That’s a wrap!

Good day everybody, and welcome to the last work day of 2016! Thank you for joining the VineThinking community. So far 184 blog posts composed of over 62,000 words since I started this in April, and a readership that has grown by leaps and bounds as the months have gone by. Thank you to all who Read More…

Playing the long game

As a wine sales rep, how far out do you think, plan, organize, and set goals? The answer to that question might very well depend on who you work for. Some wholesalers are notorious for shifting territories around, pulling accounts from one rep and giving them to the other, all under the notion that it Read More…

Monday Challenge: End of Year Planning

Welcome to the final Monday Challenge of the year. Five more work days ahead for 2016, then this chapter is done and we collectively move into 2017. What to do? Just like Santa, make some lists and check them twice. List One: Do you have the opportunity to invest in your work life for 2016 tax deductions? Read More…

Gifts

It’s that time of the year. Gifts are awesome. I don’t know anybody who actively resists receiving a gift. I also know people who constantly give gifts. Some of these gift givers are pure to the extreme (“I saw this and thought immediately of you”), some are as predictable as the sun coming up (Merry Read More…

Goals vs. Expectations

Goals and expectations are frequently confused with each other at many organizations. “Our goal is provide top quality customer service.” … No, top quality customer service should be an expectation with every single interaction with every single customer. Anything less is simply unacceptable. “Our goal is to make great wine.” … No, the wine should Read More…

So what ya doing today?

What are you doing at 10am? At 12:30pm? At 3pm? If you took up yesterday’s Monday Challenge, then you know. You know exactly what you’re doing and where you’ll be. Not only every half hour of today and tomorrow, but also Thursday and Friday. And because you filled out the chart and thought ahead about Read More…

A Wine Rep’s Future

There are basically four types of wine sales reps. Brand new, green, inexperienced but excited. Established, productive, successful, and still very much excited about the industry. Established, productive, successful, but pretty entrenched and doesn’t want things to change. Very experienced, continuing to be successful, but complaining about any rumor of anything shifting. You can see Read More…

Enthusiasm, by itself, is worth nothing

You can be the most enthusiastic one at the sales meeting. You can be the ‘idea person’ that tosses new and shiny thoughts out left and right. You can be the beacon of light for those in the fog. But in the end enthusiasm has no value without action and accomplishment. All that really matters is getting Read More…

It’s about the people, not the wine

A wine wholesaler that has an abundance of supply (an incredible portfolio, amazing brands, and a warehouse full of inventory) does not get a free pass into every account they want to be in. And conversely, a wine wholesaler that has a lack of supply (a few wines in the portfolio, obscure never-before-heard-of brands, and a garage Read More…

Sharing vision

Sharing vision is one of the most important aspects of any of our wine jobs. It shapes the meetings, sets the stage, outlines the expectations, and points out the differentiations between you and rest of the world (otherwise known as “them”). To share a vision you first have to have a vision. A vision is different Read More…