work with some of the largest creators and online businesses in the world.

Check out Dan’s full interview on Youtube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

Let’s get you up to speed on Dan’s come up

• Grew up in Long Island, started chasing online cash in high school

• Flipped Instagram meme pages, learned the black-hat side of online marketing

• Landed first startup job at Hoo.be (a Linktree competitor) at just 17

• Became Hoo.be’s Head of Partnerships, onboarding 1,500+ creators

• Built a massive online network of athletes, podcasters, and influencers

• Graduated college in 2024, dual major in psychology and marketing

• Joined WHOP as a contracted SDR, focusing on sports bettors and traders

• Promoted to Creator Partnerships Lead, now manages parts of the sales team

• Helped WHOP grow from 20 to 70+ employees and hit a $1B run rate

• Acts as "the glue guy" by connecting others and compounding goodwill

GUEST’S sales alpha and best practices

1. Don’t pitch before you diagnose and prove competency

Before Dan reaches out to a prospect, he dissects their funnel. He checks what they're selling, where it's hosted, their pricing, going sometimes as deep as trying to get a gauge on the processing fees they may be incurring.. This lets him tailor each pitch like a custom suit. "Otherwise, you’re just shooting blanks," Dan says.

2: Build network gravity, not a call center

WHOP doesn’t run a traditional cold-calling sales floor. Their method? Become "boys" with the biggest players in the game. Dan leverages relationships, builds group chats, and connects people without ever asking for anything in return. Then he lets gravity bring the deals back to him.

Despite not having a traditional regimented outbound sales process, he does set goals/targets for himself so that he can predictably hit the targets he sets.

3: Lean into the A-player ripple effect

Dan focuses on landing the biggest accounts first (For him: $200K+ per month in processing). When A-players use WHOP, the B and C players tend to follow not far behind. Plus, top-tier clients make direct intros to their networks, fueling organic growth without much extra lift.

4 things to consider, 4 tips to implement them

Spend less time (or stop) chasing the wrong deals

• Assess your pipeline for lingering “zombie” deals

• Cut-out prospects below your revenue/profit threshold

• Focus on high-volume accounts for increase leverage

• Don't jam up your CRM with goodwill conversations

Zero out your inbox every morning

• Spend a pre-set time clearing all unread convos before you begin your next day

• Use that time to respond, triage, follow up, and schedule leads

• Input the leads with decent potential into your CRM for tracking

• Repeat daily to avoid overwhelm and eventual bottlenecks

Creative gifts deepen relationships. Give them.

• Find out something personal about your prospect

• Best performer: Tailored gift tied to a past life or hobby

• Avoid cliché gifts, go meaningful instead

• Use gifting post-close to deepen loyalty fast

Value first, job second.

• Make free connections for companies you admire

• Give thorough unprompted funnel or process feedback

• Offer a quick win before ever asking for anything

• Keep adding value, the wins will have their day

Connect with Dan

• Instagram

• LinkedIn