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 August is the perfect month to spend time planning for the rush of business that happens in SOND.

Take one of your most popular categories of wine (if you’re a wholesaler, maybe it’s Pinot Noir, or inexpensive California Chardonnay, or Italian wines under $120 a case. If you’re a restaurant, maybe it’s your five most popular wines by the glass. If you’re a retailer, pick the section of the store that gets the most wine traffic) and pull up the numbers for SOND last year. Figure out what metric you want to follow (quantity, profitability, gross sales, etc.).

Now figure out how to increase that one category by 10-15% this year.

Make a list of ideas, any ideas, and jot them down. Brainstorm. Don’t let your pencil stop writing. No idea is too odd or silly. Dig deep, get creative, be weird, write down crazy notions, and list everything you can think of to achieve a goal of moderate growth in your most popular category. Only stop when the page is full of ideas.

Look at that list again on Wednesday and then again on Friday, then outline what your strategy will be.

It’s all about building a strategy that you can focus on during the busiest time of the season, which is right around the corner.

The goal is to throw more gas on the right fire. If a 10-15% increase happens in the most popular category in your wine sales universe, the impact can be extraordinary. It’s a success multiplier.

Unfortunately for many, they use SOND to try and place too many new wines, bring out odd things, and in the end wonder why they ended up flat. During the busy season don’t just fish longer each day. Instead, fish with better bait.

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