Creating Unique Interactions

The best thing about working in hospitality is that we get to interact with different kinds of people all the time. If you don’t find that to be positive, perhaps hospitality is not for you.

We can, however, fall into patterns of behavior that are not always easy to break. We get used to presenting our products, talking about the company and giving people information about the area. However, it is important that we remember that each of our guests are different. Including the ones who visit together, especially if it is a man and a woman.

Men and women are different and the rapport we build with each of them is built in different ways. Treating people respectfully is always important, but it does not matter how much they know or do not know about our product, or even about the type of product we sell, if they are treated well, they will come back or recommend us to others.

Most women prefer to create relationships and are more likely to buy if they feel they have been able to form that relationship. While men, overall, are more interested in knowing facts. Additionally, men are more mission and task oriented, whereas women are more discovery oriented. The man may have come in with certain wines in mind and stick to those, whereas the woman may taste wines that she has never tasted before and broaden her interest. This means we may be able to sell them wines they hadn’t known about prior to their visit.

Let’s say a couple visited your winery and the man does most of the talking. However, that does not mean he is, necessarily, the decision maker. It is not always easy to discern who the decision maker is and we don’t do ourselves any favors if we make assumptions.

Keep an open mind and try to meet the different wants and needs of all your guests. It will pay off in increased sales and more loyal customers.

A tip of the glass from me to you.