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…
Category: Wholesale
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 Newbie Mindset
The new sales rep, with zero wine sales rep experiences, that crushes her numbers right out of the gate. And she’s one of the most charming and charismatic people you’ve ever met. The new retail wine consultant, with little prior wine experience and no sales experience, who suddenly brings in dozens of new customers as Read More…
… but if you do work for a gigantic wine wholesaler
Yesterday I wrote about the problems with large, commodity, goofy, and quotas. If you haven’t read that article, please check it out, for it puts this one in context. I bumped into four people that read yesterday’s post. Two of them worked for very small distributors and basically gave me a high five. “Thanks for telling Read More…
The problem with large, commodity, goofy, and quotas
Large wine wholesalers amble about, seem to pitch products with a slight sense of entitlement, have layers upon layers of management and division leaders, and change up sales reps and territories all the time. Commodity wine brands are created, not grown, and are perfected in their naming, branding, and marketing to hit the most profitable slice Read More…
Problem identification, Problem solving, and the first step
I like to tell wine sales reps that they are not salespeople. They are problem solvers. When I say that to a group, I notice people sit up straighter and have a curious look in their eye. It’s really just another direction to look at the job from, and it’s a crystal clear way to Read More…
The Reactive Rut
I had a great conversation last night with a local wine retailer. Her shop is small, based on convenience for the neighborhood, and with more and more competition moving in she’s having a hard time standing out and growing her business. The backbone of her business is reacting to the needs of her customers on Read More…
B2B vs. B2C vs. Reality
I met with two energetic heads of a wine distributor yesterday, people that love catchphrases and acronyms and buzzwords. I imagine they have the Harvard Business Review podcast playing while they sleep so they can absorb all the jargon of the moment. Some of the jargon of the moment is the whole “B2B” and “B2C” conversation. The idea 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…
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…
You have a duty within the chaos
Welcome to the joyful Christmas season when everybody starts to run around like headless chickens, a panicked look in their eye, insistent on their assumption that one more gift is necessary to buy to show their love (sorry about the cynicism). As wine industry professionals, we have a few duties during this upcoming week of alarms Read More…
Your emergency kit is empowerment
What happens when … … your delivery driver drops the wrong case of wine at the wrong account? A case of wine very important to an event that evening. … one of your servers spills wine all over an impeccably dressed guest out for a night on the town with her friends? … the very 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…
The trouble with robots
Robots are kind of awesome and fascinating. They work fast, they work hard, they don’t complain, they are masters of efficiency. The problem with robots is that they do or say the same things over and over (and over and over and over and over). What many people fail to realize is that being a Read More…
In-store wine tasting success
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, there will be many hours for sales reps and retailers standing behind a table pouring wine for consumers. The in-store tasting is a powerful tool if used right, but a waste of time if used wrong. Here are some ideas. Less is more: keep in mind the paradox of choice. Offer Read More…
A day of planning, a day of pause
Welcome to Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving is always a strange one. Shoppers pack the stores, movie theaters are busy, many restaurants open early to catch the breakfast and brunch crowd, quite a few people simply stay at home and eat leftovers and watch TV. Wine shops are busy but not overrun (nothing compared Read More…
A great use for Thanksgiving Eve
What are you doing today? If you are a wine sales rep or a wholesale manager, here’s a little secret: today is one of the best days of the year to visit unsold or unopened restaurant accounts. Why? Because today the retailers are so busy they don’t want to see you. And your solid on-premise Read More…
