What does it mean to represent the Pacific Northwest?

Representing outdoor companies in the Pacific Northwest is very different than in Florida. While that may seem obvious, let me explain. Up north we sell a lot of wool. We sell a lot of neutral, earth toned colors. We sell a lot of rain jackets, waterproof shoes, and warm gloves. We sell a lot of dry treated ropes and flannel shirts. We don’t sell a lot of white shoes. We don’t sell a lot of sun shirts, flipflops and tank tops. We don’t sell a lot of surf boards, bright colored apparel or super sexy clothes.

Beyond what we do and do not sell, being a rep in the Pacific Northwest comes with unique challenges and opportunities. To start with, is the geography. There is a LOT of ground to cover out here. From the coast of Washington to the east side of Montana is approximately 1200 miles alone. It takes a flight and a long drive just to see some accounts in Alaska. In Oregon, you must battle mountain passes and desert. Idaho is long, skinny and everything in between.

Another challenge we have is getting the end user to replace their gear. As a bunch of do-it-yourselfers, many outdoor enthusiasts in the PNW choose to hang on to their equipment long passed its expiration date. Why get another pair of shoes when I can wrap another layer of duct tape around the sole? Why replace these long john’s when I can patch them for the tenth time? Why splurge on that new backpack with the latest technology when my old ten-pound pack is working just fine?

We have the challenge of dealing with vastly different weather and different consumer needs across five very large states. For example, the Alaskan bushman is going to need very different gear than the Portland city dweller. The Big Sky skier is going to have very different style than the Mount Baker snowboarder. The Bend desert resident is not going to need waterproof gear the way a Seattleite will. From the mountains of the Alaskan Range, Cascades and Sawtooth’s to the pancake flatlands of Billings, Moses Lake, and Kennewick, there is vastly different terrain in the Pacific Northwest.

Opportunities abound in our territory as well. Because of the varied terrain, we can sell to mountain communities, fishing villages, urbanites, hunters, and hipsters. We can go from a sprawling metropolis of a million people to a Podunk town of a hundred people without crossing state lines. We can carry one piece of gear in our pack that will work perfectly for one person and make no sense to another; meaning diversity is rampant.

We have a lot of open-minded people in the Pacific Northwest. Portland embodies this willingness to try new things. Waterproof socks? Why not! Urban hiking boots? Yes please! Fanny packs? Oh yeah! While there will always be retail shops that are stuck in their ways, we have many accounts that embrace change and have made a name for themselves through utilizing technology to set them apart. Some of the early innovators of selling gear online have come from the PNW. Our five states are filled with dealers that are not settling for doing things the way they have always done them.

So, while Florida may be selling a lot more sun hats and linen clothes than us, we do a pretty good job of selling an eclectic mix of both technical and uniquely styled goods. One day we get to interact with the shop owner in a ski resort town that relies on rich customers splurging on their vacation. The next day we are talking with a customer who is hemming and hawing about the technical aspects of a twenty-dollar piece of gear. We have extremely different geography, terrain, consumers, customers, and accounts to deal with in this territory; that is what makes it fun to be a rep in the Pacific Northwest.