Category: Rep spotlight

My husband Travis and I have been married for 18 years.  We both grew up in Lusk then went to college before moving back and getting married in 98′.  We have 2 boys…Ryan is 13 and in the 8th grade and Cory is 10 and in the 5th grade.

We are proud to be a part of Niobrara County and very glad we are raising our boys here too.

I have been an Alison’s Pantry rep since Oct of 2009.  A customer approached me about it and I decided to look into it.  She said my location was good and I have a nice sized garage area that works well for this.  There had been reps here in the past but I had not personally ordered AP until I became a rep.

I love this company, I cannot express how nice it is to know who you work for.  Josh, Jessee, Kim, Vicki, Lori and Becky are all available for any question or concern, etc.  They will answer a phone call or email instantly, respond personally to Facebook questions no matter how simple or complex the question is 🙂 and appear live on webinars….what more could we ask for! 🙂

There are many things I like about being a rep but mainly I would have to say that it’s as close as you can get to being self employed.  I like that I can set my own work schedule and be able to do so many things that you cannot do when you are at a 9-5 job.  It allows me time to substitute at our schools and work with my family during haying and other things we do.

I have been doing this for a few years now and I usually get asked the question, “What do you do to have consistently high sales month after month?”  AND I always have a hard time answering that!  I do not think I do anything “special” or have a “secret” method for selling.  I think that doing the work pays off.  Yes, AP takes effort.  I use the printable customer list from Portals and don’t quit contacting customers until 5 pm on the day the order closes.  I make phone calls, email, text and Facebook msg every possible customer on that list.  I dread getting catalogs to those customers that don’t have an order that particular month but I get out and do it anyway.  I promise I don’t do anything that other reps aren’t doing and I know other reps are outdoing me on the tasting parties and facebook posts but I think my customers just respond to good old fashioned customer service!!

I have several favorite AP products…I have ordered the #4835 and #9137 Daily’s Precooked Bacon the most I would say.  I love the Soup Supreme soups and honestly my personal order each month is a mess but I like to try so many things and be able to tell customers what my family thought, etc.

My advice is to be organized, take care of your customers and get the job done each month. Customers like the products and if they have a catalog to look at, chances are they will mark some pages and eventually place an order.  If you would like someone to become a customer but don’t have a connection with them, ask one of your current customers that might be friends, etc., to share a book with them and offer a referral credit if they place an order.

Thank you,

Lisa Bruegger

Lusk, WY

We would like you to meet Vicki from Rep support, one of the important reasons that our company moves along smoothly from day to day.  Vicki has been with Alison’s Pantry for two years, she began as a Rep in SLC and when the job opening came up at the warehouse, she decided to give it a try.  One of the reasons she is so good at what she does is because she understands how it all works from the perspective of the  AP Rep.  The thing she loves about her job is getting to know and work with all the Reps. She also is the person responsible for the majority of the social media posts.

The hardest thing about her job is keeping track of almost 400 reps. she makes a lot of notes and reminders.

Vicki is married to her husband of 5 years; they have a combined family of 4 boys from Vicki’s previous marriage and 1 daughter from her husband’s previous marriage. The two older boys and the daughter are married and together they have 3 grandchildren.  The third son is currently serving an LDS mission in Texas and the youngest son, just graduated from high school.

Vicki loves to travel in her spare time and she writes a personal weekly travel and food blog at www.lovetravelwilleat.com.She loves to cook and try new recipes.

Vicki loves many of our AP products, but her favorites are #9134 Janey Lou’s cinnamon rolls, #8925 Beehive Rolls and #3298 Daily’s Center cut Bacon.  Her family’s favorite family meal is the Soup Supreme or Blount soups served in the Janey Lou’s soup bowls.  Thank you Vicki for all your hard work!

Hi, I am Sally Wells.  I live in Encampment, Wyoming.  My day job is in a school district office in Saratoga.  I have been an Alison’s Pantry Rep for 4 years.  I became a rep when the local lady decided to stop and I didn’t know where I would get my Garlic Supreme (#6112).  It is my favorite spice.  If it is too coarse, you can put it in a pepper mill and make it finer.  It is great on steaks and veggies, especially bacon wrapped (#4835) asparagus spears (#3127) on the grill.  My husband of 30 years, Jim, also likes the pre-cooked bacon and the funny bones (#2472).  I have two grown boys.  Dallas’s favorite is clam chowder, (#9167).  Jacob likes anything healthy, lots of meat like the flame seared pork shoulder (#6878) or chicken breasts (#6519).  Since Jacob joined the Army, my food bill has decreased a bit.

I like receiving my orders by email.  I reply within 48 hours with a copy of the order to confirm I’ve got it right and let the customer know an approximate delivery date.  My customers really like that.  I have started getting text orders from several customers and I let them know right away I got it.  Then follow-up with an order total and date of delivery.  I have a few phone customers.  I really like it when they catch me on the computer and I can enter their orders live.  I have a notebook in my purse and by my phone for those “Oh, I need …”    I send reminder notices by email and text mostly.  I still have a few I call.

