Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/81015
MANAGEMENT WINE WISE MARKETING great hook for selling specialty items during the coming year. "We are the official winery of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Get- tysburg," he explained, "and we have several logo items for that. The logo is the official one for the anniversary." Don't assume that just because items sell in one location that they will sell in another. Messina Hof Winery & Resort has two loca- tions in Texas (Bryan and Freder- icksburg) and as co-owner Merrill Bonariggo said, "The gift items that sell best are totally different in each location." BOOSTING SALES Putting effort on the items that you want to sell is important. Are the items in a place where they are easily seen? Are they attractively displayed? Are they placed with other items that overshadow them? Is the merchandise clean and free of dust? If not, clean them up and move them to another location in the tasting room. Train your staff to focus on these particular items until they have been sold. Bonarrigo said Messina Hoff motivates staff to sell merchan- dise by holding sales competitions on various items. "They move!" she said. "Gift shop items in gen- eral have increased in sales by three times, partially due to the economy and partially due to our staff focus- ing on selling them." One way to help the staff focus on non-wine sales is to use items behind the bar. More than one winery person who responded to my questions mentioned aerators as being good sellers, particularly when they are used by the tasting room staff. Avondale Sky Winery in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia also promotes sales through sam- pling products in its tasting room. In answer to a question about creating displays for complementary prod- ucts to encourage sales, Lorraine Vassalo, co-owner of the winery, said her employees are trained to bring these displays to their custom- ers' attention. WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM For the great majority of winer- ies, wine is the star of the show. To quote Vassalo: "We're not planning on becoming a gift shop first and a wine shop second. The wine always takes precedence." The other products you are sell- ing or the theme of your winery should not upstage your wine, which should always be your No. 1 product. Yet offering a smart mix of non-wine merchandise makes your winery a more interesting place to shop, and gives visitors more rea- sons to spend. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwm-online.com. Rabobank, Vintage 1898 Agricultural lending for five generations Rabobank was founded in 1898 by farmers who pooled their savings to provide loans to their neighbors and communities. More than 110 years later, we've grown into a leader in agricultural and community banking by standing by our customers, rain or shine. Our California wine industry team provides the financial rootstock that helps growers, suppliers and vintners produce the wine that state is famous for. And we can help you too. (707) 545-6887 (805) 238-2063 Let's grow together. Charles Day Chris Yerich Rabobank, N.A. • Member FDIC • www.rabobankamerica.com SEPT - OCT 2012 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT 23