After much conversation, we will be starting to discuss wine marketing as a whole on this here blog. What that means to us is talking about what we think wineries can do to improve their brand image, customer relationships, and thereby increasing sales. After visiting over 200 wineries, dozens of wine events, countless bars, restaurants, and hotels…we feel we have a voice worth listening to in regards to customer engagement, tasting room etiquette, brand building, overall customer service, and the use of social platforms to build customer communities.
Why Wine Marketing?
Our experiences, combined with our educational backgrounds and life experience of running small businesses, as well as the addiction we have to business in general, customer service, social media, and strategy…has blended into our even bigger love of the area in which we live (Paso Robles) and of the wine community. What all this adds up to is that our main goal is to be helpful, not to bash anyone.
While out and about in our area, and beyond, we’ve come across things that leave us begging for more. We’ve also come across things that leave us wondering what the hell happened. These “things” can be anything from the people to the smells to the products to the overall scene. It can be something really subtle that turns somebody on or off, or it can be something blaring…but the important thing is to be aware of the whole picture and how it affects a business.
So here we go people, join us on this journey to making the wine world even better…and your feedback and thoughts along the way will be expected. As you start seeing posts about the above mentioned stuff, we will want your feedback on good and bad customer service moments and what could have been done better. By providing these tips and information, the hospitality industry (especially in Paso Robles, but not limited to) will be able to see where they can improve their relationships with us…the end consumer!! Cheers!!
THIS is what I LOVE about you two. Lets get started! 😀
What up Mo…hold on to your britches!! 🙂
Holding my britches too…..
LOL…keep holding J-Dog!! This is going to be fun!!
Seriously! Don’t get me started….. Sometimes a simple smile works wonders. not always but it helps! Get on it Hoot 🙂 Like I have said, before Hoot for Mayor!!!!
Kudos to both of you for your energy and desire to educate, inspire and have fun! Looking forward to seeing what comes next. Cheers & Happiest Holidays from Team Roxo!
80% of a successful winery is marketing. Having a lot of friends in the resturant business is not a marketing plan. Before anyone should be allowed to start a winery they should have to show a real marketing plan before they can get a building permit. Just my 2 cents worth.
Wendy…acknowledging people is huge, even with a smile!! YES!! Me for Mayor!! lol
We appreciate it Karin…too many people/ businesses get away with sloppy customer service and marketing…time to start adding our two cents!! Cheers to you!!
Gary, we couldn’t agree more. Funny how many businesses start with the thought “we have tons of friends”…problem is your friends want stuff for free. Proper customer service and marketing to your customers in a more “social” way, building the relationships one person at a time, is huge!! Cheers Gary…see you Saturday!!
I always appreciate your insight. The one thing we have discovered is that the wine biz seems to have different business principles. The first is if you totally run it like a business, no one would do it. The second is you better have more than just passion for wine. I always try to learn from our visitors and look forward to your commentary. Cheers!
Hey there Lynne, I hear you, but much of where we are coming from is based on just that…running a business that is social. My painting company is not a social business per se, however, I am certainly very social and communicative with my customers. Bottom line, due to things like the economy, distrust for big business, and things like social media…we are in a time of one on one marketing. One person at a time a business needs to build trust and relationships with people. I typically equate it to how business was conducted in my grandfathers day, or his dads day. Cheers Lynne, hope to see you soon!!
Looking forward to all your input and advice…cheers
Hey Cynthia! Thanks! We look forward to your feedback…after all, we all have experience as consumers, right? Customer service, delivery, and image are all huge parts of business, both positive and negative. Cheers!
Hey guys! Good topic! As you know I have worked in a few tasting rooms in my time. I have also visited a few. My wife and I have been in guest services all of our lives in one form or another so we can be tough critics at times. But bottom line is, you are only as good as your first impression. Some may come back and give you another chance, but the majority wont. Also, they will tell all of their friends too.
I have been to wineries that make ok wine with fantastic guest service and bought. I have been to wineries that make great wine with lousy guest service and walked. It’s about the experience as a whole people!
A quick shout out to John at Chateau Margene. Great wines yes, for sure. But they come at a price. John shows absolutely no pretension, as you might expect. He is real, down to earth and proud of the wines that he pours. These wines are worth every penny too by the way. Totally handcrafted and amazing.
I wish I could say the same about some others. But I am not here to bag on anyone in general, you know who you are.
Hey there Jon…we have all found ourselves in this situation: “I have been to wineries that make ok wine with fantastic guest service and bought. I have been to wineries that make great wine with lousy guest service and walked.”, I like the way you worded that.
Our goal is not and won’t be to rip anyone or any business apart, the goal is to learn through having the conversations and for those that do not want to get on the customer serive band wagon, they will more than likely fail…which is okay too.
We appreciate the comments and we hope that everyone participates in the conversation when we write about this stuff. Thanks!!
Over the years I cannot tell you the number of times that people have come to me for advice about getting into the wine business. I’m not sure why except that they think I have done it right. Eberle is the longest running winery in our appelation under the same owners. I always tell them the same thing, don’t charge to taste. This isn’t Napa and if you charge to taste you have taken away the customers responsibility to buy something. Don’t give a free glass in leiu of a tasting fee. Cheesy. We find that we sell over 90% of the people that visit our winery, approximately 50,000 a year. Make good wine and be as personable as possible. Not always possible because of the volume of people at times. Having friends in the resturant business is not a marketing plan unless you have at least 10,00 friends with resturants and they all agree to buy at least 1 case of your wine every year. Plan on working 7 days a week. Especially weekends. Plan on being on the road at least 5 months a year for the first 5 years, and there after at least 4 months. Wine making is not a retirement program. It is a way of life and if you don’t have the passion for it don’t do it unless you have an endless supply of money.
Hope to see you on Sat. at Eberle winery where Marcy and I will be Grilling about 18 tri-tips, 20 racks of baby back ribs and 20 pounds of duck sausage. Complimentary to our guests along with some really bitchin wine and complete winery tours.
Love and Kisses
Hey Gary…to be completely honest with you…which is the goal of having these types of conversations…after getting to know you and spending time with you, I see and feel the passion you have for wine; but what struck me even more is how much you absolutely love Paso Robles.
We live in a time where the businesses that have passion for what they do and for their consumers will succeed…and passion cannot be fake, people smell that out.
I think you are spot on when you say that it is not a retirement plan per se, it IS a way of life…it is my opinion that we should all be chasing our dreams and die trying to accomplish them. Don’t leave anything on the table. Care about what you do and the people you encounter along the journey…this, is how you will succeed in life and in business.
Thanks again Gary, much appreciate the times we’ve had with you…and we’ll see you Saturday for all that damn meat you’re talking about!! Cheers!!