Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2017 - 34

IDEAS
"IF YOU BUY A BACKPACK
ON AMAZON, YOU'RE NOT
GOING TO GET A TRIPLECROWN HIKER FITTING IT
FOR YOU."

Andrew Sullivan
Each issue we speak to key employees who work behind the counters
and in the aisles at successful outdoor retailers in order to find out
what it takes to turn a great shop into a neighborhood institution.
by M.T. Elliot
WHAT SETS ANDREW SULLIVAN APART?
as he dispenses to customers: Be humble and
willing to adapt. For his floor sales team at
According to Next Adventure general manNext Adventure-which has been in business
ager Mike Turner, it's his precision as a buyer,
since 1997 and now claims three locations in
and his ability to treat vendors like customPortland, Oregon-Sullivan says that means
ers. "Vendors often get caught off guard when
knowing how to find the right answer without
Andrew offers to pick up the check for lunch,
trying to be the "big expert." It can be hard for
sends out a thank-you letter in the mail, or
anyone with lots of outdoor
stokes out reps at trade shows
experience to be stumped by
with a thoughtful gift," he says.
a simple question, but he says
He's not a bad guy away
Andrew Sullivan, 35
dropping the ego and admitfrom work, either. "After busi- Shop: Next Adventure
ting ignorance to yourself and
ness is done, I'll sit back, relax, Location: Portland, Oregon
customers is crucial.
and listen to Andrew's stories
Title: Director of camping,
On the flipside, customers
about Portland, bikes, coffee,
climbing and footwear
come to retailers for expertise,
thru-hikes, guns, magic, and
Role: Hard goods buyer and
and Sullivan acknowledges
more," says Turner.
floor sales
that while the customer is alSo how can you be like
Experience: 11 years at Next
ways right, there's sometimes
Andrew? Sullivan's biggest
Adventure, previous service
a tricky time when you have to
advice to retailers is the same
at Eastern Mountain Sports

34 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ Summer 2017

WORDS OF WISDOM

Andrew Sullivan's idea of a big day:

"In spring, my favorite time of year,
we'll get in some skiing in the morning and go mountain biking in the
afternoon. If I'm outside and I'm in the
woods or in the mountains, it's always
a good day."
Advice for customers and everyone else:

"Remember to stop, to take a breath.
See where you're at. It's really easy to
miss out on that when we're doing the
things that we love."

Callie Bowen

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

advise against a preconceived idea with a delicate nudge toward a safer or more enjoyable
way of doing something.
Sullivan believes that a salesperson's job
is to assess a customer's skills or comfort in a
given activity, and speak to them at that level.
"With a lot of outdoor sports, you look at the
extreme aspects, the experts, the thru-hikers,
the backcountry skiers; and a lot of people
don't have the experience but want to get
there. They don't really have an on-ramp."
Sullivan says. "We are that on-ramp; it's up to
us to get them to tools."
When people ask him for advice on thruhiking, his anser is one word: adaptability. It's
a good metaphor for the retail marketplace,
too. "I remember the very first time a customer came into our store with a cell phone and
pulled up a product on Amazon and asked me
if I would match the price," Sullivan says. "I
thought it was the end of retail."
He has since stopped worrying and learned
to live with online shopping. Every day he sees
customers come in and buy thanks to customer service. "If you buy a backpack off Amazon,
you're not going to get a triple-crown hiker
adjusting it for you and fitting it," he says. O.R.
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2017

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