Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/81015
a digital world. We can't get away from it. We are on our computers six to eight hours a day, and we're constantly connected via smart- phones. If we don't start leveraging these tools, we will suffer digital Darwinism. (Digital Darwinism, as defined by American industry ana- lyst Brian Solis, is "the evolution of consumer behavior when soci- ety and technology evolve faster than our ability to adapt".) This is the way today's consumers work, and they are going to work more like that tomorrow. This is true for every business, every customer, partners and press. If we leverage them to the maximum capacity, it will make us more efficient. V&WM: What do think the stum- bling blocks are for these changes to be made? Why are people in the wine industry so afraid to make that change? sons. Primarily, we are a manu- facturing industry that has been trained for over 70 years how to sell to the wholesaler tier. When we sell to the consumer tier, it's a hos- pitality function. Until recently, we were legally bound to do business the same way as we always have. Only in the last seven years, since 2005's Granholm decision (allowing wineries to ship directly to consum- ers across state lines), has the real thinking started to change. We also suffer in this industry PM: There are a couple of rea- from being spoiled. Until the reces- sion, it was easy to sell wine, with almost every wine region in Califor- nia having incredible tourism traffic. Had the recession not occurred, we would probably still be thinking the same way. It forced us to think dif- ferently about selling wine because we had to. We're also still working from a playbook written (by Robert Mon- davi) in the 1970s. The rules of the game have changed, and the old rule book didn't take into account the different pieces now in play: the diminishment of wholesalers; the increase of competition; the cre- ation of digital tools. None of these existed when that book was written, and yet it's still the industry bible. The wine industry changes slower than any other business. We are hyper-focused on new cus- tomer acquisition, which makes us ignorant about the second cus- tomer sale because it doesn't mat- ter. Next week we'll have a new customer in the tasting room. This creates a critical focus on the hos- pitality aspect. V&WM: You talk a lot about the 5th column. What it is and why is it important? Special pricing available on small automatic lines. Please call your local representative today for details." Special pricing available for only the following models: GAI 1000W with T3 Labeler GAI 1001W with T3 Labeler GAI 1005W with T3 labeler *Offer expires November 15th, 2012 FILLER – GAS INJECTOR – VACUUM CORKER ✓ 6 Spout filler with light depression ✓ Gas injector prior to corking ✓ Vacuum corker FOIL DISPENSER - SLEEKING HEAD - LINEAR LABELLING ✓ Foil dispenser ✓ "No Cork - No Capsule" system with photocell ✓ 1 Sleeking head for tin and poly-laminate caps ✓ 1 Labeling station (front/back label on same spool) BOTTLING & PACKAGING CRUSHERS PRESSES TANKS PUMPS REFRIGERATIONS FILTERS AWS/Prospero 7787 Bell Road Windsor, CA 95492 Phone: (707) 838-2812 Fax: (707) 838-3164 westcoast@prosperocorp.biz West Coast The Winery Solution Finger Lakes P.E.C. Geneva 1902 Route 14N Geneva, NY 14456 Phone: (315) 719-0480 Fax: (315) 719-0481 geneva@prosperocorp.biz Main Office Prospero Equipment Corp. 123 Castleton Street Pleasantville, NY10570 Phone: (914) 769-6252 Fax: (914) 769-6786 info@prosperocorp.biz 84 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT SEPT - OCT 2012 WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM