Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/975273
May 2018 WINES&VINES 77 TASTING ROOM FOCUS feel comfortable (instead of intimidated) as they learn new things and concepts. Analogies are especially effective for visitors who are new to wine. Storytelling helps to share in- teresting, relevant things about the wine and winery. The best tasting room performers – the best sales people – are all great story tellers because they weave a good tale. In- cluding stories and analogies engages custom- ers, gains trust and earns sales. 7. Sell the brand first, the wine second Let's face it, you all have great juice, so the story of what makes you unique will be the differentiator. Your brand needs to be com- pelling and unique and it will come alive with great stories. You need to have a bunch of stories that illustrate what your brand is about, so that you don't risk sounding like you are reading from a canned script by repeating the same story over and over again. Selling the brand and the experience first with compelling stories will help natu- rally sell the wine and make it more memo- rable to guests. 8. Leverage silent selling tools Non-verbal sales tools facilitate more sales and support your brand standards. Every single guest should receive a list of wines being tasted with descriptors, pricing and room for notes plus a full price list, order form, club brochure and a pen. Wine club brochures and email sign up cards should be staged on the tasting bar and at other locations in the tasting room. This will help remind you to talk about these im- portant topics. 9. Follow professional sales steps Use features and benefits to sell the wine, the wine club and the email list. A feature is what something is. It's a factual statement about a product or service and alone won't usually close the sale. A benefit appeals to the customer's emotions by conveying what's in it for the customer, which makes the sale. Don't save the conversation about these top- ics until the very end of the experience. Warm them up by planting sales seeds and noticing buying signals throughout the ex- perience. As you pour a wine, you can tell your guests what to pair it with. Food helps us sell when you can offer a wine that pairs beautifully with their favorite dishes. Men- tion that it's a club exclusive or club favorite to entice them to sign up. Talk about the great deals sent by email so that they want to sign up for the list. 10. The friendly farewell You want your guests to leave with the inten- tion to return and bring their friends, so invite them to come back soon. Manners matter! If your guest has purchased, make sure you thank them, and perhaps carry their purchase out to their car. "No problem" is not an acceptable substitute for "you're wel- come." Every guest should be given a friendly farewell with a suggestion to come back and visit soon. Summer will be here before you know it. Are you ready? 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. June 18–22, 2018 Portola Hotel and Monterey Conference Center Monterey, California USA 69th ASEV National Conference A M E R I C A N S O C I E T Y F O R ENOLOGY AND VITICULTURE Visit our website for updates on the 2018 program. 69 s i x t y n i n t h n a t i o n a l c o n f e r e n c e s c i e n c e a p l a t f o r m f o r p r o g r e s s www.asev.org | 530-753-3142 INFORMATION PLATFORM | CONFERENCES | SCHOLARSHIPS | COMMUNITY I N C L U D E S n Merit Award Presentation – Dr. Terry Acree, Cornell University, New York n ASEV Extension Distinction Award Presentation – Dr. Patty Skinkis, Oregon State University, Corvallis n Honorary Research Lecturer – Dr. Véronique Cheynier, Institut National de Recherche Agronomique (INRA), France n Keynote Presentation n Brettanomyces Symposium n Research Reports n Student Flash Talks n Regional Wine Reception s JOIN NOW AND SAVE! Member registration fees are significantly lower than non-member fees. Apply online! You need to have a bunch of stories that illustrate what your brand is about, so that you don't risk sound- ing like you are reading from a canned script.