Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/230154
WINE WISE MARKETING ELIZABETH SLATER to forget to ascertain our visitors' knowledge level and enthusiasm about wine before we start into our spiel. We can think that we are effectively communicating with customers, when in fact they might have no idea what we are saying, because their knowledge of wine is rudimentary or because they are quite knowledgeable and have stopped listening. WATCH YOUR TONGUE Sometimes, employees use winespeak that people not as familiar with wine don't understand. I remember that when I was starting to enjoy and learn about wine, I visited a tasting room and had tried two wines and was about to taste the third. A young woman who was serving me said, "This wine is very drinkable." She didn't say anything about the first two wines, and it rather worried me. In my world, the opposite of drinkable then was (possibly) poison. What the server meant was that the wine was ready to drink now, though because of my lack of knowledge, I didn't understand that and instead was more worried about the deleterious effects on me of the two wines that weren't deemed as "drinkable" by the server. I have also noted on tasting room visits that persons behind the bar sometimes will, when a visitor doesn't understand what is being said, use the same words to explain a second time. This is not helpful. It doesn't work. I'm British and we used to be famous (I like to think we've evolved) for only speaking one language, and when someone didn't understand what we were talking about, we said the same thing, only louder. In addition, it isn't only your words that make an impression on visitors. In fact, your words account for only 7% of the impression you make. The rest of how your words resonate with people is dependent mostly on your body language (55%) and your tone of voice (38%). ALL EARS The other half of the art of good communication is listening. Sales are more often made by listening to and learning about the needs, wants and desires of your customers. Listening gives you the information you need to understand what the customer wants to buy, which gives you the opportunity to provide him/her the information that will promote the buying decision. Giving visitors plenty of time to ask questions is also crucial. You want to learn what may be holding them back from making a buying decision, and their questions can give you that information. In addition to asking visitors if they have inquiries, you need to leave enough time for them to formulate a question or feel comfortable asking it. Count slowly to four or five (to yourself, of course) after you have asked if anyone has a question – especially if you are talking to a group. Visitors have to decide if their question is appropriate or if they are risking sounding silly; once w w w. v w m m e d i a.com Communication is not only about talking, it's about listening. Photo: Thinkstock you have asked if anyone has a question, don't be in too much of a hurry to move on. When a visitor is speaking to you, are you really listening to what is being said, or are you busy formulating your reply? I believe that every one of us has been guilty of that more than once. It's a rare person who usually listens with the intent to understand. Allow people to have their say and don't be in a hurry to jump in before they are finished. If you can practice this, you will become a much better salesperson and more importantly, a much better communicator. Next time you are in the tasting room, practice the art of communication by exchanging information, ideas and feelings with your visitors and customers, and see how it changes the way they react and how they buy. For more communication tips from Elizabeth S l a t e r, s e e o u r video: http://vimeo. com/70897382. Elizabeth Slater is the owner of In Short Direct Marketing, a direct marketing company that works with individual wineries and winery associations. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. J a n - Feb 2014 | V INE YA RD & W INE RY M AN A G EM EN T 19