Think before you text

There are four main types of current/modern one-on-one communication. The first is the email, the most common form of transferring information from one person to another. It’s passive, and sending an email implies less urgency, usually, knowing that the recipient will see it at some point and will respond at some point. Also good for Read More…

How to …

How to get into an unsold account: Show up. Ask questions. Network. Show up. Ask questions. Network. Repeat. Repeat. Don’t stop. It takes work, it takes time, and there are no shortcuts. How to advance in the wine industry: Show up. Ask questions. Network. Show up. Ask questions. Network. Repeat. Repeat. Don’t stop. It takes work, Read More…

Appreciation of circumstance

No job is perfect. There are plusses and minuses to all work situations. Consider yourself lucky if you’re working at a restaurant that has continuous staff wine training (beyond sales pitches by sales reps), and encourages or invests in outside education. Consider yourself lucky if you’re working at a retailer that encourages the whole staff Read More…

First tasted, last consumed

We have all seen this at tastings, but haven’t thought much about it. The wine that everybody rushes forward to try. And it also happens to be the last one consumed. It’s the flash in the pan wine. Look out for it. It’s fancy, it gets lots of attention, and it turns out it’s also shallow, one dimensional, Read More…

I finished, now what?

This is a brilliant idea from the floor of Barnes and Noble, where I’m writing this. To my left is a table of books. A variety, and I don’t know any of them. Above them is a sign. “I finished Twilight. Now what?” Books, like wine, can be intimidating. Plus there’s an investment of time Read More…

Competition

There’s always somebody cheaper. And somebody more expensive. There’s always somebody smaller moving faster, and somebody bigger moving slower.  There’s always the cool kid, always the brainiac, the shiny new things, and the pretty ones.  Who is your real competition? Most of the time it’s not more than 20% of who you can choose from Read More…

Happy Memorial Day. Now get to work.

Wine retailers, most of them anyway, can’t look forward to Memorial Day and Labor Day as long weekends of relaxation. The store has to be open. Customers want beer and wine to enjoy around the grill. Can’t ring up sales if you’re home grilling some food. Which of course means for many wholesale reps, Memorial Day and Read More…

Fighting for change (in the right ways)

If you work for a winery, importer, brand, or wholesaler that continues to do things “the way we’ve always done it” then maybe you’re the one fighting for change. Change is a big word, and a scary word to many. It threatens the status quo. It puts those that have been in the decision making Read More…

Package size first, price second

Two quotes. Same math. Different presentation. “It’s $180. It’s a six pack.” and “It’s a six pack for $180.” The way you present the price can have big impact. Be careful to always say the package size first, price second. Nobody likes to find out the wine is actually $30 a bottle after thinking, just Read More…

Is Your Business Model Distinctive?

The Harvard Business Review recently published a quick read called Your Whole Business Needs to be Distinctive, Not Just Your Product. In it they cite the normal line up of Apple and IKEA when it comes to something distinctive. “The most effective companies don’t rely on distinctive products, services or brand for differentiation; instead, they focus Read More…

Are you pulling down or pulling up?

You have a trusted group of followers, customers, clients, and associates. We all do.  They call you when they need advice, they seek you out for options, they trust you with information.  These people are the core of your business life. The insiders.  Ask yourself a key question: when they communicate with you is it Read More…

Momentum

The scientific formula for momentum says it all. Momentum = Mass x Velocity. In other words, you have a choice of how to grow. It’s multiplication, so if one metric stays the same, while the other grows, then greater momentum is the result. No matter where you are in the wine sales chain, the formula Read More…