I was working with some tasting room folks the other day, and they laughed a bit self-consciously when I asked them to cast their minds back to the last time they went on a first date. “Because being on a first date is how you should be conducting your tasting.” You are not an item yet, make an effort! It should have the frisson of early excitement that comes before you hand them over to the longer-term soulless TV dinner of a marriage, known as your e-commerce department.
The first date is a simple analogy. Do you think your date is just going to be enthralled if you sit at the table and talk through all five courses? Yapping on about the food as it is presented and what you know about every ingredient? “The chef marinades this in diesel oil and cumin for 48 hours…” Worse than that, how do you think your date feels if you immediately order what you think they should have? Then, as they eat, go ahead and tell them what they should be tasting. Dates love that assertiveness.
There are companies that can tinderize your data, slice and dice who your customers are, and how they all interconnect. Who loves you and who doesn’t, who will buy extra in their shipment, who won’t. However, if you don’t take the time to pay attention to your date while they are in front of you at the winery, it’s all just ones and zeros.
The biggest mistake I've ever made in tastings was usually not taking the time to get to know my date. Sometimes because I was rushing, sometimes because I thought my impressive Scottish banter and wine knowledge would carry the day. I recently spoke on the phone to a great wine host who used to work at Pride many years ago. He told me, "As I got older, I talked less and less and asked more and more questions, and my sales just kept getting higher and higher."
The counterpoint to this is everywhere. I was assisted by an Estate Director at an “Appointment Only” Napa Valley tasting a few weeks ago, at a winery I'd never been to before. You could say it was our first date. I gave her lots of hints that I was in the business, knew the owner, and had knowledge of the vineyards being poured. By the end of the tasting, the Estate Director knew not one more thing about me, or my preferences, than when I walked through the door.
This topic must be boring some of my regular readers by now, but it keeps coming back because it’s the number one failing of the wineries I visit or get feedback on. We think it is all about us. So exasperating, because the alternative could be such a huge quality improvement and wouldn’t cost much to implement. Instead, we pursue quality by going out and getting an optical sorter for $150,000. To summarize, a very high percentage of front-line staff in our industry don’t take the time to pause and pursue the fundamentals of a first date. Make an effort, present yourself well, shave, comb your hair, be upbeat, ask interesting questions of your date, listen to the answers, and then ask a follow-up question that shows that you listened. Enjoy yourself.
If you are considering a night of passion, it’s definitely not going to happen if you don’t make this relationship effort. The days of easy wine club hookups and impulsive one case stands are fast disappearing. Our customers want candlelight and soft music, a glint in the eye, and a “Wow! That’s so interesting, tell me more about you.” They want to be heard and discover common bonds and interests.
Meanwhile, at my new winery date, my host closes with, “Is there anything you’d like to take with you?” Aaah! The invitation to the bedroom, delivered after the monologue equivalent of a Big Mac Happy Meal, conducted with all the ambiance of strip lighting in a shopping mall.
No, that's OK, maybe another time. (That's never going to be a second date.)
VINFABULA – Improving your engagement, improving your sales. Contact me at colin@vinfabula.com