Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/51841
MANAGEMENT WINE WISE MARKETING C o n t i n u e d started selling, as tasting room visi- tors didn't expect such a display, and paid attention to it. SEDUCE WITH SIGNAGE Create small signs to promote wine and non-wine items on the tasting room floor. Use short, vivid descriptions of the items, perhaps a line or two of poetry to create a mood, or humor to enhance con- nection. Place these small signs in between the items on display. Add "Touch me, please" signs to cloth- ing and other unbreakable mer- chandise. Humans are tactile and love to touch things, so let them touch; it's much friendlier than the big "DON'T TOUCH" signs found in many stores. read and the message is concise – are more likely to appeal to con- sumers than computer-generated signs. Keep your messages fun and interesting. If you are an informal winery, consider a sign for a gold- medal wine that reads, "2010 Win- ery Z Chardonnay, Gold Medal, XXX Wine Competition, Woo Hoo!" Use signage on top of case stacks or in front of individual bot- tles to remind people how good the wine is. Also be sure to place sig- nage in a few different areas that mention the various benefits of the wine club and suggesting that visi- tors "Join Today." INDIVIDUALIZE INTERACTIONS Not only is it important to keep the tasting room fresh and inter- esting, the same is needed in the interactions between staff and visi- tors. If your winery is like most, the employee interactions from visitor group to visitor group don't change much. As many visitors come to your Instead of warning customers to keep their hands off the merchandise, encourage them to go ahead and touch non-breakable items. Photo: Thinkstock If you sell glasses shaped to bring out the best in specific wines, add signage that says, "This glass brings out the notes and nuances of our 2010 seyval." The glasses can also serve as a value-add. For customers who purchase a case of wine, give them two free glasses intended for the wine. Once again, color plays a big part in the effectiveness of signage. Research has shown that signs printed in color are more memo- rable and effective at getting atten- tion than black and white signs. Handwritten signs – as long as the writing is easy and pleasing to WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM JAN - FEB 2012 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT 25 winery only once, they aren't hear- ing the same thing over and over. However, employees are saying the same thing over and over, and that's the problem. The staff gets bored with the same or similar interac- tions every hour of every day, and when this happens, visitors can tell, and it makes their experience less enjoyable. They aren't motivated to purchase. Your employees may be polite and pleasant, but that's not enough. If you want your winery and wines to stand out from others, your hos- pitality staff has to give visitors an experience unlike the one they received anywhere else. At your next staff meeting, ask employ- ees what products they buy and why they buy them. What is it that makes them want to purchase a product? Is it the product itself, the person who helps them with their decision, or both? What other fac- tors enter into the decision to pur- chase? Employees should focus on finding out more about individual visitors. Once they know what visi- tors are interested in, the interac- tion can easily be tailored to appeal to the guest and make the experi- ence more interesting for the staff member. This is yet another subtle form of being disruptive. Disruption applies not only to making visitors see something in a different way so that they will take notice and buy, it also applies to employees. How can your staff (and you) do things differ- ently to provide a better experience for your visitors and customers? So while you're dozing in your armchair this winter, think about how you can shake things up a lit- tle and disrupt your customers and your staff so that they Stop, Take Notice and Take Action. Here's to strong sales in 2012. Happy New Year! Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwm-online.com.