The month of December is a strange one for the wine sales rep. Sales are up. Customers are buying more than other months. But due to the efficiency of the sales and the busy-ness that everybody is experiencing, there is little room for the idle conversation and no room for the product pitch. More sales Read More…
Author: Jason Kallsen
Constant, consistent, and always evolving change
Nothing stays the same for long. Restaurants open and close. Often with little or no warning. Distributors merge and portfolios shift. Always with no hint that it’s coming. Retailers have ups and downs, successes and failures, great days and horrible weeks, sometimes for no apparent reason. Every wine on every wine list in the world changes Read More…
The irony of December
We are in the final stretch of the wine sales year, the last two weeks of December. Christmas music is playing. Your restaurants have gift card promotions galore going on (and I assume you’re buying one, right? You’re going to eat there anyway, might as well write of the purchase on this year’s expenses while Read More…
Who pulled you up in 2017?
Who singlehandedly made the difference for you this past year? Was it a particular customer? Or a particular buyer? Maybe it was somebody outside of the industry that gave you particularly good advice. Or a winery rep who climbed into your car and made for the perfect day, full of sales, insight, and education? Was Read More…
You can’t have it all
You know you can’t have it all. You can’t sell every single wine in your portfolio to every account in your territory. You can’t sell a retailer all of their wine selections, leaving out all competition. You can’t magically open all the doors at all the restaurants and have them buy only from you. So why Read More…
Selling Champagne
There are a few fundamental differences between selling Champagne (and I’m only talking about real deal Champagne here) and other wine categories. Consumers tend to buy it one bottle at a time. And thus, without another glass next to it for comparison and assuming it’s served quite cold, it’s hard to make a call on Read More…
December is not about selling wine
There is a difference between selling and shipping. In December you ship. You take orders. You make sure the wines get where they belong. You make sure the machine of orders and delivery works perfectly. You correct mistakes instantly. Your job is to make the retailer’s job easier during this busy time, which often means staying out Read More…
If you don’t know what to say …
… then don’t say anything. Too many people love the sound of their own voice far too much. Learn to listen. Learn to not talk when necessary. Through careful and considered communication you will stand out, not through endless blather and babble. Know when to keep your trap shut and ears open and you’ll sell Read More…
Natural Wines, Something Different, and Group Categorization
I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the ‘natural wines’ movement lately (highly recommended is Isabelle Legeron’s new book). Not so much about how they taste or if they are good. I’m more interested in the marketing of the wines and the creation of the category. Those of you that have been in the business Read More…
The Wine Spectator Top 100 – what it really means (and how to sell it)
You could hear the collective cheer coming from the west coast when Wine Spectator’s “Wine of the Year” was recently announced. Not only did a Merlot take back the title, but Duckhorn Wine Company and all of their distributors had huge reason to celebrate. Congrats to all! The Wine Spectator Top 100 pulls weight, and Read More…
Why Black Friday works
It works because everybody is involved. Black Friday would be an uneventful day indeed if only a few stores participated. But the collective mass builds the excitement, which leads more to join the mass (both retailers and consumers) making it a self-fulfiling prophecy. So what might happen if wine retailers got together for Local Wine Read More…
A day to work ON, not be stuck IN
The day before Thanksgiving is a strange one indeed for wine sales reps. It’s kinda like Friday, except it’s not. No retailers want to see you today, they are too busy (unless you are pouring free wine and giving them free labor, then they are happy to see you). It’s a great day to visit Read More…
Leadership, actions, culture, and company development
Leadership is about actions, not words. And to be a leader you don’t need to be a manager or a “C Level.” Anybody in the employment chain can be a leader. A sales rep, a secretary, a delivery driver … anybody. Leadership can be defined many ways but for this example we’ll go with “One who Read More…
The flavor of history
As I type this, I’m putting the final touches on a wine class I’ll be teaching tonight called “The Founding Families of Oregon Pinot Noir.” Doing the research and outlining the class has brought up a bit of a philosophical question: in wine, does history really matter? This might sound like a dumb question because Read More…
