Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/172581
SALES & MARKETING 11. Helpful sales vs. manipulative sales Examples of helpful sales would be: "You are buying five bottles: If you buy a sixth, you get our half-case 10% discount." Or: "You are making a big purchase there. If you join our wine club, I could save you quite a bit of money with the club discount." Or: "I can tell that you really like that wine; we are almost sold out, so you may wish to buy a few extra bottles." These gentle tips for the visitor are a non-pushy way to increase sales. Remember: sales are what pay for staff wages. One line I use: When a couple is debating whether to buy a smaller or larger amount of wine, such as six or 12 bottles, I say: "Buy 12: The you of tomorrow will thank the you of today. You'll be drinking that 10th bottle, which you wouldn't have had if you had only bought six, and you will appreciate that you were generous to yourself." The importance of analogies C ompare these two statements for the average wine drinker: "The oak barrel adds flavor to the wine." And: "The oak barrel is like the cinnamon stick you use to add flavor to your hot chocolate. It's the same principle with the oak barrel." Which of these two statements is more easily understood by the visitor to your tasting room? Clearly, the second one. Please note that analogies usually have the word "like" or "as" in them. Other examples: "You don't want to over-oak the wine. That would be like cooking some rosemary chicken, and all you could taste is the rosemary." Or: "Eventually the oak barrel wears out—not because the wood gets weak, but because the flavor gets weak—just as the cinnamon stick in the fifth cup of hot chocolate doesn't provide as much flavor." Or: "The body of wine is just like milk: skim milk doesn't have as much body as 2% milk, and 2% milk doesn't have as much body as whole milk." There are many more examples of analogies, but the point is that they take wine out of a mysterious world and put it smack-dab in the middle of everyday life. Making the customer feel comfortable once again leads to trust and sales. C.R. milk 60 W INE S & VIN E S O CTOBE R 2013 2% milk