When someone’s representing your brand, you want them to make customers feel comfortable and welcome. That’s exactly the type of rapport Sales Advisor Geoffrey Wagoner creates when you speak with him. His friendly, authentic and knowledgeable demeanor shines through, no matter the topic. We recently sat down with Wagoner to find out more about his experience and interests—on and off the sales floor.
RNI: What’s your background? Have you always worked in retail?
GW: I’ve done a number of different jobs, including some restaurant work. But overwhelmingly from about age 16, I’ve spent a lot of time working in grocery stores.
RNI: What draws you to this work?
GW: I like interacting with the customers and learning things about them. Customers will often share things about their lives, and I’ve talked to a lot of them about health problems that are related to foods—not just the common things like gluten, but also things like autism spectrum disorders. I studied psychology in college so I’m interested in that aspect.
I also like helping people and providing knowledge I have about specific products. When we do these demos, a lot of times customers are afraid to purchase products if they’re out of the ordinary in terms of flavor or they’re a private label shoppers aren’t familiar with. But once they try the sample and I share the product’s selling points, a lot of them will thank me and say they never would have bought the product had it not been for me. That’s rewarding to help open their eyes and show them something new.
RNI: What do you like to do outside of work?
GW: I like spending time with friends and family, listening to contemporary music, reading and learning new things about topics that interest me. I’m always looking to learn better, more efficient ways to do things—including my demos.
Geoffrey recently enjoyed a visit to Grand Teton National Park with his father and daughter.