Arthur - lots of good advice but really the most important thing is to step outside of yourself for a minute. You said that you’ve got great wines, etc., you have a passion for wine, blah blah blah.
Guess what. That doesn’t matter.
Many people have great wines and many people have a passion for it.
What matters is that you show the people something that they can use. When you stop in, take a look around the store. If you see they’ve got a million bottles from Tuscany, what are the chances of your getting in a new Tuscan wine? And if that’s what they love, your chances of getting in a new Portugese wine are even worse.
So what do you do? You may love your wines to drink, the buyers may also, but that doesn’t mean the wines will sell.
So look for some hook. Several people said to develop a relationship. Fine. But the buyer also has a relationship with the guy who drives the bus to work, or the security guard at the parking garage, or whatever. Relationships themselves aren’t the point. Make your relationship relevant to sales.
Maybe you’ve got a wine by one of the winemakers the store is carrying, or from a little area nearby their favorite, or whatever.
Don’t go out with the wines you love. I did that at first and didn’t make any sales. Go out with wines that you think deliver solid value and that won’t stress the buyer if he makes a commitment to add it to the store. Maybe it’s not your favorite. But if they can sell 20 cases of it, you’ll get a re-order and you’re making money. If you take your personal favorite and sell a case, what good is that? Eventually that may happen, but it takes time.
There are plenty of fifty dollar wines discounted all over today - just before you showed up, some other rep came in to tell the buyer about a closeout, clearance, or whatever. So show the guy or gal a few lower end values that rock, get their trust, and you’ve now got a foot in the door. In a couple years, they may trust you to look at some other stuff.
It also means don’t take out a big red in June when it’s 96 degrees. People are looking at lighter wines at that point. Of course, they’ve probably already selected their rosados and whites, but it doesn’t hurt to let them taste a few. So understand the cycle. They start looking at big reds in August and early Sept. The customers don’t but the buyers want them in the store the first day the temp drops like it always does in the fall. Show your sparklers then too. And show your whites/rosados in Feb.
And especially if you’re new, don’t try to impress people with your knowledge. There are lots of blowhards in the business. In fact, I think more than 50 pct are probably blowhards, but so what? More importantly, the buyer may be one who isn’t. He may be a guy who’s been drinking and tasting a few thousand wines a year for 20 years. If you show up bright eyed and bushy tailed and fresh out of a wine course trying to talk about what you just learned, he’ll just roll his eyes.
Yeah, people buy from reps they like. But just going around with a big smile will make them think you’re simple.
So talk to them about their wines, the kinds of things they like, show some interest in them and their needs. Indicate that at least you know your role is to help them move product. Selling wine, or anything really, isn’t about romance, or passion for wine, or anything like that. It’s about moving a product from the warehouse to the store to the customer’s sweaty little hands. Let the buyers know you understand that and you’re working to help them do it.
That’s how you get them to like you.
The romance and “artistry” and all that is for the customer.
And you also need to be a noodge. It’s why sales are hard for some people.
Good luck!