Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/72545
MANAGEMENT UNCORKING PR many of the common questions that will arise in the tasting room and works with your employees to make sure that they understand how each key message should be applied to every question. It's a question of practice, practice, prac- tice. That's the only way to find out how bad the mistakes can be. MESSAGE PRESENTATION Spokesperson training isn't just repetition of rote phrases; it's the clear communication of key mes- sages to the audience. And remem- ber that communication isn't what is said, it's what is heard. Giving your staff practice time is a key part of the training, because you will be able to show them how their phras- ing, expression, body language and intonation all play a role in mak- ing the messages easier to under- stand, and more credible to your customers. A key part of this is simply hiring people who are good at communi- cating with others. There are inher- ent skills in many people that make communicating easier, but unless you hone those skills, and make sure those skills are used for good and not for evil, you are not doing a good job of training your staff. This is particularly important in a tasting room, where many times the employees get far more feed- back from their customers than from their supervisors. The obvi- ous problem is that the employees begin to see themselves as enter- tainers for the public, rather than spokespeople for your brand. And that can lead to some very unre- warding results for the winery. This means that you must have discipline yourself, and make sure that you do are doing your job as a supervisor – not only by providing training to your employees, but also by offering constant feedback so that they stay on message and true to your brand. EXPAND THE CURRICULUM If the tasting room staff was required only to know the key brand messages and deliver them, it would be easy. But of course that isn't the case. Your staff also has to serve as a concierge for local tour- ism activities, and as a reference librarian on the history and land- marks of your region. Customers also expect your employees to be well-versed on the world of wine. That means you should have a full curriculum of instructional materi- als for your staff. Visitors expect tasting room workers to have broad wine knowledge, and it's your job to make sure they have it. Tasting room employees should be able to talk to visitors about what happens in the cellar and vineyard, as well as in the glass. Photo: Thinkstock Have you provided these tools? a winery, so they should know something about growing grapes. Your staff should know enough to be able to explain the differences between where and how you grow grapes, and how grapes are grown I thought not. So what should your employees know? Viticulture: Obviously, you are Large or Small...to us you are just right! Local Bank. Local Lenders. www.exchangebank.com 707.524.3000 products available for a business your size We have a wide variety of loan WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM JULY - AUG 2012 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT 19