Typos vs. Proofreading (vs. Shipping)
My morning routine is to awaken early, before anybody else in the household, feed the cat, start a pot of good strong coffee, and get to work. Creative and positive and clear thoughts fill the morning before the static noise of the day begins, so I like to fish while the fish are biting. If the Read More…
The easiest way to sell better wine
Note that I’m not talking about more expensive wine. I’m only talking about better than the other choice wine. If the better one happens to be more expensive then so be it. But price is not the main point. Heck maybe it’s less expensive than the other choice. Okay, here it goes. Memorize this line: “You can only Read More…
50 days left
We are about to enter the second half of November, and that means there are about 50 days left in the year. A few thoughts: I assume you know what you are doing each of the next 50 days. Crunch time in the wine business is before us, and on both the wholesale and retail level Read More…
Momentum and the next hill
We all know that a downhill bike ride is pretty easy. It can also be a ton of fun. You can cover lots of distance quickly. You can take your feet off the pedals and keep flying. You can take in the view and enjoy the wind. Momentum in wine sales can sometimes feel like that Read More…
Questions (and important answers)
Wether you just opened an account, just inherited an account, or have an account that you haven’t yet connected deeply with, questions are the simple key to unlocking the buyer and building business. What is the best way to get in touch with you about pricing and deals? When do you make your buying decisions? Read More…
A simple gift
A simple, honest, no-strings-attached, inexpensive, and targeted gift might be one of the most valuable items in the world. A DVD of the last Rush tour for your customer that loves the band. A block of top grade watercolor paper for the restaurant manager who mentioned what she does on off days to relax. A pair Read More…
What you can’t measure
Loyalty. Smiles. Thank yous. Dedication. Focus. Positivity. Resilience. Creativity. Innovation. Attitude. Ideas. Friendships. Relationships. Partnerships. Be careful about trying to measure everything. Much of the most important stuff is impossible to quantify. If you ignore something simply because you can’t measure it, then you’ll lose it all.
The Order Taker vs. The Sales Leader
The order taker collects orders. The sales leader develops accounts. The order taker reacts to problems when they arise. The sales leaders prevents problems in the first place. The order taker responds to their customers only when prodded. The sales leader is proactive with their customers continuously. The order taker waits for the phone call. The sales leader makes Read More…
How to not sell wine (soft selling the wrong way)
Here is a good example of how to not sell wine. “You let me know when you need something. I’ll stay out of your way until then.” Some reps seem to pride themselves on being “the softest of soft sell reps.” But there is a difference between soft selling and non-selling. The quote above is Read More…
The Uber driver mentality of some wine reps
What makes for a great Uber driver? Somebody who shows up. Somebody who does not crash. Somebody who is not obnoxious. Silence is golden. That’s really it. And some wine sales reps define the job they are doing by defending themselves this way: “Hey, I show up to all my accounts when I’m supposed to!” “Hey, Read More…
Then you have a brand
Two scenarios. A company assembles 100 carefully chosen wine consumers. They enter a room and taste and rank five whites and five reds. Then they leave. The statisticians come in. They analyze the numbers. They discover the one white and one red the crowd liked the most. They speculate why. The scientists come in and Read More…
Words matter
If you are a wine retailer, the words that you attach to products matter. These are the words your staff says when suggesting wines (you are training them on what to say about certain wines, right?). These are the words that are on your hand written shelftalkers that show your endorsement of a product (which you Read More…
Hey wine reps: What do you do on Thursday?
The wine sales cycle on the wholesale end is pretty predictable. See accounts Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Then maybe have a sales meeting on Friday, run some will calls (that are always disruptive and problematic), and do an in-store tasting that night. Week after week. Month after month. You know who your accounts are Read More…
Ignoring the to-do list
The daily “things I have to do” list is familiar to every single one of us. It’s about urgency. What has to happen TODAY. What has to happen NOW. It’s about checking off boxes and crossing things off that list, and that feels good and triggers a little endorphin rush in the brain and makes Read More…
More Wines, More Distributors (what is competition?)
