When someone walks into your tasting room, everything within the room is a reflection of your brand which your guests are subconsciously sold on. This is called Silent Selling and includes everything from design, merchandising, collateral, to signage, and other items that encourage guests to purchase products. It’s more than…
Let’s face it. In most tasting rooms, the more things change, the more they stay the same. In a typical tasting room, there are always issues that require change management – labor cuts, changes in organizational structure or management, team turnover, changes to goals, pay or commission structure, and so…
Managers versus Leaders Good managers are leaders. Great leaders are innovators. When people are empowered to be innovative, their commitment increases; they have a chance to take new actions and be proud of their accomplishments. Are you an innovator? Are you really committed to overcoming deeply rooted tasting room traditions…
How to justify more Tasting Room labor hours. This conversation is a constant struggle between too many tasting room mangers and winery executives. To be able to deliver a knock-your-socks-off, WOW guest experience requires a little over staffing. Maximizing wine sales and new wine club member sign-ups does too. But…
Tasting Room Staffing Options – Pros and Cons Staffing your tasting room is always a challenge especially trying to manage coverage during high and low seasons and maintaining your budget. Having a good balance of full time, part time and temporary staff is going to depend on your company culture…
Over lunch last week I asked a vintner friend of mine if he was hiring any new tasting room sales people and he informed me that no, they were “fully staffed.” I said “That’s too bad. I know a young, bright, polished, certified WISE Tasting Room Professional graduate who just…
Most winery tasting rooms are in the process of staffing up for the high season. Now is the time to carefully consider how to build out a superstar team. First consider your winery’s unique culture. What fits your brand? Do your team members need to have a formal, elegant demeanor?…
Is your tasting room one of the 20%? Our mystery shopping benchmarks show that only 20% of local tasting room staff is effectively selling wine clubs. Eventually, someone on your team needs to seal the deal by asking for the wine club sign up. But the real work begins earlier….
If you don’t know where you’re going, any vehicle can take you there. If your team doesn’t know where they’re going, how will you move your business forward? Owners are always looking for great employees – the kind of team players who act like owners. No matter what role they…
Do you treat the person you have just been introduced to in the same way you treat your Mom? Well of course not, you reply, what a silly question. And yet, many wineries do that very thing without even realizing it. The Buyer’s Continuum is a core marketing concept that…