What’s your one great talent?

We all have one. The one talent that we can say with confidence “I’m better at that than most.” When I was selling wine for a local fine wine wholesaler, I learned over time what my great talent was: dealing with problem customers. If somebody was pissed of, if they kicked out their previous sales rep, Read More…

What is focus?

The process of “focus” gets bantered about endlessly, especially at wine distributor sales meetings.  “You have to focus on this line of wines.” “We need focus on this important importer.” “You have to focus better on our number one account.” “We have to focus on getting that wine on that wine list.” In this light, Read More…

The stories you hear

Rarely does a customer tell you a story just for entertainment. In fact, it’s incredibly rare. Stories are told to tell you the reason or justification why an account is doing something. Or, if that’s not the case, they are asking for something without asking it directly. Stories about other sales reps screwing up? It’s an Read More…

When do you ask for help?

Most experienced wine sales reps live an independent life during the day. See the right accounts, keep selling wine, keep the bosses happy (i.e. not being too involved in your sales business), then head home. That naturally leads to an assumption on both sides (management and sales): if the boss isn’t hearing of any problems from Read More…

A simple formula

Here’s the simple formula for success: Exceed expectations. Again and again and again and again and again. There. Done. Simple as that. (Moral of the story: you don’t have to complicate things to achieve success in business.)

Plus five percent

Teachers in West Virginia are back to work this week after a torturous nine day strike that grabbed media attention nationally. Traditionally one of the lowest pay states for teachers, they saw no option other than to walk out on the job to get the attention they deserved. Fighting tooth and nail, they got what Read More…

Spring Training

It’s March, and all the baseball teams are in sunny locations getting ready for opening day, happening in about a month. Spring Training is the time to loosen up the joints, play some casual games, let the coach get a feel for the team, let the team get a feel for each other, all the Read More…

It comes down to telling a story

What makes this wine different from others? What makes this wine similar to others? Why was this winery started? What struggles led to winery success? When did they face failure? Was there one hero in the winery that saved the day? When did all of this happen? How many acts are in this winery’s play? How Read More…

What are you selling? (Maybe it’s not wine)

A wine sales rep’s life, even with lunches, dinners, samples, winemakers, and travel all involved, can be isolating and lonely. When isolated feelings of “me against the competition” and “us vs. them” creep into the sales mindset, you may find yourself running from account to account to account, pulling bottles out of the bag, presenting everything to Read More…

Plans, planners, CRMs, and what is really needed

Tools, pens, calendars, graphs and check lists. Reminders, pings, pokes, and Things. CRM’s, Saleforce, Zoho, Pipedrive, and Hubspot. SevenFifty. Endless inspirational quotes. Internal meetings, sales meetings, performance review meetings. The value of the tools at the wine sales reps disposal can only be measured by the action taken to use them correctly. Thinking about tools and Read More…

Is the wine good? Or is it helpful?

Wine sales reps are hooked on the “good” of wine. “Isn’t that great?” “What do you think? Do you like it?” “Just delicious wine isn’t it?” This is the all too common conversation after pouring a taste for the buyer. It’s based on the quality of the juice, trying hard to make it sound more Read More…

Opening new accounts – the first touch

Opening new accounts is the lifeblood of the wine wholesale business. If you’re not opening new accounts on a regular basis you are beholden to the slicing up of the market by competitors. New business is the only way to stay ahead of that curve. A simple prospecting tool is, of course, email. Make a form Read More…

Sometimes, there is no answer

“How can we sell more expensive wine to more retailers?” “How do we break into the hot new restaurant?” “How can I make my sales reps more efficient and responsive?” “How can we get more market share in this increasingly tight and competitive wine scene?” There is no answer to these questions. If there were Read More…

The shotgun and the arrow

Two different wine sales reps, from two different companies, with two different ways of presenting wines and ideas to the same restaurant buyer looking for a new Cotes du Rhone by the glass. Sales rep 1: “Thanks for the time today. So I brought five Cotes du Rhone at a range of prices. All are Read More…

The simple way to do an annual review

With 99% certainty here is what every one of your retail and restaurant customers does NOT know. They don’t know how much wine they bought from you this past year (dollars and cases). They don’t know how much wine they bought from you the year before that (dollars and cases). They don’t know the percentage difference Read More…

What are you going to do next year?

This is an important question to ask, because next year is next week. Annual reviews of accounts, territories, personal strengths, personal weaknesses, planned development, goals, outlooks, and ideas are wonderful ways to take a longer view of your wine sales business. It’s also a great way to fall into the sticky mud of too many 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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

That’s a wrap!

Good day everybody, and welcome to the last work day of 2016! Thank you for joining the VineThinking community. So far 184 blog posts composed of over 62,000 words since I started this in April, and a readership that has grown by leaps and bounds as the months have gone by. Thank you to all who 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…

A Wine Rep’s Future

There are basically four types of wine sales reps. Brand new, green, inexperienced but excited. Established, productive, successful, and still very much excited about the industry. Established, productive, successful, but pretty entrenched and doesn’t want things to change. Very experienced, continuing to be successful, but complaining about any rumor of anything shifting. You can see 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…

The goal of inducing curiosity (via a Coravin)

It’s one of the most effective but overlooked sales techniques. It’s the key to success for many legendary brands, but can easily be replicated into our industries. It’s curiosity. One of my wine consulting contracts is for a successful privately held restaurant group. Three locations, over $1 million in wine sales. They specialize in burgers (really 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…

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…

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 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…

Once it’s gone, it’s gone

There is only one thing you can’t replace in your life. Only one thing that gets spent continuously and no app, innovation, planning, savings, or checkbook can bring it back. And that’s yesterday. Time spent. Once time is gone, it’s gone. What happened yesterday can’t be changed. The only things that can change are today 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…

How to be a Wine Leader

There are very few Wine Leaders out there. There are a ton of wine managers, and in the scope of this idea a wine manager is defined as somebody who controls, regulates, checks on, and makes happen the flow of wine through the commercial transactions of our business. Most wholesale reps, retail buyers, restaurant buyers, Read More…

Quiz: What are you selling?

Really, what are you selling? Think about this. I’ll give you a hint: it’s not wine. Honestly. It’s also not service. It’s also not your expert advice. So what are you selling? You’re selling the emotion attached to the sale, not the final product. The product is secondary. You’re selling satisfaction. If you approach your day 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…

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: 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…

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…

Bookstores vs. Wine Shops

Similarities: Both have wide selections. Great variety. Both have door-opener, easy point of entry products. Both have higher end, more intellectual, more speciality products. Both have large national retailers that come into a city and seem to crush the competition and put them out of business. Then that gigantic company is suddenly on the ropes 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…