Welcome to The Vital Life, where we spotlight Vital Proteins employees. This week, Regional Sales Manager Ryan Cosgrove gives us an inside peek at his work day.
If you have ever worked in sales, you know how different each day can look. If you work in sales at Vital Proteins, you might as well press fast forward and put your seat belt on because we move fast. Although there isn’t a “typical” workday for my position as a Regional Sales Manager, here is a glimpse into what it’s like to work in sales for the most innovative company in the industry.
Based out of Seattle, my job is to support the growth of sales in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. I am out spreading the word to as many retailers as possible about why they should carry Vital Proteins collagen.
The Morning
I deal with retailers across the country with different time zones, which means there isn’t usually a specific start and stop time for work each day. Plus, I am two hours behind our main office in Chicago, so chances are I am at it by 7am. I’m an early riser anyway, but mainly because I try to get my workout in before the kids are up (Ivy is 5 and Kieran is 2). Two scoops of Vital Performance™ PRE and I’m off to crush my workout.
I usually sip on Vital Performance™ RECOVER during my workout and by the time I get back, it’s time to make breakfast for the family, hustle to get everyone cleaned up and take my daughter off to school. What’s great about working remote is that I can easily take a 5-minute break to walk my daughter off to the bus stop without a hiccup.
The Workday
I’ll skip the boring part about administrative days, which might be a couple times a week, and skip to the fun part which is being in the field. The admin days are very important and much needed because it’s often where most of the magic happens – emailing potential accounts info about the products and brand, staying in touch with my current accounts about their needs or joining in on company conference calls.
When I am out “in the field” visiting accounts that currently carry Vital Proteins, the most important part of my day is making sure each account has the support they need to serve their customers best. This usually includes a lot of product education because I am not the one interacting directly with the customers every day. We want to make sure each store’s employee that is selling our products can best answer customers’ questions as they come up. I always come prepared with samples to make sure the staff has tried the products themselves. I used to work in retail sales, so I know that first-hand experience is important when describing the health benefits, the taste, and so on to the customer. This is also the perfect opportunity to make sure all sale tags are up if we are on sale, the store has enough inventory for customers to buy, and to take pictures of some of our amazing displays in store.
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After interacting with the stores all day, I might catch up with my boss on the way home or finish a Joe Rogan podcast. By the time I get home, dinner is usually close to being done. My wife is the best cook and the Queen of making healthy versions of our favorite meals. One of my favorite things about our products is how versatile they are so if you come eat at the Cosgrove's, chances are you will be getting some collagen in your meal without even knowing! Another unique thing about the Cosgrove dinner table is our gratitude session. At EVERY DINNER, we take turns sharing a couple things we are grateful for that that day. It really helps keep a positive mindset, something we adopted earlier this year and has helped tremendously — try it out for yourself tonight! Today, I am grateful that I get to work for a company that is invested in the health of its employee. Yay for free gym memberships!
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After Hours
There is always some energy left for “wrestle time” with the kids after dinner, the perfect way to burn their last bit of fuel before bedtime. We will roll around on the floor with them flipping over my back until it turns into everyone trying to tickle Dad.
An hour or so before bed, I make a smoothie out of our Vital Proteins Collagen Creamer® in Vanilla to sip on while my wife takes a Sleep Collagen Shot™ to help wind down. While we relax on the couch or in bed, I take some time to touch base with a few select clients I see remotely. I have my Master’s in Nutrition and never want to give up providing specialized one-on-one help, usually in the area of weight loss and body transformations. On to the next day!
