Opportunity to work for Blue Buffalo

minka · Aug 7, 2012

An opportunity has come up for me to work as a Product Specialist (or Pet Detective as they like to call it) for Blue Buffalo. Essentially I would go pet store to pet store, trying to move pet parents over to the Blue Buffalo line of foods. I do definitively want this job, I love talking food as it is, and to be able to have a title for myself to back up my knowledge and to more readily educate pet owners about nutrition just gets me all a twitter.

Here's my dilemma: I have to explain why I want to work for Buffalo and tell a story about an experience with a pet and I'm not quite sure how to go about it. What I DONT want to do is come off as too smart. I don't want to let on that I know so much as to question why their weight management formula is actually counterintuitive to weight loss. I want them to know that I'm enthusiastic about bettering the health of pets without revealing that I already know that fresh fruits and veggies are absolutely unnecessary to cats.

Thoughts?

bryanv21 · Aug 7, 2012

Minka said:
An opportunity has come up for me to work as a Product Specialist (or Pet Detective as they like to call it) for Blue Buffalo. Essentially I would go pet store to pet store, trying to move pet parents over to the Blue Buffalo line of foods. I do definitively want this job, I love talking food as it is, and to be able to have a title for myself to back up my knowledge and to more readily educate pet owners about nutrition just gets me all a twitter.
Here's my dilemma: I have to explain why I want to work for Buffalo and tell a story about an experience with a pet and I'm not quite sure how to go about it. What I DONT want to do is come off as too smart. I don't want to let on that I know so much as to question why their weight management formula is actually counterintuitive to weight loss. I want them to know that I'm enthusiastic about bettering the health of pets without revealing that I already know that fresh fruits and veggies are absolutely unnecessary to cats.
Thoughts?

It sounds like a really fun job, but I couldn't do it myself. I have to believe 100% in what I'm selling in order to do the job well, and that wouldn't apply with Blue Buffalo. While I don't mean it's junk, and do in fact like their Wilderness lines, I hardly recommend it.

mani · Aug 7, 2012

I don't know anything about the product. However if it were me I'd need to carefully weigh up the need/desire for the job against my personal beliefs. I know that effective salespeople are masters of the art of talking themselves into believing in the product (or just be very good actors). Are you able to do that? Knowing what you know about nutrition, can you sell this product? Can you justify it as a stepping stone to a more worthwhile career?

If you feel you can do the job, then you can either read through their sales pitches and give back to them what they want to hear, or say what you really think and hope for the best.

And if you do take the job, how will you educate people on pet nutrition without getting your company's nose out of joint?

emilymaywilcha · Aug 7, 2012

Mani said:
I don't know anything about the product. However if it were me I'd need to carefully weigh up the need/desire for the job against my personal beliefs. I know that effective salespeople are masters of the art of talking themselves into believing in the product (or just be very good actors). Are you able to do that? Knowing what you know about nutrition, can you sell this product? Can you justify it as a stepping stone to a more worthwhile career?

If you feel you can do the job, then you can either read through their sales pitches and give back to them what they want to hear, or say what you really think and hope for the best.

And if you do take the job, how will you educate people on pet nutrition without getting your company's nose out of joint?

Blue Buffalo is a company that always uses real meat, fish, or poultry as the first ingredient and never uses any artificial ingredients. However it does put a lot of fruits and vegetables in cat food recipes, so I would never recommend it to anyone who says, "I want the best food here." If somebody can't decide between Blue Buffalo and a brand that uses a lot of bad stuff, obviously I would point to the Blue Buffalo containers.

What the OP is trying to do is explain to pet store customers why Blue Buffalo is better thanv the other foods at that store. This is not about all pet foods on the market; just those being sold at the same places Blue Buffalo is, so people will choose Blue Buffalo instead of what they had originally gone to the store to buy. So if the OP 100% believes Blue Buffalo is the best food being sold at pet stores without raw diet options, I would say yes, she is qualified to sell it - as long as she feeds it to her own cats.

minka · Aug 8, 2012

What Emily said. (Well mostly.)
I would say (IMO) that most people who go into a pet store either: A. buy the cheapest food they can B. buy what looks nice. (TCS does not apply, so no one ruffle their feathers.

) I predict that for most people I run into, Blue will be a step up from their current food. I can easily teach people about better nutrition while selling this brand.

