Anyone have advice for a rookie wine salesman?!
Anyone have advice for a rookie wine salesman?
I'm new to wine sales in Cleveland, Ohio and am nervous about getting started. Help!!
Answers:
Rule 1: "Wine" that comes with a screw-off top is not wine
Rule 2: Never show up at a sales call drunk telling the client "see, it works"!
Rule 3: Never swallow wine at a wine tasting...ameteur mistake! You expectorate at a wine tasting.... whereas if you are chewing tobacco, you spit. Same idea, different tax bracket
Seriously, get some books on wine and read about them from vine to bottle. You will learn things like wine from different climate types have different characteristics. I would concentrate of what are considered "table wine" since that is mostly what you are going to sell. Learn the proper pronounciation of verious wines and wine types. Like Merlot is "mer-low" not "mer-lot" Chablis is "cha-blee" not "cha-bliss" (don't laugh, I have heard people order wine in such ways.
If you are going to sell wine, you have to know your product. Not only by its taste, but also by its chemistry. There are key words that you will need to learn to use. For example, refer to the "oak-e-ness" of a particular Chardonney... wine snobs eat that stuff up.
Well i say go out and network. Meet people in vineyards and owners of vineyards. Try popular restaurants that sale wine and market from there...try an open house...let people sample wine and maybe they'll buy it.
But most of all RELAX.
alot of wine purveyors give classes free or for a minimal charge. that is a very good way to learn. the more you know your product, the better the sales. also, go to some vinyards and taste test. ask questions.
Just read some books and magazines, learn about the flavor wheel, go to lots of tastings, don't ever try to act like you know more than the customer (suggest, don't insist), and just try to learn about the process, terroir, etc...You can spit at a wine tasting if you want, but any sommelier will tell you that true wine lovers always swallow.
Some general rules of sales.
1. Never bullshit your customers, if you dont know say so, but promise to get back to them, and then get back to them,
Never partake of your own products unless you begin and end with one client, then go home. Never see a client drunk.
Learn as much as you can about the wines that you are selling, grape types, estates etc, know your product well.
2. Wine and wine tastes are extremely subjective, what may seem great to you is like urine to others, if you can open your products, do so and let your customer decide what he likes and what he thinks will sell.
3. Always be courteous, well turned out and on time.
Pretty easy really