To all those wineries and retailers participating in BerserkerDay 12 please use this thread as a quick reference guide and FAQ for what to do in this forum.
I’ll be posting more and more as the days trickle in, and more will join our ranks in this forum, I’m sure. As of now, only Administrators, Moderators, and BD12 Participants can see this forum, so this is where we discuss the how-to, scheduling, and also where we will create the listings/threads for your offers, giving you plenty of time to hammer out details and get them ‘just right’.
WHAT DO I DO?
Post your offer here (as soon as you can see this forum you can make your post! It’s private (only participating wineries/retailers) until Pre-Launch day. See what others do if you want some guidance, and look at last year’s (BerserkerDay 11 Forum - (Jan 27, 2020) 'The Black - WineBerserkers) for inspiration. Add as much information as possible, and we have some floating experts (like Brig) who will help guide you even without asking, making sure everybody’s listing is ready for launch.
Use this thread rather than Private Message for your questions, as many have the same ones, and it’s better to work together on those answers, so all can benefit.
Check what did well last year, see what the listing looked like, what worked, what didn’t. Here is a link to last year’s BerserkerDay forum: BerserkerDay 11 Forum - (Jan 27, 2020) 'The Black - WineBerserkers
Many times I’m asked ‘what deal works best?’ and the answer is never simple, but I can say with certainty that a small discount and full shipping is NOT going to work. The best combinations are typically a good discount and a combination of ‘included’ or flat-rate shipping. Those offers just KILL, so if you can swing it, do it. Please consider that with these discounted prices, they are still quite a bit more revenue than wholesale/distribution, PLUS you get the opportunity to have discussions on your wines here and elsewhere. When you sell to a distributor, you will sell some wine but likely never hear from the consumer. I’ve seen quite a few newcomers do very well here, and continue to have discussions on their wines from BerserkerDay.
Tell the story. Be brief but tell a story about yourself, winery/business, etc, add a photo or two to put a face to it.
NOTE: There will be a poll I send out after BerserkerDay that I will want you to fill out, sharing your sales numbers anonymously via survey. IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR DATA, YOU MAY NOT BE INVITED BACK TO PARTICIPATE
DETAILS
NEWBIE INTROS: Because it’s SO difficult to be noticed on a day as crazy as BerserkerDay, newbies (those who have never before participated/sold on BerserkerDay) are given a bit of special treatment, so they don’t get completely lost in the shuffle. They will be able to submit ‘Intros’ about themselves, their winery, etc., and said Intros will be posted in the Newbie Intros forum, which I will make public a few days before BerserkerDay, possibly a week before. I will set that up and update this post accordingly
SPONSORS: Last year we had Sponsors, and it was a huge hit (particularly for those who sponsored at the top level). I did a poll of my prior year’s Sponsors and every single one said to re-do it. This year I won’t have the added expense (and it was pricey!) of a PR Campaign, so the top tier Sponsorship will be just that, one top tier, one big, BIG benefit…the posting/offer pegged at the TOP of the page for the whole day. I also asked the Sponsors what price range I should charge, and most were at last year’s level. I’m still unsure what to do this year, as if I make it too affordable, too many will do it, and it will lose its effectiveness. I will make it $750.00 (same as last year), but let me know if you have interest via PM, and I’ll set you up. Posting a separate thread on it as well.
PREVIEW DAY/EARLY PURCHASE OFFERS
On January 26th, Grand Cru Crü member will have access to the Pre-Launch forum to see ALL the offers, and plan their buying strategies. NO PURCHASES CAN BE MADE FROM THAT FORUM, and violators stand to lose the ability to participate in future BerserkerDays. There are, however, ‘Early Purchase Offers’, wherein BerserkerBusiness members, in a separate forum, can sell their offer on the same day as Preview Day, Jan 26th. Only Grand Cru Crü members will have access to Preview Day and Early Purchase Offers, everybody else (guests and registered members) will be eligible on Jan 27th. Both will be open around the same time. I WILL MOVE ALL THE THREADS TO AND FROM WHERE THEY NEED TO BE - YOU SIMPLY PUT THEM HERE ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
BENEFITS TO GRAND CRU MEMBERS AND ‘DIRTY DOZEN’ MEMBERS
I’d like for some of our more seasoned (or new, if you feel up to it!) participants to offer special packages or discounts ONLY to GCC members. I want to highlight them this year, giving them even greater benefits than ‘just’ the Early Purchase Offers/Pre-Launch preview. Also, with this our 12th BerserkerDay, perhaps consider a special offer just for the ‘dirty dozen’ members - those who have been members since 2009, when we started at this location on the web. Easy to check this with their user profile, as it says the join date right under their name and rank.
OFFER LAUNCHES
I will be launching offers in groups of 5-10 wineries, every 5-10 minutes (to be determined, based on how many offers we have) and will put those details here so everybody knows. You will know in advance what your launch time will be, and feel free to reach out to me if you are missing in the expected launch time - I HAVE forgotten a few in the past by mistake, as it is CRAZY
AUCTIONS
As you know, there is no required charge, no ‘share’ of your sales to participate in BerserkerDay. You can CHOOSE for the beneficial spot of Sponsorship, and pay for the privilege, but the rest of you pay nothing, and can sell like crazy and just take it all in, as we’ve done for over 10 years now, and what makes this so special - connecting small producers directly with wine lovers around the world, the Berserkers! Many of the participants will offer an auction item to benefit Wine Berserkers, in lieu of any cost or revenue sharing. Last year’s can be seen here - BerserkerDay Auctions BD11 - AUCTIONS CLOSED - WineBerserkers - and you can contact Brig Campbell directly if you have something to offer! Remember also that auctions give you ADDITIONAL visibility, basically doubling your branding exposure. This year I’ll likely have a separate thread on which wineries are participating in the auction, thus giving a third chance at visibility during this crazy day
CATEGORIES
We likely won’t do categories this year, as we’ve done years past, but I’m not sold on the concept as of yet. Sponsors will have a category, to make it clear they are Sponsors and the rest of the listings will be below those, launched in the 5-minute increment ‘groups’ I’ve outlined above
REMEMBER, POST YOUR QUESTIONS HERE! It’s likely you aren’t the only one who has questions, and the answers to those questions might help everyone, and might help me add to the original informational post!
Have fun!!!