I don't feed Blue to my own cat. But (as I will explain to them), that is simply because of his allergy problems. If he didn't have them, I'd still be feeding him the Blue Bistro's.

mani · Aug 8, 2012

Fair enough.

So the question is how to approach the interview/selection process.

I find it's useful to find a friend to be the interviewer and do a 'dry run'. Someone who can throw in some tricky questions or responses to what you say.

flintmccullough · Aug 8, 2012

I do this all the time, lol. When I see people wandering up and down the aisle, looking at and reading different bags, of different brands, I ask, do you need help? They always say yes. Then I ask them about their cat, age, weight, any medical issues/needs, and what they are looking for in a food. Most have a medical issue, as in crystals or kitty throwing up, or too thin or too fat, or kitty just won't eat the food. Then I ask, what do you feed now? Most will say, one of the foods that can be bought in the grocery store or the food the vet recommends, which we all know, lol, which those are.

Whatever their issue, in most cases, I have been thru it.

I tell them I feed Blue Wilderness, why its a good food, and why it may help eliminate their issues. In some cases, Freedom fits their needs better, or senior, or the other BB products.

I then explain, why feeding a grain food, caused their issues, and why, vets recommended the prescription foods, which, don't work, and I know that for a fact, and why they don't work. I already been thru it. I show them what is in their food that they are feeding, then I show them what is in BW, and if weight is an issue, explain about fat and protein and kcal. I explain, why wet is better, but in some cases, for them, dry would work better and what they can do, to get more fluids in the cat, if they only feed dry. I also explain about the antioxidants and the omega 3 & 6, and why, they help the cat.

I give them the information, and explain why, and give them sites to read, like catinfo.org, I tell them to read the BB FB site, and then I let them make the choice. The key, is to listen, to what their issues/needs are, then point out, why, a certain food would work better for them, I let them, make the decision. I also tell them, to try a small bag, or a few cans, and if their kitty won't eat it, they can return it, with the receipt, and Petsmart will give them their money back, or exchange it.

I feed Blue Wilderness, I highly recommend it, I believe its a good food, and it works for my cats, it eliminated many issues, and I been thru, alot of issues, lol. I am very knowledgeable about cat health and nutrition, I have to be, I have show cats, and I had many issues over time, that I learned about, and I have a great vet, that teaches me all about them.

No, I don't work for BB, I do market research for business's, in the telecommunications area. I talk to IT Managers, IT Directors, Network Engineers, Systems Administrators.

I do have friends, that work for BB, doing what you are thinking about doing. I get into discussions with them, and I can see, the flaws, per say, lol, they don't know about cat health and nutrion, and they can't explain, why, its a better food, than what the cust was feeding.

I also realize, BW is not for every cat, for some, other foods work better, what works for one cat, may not work for another. But you have given the customer some education, that is the key, to teaching pet parents, about the evils of feeding a grain food.

One thing, that is BB's downfall, and that, is their customer service. Most are clueless about health and nutrition, and some are downright nasty. I know who they are, and, I have many names and contact numbers of the high up people. I also know, who the manger is of the US and Canada, and, their number.

I have taken them on and beat them, and when one told me, I should be feeding a heart food, and was nasty about it, which, there ain't any, I got my vet, a specialist out of DC and his cardiologist involved. Could of sold tickets to that conversation, lol. I know how to take on and beat the big companies, but the average joe customer, does not. When they have an issue or concern, and BB cust serv gets nasty with them, BB just lost one cust.

Best of luck with the job!

Ms. Freya · Aug 8, 2012

If they're looking for a story, maybe talk about how you used to feed Blue until health issues changed your cat's diet and how you made the decision to feed Blue in the first place.

They may be looking for a tesimonial but one of the number one parts of selling is invoking what's called "the story factor." A well-told, relevant story is the best sales pitch you can give someone since it personalizes the experience and the food for them so it's not just one more bag or can on a shelf. They may be trying to judge how good of a storyteller you are and how to engaging you can be. Most people (and I'm generalizing a bit here)will feel more connected to a person saying "I was drawn to Wilderness as a brand because it doesn't have corn or wheat, and my cat, Boots gets terrible dry skin when he eats anything with corn." than "This food has x number of essential mineralr and oils."

