My Dirty Little Secret

Imagine you're in a conference room with 40 pairs of eyes looking at you. Every one is politely waiting for you to say something fascinating that will motivate them to go out and sell your wines. You have been hyped up as if you are some kind of a bigwig when in fact you are merely a weary businessperson with bills to pay, mouths to feed, and chores awaiting your return home. Welcome to the distributor kick-off meeting, a gathering of salespeople who will soon be selling your wines in a particular region.  I've done hundreds of these presentations before. Yet I still find them a challenge no matter how well I know my stuff. (There's something unsettling knowing that the future of our brand rests in part, on how inspiring I am…)

My secret? Coffee. It's a dirty little secret, and not one I readily admit to my physician, but staying enthusiastic, energetic, and upbeat can be difficult.

There used to be a saying: “It takes a lot of good beer to make great wine.” While this may be true for winemakers, those of us in sales and marketing would probably agree: "It takes a lot of good coffee to sell great wine!"

Coffee really does come into play as I bounce between business trips, trade shows, account calls, wine dinners, distributor sales meetings, and day to day correspondence/communications/management here at the winery. My winery friends all agree and from the look of things, it won't be changing anytime soon.

While there are signs the economy is improving, fine wine sales continue to be sluggish. Even when you're picked as the poster child of a winery making a good cross section of reasonably priced wines (see page 48 of the January 31 issue of Wine Spectator) you still have to hustle and bustle to get the product sold. Gone are the days of wines selling on point scores or reputation. Gone are the days when wine buyers have to have your wines to make their selection compete.  Gone are the days when customer loyalty is cultivated through quality, reliability, and reputation. Wine sales in 2010 have come down to three things: who is working the hardest, how loud they can shout, and how enthusiastically (i.e. aggressively) they can carry their message to market.

That's where coffee plays a role. Unfortunately, it's a necessary evil that seems to be vital to our efforts.

That is why I've modified the 2010 Budget…

--

  A roundtrip ticket to New York: $600

--

  A business dinner for ten: $1200

--

  Designer coffee: Priceless!
| | Comments (4)

4 Comments


Olivia Bevan said:
February 19, 2010 4:14 PM

Hi Wilma,

I was just listening to a podcast by Jay Ehret and he recommended your blog as a great example of how blogs can give great insider information in to a business. So I thought I'd check it out...and it's really inspiring. Thank you so much for taking the time to put it together. I don't know a great deal about wine but I feel like I've got at least a glimpse in to it through your blog.

I've linked through to it on my own blog (http://girlswhograpple.wordpress.com/). Hopefully spread the word and even more traffic your way.

Keep up the great work!

Kindest wishes, Olivia.


CHUCK JOHNSON Author Profile Page said:
February 20, 2010 8:54 PM

Kim's blogs are great Olivia! I've listened to her blogs for the last year and she really gives fabulous insight about the wine industry & her personal experiences in running a winery.


Kim (aka Wilma) Author Profile Page said:
February 21, 2010 8:32 PM

You are both very kind. I never fancied myself as much of a writer so reading your comments means a lot to me. Mostly I just try to tell it like it is, which for some reason, seems to be lacking in the wine industry.

Olivia, talk about inspiring! I checked out your blog (girlswhograpple.wordpress.com) and all I can say is wow. I was mesmorized reading about how you got into the sport and I wish you all the best in your big competition in Thailand. I really admire you for taking on something so bold and physical, especially since that isn't your background. I wish I had your courage/determination...lord knows I could use a bit of ass kicking to get my butt into shape! (Alas one of the downfalls of working in the wine biz.....)


JohnLopresti Author Profile Page said:
February 24, 2010 6:20 PM

Some of the graphics at Olivia's women boxing website remind me of a few winery celler worker encounters. Perhaps she has potential as a wine transfers overseer.

Leave a comment

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Kim published on February 17, 2010 3:58 PM.

SAG Awards Afterglow was the previous entry in this blog.

Discombobulated?? is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

welcome!

This is a blog about what it's really like to be in the wine industry...so sit back, take a sip and enjoy!

about me

our wines

our winery

our events

contact me

privacy statement



favorite posts

A Lifetime in Wine

Top 10 Traits of the Successful Family Winery

The Dreaded Family Meeting

Board Meeting Jitters

Is the Future of the Winery in Danger?

The Case of the Overweight Bottle

Wine and Dementia

Wanted: Talented (Normal) Individual for Family Owned Winery

A Sea of Wine

The Heroes of Our Industry


monthly archives


subscribe


Hopes & Dreams

Owning a Coastal Cottage

Sailing for 6 Months

Getting a 100 Point Score

Favorite Haunts

Coast of Maine

Dry Creek General Store

Dry Creek Kitchen

Healdsburg Bar & Grill

Spoonbar

Sonoma Country Antiques

Baci Cafe & Wine Bar

The Farmhouse

Istanbul's Grand Bazaar

Bad Ass Coffee

Bistro Ralph

Bits of Press

Food & Wine Magazine

The Wine News

Wine Enthusiast

Wine Spectator

Press Democrat

Sunset Magazine

Connoisseurs' Guide

Dan Berger's Vintage Experiences

Cruising World Magazine

Oprah Magazine

The Washington Post

Coastal Living Magazine

Wine & Spirits Magazine

People Magazine

SAG Awards Magazine

Forbes Magazine

Favorite Magazines

Coastal Living

Down East

Sunset

Country Living

Quarterly Review of Wines

Wines & Vines

Wine Spectator

Wine Enthusiast

California Grapevine

Connoisseurs' Guide

Practical Winery & Vineyard

WineReviewOnline

Vineyard & Winery Mgmt

Blog Buddy List

Fermentation

Hip Tastes

Pinot Blogger

All The Best

Julia Flynn Siler

Vinography

Winery Web Site Report

The Pour - Eric Asimov

Dr Vino

Steve Heimoff

Start Up Ladies

Good Wine Under $20

Blind Muscat

The Wineroad Blog

Gabe's View

Wine Peeps

Vici Vino

Cellarmistress' Cellar Talk

Uncork Life

WineVine-Imports Blog

The Wine Witch

SOURMASHED


Honorable Mentions

Fermentation
Wilma Hits The World of Blogs
Most Intriguing New Wine Blogs of 2008
Midwest Wine Guy
Winery of the Month
Julia Flynn Siler
Meritage wines - and a fascinating glimpse into family business
Winery Web Site Report
New Winery Blog: Wilma's Wine World
Start Up Ladies
Insider's View of Family Owned Dry Creek Vineyard
The Glue that Keeps the Whole Thing Going
Atlanta Dish
Blog of the Week
Blind Muscat
The Merits of Meritage
Wineries.net
Boston Wine Expo exhibitors, and the reason why winemakers are so darn happy