In Episode 24 I have the pleasure of speaking with Anthony Pullen then Vice President of Trade Marketing at Q Mixers and Stelio PapadoPoulos based in Greece, the co-owner of the Tequila bar Barro Negro and  the Global Brand Ambassador for Jose Cuervo. Stelios and Anthony share the stories of their interesting careers before going into hospitality. Stelios was a seaman working on Cargo ships, and how and when he switched to working with Cuervo. Anthony speaks to how he was supposed to be a rugby player; when that didn't work out, he went back to college, got a degree in chemistry, and ended up working with Procter Gamble before realizing the hospitality industry was more his speed. Both speak to their time as flare bartenders in the past. Both speak to the tactics they use to build and maintain their networks around the globe, including: Be curious and be engaging. Have intentions for your interactions, especially when they are brief. When you have limited time in a mark, plan your time carefully to connect with the right people. Writing down conversations and critical information points to remember details about the people you meet. Anthony shares a great tip about using the reminder function on your apple phone to trigger a reminder not at a particular time but in a specific place. Within this reminder, you can input all the information about the account, including names, conversations, etc.. Using google maps to create a report of where you went, who you met, and conversations you had in each city. We speak to quality vs. quantity conversations- Why having four meaningful connections is better than ten meaningless ones. Stelios speaks to how he gained his passion for Tequila from Tomas Estes, the steps he took to earn his CRT tequila certificate, and his recommendation of how to understand a category truly. They discuss best practices for building relationships with the distributor, including: Knowing your distributor's portfolio so you do not present a competitor's product. Being a former bartender helps brand ambassadors to be an excellent middlemen between the bars and the sales rep. Anthony speaks to his philosophy of selling a signature cocktail, over focusing on selling cases and why and how it has worked. 2nd Tactic he used to convince bars to utilize a more expensive canned soda over the cheaper soda gun. Stelios speaks to how he convinces an account to bring in more Tequila in a country where most accounts only carry two. Stelios, Anthony, and I give final words of advice to all new BAs doing the job.