As the year comes to a close, if your fiscal year also is the calendar year, you are probably knee-deep in planning for next year. Regardless, we’re about to begin a new quarter and a new year, so let’s plan for success! Remember, when you fail to plan, you plan…
Best practices in business communications tell us that the most frequent form of communication for managers should be (in this order): Listening Speaking Writing Reading It’s our listening and speaking skills that make or break our careers. Whether you are an aspiring leader or in a support role, developing your…
Our research at WISE, especially emphasized by our 1,500+ mystery shops in tasting rooms, is that when a guest has a great experience (the customer satisfaction is high), then they are more likely to purchase. In a nutshell, the better the guest experience, the greater potential for sales. Sounds easy,…
After meeting someone for the first time and enjoying the experience, it’s natural to ask for contact information so that we can keep in touch and hopefully see them again. This is true in our personal lives, so why not in the tasting room? When guests come to our winery,…
How many times does a wine country visitor hear: “Where are you from?” And how often does our tasting room staff ask it in a day, a weekend, a week…? It’s not that finding out where a person is from is not important; it’s all in the how we find out. Eventually…
s your tasting room staff missing more than half of their opportunities to make a sale? From over 1,500 mystery shops conducted by the WISE Academy over the last five years, we have seen some major progress in the wine industry Direct-to-Consumer guest experience – which is often a winery’s…
It’s that time of year again. With Memorial Day behind us the busy season begins again. Visitor traffic will build each month from now through harvest. And if we are ready – really ready – more visitors will drive exponentially more sales through our tasting room. It’s the time to…
Golden Rule Who hasn’t heard of the Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would have others do unto you? Most companies try to provide good customer service by encouraging their employees to model the Golden Rule – to treat others as you would like to be treated. But in…
How do you know if your tasting room team is winning or losing? Are you even keeping score? How do you know whether you’re “meeting your numbers” if you don’t really understand what those numbers mean? Most winery executives know their direct-to-consumer (DtC) sales numbers and probably their tasting room…
What does our tasting room say about our brand? The tasting room is the mirror and reflects the company’s standards, brand, and image. Creating an environment that not only reflects this but also will attract, engage, and motivate the customer towards making a purchase is largely reliant on effective visual…