Making More $$ In Your Making More $$ In Your Tasting RoomTasting Room

Jeanette MerrittJeanette MerrittMarketing SpecialistMarketing Specialist

Indiana Wine Grape CouncilIndiana Wine Grape Council

Profit CentersProfit Centers

Lots of footLots of foot--traffictraffic

Impressionable Impressionable buyersbuyers

Come with money to Come with money to spendspend

Create a MemoryCreate a Memory

Tell the story behind your wine, label, winery, Tell the story behind your wine, label, winery, goals, marketing, etc.goals, marketing, etc.

However, you arenHowever, you aren’’t selling wine! You are t selling wine! You are selling a memoryselling a memory

Creating a bond makes a memoryCreating a bond makes a memory

Customer ServiceCustomer Service

A thing of the pastA thing of the past

Customers must come firstCustomers must come first

Find a way to relate to the Find a way to relate to the customerscustomers

Everyone has a bad dayEveryone has a bad day……but you but you cancan’’t afford that employee for long!t afford that employee for long!

Who is working behind your Who is working behind your tasting bar?tasting bar?

StaffStaff–– Bubbly girl who knows little Bubbly girl who knows little

about wine orabout wine or–– StoneStone--faced boy who know a lot faced boy who know a lot

about wineabout wine

You can You can ““teach wineteach wine””. You . You cancan’’t teach t teach ““personalitypersonality””

It is all about attitudeIt is all about attitude–– Hire someone who is putting Hire someone who is putting

the wineries interests first the wineries interests first and likes coming to workand likes coming to work

You need staffYou need staff

Never be understaffedNever be understaffed–– It isnIt isn’’t a costt a cost--saving measuresaving measure

–– People may never buy if they arenPeople may never buy if they aren’’t waited on t waited on or shown any attentionor shown any attention

–– Customers donCustomers don’’t want to see how busy you t want to see how busy you are. Itare. It’’s not important to them that you are s not important to them that you are SWAMPED! They want their wine!SWAMPED! They want their wine!

Staffing your tasting roomStaffing your tasting room

Front door greeterFront door greeter

–– Hands out tasting listsHands out tasting lists–– Directs customers to tasting barDirects customers to tasting bar–– Helps wheelchair customers, moms with strollers, Helps wheelchair customers, moms with strollers,

others with disabilities get through the doorothers with disabilities get through the door

Tasting BarTasting Bar

–– Employees with engaging personalitiesEmployees with engaging personalities–– If they came to work having a bad day, they do If they came to work having a bad day, they do

something elsesomething else

Well Paid Staff = Happy StaffWell Paid Staff = Happy Staff

Tasting room staff likely underpaid Tasting room staff likely underpaid

DonDon’’t use mindset that t use mindset that ““others will do it for others will do it for less.less.””

How much money are they bringing in?How much money are they bringing in?–– Front line for customers Front line for customers –– Responsible for selling your productResponsible for selling your product

Incentives for StaffIncentives for Staff

Not only underpaid, they are Not only underpaid, they are ““underunder--incented.incented.””

DoesnDoesn’’t have to be casht have to be cash

Use tUse t--shirts, large bottles of wine, hats, stock in shirts, large bottles of wine, hats, stock in company, use of facilities, etc.company, use of facilities, etc.

Find a mix of salary and commission. Find a mix of salary and commission.

If employees know they get a % of sales, theyIf employees know they get a % of sales, they’’ll ll likely work hard to make the sale.likely work hard to make the sale.

Impact of staff on customersImpact of staff on customers

–– Happy customers tell Happy customers tell 0.70.7 people about people about their experiencetheir experience

–– Unhappy people tell Unhappy people tell 1111--2020 people!people!

DonDon’’t make people unhappy! Theyt make people unhappy! They’’ll likely ll likely tell their friends and neighbors.tell their friends and neighbors.

Your Most Important PersonYour Most Important Person

TASTING ROOM MANAGERTASTING ROOM MANAGER

He/She runs the showHe/She runs the show

Equivalent to the president of the largestEquivalent to the president of the largest--distributor in a winerydistributor in a winery’’s portfolios portfolio

Pay them wellPay them well

Give them control over the tasting roomGive them control over the tasting room

Wine ClubsWine Clubs

Offer commission on membership signupsOffer commission on membership signupsGood for creating memoriesGood for creating memories–– Feel like they have ownership in wineryFeel like they have ownership in winery–– ““KnowsKnows”” the winemakerthe winemaker

Those members bring their friends back to Those members bring their friends back to the winerythe winery……Or sign them up for their own Or sign them up for their own membershipmembership

Trade VisitsTrade Visits

Potential major buyersPotential major buyers–– Restaurants or new vendorsRestaurants or new vendors

Give them VIP status. They need a Give them VIP status. They need a memory createdmemory created

Take them away from the tasting room Take them away from the tasting room environmentenvironment

Charging for TastesCharging for Tastes

Does it create a memory?Does it create a memory?All in how you present itAll in how you present itCharge a nominal fee ($2Charge a nominal fee ($2--3)3)Give it back with a bottle purchaseGive it back with a bottle purchaseOffer a Offer a ““private reserveprivate reserve”” tastingtasting–– OneOne--onon--one/group one/group –– Even though you are charging you are Even though you are charging you are

creating a memory for that customercreating a memory for that customer

What are we doing right?What are we doing right?

Personable winemakersPersonable winemakers

Great locationsGreat locations

Nice atmospheres in the wineriesNice atmospheres in the wineries

Great gift shoppes to browse throughGreat gift shoppes to browse through

Knowledgeable winery ownersKnowledgeable winery owners

What do we need to work on?What do we need to work on?The opinion of Jeanette and only Jeanette!!The opinion of Jeanette and only Jeanette!!

Need more staff helpNeed more staff helpToo much stress in the wineriesToo much stress in the wineriesNeed to train staff betterNeed to train staff betterGreet everyone as they come in the door, donGreet everyone as they come in the door, don’’t t overlook customersoverlook customers

–– Comments based on feedback I get from customers Comments based on feedback I get from customers who visited wineries and then email me to either who visited wineries and then email me to either complain or offer compliments.complain or offer compliments.

The Bottom LineThe Bottom Line

Tasting rooms are big businessTasting rooms are big business–– Most popular tourist attraction in CaliforniaMost popular tourist attraction in California

Train people to Train people to ““create memoriescreate memories””

Tasting room employees are your frontTasting room employees are your front--line line soldierssoldiers

Tasting rooms are a relaxing, stressTasting rooms are a relaxing, stress--relief relief indulgence for visitors.indulgence for visitors.

Making More $$ in Your Making More $$ in Your Tasting RoomTasting Room

Jeanette MerrittJeanette MerrittMarketing SpecialistMarketing Specialist

Indiana Wine Grape CouncilIndiana Wine Grape Council