The problem with choices …
… is that most people second guess their decision. When faced with a huge number of choices in front of them, most people will fret and fuss and debate and contemplate until the frustration leads to simply grabbing something that they hope will work and going for it. It’s the video store syndrome. Remember those Read More…
Practice does make perfect
There is no short cut around practice. Simple as that. Does U2 just jump up on stage one day and pull off a perfect show? No way. Does an olympic swimmer casually decide to just swim really fast for that week? Of course not. Does a great restaurant built on customer experience just assume the new Read More…
Monday challenge: The Supermoon Effect
Every Monday I throw out a challenge to readers. Something to push you into an uncomfortable spot, to make you see things in a new light or direction, with the goal of growth. This week’s challenge: The Supermoon Effect. Last night more people than ever before paused what they were doing, walked outside, and watched Read More…
A new haircut
Yesterday my wife went to a new hair stylist for a haircut. She was tired of her old stylist for no reason other than “it’s time to change things up.” She came back with not only an awesome haircut, but an exceptional story about customer sales and the overall transaction. When most of us go for Read More…
Do you know …
… what you are doing every day of the upcoming week? … who you need to reach out to, listed in an easy format to check them off? … which wines you need to concentrate on, make sure you know the details of, and know a good story to tell about each one? … who Read More…
The best wine sales reps …
… constantly suggest new wines, ideas, categories, and look for ideas to bring to you from other markets or outside the wine industry. … plan and strategize. They develop sales goals with the buyer, and do whatever they can to achieve them (staff trainings and in store tastings should always be done to work toward a Read More…
Perceived value through having options
I’m writing this from a large, nice, off the beaten path privately owned hotel in Madison, Wisconsin. It’s a good, clean, practical building with very nice people working the front desk. A large free parking lot. Gentle hum of I-90 out the windows. Hot water is hot, cold water is cold, coffee is good, and free Read More…
What Apple (via Samsung) can teach a wine sales rep
Phones are blowing up. Samsung designed a faulty product that is reeking havoc in their company, and more importantly it’s denting their reputation. You can’t have phones blow up. Not good. Then people don’t want to buy your product. The cheap and easy advertisement that Apple could then put out to promote the iPhone7? “Our Read More…
Monday Challenge: 60 day sprint ahead, be ready!
Every Monday I throw out a challenge to readers. Something to keep everybody on the right track toward accomplishing the right goals and moving your wine career forward. This week: the 60 day sprint and how to be ready for it. ### Welcome to October 31st and happiest of Halloweens! A favorite holiday around our Read More…
The power of thinking you have control
Walk in to an elevator, press the button for the floor you want to go to, and nothing happens. What do you do next? If you’re like most people, you press the door close button. Sometimes it works but with a delay, sometimes it closes right away, and sometimes you have to hit it twice Read More…
Hiring Great Wine People
How do you hire the top performers for your wholesale operation, restaurant, or retail shop? How do you find the wine energized people out there, the ones that can do their job extremely well without thinking the wine world revolves around them? (Which is a monumental problem in the wine business.) How do you, as Read More…
The Little Things
… the way the server picked the dirty knife off your plate, set it down, and took the plate away instead of just giving you a new knife. … the way the manager was being mean to the bartender. … the way the sales rep that just walked in interrupted your meeting “just for a second.” Read More…
Considering Portugal: Encruzado
I just returned from leading a small group through Portugal, via our little side-business travel company, The Flying Grape. You can catch photos via The Flying Grape Facebook page (website coming soon). When thinking about new and shiny, and categories of wines that your competition does not have, Portugal should come to mind first. There is Read More…
What are you selling? A product or a brand?
