Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/111102
WINE WISE MARKETING ELIZABETH SLATER the value, sales people will be more responsive. Know distributors' goals and objectives, how they do business and what they need from you. Discuss ways to reach the goals with potential distributors before you sign on the dotted line. The clearer the expectations are on both sides, the greater the chance of a long and mutually beneficial relationship. Stay in touch with distributors regularly. The squeaky wheel tends to get the grease, and this holds true with wholesalers. Let them tell you if you are overcommunicating. Set up a schedule to receive depletion and other reports from your distributors, and take the time to read the reports you get, so that there are no surprises down the road. do ride-alongs, understand what will help them most. Ask them in advance for a list of the stores and restaurants you will be visiting and research them before you get into the market. Personally let the businesses know you will be in town and are looking forward to seeing them. Keep distributors, especially street managers, abreast of the good things that are being said about or happening with your wines. Get the names and e-mail addresses of the people selling to the retailers and restaurants, so you can send information directly to them. There is a lot of wine out there; the more distributors know about yours, the easier it is for them to sell it. STREET CRED PLANNING, COSTS Build street credibility with distributor sales reps. When you "Annual business planning at the beginning of the year is very impor- w w w. v w m media.com tant," Varner said. Take the time to work with your distributors to create a plan each year. If you can, get a list of placements so you know where you wine is being sold and at what prices. Wine isn't sold until it's in the hands of the consumer, Kosta Browne Winery's Kosta reminded conference attendees: "You don't sell a pallet of wine to a distributor, you just move it to a different location. Nothing is sold until it's depleted." Even then, the wine is not actually sold until the end user has purchased it. What does selling your wine through the three-tier system cost you? Viader, whose Viader winery is in Napa Valley, stressed knowing the costs of the transaction. "Make sure you are not selling it for less than cost," she said. That means adding in all your costs. It's not only checking the price the wine is sold for against the cost of goods, but M a r - A p r 2 0 13 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 23