Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/63248
MANAGEMENT WINE WISE MARKETING Keeping Your ine clubs have spread like wildfire in the last 10 years, and wineries have seen how much these clubs help cash flow and profits. Unique and memorable events, like Arizona Stronghold's Spring Palate Training in Phoenix, can help attract and retain wine club mem- bers. It's been interesting to watch the evolution of wine clubs and to note that many are evolving in much the same way. When I look at winery websites for their wine club offerings, I am struck by the similarities from club to club. Most include a variety of discounts, any- where from 5% to 25%, on wines, gift items and event tickets. Many offer first option to wine club members to purchase wines that are hard to get, produced in small amounts, and/or aged in the library. In addition, club members get early invitations to general events, and there are member-only events, at least twice a year. Costs to members vary depend- ing on wine pricing, and most win- eries these days offer options for how many bottles (from two to 12) to receive in each shipment. However, with a growing num- ber of wineries offering the same wine club benefits, it becomes increasingly difficult to differenti- ate your club from those of other wineries. As we are reminded in the book "Neuromarketing: Under- standing the Buy Buttons in Your Customer's Brain" by Patrick Ren- voise and Christophe Morin: "In a sales context, the absence WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM ELIZABETH SLATER Wine Club Fresh Stay ahead of the competition with differentiation, imagination of contrast – especially when a prospect has difficulty understand- ing the differences between your product and others – will bring the prospect's decision-making ability to a halt." So how do you make your win- ery stand out from the crowd? What can you do for and offer to wine club members to make your club different from those of others in your area and around the coun- try? Most wineries think of quality wine and good service as differ- entiators, though I embrace a sen- tence I found on the Internet that said: "Quality products and good ser- vice are not differentiators, they are expectations." It's a great point. We need more than high-quality products and good service to catch and retain SHORT COURSE Quality products and good service are not differentiators, they are expectations. Differentiation is the key, especially when selling the wine club. Inability to differentiate between your products and those of others brings the prospect's decision- making ability to a halt. View other winery websites to find out what they are doing – and do something different. If there are concentrations of club members in certain areas, bring an event to them. The Generation5 wine club, offered by Prairie Berry in South Dakota, refers to the winery's fifth-generation wine- maker. For example, Prairie Berry Win- ery in Hill City, S.D., named its club Generation5. Often called Gen5, it's a reference to the fact that the winemaker/co-owner, Sandi Vojta, is a fifth-generation winemaker in her family. The Generation5 name connects club members with the heritage and history of the winery MAY - JUNE 2012 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT 21 Elizabeth Slater is the owner of In Short Direct Marketing, a direct marketing com- pany that works with individual wineries and winery associations. the attention of customers, particu- larly wine club members. CREATE DIFFERENTIATION The first step in differentiating your club from others is with the name. Does your club have a name that will resonate with prospects and members? Naming your club can be one more point of differen- tiation for wine club members and it's a good way to promote con- nection, especially if the name is meaningful.