If you are selling a product, you need to lead with the attributes of that product. The varieties in the bottle, the alcohol content, the main competition on the shelf or on the wine list. It’s mano a mano, one wine against the others. But if you are selling a brand, it’s a totally different Read More…
The Slow Build vs. The Out of the Blue
Earlier I wrote about how to get into unsold accounts (amongst other things). I said “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.” A big part of showing up and doing the hard work is about the slow build. Read More…
Tiny, fast, nimble, and original
The rise of the number of wine distributors in major markets in the past five years has been stunning. Even in heavy handed and “old boy’s network” markets like Chicago, more and more micro-distributors are opening shop and succeeding. Not only succeeding, but making amazing inroads that are pissing off those that feel they “deserve Read More…
Minimum needed knowledge
Is it better to know a lot about a few things, or a little about a lot of things? It depends on who you are and what you do. A server or bartender at a restaurant better know a little bit about all the wines by the glass. It’s an easy quiz to give them. Read More…
Monday challenge: Breaking from the normal
Every Monday I throw out a challenge to the readers, something to give a concentrated nudge in a certain direction. This week: breaking from the normal. The normal is a staff training where you hold up a bottle and talk about it. The normal is the parade of sales reps waiting in line at the Read More…
Connect your wine to something bigger and greater
Of course you think the wine you’re selling tastes better than the competition. And guess what? That doesn’t really matter. Playing the game of “mine is better than that” is a fool’s game because the rules can change constantly (via personal opinions). Would you throw money on the table in Vegas if the rules constantly changed based Read More…
The easiest, fastest, and most effective restaurant staff wine training ever
Training the staff at a restaurant can be a lesson in frustration. First off, it’s like hearding cats, trying to get everybody organized. Then, if the sales rep is doing the any of wrong things, it will go overtime and the attendees will be bored or antsy. Want to do the easiest, fastest, and most Read More…
Monday Challenge: TMI
Every Monday I throw out a challenge to the readers. Something to think about during the week of wine work. This week: become conscious of TMI, too much information. Over-explaining and over-detailing a wine is all too common. I see it all the time when reps are trying to train the servers at a restaurant, and Read More…
Ideas, Connections, and Ownership (i.e. Throw away the box)
This one is for the wine wholesale reps out there, especially those feeling down or disenfranchised. With the rise of the gig economy and the proliferation of freelancers, certain aspects of the wine sales game have changed tremendously. Two things to ponder, plus one radical idea: You own your contacts and relationships. Your boss might disagree, but in my Read More…
Percentage growth, Exponential growth, and a cool little math trick
“I’m going to help you grow your business 6% per year!” Okay, honestly, how many of us can do the math on that one? And what does it really mean in the end? If your business is bringing in $100,000 a year it’s relatively easy math for the next two or three cycles. $106K, then $113K or so, Read More…
Are you selling a commodity? Probably not.
Commodities are products that are driven first by price. Charles Shaw, i.e. Two Buck Chuck, is a commodity. Barefoot, YellowTail, Franzia box wines, Beringer White Zin, and many other wines such as those are commodities as well. Yes, they have brand recognition, but the driving force of the sale of those wines is first and Read More…
Happy Labor Day 2016 … on your mark, get set …
We’ve reached the end of another summer and the SOND selling season is just about to kick off. Over half of the wine sold in the United States is sold in the upcoming four months. A couple of weeks ago I urged you to take your foot off the gas. Now it’s time to do Read More…
New sales rep, old territory
If you’re a sales rep for a wine wholesaler, and you are taking over an established territory or getting somebody else’s old accounts, there are three scenarios you’ll run into. No more, no less. “She didn’t show up much.” The person you’re replacing didn’t do a good job, didn’t show up, didn’t deliver, stained the Read More…
And what if the wine sucks?
If you’re in the position of wine sales (which does not just mean wholesale or winery level, but also restaurant and retail … anywhere in the chain of movement toward the end consumer), how do you handle the wine that truly sucks? I’m not talking about a single bottle that is chemically flawed. I’m talking Read More…
Why do you buy a new wine?
