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August 2018 WINES&VINES 69 TASTING ROOM FOCUS TTB LABEL APPROVALS Low per-label costs Gov't. Liaison Negotiations or Footwork Reasonable Hourly Rates TRADEMARK SEARCHES As Low as $185 Your trade names or designs are searched at the U.S. Patent Office to help establish valuable ownership or avoid costly legal liability. Over 100 years' total staff experience handling every government liaison need for industry. Phone or write for details. 200 N. Glebe Rd., Suite 321 Arlington, Virginia 22203 Phone: (703) 524-8200 Fax: 525-8451 TOLL-FREE 1-800-642-6564 Major Credit Cards Accepted www.trademarkinfo.com Since 1957 GovtLiaison_Dir08 11/29/07 2:00 PM Pag room staff, spotlight the winemaker or the winery dog, and invite them to visit. 7 Clean up our database Do yourself a favor and be ruthless about clearing out members who have been on hold forever. Contact the lapsed members and give them a last chance to opt in for a shipment or cancel their membership. A clean database will help when it's time to budget because you can be realistic about the volume each club ship- ment will generate. 8 Send an annual survey Make sure your club members are as happy as you think they are. Let them know you are listening. Send an annual survey to find out what they really value about your club and act on the re- sults. Nothing says love like introducing a new benefit that was suggested by your members. 9 Make friends with your software provider Squeaky wheels get the grease. Are you attending your systems provider's user group meetings? There's strength in numbers, so when wineries band together as users to request a system enhancement that we all need, we're more likely to see prog- ress. Tell your tech folks what problems you are trying to solve and what information you need to run your business. The good systems providers will welcome your suggestions be- cause these will make their system more ef- fective and desirable. 10 Don't forget the whales and the exes There are a bunch of great cus- tomers who would never join a club and club members that have quit your club, but NOT your brand. They deserve privileges too if you want to keep them coming back. Create a pro- gram that rewards their spending and treats them like the valued customers they are. It's all about our relationships. How strong are yours? WISE Academy (Wine Industry Sales Education) offers a comprehensive curriculum designed specifically for wine industry professionals, and is celebrating its 10th year in 2018. Learn more at wineindustrysaleseducation.com. HOW TO SURPRISE AND DELIGHT YOUR GUESTS T oday's wine consumers are getting more savvy and have higher expecta- tions, so tasting room staff face a reg- ular challenge of how to surprise and delight every guest beyond an extra pour. One way to provide a delightful surprise is to greet guests with a splash of sparkling or white wine in the parking lot. Such a greet- ing sets up a fantastic visit with guests al- ready enjoying your winery before they even walk in the front door. Offer to take their picture and email it to them. Plan a space with a nice backdrop, bring a camera and offer to take that perfect vacation shot. Collect their contact informa- tion to send it to them as well. Have something for the kids. A good tasting room team will endear themselves to guests by providing appropriate distrac- tions for children. Offer sparkling juice, a low table with paper, stickers and crayons so that the children can have fun while the adults taste. If the kids are occupied, the parents will have a better time and buy more wine. — WISE Bites