As a follow-up for sales training seminars that I lead, I like to ping select reps a few months down the line to see how they’re doing and if they need any advice. Lately, consistently, I’m being asked for a great ‘hack’ … as if there is one magic formula to make sales go up. Read More…
Category: Wine Sales
Some thoughts on leadership vs. management in wine and spirits sales
Wine and spirits distributors have salespeople. And the one “in charge” of them (quotes intentional, as you’ll read) is the sales manager. The role of the salesperson is to sell. To connect customers to the stories they tell. To service accounts with professionalism, consistency, and accuracy. A good salesperson is a storyteller, someone who is Read More…
“Get some chalk on your boots”
I’m a big fan of “real football,” otherwise known in America as soccer. (The story of why it’s called soccer in America is quite interesting.) There’s a beautiful phrase in the sport that can easily translate into the business of selling, “Get some chalk on your boots.” It refers to the need to spread the Read More…
SOND 2022 is on … what are your plans?
Welcome to September! Start that countdown. We’re only 121 days away from the end of the year. Wholesale reps Open your calendar. Mark the evenings you want off, no questions asked. Family evening, concerts, commitments, downtime, you name it. Your job is a daytime job, and any hours you put in the evening should be Read More…
Being in, or out of, alignment (who do you play ball with?)
There is more to business relationships than numbers and sales. There is often friendship (though not always). There is often judgement (spoken or otherwise). There are often pressures on each side that the other doesn’t understand (very common). But in the end, every business relationship needs some form of mutual respect. This respect can be Read More…
Selling wine during a recession
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…
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…