This one goes out to the buyers at restaurants and retailers everywhere. It’s a simple question with far reaching implications, and one that I want you to think very carefully about. Why do you buy a new wine? The quick and cheap answer is “because it’s good” which means nothing because everybody’s definition of good Read More…
Getting comfortable
In the world of selling wine it’s easy to get comfortable. VERY comfortable. The restaurant that buys most or all of their wines from you doesn’t need to focused on very much. Just kept happy. The big brands that are popular with the public don’t need to be popped for in store tastings. Just merchandised. Read More…
Never leave an unopened bottle
Wholesale wine reps often make a big mistake, usually at the end of the day or with the excuse of ‘being too busy’ or ‘I’m just trying to be efficient.” They leave an unopened bottle with a customer, saying “check it out when you can … it’s awesome.” This doesn’t work. This isn’t selling, it’s giving. Read More…
Monday Challenge: Multiply the success you already have
Every Monday I throw out a challenge, something that can be done relatively quickly but have dramatic effect. This week: sharpen your pencils and pull out the spreadsheets … time to multiply success by choosing the right category and the right customers to focus on. The process is simple, and rooted in the idea that Read More…
The one thing most wine wholesalers suck at doing
Wine wholesalers are in a constant pickle. In the end it’s all about inventory control, which is directly connected to cash flow, which by definition is directly connected to sales, which can’t happen unless the ordering of product from wineries around the world happens months ahead of actually needing the wine. It’s exhausting just to Read More…
Do first what you fear most
Sales reps all have their own personality quirks. For years one of mine was actively avoiding things I feared the most. I was great at avoiding the tough conversations and the difficult phone calls. Many of us are. Fear is powerful stuff. “Fear” brings up images ahead of the interaction. Images of high pressure, intense Read More…
Fewer choices make for greater sales
Sheena Lyenar’s 2009 book The Art of Choosing is a must read for anybody in the wine business. Her research focuses on the intersection of science and emotion when it comes to decision making. The “Jam Study” is a key part of her research. During this experiment, tables were set up at a busy premium Read More…
Monday Challenge: The hard drive clean up
This week’s Monday challenge is a simple kick in the butt to do what you have put off for months or years. Clean up that hard dive, including all of your random files and folders, images, contacts, publications, and more. As part of this clean up, be sure to embrace the cloud. It doesn’t matter Read More…
How to kick ass with a quick, simple, and effective staff wine training
Learning how to lead an effective staff training is one of the superpowers every wine rep needs to learn. It’s key to be able to convey the right information, not get bogged down in what doesn’t need be discussed, and achieve the goals that lead to higher sales of your wines. Amazingly, more reps screw it Read More…
Effective staff training: What servers don’t need to know
If you’re training the service staff at a restaurant on your wines, it’s just as important to figure out what they DON’T need to know as what they DO need to know. The amount of information a server needs to know on an average night is pretty daunting and changes constantly. What is out of Read More…
Wine Tax Deductions: Personal Library and Online Subscriptions
As a professional in the wine business, don’t forget about your personal library. All wine magazine subscriptions, books, maps, learning materials, etc. are legitimate tax deductions*. Also add the cost of online subscriptions and professional affiliations (if you’re part of the Guild of Sommeliers, or if you have a WineSearcher account). Save those receipts, make Read More…
Monday challenge: The bottom of your list
This week’s Monday challenge is aimed at wholesale sales reps. One week from today it’s August. That means we’re in the deep part of summer when beer sales are the focus for most retailers, and major wine list changes are low on the priority list for most restaurants. So what to do this week? Aim Read More…
Do you really want the main stage?
Here’s a fabulous story from Moby’s new autobiography Porcelain, talking about playing Lalapalooza in 1995. Lalapalooza in those days ran two stages, with the primary and bigger acts on Stage One and a handful of relative unknowns on Stage Two. Moby was booked for the second stage, which “had made me feel like a techno Read More…
Who is your real competition?
