Our Articles
Covering topics from public speaking and presentation skills to sales skills and winery hospitality.
Is the Romance Over?
On the Romance with Wine Country Is the romance over between wine country and its visitors? This question was posited last week by Rob McMillan, of Silicon Valley Bank, as he posted an email he’d received from wine country visitors. Despite being long-time, repeat-visitors over many years, the guests expressed a desire not to return in the future [...]
Relationship Sales Success: Follow Up Fabulous
Follow Up Makes You Fabulous You’ve closed the sale. Your guests had a great time visiting. Think you’re done? Your job isn’t finished yet! To ensure your guests think you’re the most fabulous host and/or winery in the world, employ a touch of follow up to reinforce the sale. After the Sale Once the purchase has been made, [...]
Relationship Sales Success: Selling a Wine Club Membership
Selling Wine Club Memberships The majority of wineries now focus their business model on growing their direct-to-consumer (DTC) business. At the core of that strategy is converting winery visitors to club members, where they will receive extra care, focus and attention, to retain as loyal customers. Selling wine club memberships, in addition to on-the-spot wine purchases, may be [...]
Relationship Sales Success: Handling Objections and Tough Situations
Handling Objections and Tough Situations “We’re just tasting,” is the most common objection tasting room professionals hear to trial close inquiries. The reason(s) for the objection may be many: Your guests may truly be only tasting to enjoy ambiance with no intention to sign up for clubs or make any purchases. But they may also be giving you [...]
Relationship Sales Success: Selling Wine on Busy Weekends, During Special Events, and with Big Groups
Selling Wine on Busy Weekends Making wine sales during busy periods and special events can be more challenging than during your regular tasting experiences and appointments: Guests may be less patient for responses. You may have limited or no access to POS systems to easily ring up sales. And your attention may be split in ten directions simultaneously! [...]
Relationship Sales Success: Creative Selling
Getting Creative in Wine Sales These days wineries can no longer rely solely upon tasting rooms for all their direct-to-consumer (DtC) sales. It’s simply impossible to generate enough sales volume with the restrictions that may exist on visitor volume and tourism traffic. In the 21st century, there are now numerous opportunities for making direct-to-consumer sales in and out [...]
Relationships Sales Success: Buying Signals and Closing the Sale
Recognizing Guest Buying Signals A buying signal is something a guest says or does which may indicate they are inclined to purchase. In a winery tasting room, it may be as obvious as a guest picking up a bottle or two from your display to take to the cash register. But not all tasting rooms have point-of-sale (POS) [...]
Relationship Sales Success: Facts, Benefits and Bridges
Wine Facts, Benefits and the Bridges Between Them People don’t buy wine because it was aged in barrels for 24 months; they buy because it tastes exceptionally smooth to them. People don’t buy wine because it’s a blend of 50% cabernet sauvignon, 20% cabernet franc, 18% merlot, 6% petite Verdot and 6% Viognier; they buy because the unique [...]
Relationship Sales Success: Telling Stories to Sell More Wine
Romancing the Grape, Stories and Words that Sell, Evoke and Enhance We're all hardwired to remember stories, particularly simple, well-told ones. On the other hand, when was the last time you remembered the details about a wine "with 30% malolactic fermentation, 3 daily punchdowns, aged in 50% new French oak barrels, unfined and unfiltered"? Huh? Those words may mean [...]
Relationship Sales Success: Selling a Wine Club Membership
Selling Wine Club Memberships The majority of wineries now focus their business model on growing their direct-to-consumer (DTC) business. At the core of that strategy is converting winery visitors to club members, where they will receive extra care, focus and attention, to retain as loyal customers. Selling wine club memberships, in addition to on-the-spot wine purchases, may be [...]
Relationship Sales Success: Handling Objections and Tough Situations
Handling Objections and Tough Situations “We’re just tasting,” is the most common objection tasting room professionals hear to trial close inquiries. The reason(s) for the objection may be many: Your guests may truly be only tasting to enjoy ambiance with no intention to sign up for clubs or make any purchases. But they may also be giving you [...]
Relationship Sales Success: Selling Wine on Busy Weekends, During Special Events, and with Big Groups
Selling Wine on Busy Weekends Making wine sales during busy periods and special events can be more challenging than during your regular tasting experiences and appointments: Guests may be less patient for responses. You may have limited or no access to POS systems to easily ring up sales. And your attention may be split in ten directions simultaneously! [...]
Relationship Sales Success: Telling Stories to Sell More Wine
Romancing the Grape, Stories and Words that Sell, Evoke and Enhance We're all hardwired to remember stories, particularly simple, well-told ones. On the other hand, when was the last time you remembered the details about a wine "with 30% malolactic fermentation, 3 daily punchdowns, aged in 50% new French oak barrels, unfined and unfiltered"? Huh? Those words may mean [...]
Executives Battle Fear of Public Speaking
Advice for Beating Presentation Phobia As the CEO of a major financial institution, he was called on daily to make decisions that moved millions of dollars. The man at the podium had just introduced him, and hundreds of expectant faces turned toward him. But the executive was frozen with fear, unable to deliver the talk that [...]
Corporate Leader, Polished Speaker
10 Most Common Pitfalls of Public Speaking We truly "make or break" ourselves by what we say, and more importantly, how we say it. For example, a young salesman rose to speak at a regional meeting of the Conoco Oil Company some years ago and did so with confidence, clarity and vigor. I happened to be [...]
Executive Speakers
Use Emerging Trends to Your Advantage as a Public Speaker According to the Wall Street Journal, we receive more than 5,000 advertising messages a day. When we add all the verbal interchanges, telephone calls, and written messages, we can see why it's so hard to get anybody to pay attention to what we have to say. If [...]
