Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/267019
1 6 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | M a r - A p r 2 014 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m o u r t a s t i n g r o o m i s a n extremely important part of your sales network. If yours is a small winery, it may be your only sales net- work. With the proliferation of wines and wine brands, and the limited number of distribution companies in any given market, it's very difficult for a winery that produces 3,000 cases of wine per year to gain effective national or even regional distribution. Thus, the focus on the tasting room is born of necessity. T h a t d o e s n o t n e e d t o b e b a d news. There are any number of wineries in the United States that sell 3,000 cases of wine through their tast- ing rooms, wine clubs and retail operations. In fact, some wineries sell more than 25,000 cases d i r e c t l y t o c o n s u m - ers. And these cases are sold at suggested retail price and not discounted by 50% to sell through a wholesaler. As I wrote in the 2013 N o v e m b e r - D e c e m b e r issue, your local audi- ences are critical to your success. That means that your tasting room is more than just an opportunity for sales. It is also an opportunity to interact with many of the publics that should be addressed in your public relations programs. Let's get more specific about who you can reach, and what kinds of things you can do to make those communications programs more effective. Never overlook the importance of your employees as one of your key pub- lics. They are the interface with your customers, and how they manage com- munication has a huge impact on your business. But most wineries don't take full advantage of this key audience. So what should you do to make them more effec- tive on your behalf? At least once a month, your employees should get a one-hour training that helps them understand more about the winery and its communications goals. Yes, this should include a tasting of any new wine releases with the winemaker. But it should also include updates on key marketing ini- tiatives, as well as education and training on any issues facing the winery from a local community point of view. This is also an opportunity for you to ask questions – the kind your employees get in the tasting room – so that you can give them the very best information and guidance on how to answer them. If you let your staff know more about the wines, they will sell more of them. If you keep them up to speed on your marketing efforts, they will be able to support them more effectively. If you train them on the issues you are facing, they can help you both build your image and combat negative impressions. But they require all the infor- mation you can give them in both education and training sessions, and they should get them on a regular basis to stay current. COURT THE NEIGHBORS No one can make your life more difficult than your next-door neighbor. And yet win- eries often do not do a good job of build- ing a positive and long-lasting relationship with the people who live next door. That's a huge mistake. What is your first step? Stop and lis- ten. Neighbors will be happy to tell you and your tasting room staff what their fears and complaints are, and you have to be willing to listen to them. Trust me, if you don't, they will find a local official who SHORT COURSE + Identify the audiences you can reach through your tasting room. + Train staff to take advantage of opportunities. + Don't wait for problems to arise; initi- ate communication when all is calm. + Don't stop. This is ongoing work, not a one-shot deal. PR for the TR Many tasting rooms miss promotional opportunities UNCORKING PR PAUL WAGNER