For restaurants, is it any other place that serves food for money? Or is it places that serve food similar to yours and charge the same or less? Or more? For retailers, is it any other store that sells alcoholic beverages? Or is it other stores of similar size and reach and impact? Or is Read More…
How to conquer Impossible!, How?, and Yeah … Right
It is entirely within the realm of possibility to double your business in the next 12 to 24 months. Honestly. There is a scary side, however, and this scary side brings up excuses and prevents most people from ever thinking they can do this. For wine retailers, the first excuse usually comes down to physical Read More…
Missing the Free Throw
A basketball player steps up to the line. This is no ordinary basketball player. He’s a professional, paid millions of dollars to put the ball through the hoop. There is no defense. Nobody attacking them. It’s a free throw. And how often will they miss? On average in the NBA, over the last two decades, they Read More…
First thing: Tell people about the wine
Time and time again I’m amazed how effective the most basic “system” in wine sales truly is. Tell people what you’re going to pour for them. Pour it for them. Tell people what you poured for them. It’s a simple derivative of a common pattern in communications, but it’s surprising how often it’s not done. Read More…
Welcome to the last half of July
We are entering the deepest part of summer: the six week stretch ahead of SOND (September, October, November, and December … which is traditionally when half of the total wine sales happen in the United States). That means two things: Time to start planning. Get out the calendar. Halloween, the presidential election, Thanksgiving, holiday shopping, Read More…
Why do you buy from ME?
Sometimes the best questions are the easiest to ask. If you’re a wine wholesale rep, during this beer-fueled summer season take the time to dig a bit into your account’s motivations. Ask your customer: “Why do you buy from ME?” By asking this question you’ll break some ice, learn about your wine buyers in a Read More…
Needs and Wants
There are things your customers need to know. There are other things they want to know. And there is a fundamental difference. NEEDS For a restaurant, your customer needs to know when you’re open and closed. They need to know how to get there, and if there is any construction in the way. They need to know Read More…
Measuring Sticks and Managers
Managers are good at managing people, which is very different from leading people. “Management” is a term that goes back to the early part of the industrial revolution when factories and assembly lines proved incredibly profitable if the system was managed correctly. The measuring stick for the factory production of that time was not the Read More…
Organization and Helping (which will increase your sales)
This is geared toward wholesaler wine reps out there, but everybody can and should use a variation of it. Take your sales territory list out. Split it into two parts: restaurants and retailers. Take each out those and carve them into three sets: highly important/big buyers, medium importance/up and comers, and lesser importance/those that are going Read More…
Wine Motivations
Wine buyers (retailer and restaurants) purchase wine for a kaleidoscope of reasons. There’s a deal It tastes great It’s popular nationally It’s not popular nationally It has limited availability The label is awesome They are doing you a favor Their boss told them to. They’ve liked it in the past They’ve never heard of it Then Read More…
Barking Up the Wrong Tree
Every once in a while a site comes along that provides so much pure information and advice that you simply can’t ignore it. One such site for me is Barking Up the Wrong Tree, run by Eric Barker. Join Eric’s newsletter list and absorb his findings into your job. All of his findings are based on Read More…
How a wine rep can really get the attention of a customer
Yesterday I wrote about surprising the people you see the most, the ones that you are in a rut with. This rut could be how you do business, what you wear, what you say, etc. and it only helps to entrench the already entrenched daily grind. Not that you have to dress like a clown Read More…
Surprise the people you see the most
We are all stuck in a rut, because the rut is predictable and comfortable. Same type of clothes everyday. Same shoes. Same attitude. Same jokes (or at least themes of jokes … that one person always tells bad jokes, another only off-color jokes, another long-format jokes). For wholesale reps and winery reps, there is comfort Read More…
The risk of being comfortable
Your business is going well. Not great, but humming along. You do the same thing every week, the same good customers show up, they buy the same types of wines. Life is good and predictable and comfortable. Watch out. There is always somebody around the corner. A new wine shop getting some press. The hot Read More…
A July 2016 wine challenge
Think of your network in your wine world. Think of the people that are either relatively new to it, or so constantly enthused about wine that they still have that buzz of excitement whenever you pour something for them. The people that know enough to know they love it but don’t know enough to get Read More…
The weakest wine
Yesterday I wrote about choices, and about being the person to stand up and be remarkable and make a fuss when things aren’t quite right. There was some chatter on the social channels afterwards about the post, and I want to riff a bit about one line in particular, coming from my examples of situations: Read More…