Every major metro area in the United States is seeing an explosion of new wine distributors. Most are small. Some are mid sized. All are passionate and carry wines that were usually not in that market before they came around. The first to complain about this? The established distributors. “More competition! How can our market Read More…
The portfolio quandary
The problem with having a huge portfolio of great wines is that you have to constantly pop bottles to remind people of your products. But you then risk popping too many, looking desperate or without vision and direction. The problem with a small and finely tuned portfolio is that once you pop a bottle and the buyer Read More…
Some wine buyers …
… are in it for the juice. It’s all about the wine. You have to leave them alone while they taste it, eyes closed and covering one ear, ala Miles in Sideways. … are in it for the story. They want the history, the background, the links to other wineries, the hero’s journey. … are Read More…
It’s your job
If you are a sales rep, it’s your job: to have a current catalog at hand to have current pricing sheets at the ready to have your phone charged up for the day to have extra time built into your schedule to handle last second needs of your customers to know how best to communicate Read More…
The overthinkers
I was once part of a wholesale company that produced the most confusing and convoluted incentive program ever. It involved eighteen wines from four different suppliers. Under one case retail placements counted as a point. Solid case retail counted as five points. Multiple case retailer placements had an added bonus level of points, scaled based Read More…
Sales technique vs. Selling structure
There is too much energy put into sales techniques, especially at the largest of wholesalers. How to walk into an account. How to stand in front of the buyers. How to say what you need to say. How to hit all of your bullet points. How to smile and laugh, and mirror. And of course, how Read More…
Leadership and Fear
This is a three part question. First: Do you fear the leaders of your organization? Do you tremble when you get called to the office, knowing that most interactions are going to be confrontational? Do you think those leaders were put in their position of power because they are good at heavy handed commanding? Second: Do you Read More…
Thin skin vs. Thick skin
Thin skinned salespeople are impacted by the word NO, are hesitant to ask for the big sale, always question what they said and if they did the right thing, and are generally nervous about how a customer feels about them. But so called “thin skinned” salespeople are also better attuned to the emotions of a Read More…
What is your job?
Is your job a marathon, ala one person putting long distance effort forward to achieve? Or is your job a 100 meter sprint? One person bursting forth like Usain Bolt to set new records? Or is your job a team effort with many matches, ala the World Cup? Or is your job a single game Read More…
Like it or not, SOND is here
It’s the day after Labor Day in the United States. For many, the end of summer and the start of a school year. More importantly for us, it’s the start of SOND. The run of September-October-November-December is pretty incredible in our industry. On average well more than one half of restaurant and retail wine business Read More…
The importance of seeing sunk costs
As Seth Godin has reminded us, the value of your eclipse sunglasses as of today is zero. Not almost zero. Absolutely zero. Sunk costs, in economic terms, is money that was spent in the past on projects/people/systems/software/materials/etc. that are no longer needed or have much faster/better/cheaper alternatives on the marketplace. It is money that was spent Read More…
Keeping up on your connections
Your digital rolodex is full of people that may one day change your life, add value to your world, or at the very least stand up for you when needed. They are your investors, but with emotions and support rather than money. So how do you keep them in your orbit? Simply connecting on LinkedIn does Read More…
The ifs and the thens
IF … … your top account closes … your three leading brands move to another distributor. … your top import portfolio goes out of business. … your top salespeople or managers quit. … a recession hits and everybody suddenly buys less wine. … you get fired, or leave a job where you are not Read More…
Old topic, fresh discussion
In seems that sales people in the wine business are very good at finding ruts and sticking to them. We find the pattern of talking about a particular place, style, or wine brand (especially if we have been selling it for years). Same stories, same analogies, same ways of saying the same sales pitch year after year. We are all Read More…
Out of stocks and auto-shipping
As a sales rep for a wholesaler, here’s an easy way to make your buyers mad. Run out of stock on something. Do little to nothing to acknowledge the out of stock situation. When the product comes back in, ship it automatically without asking. When you can’t ship something because the item is out of Read More…
Guilt is not a sales technique
… or is it? If your business goes down in an account, do you mention it to the buyer? And if so, how? Do you whine, say the bills piling up and that things are tough and you need their help? Or do you say, in a constructive and straightforward way, that you’ve noticed the line Read More…
How to be an average wine rep
Here’s the abridged list of how to be an average wine rep (i.e. you disappear amongst the crowd). The real list is far larger but this is a start. Bring a handful of wines with you, pour them, and ask the buyer what they think of them Avoid sales and leadership training opportunities Sell by Read More…
Choice and control
A wine sales rep that presents one wine at a time will have a hard time indeed. A primary motivator for buyers (and human beings in general) is control. Control of a situation can only come from having choices, and having choices by definition means multiple options. So on one hand your buyers are asking Read More…
Ask, don’t tell
What’s your buying program and schedule? How far out do you plan you wine list changes? How many distributors do you buy from? What percentage from each? What is your markup formula? What margin do you need to hit? How many wines do you taste through before picking one? Do you buy based on quality Read More…
DIY Prime Day
Amazon Prime Day didn’t exist before Amazon decided it should exist. Why is it so successful? Because they have a dedicated fan base that responds to deals, offers, suggestions, reviews, and consistent fulfillment (if they are out of stock, you usually know it before the pain of ordering and never seeing it). So the steps Read More…
Statistics don’t lie
When trying to open new business, only 25% of sales people follow up a second time. That means 75% make one call, drop off one book, and never try again. Of those that follow up a second time, only 10% of sales reps make more than three follow up calls or visits. And yet … Read More…
Happy (Wine) Independence Day!
