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Make room for superstars

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 moved here from another wine region.  At her last winery she was selling about 4 times what your top sales person is currently selling.  Her conversion rates for wine club sign-ups were about 5 times your current run rate.”

Of-course my friend practically jump out of his seat and demanded I forward her contact information immediately.  “But why . . . you are ‘fully staffed’ so what good will that do?”

Are you ever, really fully staffed?

The only problem for my friend is that I was trying to prove a point with a non-existent person. But, the question remains: Are you ever really fully staffed?  If the right person – super salesperson and great fit for your brand – came along, wouldn’t you make room?

For most businesses, this is binary.  You are either recruiting, or you are not.  WISE wineries are constantly recruiting – either to add to their staff or to top-grade their current team – and raising the bar.  But if you are not in this continual recruiting mode, which superstars are you missing?  If you are “fully staffed,” are you actively reaching out and finding those who may not be looking for a new job? If you’re not looking to improve your team, how will you improve it?

Build this discipline of continual recruiting and keep moving your consumer direct business forward.

Lesley Berglund, Chairman WISE Academy