I really like being an Alison’s Pantry Rep.  I’ve never had any problems making things right if a customer is unhappy with a product.  Unhappy customers are few and far between…

Hi All!  My name is Kristin Beckstead and I am one of the fabulous AP reps in Orem, Utah. I remind my customers often that we (my family included) are their favorite reps in Orem. It is a family affair at our house with my face being the most well recognized, but everyone in the family pitching in and helping with all aspects of the business, including taking orders, entering orders into portals, picking up at the warehouse, doing inventory, helping customers at pick up, printing invoices, distribution lists and tax reports, and doing taxes. Fun, fun! Family includes my husband of 25 years Ryan, 24 year old son Trevor and his lovely wife Angela who are also giving us our first grandbaby soon, 21 year old son Xane, 18 year old daughter Korin, 13 year old son Sam, my mother Vicki and my in-laws helped us too before they passed away.

 

I fell in love with the Alison’s Pantry products many years ago as a storefront customer.  I actually found them when it was called Wholesale Foods and I’m thinking it was 18 years ago or so. I would pop in every few months and buy hundreds of dollars worth of spices, mixes, utensils, etc. I always took out of town family with me whenever they visited and usually some friends tagged along too.  I remember one day seeing the Alison’s Pantry booth at a Taste of Home cooking class in Lehi. The employee recognized me and introduced me to Alison as a loyal customer.  She was kind and gracious and suggested I become a rep for the company.  I panicked and said no way!!!

 

Change arrived again and in January 2010 the business plan for AP was changing.  The storefront was closing forever and I panicked again.  “How will I get my favorite products?” I asked. “You can get them through a rep or become a rep yourself,” was the immediate reply.  Hurrumph! I chose to finally become an AP rep and have enjoyed it for the last 6 1/2 years. My initial driving force was to use any commissions earned to support our oldest son on his LDS mission for two years. Since then, I have used this business for preparing before, supporting during and later helping missionaries after their return home.

 

Several times a year, I review all the craziness/unbalance in my life and try to get rid of something.  Usually this introspection occurs right around pick up time and as I consider saying good-bye to Alison’s Pantry, I realize how much I love what I do. I love figuring out samples, I love visiting/emailing with all my friends (AP customers), I love serving my family great food, I love going to the bank with a stack of checks and a wad of cash and making a nice deposit, I love sharing AP products with others as birthday gifts, wedding gifts, welcome to the neighborhood gifts, just because gifts, etc, I love going to the food shows, I love learning more about the products during any kind of training, I love looking through the beautiful catalogs –  I just love it all!!! I keep doing it because it’s fun for me and I committed to my husband that when it stopped being fun, I would leave it behind. Hopefully I pass that joy, enthusiasm and excitement along to my customers. I’m happy to help them fill their pantry and freezer with great, quality products.

 

I don’t believe I am a very good “sales rep.” However, I am a very nice person and an excellent facilitator.  If my customers want a product, I will bend over backwards and go the extra mile to get it for them. I send an email every month to customers reminding them when orders are due and when pick up is scheduled. I invite my customers to my home on a certain day to pick up their items and pay me for them and if it works out, great! If it doesn’t, we plan a better time for us to get together. Some customers prefer that I deliver which I am happy to do. I always have food samples at pick up (but only on the scheduled pick up day. If they miss it, I don’t worry about it later). I like to try to do my own food show at my home once per year with about 50 products to see or sample.  I also like giving a holiday thank you with their orders. Some customers order every month, others several times a year, and still others order once every several years. I am grateful for them all!

 

Good luck to you with your business ventures. Remember some months are better than others and don’t worry. Work hard, love what you do, have fun serving your AP friends and be grateful that there is still a company to work with that actually cares about you, the rep.  Alison has passed the baton to Jesse and Josh and they along with all the amazing support staff in the office, in the field, and in the warehouse, care about me personally.  They work hard so I can succeed.  It’s an amazing feeling and I am thrilled to be an AP rep!

My name is Haley Notter and I live in Eastern Colorado.  My husband and I have 3 children. Cyler is 11, Hanna is just shy of 10 and Corbin will be 6 this week.  They have us on our toes for sure!  I became an AP sales rep when I was getting out of a 15-year streak of being a licensed daycare provider.  I was used to being in the sales business prior to AP so it was natural for me to share Alison’s Pantry with people.  The food business is much better for me because people always have to eat. 🙂 I’m a food lover too so it fits!  I also LOVE the flexibility I have being a stay-at-home momma.  AP is the best part-time job any mom could ask for.  Even as young as our kids are, they are responsible each month to help get ready for the truck.  They love the little incentive of a pay check too!  AP is definitely a family business for us.  My husband is one of my best supporters!

