On the Shelf Isn't Enough. We Make Sure Products Move.
Front Row's nationwide field sales team turns placement into performance, training store associates, executing planogram resets, running product demos, and driving sell-through at more than 18,000 retail locations every year.
Every veteran retail sales leader knows the same uncomfortable truth: a placement is only as valuable as its sell-through. Retailers reorder products that move off the shelf and replace products that don't, and they make that decision with or without asking the brand first. By the time a manufacturer finds out a product has been cut from a planogram, it's usually too late to save it. The decision was already made the last time a regional buyer looked at POS velocity and decided it wasn't keeping up with the rest of the category.
Field execution is the work that prevents that outcome.
It's the slow, consistent, physical work of:
- Walking stores
- Checking facings
- Fixing resets
- Training associates
- Running demos
- Keeping product set, stocked, understood, and visible
Front Row's field sales team exists to do that work at national scale. Every visit is logged in Salesforce. Every activity is reportable. Every outcome is measurable.
For the manufacturers we represent, the field team is the bridge between headquarter sell-in and actual reorders, the operational layer that turns placement into performance.
Below: what the field team does day to day, how we measure every visit, and why sell-through is the only retail metric that matters.
When Brands Call in Our Field Team
- Brands that have earned placements but are seeing weak sell-through and don't know whether the problem is product, pricing, or store-level execution.
- Brands preparing for a major product launch that will require coordinated merchandising, signage, training, and demo support at launch.
- Brands going through a category reset at one or more retailers and needing accurate, on-time planogram execution across thousands of stores.
- Brands that have outgrown their ability to visit stores directly and need a national field team to take over store-level management.
- Brands looking for a single partner that can handle both headquarter sell-in and field execution under one roof, without the handoff problems that come from hiring two separate vendors.
National Coverage
Front Row's field team is strategically located for full national coverage. We maintain regional territory ownership so the same people who know the local retail landscape are the people walking the stores, not a rotating cast of contractors who learn the account and then disappear.
That regional continuity matters. A rep who has walked the same Ace store every quarter for three years knows the store manager's name, knows which associates are the best at selling the category, knows when the store reset typically happens, and knows the warehouse layout well enough to find misplaced inventory faster than a stranger ever could. Local expertise, national consistency, that's the model we've built.
What the coverage supports
- Hardware co-ops (Ace, Do it Best, True Value, Orgill member stores)
- Home improvement retailers (Menards)
- Mid-States member stores (Bomgaars, Runnings, Theisen's, Atwoods, L&M Fleet Supply, and others)
- Farm and ranch retailers (Murdoch's, Cal Ranch, Tractor Supply, and regional chains)
- Mass retailers (Walmart, Target, Best Buy)
- Specialty retailers (pet, outdoor, lifestyle)
What the Field Team Actually Does
New Store Builds & Remodels
When a retailer opens a new store or remodels an existing one, the brands that win are the ones that are set correctly from day one. A misplaced endcap during a grand opening costs a brand weeks of visibility. A missing planogram during a remodel can mean the product is physically not in the store during the busiest week of the year.
Front Row's field team covers:
- New store build-outs, pre-opening merchandising, signage placement, and planogram execution.
- Remodels, ensuring brands' products are protected and correctly set during the transition.
- Grand opening events, supporting the retailer's opening-week promotional activity with product demos and on-site sales support.
- Pre-opening inventory verification, making sure the right SKUs are on the shelf before the doors open.
Planogram (POG) Updates & Category Resets
Planogram changes happen constantly. Large retailers reset categories on quarterly or semi-annual cycles. Smaller retailers reset opportunistically. Every reset is a moment of vulnerability, it's when a brand can gain facings, lose facings, or get its placement changed entirely without anyone at the manufacturer's head office noticing.
Front Row's field team:
- Executes planogram resets accurately and on time across thousands of stores.
- Documents reset completion with date-stamped photography in Salesforce.
- Flags discrepancies between the planned planogram and the executed one.
- Works with store management to correct missed or incorrect placements.
- Reports reset performance back to the manufacturer's headquarter team in near real time, so brand managers are not waiting weeks for an update on critical resets.
Training & Product Knowledge, Front Row University
Store associates sell what they understand. In categories like electrical, power tools, paint, plumbing, farm and ranch equipment, and outdoor power equipment, the difference between a confident associate and a guessing associate is the difference between a sale and a walkout. Brands that invest in store associate training consistently outperform brands that don't, it is one of the most reliable sell-through levers in retail.
Front Row delivers that training through Front Row University, our internal training program for retail associates:
- In-person clinics at store level, led by field reps trained on each brand's product line.
- Online training modules available on-demand through a branded learning platform.
- Hands-on product demonstrations at store events, trade days, and contractor events.
- Train-the-trainer programs where Front Row trains the retailer's own training team on behalf of the brand.
- Continuing education as products evolve, so associates stay current on the newest SKUs and features.
Demos, Events & Market Blitzes
Some products sell themselves on the shelf. Most do not. For categories where the purchase decision benefits from a live demonstration, a contractor conversation, or a hands-on experience, Front Row's field team organizes and runs events that put the product directly in the hands of the people buying it.
