The word RECESSION is being bantered about far more now than in over ten years. All signs are pointing toward an economic recession on the horizon (and the truth is, it’s always on the horizon … but we can never tell where the horizon is). As always, nobody knows anything, so don’t be surprised if Read More…
Category: Wine Sales
Today is different than tomorrow (end of a quarter)
Today is the last day of Q1. It’s a much different day than tomorrow, the start of Q2. What do you do today vs. tomorrow as a wine sales rep, restaurant owner/manager, or retailer? Today, you work super hard. You push for the final sprint ahead of the finish line. You make that extra sales Read More…
Know your history (and that things change)
The history of wine trends, facts, and fads is always good to keep in mind, mainly to recognize that some trends grow roots and stick, white others blow away with the wind. The sands shift with the tides. For those relatively new to the wine business (be it wholesale, restaurant, or retail) here are some Read More…
What are you selling? The juice in the bottle?
Ask a wine sales rep or a wine retailer what they sell and they will say they sell wine. But in terms of what you’re selling how much is actually the juice in the bottle? For a wine sales rep, you are mainly selling (in order): Yourself and your ability to convert for the customer Read More…
High gas prices are a wine rep’s friend
A big part of a wine sales rep’s job is driving around. Not only from account to account, but back to the warehouse again and again for the sudden will call because your customers forgot something on their order. Somehow, their problem became your problem. Oh and let’s not forget about the account you saw Read More…
Building fences as a wine sales rep
Newer sales reps are prone to be ‘yes’ people, doing whatever the store or restaurant asks to the point of crossing a line. The sales rep doesn’t intend to cross the line, they just may not know where that line is. If you build fences and tell yourself you’ll never breech them, it can keep Read More…
Selling wine is not rocket science
A wine sales job doesn’t involve rocket science. Nobody is going to die if you screw up. There really aren’t that many moving pieces. Keep it simple. Be consistent in doing what you say you’ll do. Be consistent in who you meet with, and how you run your meetings. Be consistent about your goals, both Read More…
Six Habits of the Best Wine Sales Reps
The best wine sales reps have routines and habits that set them apart from others. Let’s dive into six of the most essential. The best wine sales reps know the power of a positive attitude It’s sales 101 to leave your emotions and opinions at the door, but I’m constantly amazed at how often this Read More…
More is not better (focus on focus)
A wine by the glass list that is 90 items long is confounding for the customer (and impossible to train a service staff on, much less preserve the quality in the bottle). A Chardonnay section in a wine shop that has three times as many wines as the other sections is obviously trying to appeal Read More…
The Real Goals of a Wine Sales Rep
Most wine sales reps don’t do it for the money. There is surprisingly little money in the wine business. Yes, income can be stable, but you’ll never strike it rich. And wine sales reps shouldn’t do it for the fame. There’s no fame in wine sales. There’s a little bit of stardom for some sommeliers, Read More…
Payoff
It’s mid-November, and the sales call in this time of year changes in shape: the buyer has less time to meet with you, but orders more wine. Ironically, and seemingly counter-intuitively, you make more money for less work. But this is the moment to realize the payoff from ten months of building, planning, relationship massaging, Read More…
Measuring a sales job by dollars, or not
Sales reps usually measure by dollars. It’s an easy yardstick to use, it contributes to the quality of your life, and it’s a measurement that allows instant comparison to others in the industry. An “Annual industry salary survey” can be useful to a small degree. But it can also be clickbait. When you measure by Read More…
Problems, solutions, and the blame game in wine sales
Problems between sales reps and buyers come up naturally. Sometimes small, sometimes big. And sometimes opportunities are simply problems with a costume on. And sometimes problems are simply problems. But it’s the job of a good sales rep to always present solutions. Better yet, present two. Maybe even three. That’s part of the job. Telling Read More…
Looking into the crystal ball of wine retail
Let’s look into the future. I don’t know how far into the future. It might be two years or maybe ten. But sooner than you think. Amazon has entered the liquor retail game. Not in a small way either. Through their Whole Foods locations, they now permeate into many key urban areas. And through Amazon Read More…
What happens if …
… you present ten Pinot Noirs to an account, they don’t find joy in any of them, then a competitor presents just one and that makes it on the list? … you own 95% of a wine list at a local restaurant, but the company that has the other 5% suddenly starts spending a lot Read More…