Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/138003
UNCORKING PR PAUL WAGNER Last Things First Follow-up is as important as the initial contact ow much time (and money) do you spend working on your public relations and marketing activities every year? If you are like most wineries, that's a huge part of your job. You plan carefully. You develop a budget. You spend hours and hours on creative ways to promote your brand. You donate wines, send out samples, mail press releases and attend conferences and trade shows. You talk to the media, call on accounts, and interact with the public every chance you get. Do you ever wonder why your efforts aren't + Follow-up is as crucial to marketing more effective? success as the first contact. It's because you are + Keep relationships going with phone doing everything right calls, e-mails and social media. except one thing: You are + Turn contacts into ambassadors for planting the seeds and your brand. watering the crops, but you aren't harvesting the + The last thing you do as a marketer is fruit. You've created interthe most important thing you do. est in the brand. You have made some kind of connection with every level of the distribution network, from distributor through end consumer. You've smiled, shaken hands and told stories. The only thing you haven't done is close the sale. You haven't followed up. Sure, I know why you haven't done it. You get back from a trip and you are exhausted. And there is a pile of mail on your desk, and an endless stream of e-mails on your computer. Your tour assistant needs guidance, your team needs direction, and you need a week off. But those are not good excuses. Communication is like dating. There is a rhythm to it, and it is important to hold up your side of the conversation. If you meet someone you like, you want to see them SHORT COURSE 16 V I N E YARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT | July - Aug 2013 again. That means you'd better make sure that the communication stays alive. It's why you call, or send flowers, after a good first date. And when you meet people in a business context, you should do the same. No, don't send them flowers, but do follow up. Tell them how much you enjoyed meeting them, remind them of an important topic of conversation, and make it easy for them to tell you that they'd like to see you again. It's good manners, but it's also brilliant communications technique. If you're like me, you get home from every big wine event with a pocket full of business cards, all of them given to you by someone you met – someone with whom you had a valuable conversation. What do you do with those cards? Put them in a file and feel good about the relationships you've built? Wrong. The day you get back in the office, you should pull out those cards and write every single one of those people a short note. It doesn't have to be a long and thoughtful missive. But if you met a restaurateur who said some nice things about your chardonnay, you should write him to remind him of that – and ask when you could come by for lunch and deliver a couple cases for him to offer by the glass. If you met a wine writer who was interested in your story about water conservation, you should follow up with a quick note that includes a link to some photos, and an invitation to visit the winery and see the special things you are doing. It's not being pushy, it's doing your job. SAY THANK YOU Most importantly, for every person you meet and exchange contact information with, you should send a note saying that you enjoyed meeting him or her, and that you look forward to future conversations. w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m