YAKIMA, Wash. – First Fruits of Washington announced that Dorothy Koboski and Justin Bos have completed the inaugural session of the sales internship program which was implemented in early 2013, and both are now full authorized sales people for the company.
Koboski and Bos started the program early this year, spending their time between the packing house, orchard and sales office. Their comprehensive training included not just sales but a thorough immersion in growing, packing and shipping the fruit.
“One of the highlights of the program for me was working on the packing line. It gave me real appreciation for how many details go into packing a box of fruit and how hard the people on the line work every day,” remarked Koboski. “It was also great to spend time working in shipping. Being at the warehouse level gave me quality time to build relationships with people I talk on a daily basis.”
According to Bos, “the most helpful thing to me was getting a chance sort, pack, and ship at both of our sheds and actually seeing the line run. I think the biggest surprise to me was just how much we have to offer and how we have the ability to develop and build a marketing strategy around anyone’s needs.”
The sales intern program takes candidates through various modules encompassing all aspects of sales and operations. Interns spend two week- rotations on the packing line, in orchard operations, in the warehouse, with shipping and receiving and also in transportation logistics.
After the field work interns go through a rigorous training process in the sales office including category management, marketing, direct customer relationships and negotiations. The program affords opportunity for feedback and corrective actions throughout each module. Interns must have the approval of specific members of the team before moving on to the next module.
“This program has produced great results and is a win for us and our customers,” says Keith Mathews, CEO of FirstFruits Marketing. “We now have two new sales people who are well trained and ready to take on all of the challenges of the sales desk. We feel great about their experience and know they will provide great service to our customers.”
FirstFruits Marketing is a collaborative apple marketing company owned by growers. These growers share a commitment to producing high quality fruit while balancing the demands of purpose, people, planet and profit so that a portion of profits can be donated to non-profit missions supporting the underserved. For more Information, visit www.firstfruits.com.
Source: FirstFruits Marketing