Happy Independence Day to all! There are a few readers of this blog that are outside of the United States, so here’s the short version of why July 4th matters in America: this is the day we celebrate the spirit of our country, the founding fathers and what they believed in, the standards by which freedom Read More…
You’re not selling on price
If it’s about the quality of the wine, the story of the winemaker, the place it is from, the history of the region, the consistent accolades about the winemaker over years and decades, then why do we so often start by talking price? If you want price to be less of a consideration in the Read More…
The best thing about having a vision
Do you have a vision for your job? The ideal combination of customers, sales, and workflow that you can achieve? The ultimate situation you’d like to find yourself in twelve months from now? What is your ideal job vision? The best things about having a vision is that it’s contagious. When you have a vision and discuss it Read More…
Shooting straight
You can read endless customer management articles through Harvard Business Review. You can watch endless TED talks on motivation and how to motivate others. You can go to school for years to learn about sales techniques and buyer motivations. But in the end nothing is better than simply being a straight shooter. Tell it like Read More…
The squeeze and the sales rep
The life of a sales rep used to be quite easy. If you showed up every week, you got the sale and business grew. The good ‘ol days! (Which of course were harder than it sounds, but sales reps stuck in the past seem it think it was less work.) Everything has changed in the Read More…
Twelve minutes
If you’re a wine sales rep on the street, visiting accounts every day, dusting off your bottles, showing new products, trying to hit sales goals, running will calls, answering the phone, and putting out fires all day, this is for you. A challenge for one week. When you park your car in front of an account, Read More…
The gut instinct
“When you follow your gut, you get indigestion.” Sage advice coming from somebody as disconnected from the real world as possible: a Fortune 100 CEO in a high rise Manhattan corner office, who wrote a book about productivity years ago, aimed squarely at the people that he needed more of: workers, not thinkers. Being aware Read More…
Currency, value, and street cred
Adding income to your bottom line is usually in the form of selling. Sell more stuff, make more money. But currency and value is not just money. There are thousands of instances every day where you can improve your value. The positive interaction you have with a competitor. The attention you pay to a new Read More…
Who is ultimately responsible?
