Groupon Employee Spotlight:
Dani Langan

In our January Employee Spotlight, we wrap up 2024 by celebrating 10 extraordinary years at Groupon with Dani Langan! A true embodiment of high performance, Dani leads Groupon’s non-regionalized team of 10 BDs. Her leadership ensures exceptional results for merchants while delivering outstanding experiences to customers across North America.

Dani’s journey from inbound sales to a key leadership role reflects her relentless drive for excellence. In this interview, she shares her strategies for fostering success, inspiring her team, and embracing change as a catalyst for growth.

Outside of work, Dani’s passion for live music 🎶, and her role as a proud mom add a personal touch to her professional achievements.

Discover how Dani’s commitment to excellence continues to shape Groupon’s success story.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Groupon.

I recently hit 10 years at Groupon! I started off in inbound sales and sold for 3.5 years before making the pivot into leadership. I have been a BD DSM for 6 years and in that time have worked with all rep levels and verticals. I currently manage the non-regionalized team of 10 BDDs. These reps are verticalized meaning they only work with their specific categories (5 Beauty & Wellness,  3 Things To Do & 2 Food and Drink). We are focused on working with high quality merchants across NAM and ensuring we are setting up the best deals possible for both our merchants and customers. 

How did you get started in your career, and what brought you to  Groupon?

I always thought I wanted to be an event planner, but losing nights and weekends when you’re right out of college is not ideal ;). I started working with the sales team at my event planning company and loved it, but knew I wanted to move away from that industry. Groupon was the talk of the town in Chicago, so when I got an interview and offer to join the sales team it was a no brainer! 

In your opinion, what are the key elements necessary for individuals and teams to excel and achieve high performance in a dynamic environment like Groupon?

Always keep in mind the overall goal - providing a great experience for both our merchants and customers. Whether you are negotiating a new deal, navigating a strategy change or working to improve an internal process; ask yourself if it benefits Groupon, our merchants and our customers. Keeping this at the forefront of your mind along with being organized and having a strong work ethic will lead to success.  

How do you balance the pursuit of high performance with maintaining a healthy work-life balance?

This is something I admittedly struggle with. Having 2 littles, I make it a point to make sure I am completely “off” during the evenings and weekends. While I still do sneak peaks at my email and dashboards during nap time, I try to hold myself accountable to being as present as I can outside of work hours! Turning notifications off helps! 

Can you describe a time when you faced a significant challenge or setback in achieving your goals, and how you overcame it to deliver successful outcomes? 

I think the hardest and most obvious was COVID. This had a massive impact on local businesses therefore impacting our jobs in sales. Being able to adapt and pivot quickly rather than throwing in the towel was imperative to remaining successful. We were forced to think outside the box and adjust our value prop and what we offered during that time to be relevant and helpful to our merchants and customers. 

As Groupon undergoes transformational changes, how do you adapt your approach to ensure continued success and contribute to the company's growth objectives? 

Do not resist change - embrace it. The only constant about working at Groupon is change, so being adaptable is key to being successful here. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, understand the “why”, come up with your game plan or what pivots need to be made to adapt to updated strategies or initiatives and dive in head first. 

How do you inspire and motivate your colleagues to embrace a mindset of continuous improvement and excellence in their work?

Working with a tenured and high performing sales team, there is always that element of friendly competition that helps motivate each other. As a DSM,  whether it’s pushing reps to get better terms on a deal or challenging them to work on a PDS outside of their comfort zone, I try to make sure I am constantly holding my team accountable to being the best reps they can be and exceed their goals. Even Olympians need coaches! 

What was the first Groupon that you even bought, or experienced?

Yoga studio  

What is one non-work activity or hobby that you're into?

I love live music! I try to go to concerts whenever I can. 

What’s one thing about you that surprises people?

My taste in music (🤘) 

If you could swap lives with any fictional character for a day, who would you choose and why?

Elle Woods. Her ambition and determination is inspiring! 

What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done, and would you do it again? 

I tend to err on the side of caution :) 

If you could have a dinner party with any historical figure, dead or alive, who would you invite and what would you all talk about?

Princess Diana to get all the tea (literally and figuratively). 

If you could instantly master any skill or talent, what would it be and why?

Be fluent in all languages!

What's the most embarrassing song on your playlist that you secretly love?

Anything Limp Bizkit.

And finally, what was the last Groupon you bought?

Children’s museum to bring my 2 year old to!