Some work behind a desk all day, others work behind a beer tap. Nick Corrado is one of those lucky few that is generous enough to share his brewery’s bounty with us mortals. Today he’s showing us what life is like on the other side of the bar:
I have the best job in the world. This is a phrase I regularly spout off when people ask me what I do for a living. I tell them, “I sell beer.” Typically that is met with the response, “so what does that mean?” To which I reply, “I drive around all day to say hi to people and drink beer with them.” Are you jealous yet? While being a brewery representative has its perks and is what some might consider a dream job, I am here to provide a brief insight to what a brewery rep actually does. Then you can be the judge of how much of a dream job it really is.
I’m sure you have met me before, or at least you have bumped into a brewery rep “in the trade.” Maybe it was during a promotion at a bar, a tasting at a liquor store, or perhaps at a beer festival. Those are some of the many events that a brewery rep is almost always present for. One of the most important parts of the job is to be in front of consumers, educating them on your brewery and products, and to literally be the face of your brewery.
Why is this so important? Well if you haven’t noticed, there has been an increase in the number of breweries in America in the past couple of years. There will be over 4,000 by the end of 2015 with tons more in the planning stages. The beer market has become extremely competitive and it’s a battle out there everyday. With that many breweries and beers to choose from, it can be overwhelming for a consumer. Therefore, it is crucial to be able to make a lasting impression and build a rapport with customers so they have a positive experience associated with your beer. My favorite way to do this is buy someone a beer and take some time to chat with them. Believe it or not this is how people used to meet and make friends back before we had apps that could do that for you.
The other big part of my job is providing great service to my wholesaler and retailers. I do this in a number of different ways. Some of my favorite include but are not limited to…
- Hosting my wholesaler at the brewery to have them brew their own beer.
- Going to NFL games to be on call to service draft beer issues.
- Going to concerts to be on call to service draft beer issues.
- Working at beer festivals.
- Doing a promotion at a bar.
As much fun as I make it sound, being a brewery rep is a very serious job. There is managing inventories, doing paperwork, dealing with problems in accounts, and of course, trying to make everyone happy while not pissing anyone off. Really though, doesn’t every job have those aspects to them? Maybe that’s why I just focus on what’s fun about my job and try to remind myself at the end of the day I’m just selling beer. The way I see it the 5 things I just listed could also read…
- Brew a beer with some friends.
- Went to an NFL game.
- Went to a concert.
- Went to a beer festival.
- Hung out with people and drank some beers.
Yep, it’s confirmed, I have the best job in the world.