Sales in an account go down. What’s the common reaction? Point at the sales rep. It must be something they did. Not so fast. Sales can go down, way down, quickly, in an account for a huge number of reasons. The account’s general business is down. They want to work with a greater range of vendors. Read More…
Just show up
True story, heard from a restaurant buyer this week: A sales rep, let’s call him Willy, works for one of the premier top notch best reputation best portfolio best established mid sized distributors. The kind of distributor everybody seems to want to work for and with. Willy is working on getting into this new hot local Read More…
Turn off the dopamine loop
Remember the phrase “You’ve got mail?” It was one of the earliest internet dopamine loops created. America Online and their AOL mail service (remember when everybody had an AOL address?) programmed people to get a dose of excitement and anticipation every time they heard “You’ve got mail” in that manly authoritative voice. It triggered an Read More…
Standing for something
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…
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…
When to talk price, and when to not
In a presentation to consumers, there is a simple formula for when to talk price. For more expensive/premium wine ($40 and over retail), talk about price at the forefront of the presentation. For less expensive wine ($20 and under retail), talk about price at the end of the presentation. The logic is simple, but incredibly important. Read More…
Asset Building in the Wine Business
You’re not in the wine sales business. Sorry to burst your bubble. You’re in the asset building business. It’s the only way to survive the future. Here’s why. Across the nation the wine industry is fragmenting in very interesting ways. As large distributors, retailers, and restaurant groups invade more regions and states, a counterculture is Read More…
Archery, Soccer, Weightlifting, and Wine
Competition level archery is all about preparation, zen like calm, focus, detail, equipment, and timing the release of the arrow to nail the target. It’s a solo sport for the most part, thought at the highest level there can be teams of coaches involved. The bullseye is hit often but repeating the feat is the real Read More…
Monday Challenge: Values Assesment
This week’s Monday Challenge is a doozy. It’s not quick, it’s not painless, and it’s not easy. Time to assess the values you hold versus the life you are living. It’s a myth that career paths travel in straight lines. Holes are in the road, diversions are necessary, and many people have experienced years or Read More…
New thoughts on “value”
I just read an article at Harvard Business Review called Business Marketing: Understanding What Customers Value. Here’s a quote from the article (which you can read here if you’re not doing anything else for the next half hour): Values and Prices are the value and price of the supplier’s market offering, and Valuea and Pricea are Read More…
Beware of Averages (and wild variables)
Say a wine shop is chugging along and doing its thing when all of the sudden a new wine comes on the market, and amazingly the wine is only $1 a bottle for the end consumer. Wow! The store buys 50 pallets of the wine and stacks it to the ceiling. Word gets out about Read More…
Monday Challenge: Where ya at? (Q1 ends soon)
This week’s Monday Challenge is quick and simple. Question one: did you read the first Monday Challenge of this year? If not, here you go. Question two: did you read and respond to these two questions on that list: What is one clear personal goal (quantifiable) that you want to achieve in 2017? And … Read More…
The first step after setting goals
Goal setting is the secret key to success, especially in the wine wholesale industry. When goals are carefully outlined and targeted, then momentum is driven in the proper direction and true growth can occur. When goals are met then you have a reason to pop a bottle of Cava (this is the wine industry, after all). Read More…
The Power of Wine Maps
In our business we are lucky because we get to talk about places. Places have history, places have stories, places have culture, and places have identity. And by using a map in your trainings, seminars, sales pitches, and presentations you bring forward the sense of place. Some hints and tips: Purchase and download the iPad Read More…
Don’t tell. Show. (The power of the leave-behind)
I see many sales reps making the same mistake. Over, and over, and over again. They present wines without giving the buyer anything to look at, anything to study, anything to take notes on, anything to learn from, or anything to keep. At the very least, the bare minimum, have a blank sheet of letterhead Read More…
Monday Challenge: The Idea Notebook
Monday on VineThinking is all about a tweaks, pushes, and challenges to help you get better at what you do in the wine sales world. This week: The Idea Notebook. It’s an innocent enough idea. Today, go and buy a notebook. A nice one. I prefer Moleskine Cahir Journals or Fabriano Ecoqua Stapled notebooks myself, for Read More…
Your to do list is too long
If you’re like most people (including me) you like to list what has to get done in a day. Your to do list might be in a planner, on an index card, in a Google Tasks file, in your head, or just scribbled on a Post it note. It probably starts with the obvious, dives Read More…
Give them what they want and they’ll get what they expect
It’s supposed to make so much sense: just give the customers what they want. Of course it’s not that simple. Let’s break down what all customers seem to want, what all customers do want, and what all customers really want. A few no-brainers that customers say they always want: Lower prices … the number one answer Read More…
Selling Wine vs. Making Impact
Ask most wine sales reps, owners of wine bars, and owners of wine shops what they do and many will answer “I sell wine.” Selling wine is being an order taker. Selling wine is about making tall stacks and grabbing the end cap. Selling wine is about following benign metrics such as “POD” (points of Read More…
A simple wine by the glass formula
Designing a wine by the glass list does not have to be rocket science and it does not need to be frustrating. Here is a straightforward formula and a few tips to make sure you cover all the bases. The Formula for a good by the glass list 50% or more of the wine list Read More…
Putting wine statements in context
The purpose of an in-store tasting at a wine retailer is not to show a ton of choices to the consumer. The purpose of joining a wine club is not the convenience of having four wines delivered every quarter and automatically charged to your credit card. The purpose of using good stemware in your restaurant is Read More…
Monday Challenge: Your Email Signature
This week’s challenge is easy to work through but long reaching in impact. It’s your email signature, and I’m sorry to say that it’s probably not optimized for 2017. Email signatures have grown in effectiveness and impact for one simple reason: more and more email clients and operating systems are using information from your emails to Read More…
What do you really DO?