This is my 5th summer selling for Alison’s Pantry.  I feel like AP has been a great success for me because I strive to reach new customers every month to help fill the gap when other customers’ freezers are full.  I always make sure each and every customer is contacted every order period.  If I don’t reach them the first time, I’ll try again.  I typically make a phone call to them if I have not heard back from them after the second attempt.  It feels like I’m pestering but most customers are always so thankful for the reminder call.  It is very important to do reminders.  So many forget but have intentions on ordering.  I like to do monthly drawings for free product and customers appreciate that even if it is only $10 worth of product.  One thing that has been a total hit is each month I order in a bunch of extra product and the day prior to delivery, I post it online for sale.  It is a little extra work with invoices but it definitely boosts sales by $200-$400 depending on what I buy.

I can’t thank Alison’s Pantry enough for coming into our family’s life.  It’s definitely been a blessing.

Haley Notter

Meet Fern Goodwin, she is one of our reps in the southern region of UT. Here’s a little bit about her background and her business.

I have been a rep about 10 years. I became a representative, to help my son save money for a mission. I have loved my association with customers, who quickly became friends. I love seeing my AP friends each month. Alison’s Pantry has been a big part of my life for over 30 years. During the recession, our family was hit pretty hard, and with other health issues, we relied on the income from AP sales to feed our family, and be able to buy gifts through the many non food items that AP carries. What a great blessing it has been!

I have 8 children, who now have their own families, we have 23 grandchildren, they have all had opportunities to help with catalogs, delivery and unloading the truck.

I always order samples for my customers; many times this will be a spice for the upcoming seasonal baking, a favorite sprinkle, a small food sample, or a cleaning product. I have food samples for them to try when they come to pick up their order. I have not only great customers, but they have become friends as well.

Hi, my name is Teresa Burnside. My family and I live in McKinnon, WY.  After living in Mesquite, NV, for 13 years, my husband and I decided it was time to come home to the cold and the snow to raise our family. We have lived here for almost eight years now.  We have four terrific kids, who we enjoy spending all of our time with.  Our family is very active and involved with basketball and rodeo competition year round.

I became involved with Alison’s Pantry six years ago when my parents took over from a previous representative. After two years they turned the business over to me when they left to serve an LDS Mission.

There are so many products that I enjoy from Alison’s Pantry, but living where we do 45 miles away from the nearest grocery store, it is hard to keep fresh produce on hand. So, I really enjoy the great selection of fruits and vegetables that Alison’s Pantry has to offer.

I have found in order to maintain great sales I have to create the habit in people of ordering, to create this habit and keep it alive I do the following:

The week that orders are due:

1. Send out an email with a newsletter and deals reminding customers that orders will be due soon.

2. Send out a text to all customers about two days before the order is due as another reminder.

The day that orders are due:

3. I personally call, or text any customers that have not ordered for the final reminder. I call as a simple courtesy because everyone is so busy and it is easy to forget.

These three simple steps get me a repeat order from customers 90% of the time.

I look forward to the new changes that are happening with Alison’s Pantry. Once again living where I do, the mailing of catalogs has helped me connect with customers that I wasn’t always able to get a catalog to.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to be a Rep. for Alison’s Pantry. They are an honest and great company to represent and they provide some of the best product around, which makes it easy to sell.

 

I try to do something with Alison’s Pantry each day whether it is sending out a newsletter by email, posting something on Facebook, calling and updating information with customers, sharing catalogs, entering orders, using the products in my everyday cooking or sharing something with friends or at functions.  This past month I had several contests!  Like my post on facebook to be entered into a drawing for a free brownie mix, drawing for a free recipe book if you place an order over $25, free cookies if you pick up your order on delivery day, $10 off any one item or free shipping on any size order when you place 12 consecutive orders, and today I just posted that everyone who likes my post today can get 5% off their catalog #3 order.  I also participate in a yearly craft fair, and some of my best and most faithful customers have come from that alone, and because of that they have become my best friends!  I don’t seem to grow in sales, but I am pretty consistent.  The best way for me to get new customers is through the hot buys!  I have tried many different things from having a sample each month at pick up day, a table of products to buy on pick up day, which I don’t charge shipping or tax on (I pay it), prizes for referrals, and any time I win anything from Alison’s Pantry, I pass it on to my customers!  One last think is I multitask a lot!   I don’t just go to a soccer game, I pass out catalogs while I am there.  I don’t just wait patiently at a doctor’s appointment, I browse a catalog while I wait or in November when my husband was in the hospital, I made a lot of phone calls updating information.  When I see a picture of myself or a testimonial from myself in a catalog, I try to do a seek and find contest with that.  I love reading other people’s ideas and then try to implement them in my plans too!  The attached picture is of my most faithful customer, my mother, Dawna Carlisle, at my craft fair in November (notice she is passing out catalogs).  Remember, I multitask?  So I did the craft fair with my son, Rick and his wife, Heidi, who make wood burning crafts.  I forgot to take a picture of me at my booth.