A wine sales rep is in a marvelous and privileged position.
You get to choose.
Today, are you building a brand or building the market?
Tomorrow, are you finding the unknown (wine or customer), or are you learning the known even better?
Next week, are you showcasing the new or reinforcing the established?
What are you measuring? How do you know what success looks like? (Money is the lazy answer, for it’s the easiest to measure.) What is your tool of choice to measure with?
Who are you going to say no to? And why? And how?
Who are you going to say yes to? And why? And how?
Your manager’s job is to help you do your job with more efficiency, thus increasing profitability. Can you make him happy? How?
Your leader’s job is to help you see new ways, new paths, new methods of causing a ruckus in the market. Can you make her happy? How?
Your job to yourself is to find balance. What choices can you make now, to improve the odds next week, next month, and next year?
As a wine sales