Do you sell? Do you promote? Do you manage? Do you organize? Do you inspire? Do you solve problems? Do you react? Do you build? Do you hide? Do you tear down? Do you wait? Do you seek? Do you teach? What do you really do during the day? A good question for all of Read More…
Good habits: Increasing the value and impact of a wine sales presentation
As a wine wholesale rep, the biggest trap you can fall into is to sell wine exactly like most of your competition does. Watch the reps from other companies while they work. They make a ton of mistakes, constantly, yet those mistakes are often repeated by other reps. You can do better. Six simple habits to increase Read More…
Monday Challenge: How safe is your digital stuff?
The Monday Challenge is often about spurring readers to do something that takes little effort but with long term benefits. This week: assess the safety of your digital stuff. You can do this in easily by answering one question: can you take your laptop and throw it in a lake, never to see it again, and Read More…
The slow build to the big payoff
It’s February, so here’s a little challenge for everybody: What wine or wines can you place in a shop, or on a list, in front of customers right now, which you might hope to sell two bottles a week? Maybe three on a good week. Not a big seller. Nothing that will set the spreadsheet on fire. Read More…
Monday Challenge: find a Q4 mindset in Q1
Every Monday I toss out a challenge to derail readers from the norm and get their heads into a different mindset. This week: find a Q4 mindset in Q1. The first quarter of the year is always so fascinating in the wine business. Sales people relax and get back into their routines. Buyers are off Read More…
Company culture and long term employees
The idea of culture building gets bantered about far too much in many corporations, and ironically the ones that talk about it the most are often the ones that have a cultural problem on their hands. Culture is built through actions, not mission statements (see the 9 worst of all time), and thus by definition it starts with Read More…
Large and known vs. Small and unknown
Large wineries have brand presence, resources, marketing departments, sales forces, trend reporting and analysis, marketing materials, and larger overall goals. Small wineries lack brand presence, lack resources, often have no marketing department, maybe a sales force of one (and often the owner/winemaker), no trend reporting or analysis, no marketing materials, and smaller overall goals. When Read More…
Monday Challenge: Listen to yourself
Every Monday I throw out a challenge, something to keep in mind for the week. This week’s challenge was going to be called “Don’t say anything stupid.” Then the title changed to “#AlternateReality.” In the end I decided to stick with something more simple: Listen to yourself. After an amazing weekend of strange communication with Read More…
Four tips for a perfect wine staff training
A staff training, getting in front of the people that will actually enact and conduct the transaction that leads to larger sales of your product, is an incredible opportunity. It’s an opportunity to instill confidence and excitement, and also an opportunity to screw up royally. Here are four tips for a perfect staff training. Announce Read More…
Find the customers that embrace the New and Unknown
If you do what you did yesterday, you’re doing okay, right? If you buy the brands you have found and like, and they do their job, you’re okay, right? Most people are satisfied with most things, and this applies to wine. Most people buy what they know and are comfortable with. Most people want things Read More…
We are all salespeople
Servers at restaurants are salespeople. Hosts who answer phones and take reservations and greet customers and say goodnight to them are salespeople. Bartenders are salespeople. Retailers that put wine the hands of a customer and earn their trust are salespeople. The ones that ring up the order at a wine shop are salespeople. The delivery crew at Read More…
The lay up challenge: Slow down to speed up
My workout routine is quick. I’m not a patient person and I don’t believe somebody has to sweat for a full hour to get benefits from exercise, as long as you do the right things and do them consistently (15-20 times per month). So from the time I walk in the door of my health Read More…
Monday challenge: Do your performance review for the whole year, now
Every Monday I throw down a little challenge for readers, something to knock people off the daily predictable grind. This week: write your 2017 performance review, but do it today, 50 weeks before the end of the year. This exercise will take all of ten minutes if you’re a fast typer, maybe 20 minutes if Read More…