Most consumers don't want to hear someone re-iterate the brochure, they want to know that the person they're speaking to has fedthe food and had a good expereince with it.

I hope that made some sense. Best of luck!

just mike · Aug 11, 2012

Minka said:
An opportunity has come up for me to work as a Product Specialist (or Pet Detective as they like to call it) for Blue Buffalo. Essentially I would go pet store to pet store, trying to move pet parents over to the Blue Buffalo line of foods. I do definitively want this job, I love talking food as it is, and to be able to have a title for myself to back up my knowledge and to more readily educate pet owners about nutrition just gets me all a twitter.
Here's my dilemma: I have to explain why I want to work for Buffalo and tell a story about an experience with a pet and I'm not quite sure how to go about it. What I DONT want to do is come off as too smart. I don't want to let on that I know so much as to question why their weight management formula is actually counterintuitive to weight loss. I want them to know that I'm enthusiastic about bettering the health of pets without revealing that I already know that fresh fruits and veggies are absolutely unnecessary to cats.
Thoughts?

It is what I do Minka

It is truly a fun and rewarding job if you truly believe in the product line and if you play by the rules of the trade you will be successful. Stay away from any conjecture regarding fruits and veggies and product content. Be more general. You might want to make your story light with maybe a little humor to it but remain professional. Draw from personal experience and stick to what you know in a general sense. Blue might be impressed with your background but they will want to train you in their own way, on their own products. If you come off like a know it all they may think you will be too difficult to train with their concepts. Best of luck! You will have fun with the job if you get along with competitors in the field and treat people with respect and dignity. Feel free to PM me with any additional questions.

just mike · Aug 11, 2012

FlintMcCullough said:
I do this all the time, lol. When I see people wandering up and down the aisle, looking at and reading different bags, of different brands, I ask, do you need help? They always say yes. Then I ask them about their cat, age, weight, any medical issues/needs, and what they are looking for in a food. Most have a medical issue, as in crystals or kitty throwing up, or too thin or too fat, or kitty just won't eat the food. Then I ask, what do you feed now? Most will say, one of the foods that can be bought in the grocery store or the food the vet recommends, which we all know, lol, which those are.

Whatever their issue, in most cases, I have been thru it.

I tell them I feed Blue Wilderness, why its a good food, and why it may help eliminate their issues. In some cases, Freedom fits their needs better, or senior, or the other BB products.

I then explain, why feeding a grain food, caused their issues, and why, vets recommended the prescription foods, which, don't work, and I know that for a fact, and why they don't work. I already been thru it. I show them what is in their food that they are feeding, then I show them what is in BW, and if weight is an issue, explain about fat and protein and kcal. I explain, why wet is better, but in some cases, for them, dry would work better and what they can do, to get more fluids in the cat, if they only feed dry. I also explain about the antioxidants and the omega 3 & 6, and why, they help the cat.

I give them the information, and explain why, and give them sites to read, like catinfo.org, I tell them to read the BB FB site, and then I let them make the choice. The key, is to listen, to what their issues/needs are, then point out, why, a certain food would work better for them, I let them, make the decision. I also tell them, to try a small bag, or a few cans, and if their kitty won't eat it, they can return it, with the receipt, and Petsmart will give them their money back, or exchange it.

I feed Blue Wilderness, I highly recommend it, I believe its a good food, and it works for my cats, it eliminated many issues, and I been thru, alot of issues, lol. I am very knowledgeable about cat health and nutrition, I have to be, I have show cats, and I had many issues over time, that I learned about, and I have a great vet, that teaches me all about them.

No, I don't work for BB, I do market research for business's, in the telecommunications area. I talk to IT Managers, IT Directors, Network Engineers, Systems Administrators.

I do have friends, that work for BB, doing what you are thinking about doing. I get into discussions with them, and I can see, the flaws, per say, lol, they don't know about cat health and nutrion, and they can't explain, why, its a better food, than what the cust was feeding.

I also realize, BW is not for every cat, for some, other foods work better, what works for one cat, may not work for another. But you have given the customer some education, that is the key, to teaching pet parents, about the evils of feeding a grain food.

One thing, that is BB's downfall, and that, is their customer service. Most are clueless about health and nutrition, and some are downright nasty. I know who they are, and, I have many names and contact numbers of the high up people. I also know, who the manger is of the US and Canada, and, their number.

