Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions’ Post

I read this in an email from @smallbatchstandard this morning, and I could not agree more. While most craft beverage brands are focusing their attention on their taprooms and tasting rooms (rightly so because the margins are lovely), that doesn't mean you get to ignore your wholesale channel. And you will never move the needle in wholesale unless your team is adequately trained to handle industry-specific challenges. You can't get away with just tossing one of your bartenders out in the field anymore- they need to know how to navigate our ultra-competitive marketplace. I have specialized in sales rep training since day one of Not Your Hobby Marketing. Very few (affordable) sales training programs for beer, cider, spirits, FMB, TCH, CBD, and wine sales teams exist. Summer is a great time to optimize your sales team! Contact me today to discuss my sales training programs, consulting services, and customized workshops. Learn from someone who spent 12+ years on the supplier sales side of the industry. Click here to book a no-BS call with me to get started: https://lnkd.in/de_3r4fH

What’s behind Total Wine’s profitability equation? It is an unrelenting focus on the customer, a strong investment in employees, and a very savvy business sense. In the retail sales business of spirits, wine, beer and craft beer, with so many diverse customers, intense competition, and different alcohol laws for every state — it is helpful to have both an MBA and a lawyer on staff. Total Wine & More has both. The two brothers who founded the stores, — one an MBA, one a JD — lead and operate them, too. With many experts comparing the different alcohol advertising, distribution, and sales laws in the 50 states akin to selling alcohol in 50 unique countries. Today, Total Wine & More has stores in 28 states, and will most certainly expand to others. Each store has over 8,000 wines, over 5,000 different spirits, and well over 2,500 beers and craft beers. I’m like a kid in a candy store 🤓 You’ll really enjoy reading this … Good people drink good beer. — Hunter S. Thompson #Wine #Spirits #Beer #Bourbon #Whiskey #CraftBeer #NonCraft #NonAlc #BevAlc #ConsumerBehavior #BrandAwareness #EmergingTrends #BusinessIntelligence Source: Forbes ✦ ✦ ✦ Stephen Carter King Chief of Growth and Marketing + Beerconomist and CEO of Beerconomy & Co. Sherpa of beer market trends, analyses & news Steve@KingsCrossing.com ✦ Kings Crossing

How to build a loyal following, curate unforgettable selections, and watch your wine sales soar.

In 2007, a beer buyer at a local craft beer restaurant asked me to leave when I pitched a new beer to him. This was my first great experience learning how to sell, and I still vividly remember it. I was fresh out of college. He wasn't mad. He asked me to leave but came back with answers. The company I started working for did not teach me how to sell. They taught me how to take inventory, which accounts to go to, who to talk to, and order beer. When I initially approached him, I said here is a new beer. He asked me these questions... What kind of beer is it? What are comparable beers in the market? What are the tasting notes? Have you tasted it? Do you like it? Tell me about the brewery? Does it come in draught? What sizes? I didn't have any answers. I studied the sales collateral, read the reviews, and sampled the beer and comparable beers. I brought a second bottle from him and his staff to try and say my pitch. They liked the story and the beer then bought a 1/6 BBL to put on tap. From there, I applied the same theories to the rest of my sales career. It's not about me or my company. It's about how the customer, the customer's customer, and the pains the product solves. Do you know if your sales team is armed with information to understand your prospect and close deals faster? The information is in front of you; you must connect the dots to help them. When was the last time you did an audit of your sales material? Sales collateral needs to be updated quickly. If you need resources, drop a note in the comments. #salesenablement #sales #accountmanagement

This a must-attend session if you are a #wine , #beer , or #spirits brand looking to grow into international markets, a USA brand looking to find new state distributors or a brand looking to grow sales with current distributors and importers. Sid Patel , CEO and Founder of Beverage Trade Network will be taking live calls with brand owners asking direct questions that are relevant to their own on sales and distribution. Once you fill out the form, our team will send you Zoom call details. Here are examples of the questions brand owners will ask: 1. What should my goals be for opening accounts? How many locations should I be going to per week? 2. Where would you spend your ad/marketing dollars for a small brand? 3. How do you approach bars vs restaurants vs retail? 4. Once you get a buyer's contact info for retail, how do you craft the email? Do you have a template? What materials do you include? How often do you follow up? RSVP here; https://lnkd.in/dUjdk4TH Once you do RSVP, we will send you the Zoom call details for this free webinar. Proximo Spirits Infinium Spirits, Inc. International Spirits and Wines Greenbar Distillery Purity Distillery - World´s best Vodka & Gin E. & J. Gallo Winery Beconcini Wines Tuscany Winzerwald Winery S Vinyard The Bronx Brewery Beverage Trade Network #spiritsindustry #wineindustry #beverageindustry #chicago #usatt2024 #connectingchicago

🍷 Recently, my dad recommended Frank Family Cabernet Sauvignon as his latest obsession. To my delight, there happened to be a promotion available when I went to purchase it! 🎉 What's your go-to wine recommendation or recent find? Did you know that Wine Sales account for 62% of total BevAl sales in the United States? Despite varying state shipping laws complicating matters for retailers and manufacturers, DTC wine sales are legal in 40 states across the country. Online wine sales have seen a growth of +2.6%, contrasting with a -1.0% decline offline.

There's a lot of wine out there. I 100% agree with Mario Zepponi when it comes to the limited options for distributors in the US....five years ago. LibDib, LLC is now available in 15 markets, including the top 5 (CA, NY, FL, IL, TX) in the US. Wineries need to commit to doing the work to sell their wine. Being in the market, tastings, events, meeting Buyers (vs. distributor management and reps) and consumers alike. Selling. Relationship building. We can provide an efficient distribution route to market for everyone. However, there is more work to be done than just posting on a web site or selling a pallet to a traditional distributor. Wine is one of the most crowded CPG categories out there. Convincing a Buyer to bring on your brand is hard work. And there is no better sales person than someone from the winery themselves. Spending time and resources doing that.... hopefully wineries will find success. https://lnkd.in/gsnzY7ra

Sometimes a category or industry might feel saturated but step back and take a look again. Ask yourself are your viewing the market holistically? The US wine market back in 2001 appeared saturated to many but "Yellow Tail" had a very different view. It focused on converting the non-wine drinkers who might have stayed away as wine was often seen as too posh a drink. Thus, they created a new set of customers and rode on back of that wave to become the top selling red wine in US within 4 years of launch. #strategy #blueoceanstrategy #redwine #shots #positioning #marketing #customers #insights #facts

If you're a Supplier in the Fine Wine, Imports, or Small Production sector and the wholesale steward of your brands just eliminated most of the sales force you rely on to sell your products in the most critical time in the sales cycle, you need to work with me. We can provide you with transparency and solutions in these dire times. Stop hoping for attention and begging for target lists. No one cares about your products like you do; here's the proof. We do a lot for our clients and have improved the ability to do on-premise business. If you don't know us, you should. With all the disruption in the industry, we can be the advantage you need to navigate a shrinking market and pinpoint your resources to the best effect. Reach out to me on a LinkedIn message or Jeremy@inknowology.com #wineindustry #spiritsindustry #datadrivendecisions #marketingintelligence #winemarketing #winenews #bevbiz #winelists #winedata