Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/63937
MARKETING 4. Visitor relations We've now set the stage: The physical appearance is inviting and the staff is "on," how do we relate to the visitors? The first and most important task is to greet every person or group within 15 seconds. A simple, "Hi, folks, welcome!" or, "How are you doing today?" with eye contact is sufficient to let them know you are aware of them and have created an inviting at- mosphere. When it's busy, the temptation is to let this practice slide. In fact, this is the most important time to acknowledge guests. I can't tell you how many times on mystery audits I've seen people enter a crowded room, are not greeted and then leave. Your neighboring winery will be more than happy to ac- commodate their patronage, listening to how they were treated poorly in your facility. The tasting experience is crucial to your success. People buy what they taste. Change the mix of wines poured and watch your sales of those wines go up. Consumers also buy based on how the wines were tasted—which, once again, turns the spotlight on the staff. Does your staff ask open-ended questions? If you ask a closed-ended question such as: "Do you like Caber- net?" you have called for a yes or no answer, which does not lead to a dialogue. Ask open-ended questions such as, "What kinds of foods do you like with Cabernet?" or, "What restaurants have you liked since you've been in the area?" or even the simple, "Where are you from?" These questions break the ice and start a dialogue. The staff members must keep the ball rolling. It's their job—not the customer's—to put the energy into the conversation. Remember: While talking about your wines is most important, let the conversation flow along the path with Tasting Room Focus Analysis, Best Practices & Trends: A newsletter for managers of tasting rooms, wine clubs and DTC wine sales. A monthly email newsletter with the latest: • Expert advice about tasting rooms, inside sales, wine clubs, leadership, online marketing and data metrics; • Direct-to-Consumer (DtC) and wine flash sales analysis; • Featured tasting room suppliers. May Features Hiring tasting room superstars Face the public and visitors with confidence May Advertisers Fleetwood-Fibre CI Solutions Wine Barrel Designs Barrels Best - Vadai Wine Appreciation Guild Beyond Wow Bufkor Salina Glass Sign up today! Email trf@winesandvines.com Or visit winesandvines.com/TRF 78 Wines & Vines MAY 2012 CONTENT PREVIEW Make sure to provide areas for guests to sit as well as white grape juice for children accompanying their parents to your tasting room. the most energy and fun for the visitor. It's a great way to increase sales. As a side note, it's essential that the pourer understand that while most people appreciate conversation with their tast- ing, some folks don't want it. The pourer should be perceptive enough to tell the difference. 5. The pourer must be informative The customer to your left wants the answer to a simple query; the couple to your right wants replies to complex questions about your winemaking techniques. The staff must take the time to educate themselves on their own. More important, manage- ment has to take the initiative to inform the staff on an ongoing basis through regular wine tastings, access to printed material of significance and keeping the staff in the loop about vital infor- mation. Make sure this vital part of your operation is always on top of recent events of significance to your winery. Help your staff be informative! Once again, this is ultimately a sales and public relations issue. A pourer who is able to answer a range of questions inspires the customer to purchase more and respect and remember your facility. Another area of importance is keeping the staff from having a superior or snobby attitude. It's great to be informative, but if you do it in a smug way, you turn the customer off. Americans are still intimidated by wine. It's up to the staff to educate the public about wines in general—and your wines in particular— in such a way that the visitor leaves feeling "talked with," not "talked at." 6. Staff attitude toward sales Don't be afraid to pursue suggestive sales. First off, many new tour guides are put off by the word sales. Like a lot of folks, they associate sales with manipulation: seeing a salesperson as some- one who talks you into buying a substandard product you don't need. I'm referring to "helpful" sales: The easiest way to make the point with staff is to say, "What do you do the day after you've just seen a great movie?" Chances are the reply will be: "I tell my friends about it." This is the same attitude to take in the tasting room. For example, "Sir, I see you have five bottles there to buy; if you pur- chase one more, you'll qualify for our half-case discount, which will mean the sixth bottle will be half price." Or, when you notice a visitor holding the brochure for your direct mail wine club: "That club is a lot of fun; we do some great special events BlACkBIrD VInEyArDS