I have taken them on and beat them, and when one told me, I should be feeding a heart food, and was nasty about it, which, there ain't any, I got my vet, a specialist out of DC and his cardiologist involved. Could of sold tickets to that conversation, lol. I know how to take on and beat the big companies, but the average joe customer, does not. When they have an issue or concern, and BB cust serv gets nasty with them, BB just lost one cust.

Best of luck with the job! :high5:

And you do this while shopping in the stores? How interesting. And yes, I can see how some people will be nasty to someone offering unsolicited advice. The average consumer does not usually want to be bothered by other customers, or reps for that matter, but I do applaud your efforts to try and get your message across.

Willowy · Aug 11, 2012

NutroMike said:
And you do this while shopping in the stores? How interesting. And yes, I can see how some people will be nasty to someone offering unsolicited advice. The average consumer does not usually want to be bothered by other customers, or reps for that matter, but I do applaud your efforts to try and get your message across.

You'd be surprised. I've been stopped by people in all kinds of stores, asking me what products I like or recommend. I don't THINK I look like I work at Petsmart or Wal-Mart, LOL. I don't have the smock/badge/uniform, etc. Just the other day a lady at the grocery store asked me what kind of peanut butter I like. I told her and she bought some :tongue2:. I never elicit contact with strangers so it's not my fault! I guess some people just like to get chatty in stores.

And I don't think she (?) said the fellow customers get nasty. I think it was the BB Customer Service reps who were said to get nasty.

emilymaywilcha · Aug 11, 2012

If people have a problem with the store clerk trying to suggest or recommend a specific product, they probably just want to get the food their cats already eat and leave. People are busy and don't want store clerks to talk them into trying something their own pets may not like. That is completely understandable. But for someone who is thinking about switching to a better food after learning how bad Science Diet or Iams is, I am sure a lecture about the benefit of Blue Buffalo would be welcome. When I talked to a BB saleswoman at my local pet store, the idea was buy something I know is real chicken, not meal and byproducts, with no additives, colors, preservatives, etc. I knew Science Diet did not fit that description at all. So although I did not like the long list of plant ingredients, I knew it would be healthier than SD. I also love the fact that they put a coupon in the bottom of every 7-pound bag and have ecoupons on their website.

nekochan · Aug 11, 2012

Are they looking for a story with a pet, or a story about their food specifically?

I think what you said makes sense, you don't want to sound TOO knowledgeable to the point where they might think that you would be telling people about the fact that cats don't need veggies/fruit and tell people to look for things that their foods don't have. However as others said the thing with Blue is often in the stores that sell it, it is one of the better or best foods available at that store, so if someone is going to buy a food there, it's not a bad choice. Especially since it seems like the average pet owner is often either just going to choose something that's cheap or they're going to pick a food based on an ad they saw on tv or something...

kittylover23 · Aug 14, 2012

I think the above posters already gave some great advice, I just wanted to say congrats on the job offer, Minka! :clap:

just mike · Aug 18, 2012

Willowy said:
You'd be surprised. I've been stopped by people in all kinds of stores, asking me what products I like or recommend. I don't THINK I look like I work at Petsmart or Wal-Mart, LOL. I don't have the smock/badge/uniform, etc. Just the other day a lady at the grocery store asked me what kind of peanut butter I like. I told her and she bought some

. I never elicit contact with strangers so it's not my fault! I guess some people just like to get chatty in stores.
And I don't think she (?) said the fellow customers get nasty. I think it was the BB Customer Service reps who were said to get nasty.

I believe you Willowy! I don't wear anything that even looks like a store uniform but people seem to just "sense" something about me and are always approaching me with questions about just every kind of product. I don't mind it of course because I love talking to people and I love my job so that part goes along with it. I don't recall who she said was nasty LOL... I just know unsolicited advice is not appreciated by some people in the general population. I've never had any experience with BB customer service but the interaction I have with the BB reps at work is respectful and pleasant even though we work for competing companies.

Opportunity to work for Blue Buffalo

minka

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bryanv21

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mani

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emilymaywilcha

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minka

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mani

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flintmccullough

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Ms. Freya

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just mike

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just mike

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Willowy

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emilymaywilcha

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nekochan

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