Clean farming. Vineyard worker compensation. Family ownership. Quality and provenance. Wine served at the right temperature. Good stemware. Decent buyers that respect your time and family. Bosses that help instead of hurt. … what do you stand for? When is your line crossed? Stand for something. Speak up. Say what is important. The alternative is just to Read More…
Month: April 2017
Give them what they want?
Or give them what they don’t know they want? The smartphone didn’t exist until Steve Jobs pulled it out of his pocket. Uber didn’t exist until you downloaded the app and made your account. NakedWine didn’t exist until somebody said “what about crowdfunding for a winemaker?” Do you give people what they want, or Read More…
Where is the loyalty?
Is your customer’s loyalty with the brand? If so, you need to keep that loyalty carefully groomed, make sure they have knowledge and access to the gems within the brand, and make sure the brand reaches out to your customer on a regular basis. Is your customer’s loyalty to the importer or distributor? If so, you need to keep that Read More…
How empires topple
Every major wine market in the United States has one dominant distributor and one dominant retailer (or a chain of stores). Sometimes it’s not actually obvious who the dominant players are, but just a little bit of research will easily unlock the secret of who sells the most wine. These are the empires. And just Read More…
How did you get hired?
When you got your wine job, how did you get hired? Odds are good it wasn’t just your interview going well. Odds are good it wasn’t just the piece of paper you carefully organized to highlight your awesomeness. Odds are good it wasn’t just your enthusiasm for fermented grape juice. You got hired because of Read More…
Monday Challenge: Smarter, Faster, Better
This week’s Monday Challenge is as easy as can be. Buy a copy of Smarter, Faster, Better by Charles Duhigg and read it. This book is transformative, and every chapter has incredible relevance to all aspects of our industry. Broken into eight concepts that are discussed with surprising facts and entertaining stories to back up Read More…
Good vs. Interesting
Two different wines. Two different approaches needed to sell them. Saying a wine is “good” implies ranking and inherent quality. This one is better than the other one. Most wines/brands strive to be sold as good wine, where comparisons and rankings are sought after. It makes for easy selling. A wine that is “interesting” is Read More…
When you’re down
It’s been a soft week of sales. Every sales pitch you’ve made lately falls flat. Your boss is not impressed with your work. You’re behind on your bills, and see dark clouds on the financial horizon. You question your choice of career and the future you have in it. Your confidence level has plummeted. You Read More…
Monday Challenge: Q1 is in the books … what did you accomplish?
Welcome to the Monday Challenge. This one deserves some of your time today, time that is focused and without distraction (close the computer, put the phone into airplane mode, get away from social media and the web). What did you accomplish in Q1 of 2017? I’m not talking about sales numbers, brand distribution, points of Read More…
Do they know they have a problem?
A retail store that mixes their rosé wine in amongst all the other selections has a problem: their customers can’t simply find the rosé section. A retail store that has twenty Chianti but no Barolo has a problem: their customers can’t find the basic variety that every store should offer. A restaurant that has misspellings, Read More…