Sales Reps

The pandemic has not been kind to independent sales reps. With in-person meetings cancelled for months on end, reps have had to navigate business in 2020 without (arguably) the most powerful tool in their professional arsenal: the ability to show products directly to potential ...read more

Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web The North Face x Gucci collab: The two brands have revealed details about their new joint collection, inspired by '70s-era style. [HypeBeast] The future of carbon emissions: After a century of rising atmospheric carbon ...read more

Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Taking a stand: Sunlight Sports in Cody, Wyoming, posted an admirable and unequivocal message on Facebook this week. Customers who exhibit intolerant, hateful behavior will no longer be welcome in the store, the owners ...read more

For reps, there’s no such thing as a free sample. While ambassadors, athletes, and media get free products to test, independent agencies are responsible for ordering, paying for—and offloading—every product they show. “For one of my brands, I carry on average almost $40,000 a ...read more

We've all been getting a lot of bleak news lately. Sometimes, you just need a little break. That was the idea that led Koby Crooks, a sales rep at The Alpine Cowboy in Austin, Texas, and puzzle aficionado to create an outdoor activity book for staff of the retail stores he works ...read more

The pain of the pandemic has rippled through just about every workplace in the outdoor industry over the past few months, and those of independent sales reps are no exception. As the main points of contact between outdoor companies and the stores that carry their products, reps ...read more

Buying is an art and a science. Your buy defines your shop’s essence: the brands and products your choose reflect the culture of your store. The underlying principle is to keep your store fresh and fun for all of your different types of customers. Shops structure their buying ...read more

In the beginning, the dream was simple: Just you, the gear, and the open road. You’re somewhere, it doesn’t matter where. Between Colorado and Wyoming, say. You’ve got a truck full of next season’s climbing gear. Your next appointment isn’t until tomorrow, and there’s a crag and ...read more

President Rich Hill kicked off the evening by explaining the Grassroots History Project, which was started a few years back to trace the arc of the group’s growth as a powerful collaboration of retailers and brands. Through hundreds of hours of interviews with members—both from ...read more

Bozeman, Mont., (April 22, 2019) — Oboz Footwear, the True to the Trail® outdoor footwear company headquartered in Bozeman, announces that Freestone Sales Group will be representing the brand in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Freestone Sales Group ...read more

Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected]. David Lama, Jess Roskelley, and Hansjörg Auer—three renowned alpinists—are presumed dead after an avalanche swept over them in Canada. As of now, there has been ...read more

Don't get discouraged by the ongoing closures of sporting goods stores and other retailers because according to one expert, retail is making a comeback. Julia Clark Day, executive director of business development at NPD Group, is a number cruncher. With more than 20 years of ...read more

The Eastern Outdoor Reps Association (EORA) and New England Sports Representatives (NESR), two trade groups, have joined forces to operate a new non-profit trade organization under the name 360 Adventure Collective. Members of the group voted earlier this year to solidify the ...read more

Bobbi Gale Bensman has spent more than three decades working within the industry. She started back in 1981 at Desert Mountain Sports in Phoenix, Arizona, while climbing professionally at the same time. She retired from the climbing circuit in 1999, but continued building her ...read more

Many of us have what a lot of people would consider to be dream jobs. Sure, work is work, but a lot of what we do revolves on getting people outside. And we get to do a lot of that ourselves, too. We're curious how you got started in this great industry. Share your stories with ...read more

It's a common refrain we've heard from retailers over the years: "I wish I had more training resources for my staff." What if you had unlimited access to free online gear training modules that are independently taught, not tainted by any one brand trying to get you to sell more ...read more

It's been hard to keep track of the where's and the when, right? We are here to help. We've populated this calendar with all the events we know of, including tradeshows, rep shows, and consumer-facing outdoor events. If we missed any, let us know at [email protected] and ...read more

One of the hardest-working (and most popular) reps in the industry, Kurt Smith drives 40,000 miles a year selling Sterling Rope, Salewa, Evolv, NEMO Equipment, Meridian Line and Skratch Labs to retail shops in the Southeast and Great Lakes regions. As a new dad, he says it’s hard ...read more