Specific activities include:
- Contractor events and pro days at hardware, home improvement, and pro-channel retailers.
- Grand opening support at new store builds.
- Product demos at regional trade shows, fairs, and buyer events.
- Sales contests designed to drive store-associate engagement and push short-term velocity.
- Market blitzes, concentrated multi-day field campaigns in targeted markets, usually tied to a product launch, a reset, or a promotional push.
- Seasonal event support for categories with distinct buying seasons (spring opening, winter prep, holiday, etc.).
Retail Monitoring & Transparent Reporting
Every single thing the field team does is documented in Salesforce. Not a weekly summary. Not a sample. Every store visit, every reset, every demo, every training session, logged, time-stamped, and available to the manufacturer in near real time.
What the reporting covers:
- Store-level visit logs with date, duration, activities performed, and photography.
- Reset execution status and compliance rates by retailer, region, and SKU.
- Facings and inventory checks, flagging out-of-stocks, incorrect price tags, and missing signage.
- Competitive intelligence, noting what competing brands are doing at store level.
- Training completion rates by store and by associate.
- Promotional execution verification, confirming that advertised promotions are actually set correctly at store level.
The Technology Behind the Field Team
Salesforce-tracked. Power BI-reported. Manufacturer-visible in near real time.
Field execution at scale depends on technology. Front Row's field team operates on a Salesforce-based activity tracking platform that every rep uses every day. Activities are captured at the store, not in retrospect from a hotel room at the end of the week. Photos upload directly from the rep's mobile device. Reporting flows automatically into the manufacturer's custom dashboards, no manual data entry, no reconciliation lag.
For manufacturers, the outcome is simple: when you ask "what's happening in our stores?" you get an answer backed by data, not by a narrative.
- Salesforce
- Power BI
- 18,000+ stores sold to annually
- 75,000+ field touches documented annually
- 1,000,000+ field miles driven annually
- 85 full-time team members
- 200+ years combined leadership experience
The Philosophical Difference
Sell Through, Not Just Sell In
Most rep agencies think of themselves as sell-in agencies. They get the PO, take the commission, and move on to the next line review. If the product moves, great. If it doesn't, the brand loses the placement at the next review, and the rep agency is already pitching something else somewhere else.
Front Row's model is fundamentally different. The field team exists specifically to turn orders into reorders, to make sure that every placement we earn at headquarter level actually generates the velocity the retailer needs to see in order to keep the product on the shelf. That is a different business model, and it produces different outcomes:
- Brands we represent see higher reorder rates because their products are maintained at the shelf.
- Category reviews go better because the POS data supports the case.
- Buyer relationships deepen over time because we show up with proof, not promises.
- Product launches have more momentum because field activation, training, and demos happen at the same time as sell-in.
Placement is the promise. Sell-through is the proof. Front Row's field team is the machine that delivers the proof.
How This Connects to the Rest of the Model
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Front Row cover the entire United States for field execution?
Yes. Front Row maintains a national field team with regional territory ownership. Coverage spans all major U.S. retail markets.
What retailers does the field team visit?
The field team works across the entire retail spectrum, Ace, Do it Best, True Value, Orgill member stores, Menards, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, the Mid-States retailers (Bomgaars, Runnings, Theisen's, Atwoods, L&M Fleet Supply), farm and ranch retailers (Murdoch's, Cal Ranch, Tractor Supply, regional chains), and specialty retailers (pet, outdoor, lifestyle).
How is field activity tracked and reported?
Every store visit, reset, demo, training session, and monitoring activity is logged in Salesforce with date, time, photography, and activity details. Reporting flows into proprietary Power BI dashboards accessible to the manufacturer in near real time.
What is Front Row University?
Front Row University is our internal training program that delivers product knowledge to retail store associates. Training is delivered in-person, online, and hands-on, covering everything from introductory product overviews to technical application training for complex categories.
Does the field team handle planogram resets?
Yes. Planogram reset execution is one of the core deliverables of Front Row's field practice. Our team executes resets accurately, documents completion with photography, and flags any discrepancies for follow-up.
Can Front Row run product demos, contractor events, and market blitzes?
Yes. Our field team organizes and runs contractor events, grand openings, product demonstrations, sales contests, and multi-day market blitz campaigns on behalf of the manufacturers we represent.
How many stores does Front Row visit per year?
More than 18,000 stores annually, with more than 75,000 documented field touches per year.
How is the field team different from a generic merchandising service?
Generic merchandising services typically execute resets and file a simple completion report. Front Row's field team is an integrated part of a full-service rep agency, meaning the store-level work is coordinated with headquarter sell-in, category management, promotional planning, and inside sales. The reporting is richer, the integration is tighter, and the outcome is a unified view of the brand's performance at retail.
How do we get started with Front Row field execution?
Use the "Start the Conversation" link below. A member of our field sales team will schedule a discovery call to review your retail footprint, the stores you need covered, and the specific activities you want the field team to execute.
Want a field team that protects your placements and drives reorders? Let's talk.
Getting a product on the shelf is the starting line. Keeping it there, performing, stocked, set correctly, and in the hands of confident store associates, is a full-time job at national scale. Front Row is built to do that work, every day, at more than 18,000 stores.
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