Hi, my name is Shellie Christensen. I live in Douglas, WY, with my husband Robert and the last 2 of our 6 children, Hunter 16 and Heather 15.
I have been buying Alison’s Pantry products since 2011 and when the current rep in Douglas started looking for a replacement, she asked if I would be interested in taking over. I discussed it with my husband and we decided to do it together. So, we started selling in October 2017. I enjoy working with customers and my husband does an amazing job receiving the truck and doing inventory. Then the whole family helps with order pickup and delivery! It has been a great opportunity for our family to be able to work together and for my husband and I to teach our children customer service with the public.
Contact each month is so important. When we took over the Douglas area, even though there was a current list of customers, many had not been contacted in a very long time. I have found that making sure each person receives a catalog and knows the order deadline has a great impact on a successful order. I also send out multiple reminders and make calls up to the order deadline. I have customers that prefer texting and others that want a phone call. It’s my job to know this and contact them in whatever form they are most comfortable. Customer service is key with Alison’s Pantry. The products are amazing, and they don’t need any help in selling but if the customer has a bad experience trying to get the product they won’t try again. My family works hard to be flexible for our customers when orders are ready to be picked up. We have some customers that are unable to pick up their orders, so they were worried about placing an order. We assured them that delivering an order was no problem and it has worked out great!
Every day there is at least one thing in each meal we eat that comes from Alison’s Pantry! The vegetables are a staple for us and we always have a good choice stocked in the freezer. My husband loves to grill, and the bacon wrapped pork chops, chicken tenders, and hamburgers are favorites for our family. I would also be lost without my bag of Shirley J Universal Sauce. It is the base of many of my family’s favorite sauces and gravies!
A great way my husband and I get to know our customers is by asking them at pickup about their order. What they like about the products they purchased and how they prepare them. It also helps us when we are asked about something in the catalog we haven’t tried yet. We can tell them what another customer has liked about it and how they use it.
My family is really enjoying the experience of working together representing a great product! Thank you, Alison’s Pantry!