Recruited by Ben E. Keith (BEK) Foods nine years ago, Art Navarro had spent the previous 16 years as a top rep for a coffee distributor in the Albuquerque market. He adapted quickly to broadline sales and today works that same marketplace to the tune of nearly $6 million in annual sales. He's the top rep in BEK's Albuquerque division and was its DSR of the Year for the 2008-09 fiscal. Companywide, he's in the top 10 percent of BEK's nearly 500 DSRs.

Keys to his success, he says are simple: getting up early, genuinely caring about customers, being consistent and always going at least an inch farther for his accounts than competitors might be willing to go.

"I consider myself an extension of the people I take care of and serve as an advocate for them," Navarro says. "That means starting every day early, often fielding calls from 6 a.m. to well into the evening and being Johnny-on-the-spot no matter what comes up. It's that way six and a half days a week. Customers know there's a half a day when the warehouse is closed, and they give me that half day," he laughs.

With the high number of accounts he services, such a hands-on approach is challenging. "The toughest thing for me is not having enough hours in the day. Between putting out fires and doing regular calls, I have to manage time carefully. But especially now, in this economy, it's important to stay ahead of the curve and maintain regular contact with every account."

While his market has remained strong, customers have seen recent declines in both traffic and check averages, he says. To help combat those losses, he works to present business-building ideas, keeping a close eye on what chains are doing. A program he created for several accounts is what he calls a stimulus card. Essentially a loyalty promotion, it offers patrons a free sandwich or entrée after the purchase of five sandwiches or entrees. "I have several of those going right now and they are helping to drive repeat business," he says.

Among the more than 14,000 SKUs he sells, those targeted to daycares and schools are favorite niches. He enjoys the challenge of helping those operators come up with appetizing menus that both fit within their budgets and meet required child nutrition standards.

Having been a fixture in the market for a quarter-century, Navarro enjoys a bit of elder statesman status. He's known, trusted and relied upon to solve whatever problems customers have – from supplying products, to consulting on profitability, to fixing the slicer. Reputation, he says, is critical. "People like to do business with people they like. I treat my customers like family and believe that people don't really care how much you know until they know how much you care. If you're genuine in showing them that you're there for their best interests, the sales come naturally."

Sales reputations also rely heavily on consistency and honesty, he adds. Reps tend to over-promise and under-deliver, but doing so quickly erodes credibility. "If customers can't trust you to back up what you say, you've lost the sale," he says. "I operate from a set of core values and stick to them every day. Ultimately, that's where your reputation comes from and you have to always be prepared to protect that."