In-store wine tasting success

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, there will be many hours for sales reps and retailers standing behind a table pouring wine for consumers. The in-store tasting is a powerful tool if used right, but a waste of time if used wrong. Here are some ideas. Less is more: keep in mind the paradox of choice. Offer Read More…

What being remarkable really means

There is no goal other than to be remarkable at what you do. Everything else falls into place after that. Yes, there are highs and lows, unexpected roadblocks and accidentals holes you step in. That’s called being human. But if you are remarkable, the highs, lows, roadblocks, and holes don’t impact you as much as Read More…

A day of planning, a day of pause

Welcome to Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving is always a strange one. Shoppers pack the stores, movie theaters are busy, many restaurants open early to catch the breakfast and brunch crowd, quite a few people simply stay at home and eat leftovers and watch TV. Wine shops are busy but not overrun (nothing compared Read More…

A great use for Thanksgiving Eve

What are you doing today? If you are a wine sales rep or a wholesale manager, here’s a little secret: today is one of the best days of the year to visit unsold or unopened restaurant accounts. Why? Because today the retailers are so busy they don’t want to see you. And your solid on-premise Read More…

Monday Challenge: Ask for help

Every Monday I throw out a challenge to put readers into a position of growth, which can sometimes be uncomfortable at first.  This week: Ask for help. We are not wired instinctively to ask for help. Some people, by virtue of whom they work for, are downright terrified to ask for help, thinking it will Read More…

Private conversations

The amount of information that people are inclined to share with you privately rises in direct proportion to how well you handle the information others have given you. To put it in a much simpler way, if you lead any sentences with “I shouldn’t tell you this, but …” then you’re doing the wrong thing. Read More…

The problem with choices …

… is that most people second guess their decision. When faced with a huge number of choices in front of them, most people will fret and fuss and debate and contemplate until the frustration leads to simply grabbing something that they hope will work and going for it. It’s the video store syndrome. Remember those Read More…

Practice does make perfect

There is no short cut around practice. Simple as that.  Does U2 just jump up on stage one day and pull off a perfect show? No way. Does an olympic swimmer casually decide to just swim really fast for that week? Of course not. Does a great restaurant built on customer experience just assume the new Read More…

Monday challenge: The Supermoon Effect

Every Monday I throw out a challenge to readers. Something to push you into an uncomfortable spot, to make you see things in a new light or direction, with the goal of growth. This week’s challenge: The Supermoon Effect. Last night more people than ever before paused what they were doing, walked outside, and watched Read More…

A new haircut

Yesterday my wife went to a new hair stylist for a haircut. She was tired of her old stylist for no reason other than “it’s time to change things up.” She came back with not only an awesome haircut, but an exceptional story about customer sales and the overall transaction. When most of us go for Read More…

Do you know …

… what you are doing every day of the upcoming week? … who you need to reach out to, listed in an easy format to check them off? … which wines you need to concentrate on, make sure you know the details of, and know a good story to tell about each one? … who Read More…

The best wine sales reps …

… constantly suggest new wines, ideas, categories, and look for ideas to bring to you from other markets or outside the wine industry. … plan and strategize. They develop sales goals with the buyer, and do whatever they can to achieve them (staff trainings and in store tastings should always be done to work toward a Read More…