- Jul. 30, 2008
- Gotta Love Hippies…
As a sales rep, you often don’t know what a day on the road might entail; you also never know what you might encounter when you walk through the front doors of your next account.
Leaving my last sales call of the day, at a little natural foods store tucked away in Northern California coastal hills, I was assured that the coastal route home was going to be a faster and, of course, a more scenic route home. Well, let’s just say that my coastal route left me lost on a windy redwood tree lined road.
No cell reception and no gas station in site, I decided to go around one more turn before turning around. Around that corner, I approached a lonely, funky little coffee house. Great! I thought. Coffee and directions! As I opened the door to the coffee house, I was welcomed by the owners—a friendly and humble, old hippie couple.
The grey-bearded man with the long-braided ponytail, and I must admit a great spirit, informed me that, yes I was off the Hwy 1 coastal route. “But let me make you a coffee for the road,” he said. As he put together a concoction of well needed caffeine, he noticed my Clif Bar shirt and asked if I work for the company.
My answer sparked a story-telling session, as he shared tales of backcountry survival when Clif Bars satisfied his greatest of hunger pangs. He then pointed to a shelf that just so happened to be stocked full of Clif Bars. I then asked him if he had tried any of our other bars. “You have other bars?” he asked. Clearly, this man could use some samples. I stocked him and his wife up with Nectar, Mojo, and Luna Tea Cakes.
I think I may have made their day, and made a sell as well! You just never know what a day on the road as a Rep entails.
And wait, the story continues…
As I opened the store doors to begin my second attempt at finding my way home, a hippie, decked-out city bus pulled up…
Leaving my last sales call of the day, at a little natural foods store tucked away in Northern California coastal hills, I was assured that the coastal route home was going to be a faster and, of course, a more scenic route home. Well, let’s just say that my coastal route left me lost on a windy redwood tree lined road.
No cell reception and no gas station in site, I decided to go around one more turn before turning around. Around that corner, I approached a lonely, funky little coffee house. Great! I thought. Coffee and directions! As I opened the door to the coffee house, I was welcomed by the owners—a friendly and humble, old hippie couple.
The grey-bearded man with the long-braided ponytail, and I must admit a great spirit, informed me that, yes I was off the Hwy 1 coastal route. “But let me make you a coffee for the road,” he said. As he put together a concoction of well needed caffeine, he noticed my Clif Bar shirt and asked if I work for the company.
My answer sparked a story-telling session, as he shared tales of backcountry survival when Clif Bars satisfied his greatest of hunger pangs. He then pointed to a shelf that just so happened to be stocked full of Clif Bars. I then asked him if he had tried any of our other bars. “You have other bars?” he asked. Clearly, this man could use some samples. I stocked him and his wife up with Nectar, Mojo, and Luna Tea Cakes.
I think I may have made their day, and made a sell as well! You just never know what a day on the road as a Rep entails.
And wait, the story continues…
As I opened the store doors to begin my second attempt at finding my way home, a hippie, decked-out city bus pulled up…
- Posted by:
- Guest Starring
- Category:
- From the Road, Office Life, r@nd0m
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I’m curious, did the couple end up carrying the other Clif Bar items after your chance encounter? Have you heard from them since?
Happy accidents like the one that you describe are what make the life of a sale rep interesting and rewarding. Your story also relays the importance of connecting with your target audience, leveraging your brand, and staying true to the principals that brand is built upon.
Thanks for sharing!
I enjoyed reading about your adventure. I am planning a five-week Grand Tour of Europe and Israel in October 2009 and I will be stocking up on ClifBars!
Are you available in Europe? Are all your products kosher?
Hi Karen,
Your trip sounds so exciting! Five weeks in Europe sounds like my dream vacation.
To answer your questions, currently we have products available in the US, Canada and now the UK. We do not want to enter a market until we have the resources, both human and financial, to fully support it with the same type of grass roots efforts we utilize in North America.
Therefore, I regret that we are not able to export our products outside of our current markets this year. However, we have hopes that we can be ready in the not too distant future.
If you are planning on swinging through the UK, here are the flavors that we currently have available through 2pure: Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, Carrot Cake, Cool Mint Chocolate, Crunchy Peanut Butter, and Black Cherry Almond.
2pure can be reached at:
Tel: 0131 448 2884
Most of our products are certified kosher except for the Clif Shot Gel, Bloks, Luna Moons and Luna Recovery Smoothie.
I hope this info helps.
If you have any further questions feel free to contact us in Consumer Services anytime.
Have a great trip!
Hi Matt,
Thanks for your comment! I in fact ventured back into the coffee house last week and they did order more Clif brands! This included the Nectar bars and more flavors of the Clif Bars. I provided the couple with some Clif “swag”, and boy did this put a smile on there face.
And yes, I agree, experiences like this one are what makes my job rewarding.
Thanks for reading!