Your winery guests will usually fall into one of three categories:
Category One: First time or occasional visitors who may or may not know much about wine and may or may not buy your wines.
Category Two: Regular customers (every couple of months visitors) they know about your wines and possibly about other wineries’ wines.
Category Three: Those who have a lot of knowledge about wine and may also be converts to your brand.
An important point: Regardless of the amount of wine knowledge they have, you have to ascertain whether they are looking to acquire knowledge about wine. They many know more than you. In which case, let them to do talking if that is what they want to do.
Category One: Don’t overwhelm your guests with facts unless they want you to. Give them a small number of interesting facts that they may take with them to impress their friends with when they get home.
Category Two: Check their customer record to find out what they know and add to their information on each visit. If they have made reservations prior to the visit and have been to the winery before, make sure you know all about them before they walk in the door. Start with a catch up, then ask them what brought them in today.
Category Three: These guests will usually let you know that they are wine aficionados. So instead of presenting information about wine, ask them questions about their wine likes, dislikes and knowledge.
Next week we will delve into the kinds of questions you can ask each of these three categories of visitors and the importance of varying your presentations so you have two or three for each different category. Also, different ways to keep it interesting not only for you and your guests.
If you have any great ideas you would like to share with others, drop me an email with the ideas, information or sample questions by Monday of next week to E@inshortmarketing.com. Let me know your name (and winery, if you wish) and you will get full credit for your ideas.
A tip of the glass from me to you.
E Column
by Elizabeth “E” Slater, In Short Direct Marketing
A recognized expert in the fields of direct marketing and sales in the wine marketplace. Slater has taught more wineries and winery associations how to create and improve the effectiveness of their direct marketing programs and to make the most of each customer’s potential than anyone in the wine industry today.
