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 showing Wine Spectator scores
- Say yes to every in store tasting request
- Stand in line (literally) behind other reps to kiss the ring of a buyer
- Keep lowering your prices because a buyer pushes you to
- Don’t let your customers know what is in stock, out of stock, or newly arrived
- Don’t communicate about market visits or big tastings until the week before they happen
- Dress like everybody else, carry the same bag, and pitch the same way
- Think that everything will keep flowing as long as you clock in every day
- Send credits two weeks after picking up wine from an account
- Don’t ask questions.
- Don’t push.
- Don’t innovate.
- Don’t come with solutions.
Watch your peers. See how they sell. Most of the time you can do better by not doing what they do.