Hiring Salespeople

[Max_Marinucci]

@Bob Wood

I’m just catching up with this thread. As someone with considerable background in the hiring and managing of sales people, and some considerable background in establishing guidelines for hiring and promoting of employees of all types, you’ve got to be careful hiring geeks.

All the dot.coms and big techie companies were bound and determined to hire people with heavy tech backgrounds (EE degrees and the like) for sales positions. You can’t do that and succeed. The person who’s got a sales orientation isn’t the person who would choose a geeky major in college as a rule, and a smart person with a sales orientation can usually learn what needs to be learned to sell the product.

I know a guy who is an absolute encyclopedia of wine. He was part of a tasting group I used to belong to, and he’s an absolute freaking bore. There is NO WAY he could be successful on the floor of a retail wine shop because he’s annoying to boot. He has the personality and people skills of a toad.

Look for bright, personalble people with sales background and orientation. Teach them about wine if you must but also be careful. Sales types are generally pretty independent, so you’ve either got to have some fairly relaxed rules or find someone who is also manageable - a rare commodity.

I agree 100%. And, I have to add, every extremely knowledgeable employee I’ve had over the years, interestingly enough turned out to be a thief. It must be an innate sense of entitlement I guess.

[Bob_Wood]

Ahh . . . one more thing. People who are really knowledgeable about the product tend to be “feature preachers”, prattling on and on ad infinitum about inconsequential details.

[Daniel_Posner]

@Nate Weis

@Daniel Posner

Nate

Please read all that I said…thanks…

I did, Dan. Just having fun and agreeing with you that it would be difficult to find someone who is both a wealth of wine knowledge and a good salesperson

Sorry, I forgot the smiley face at the end of my remark. [gheyfight.gif]

[Lyle_Fass]

@Daniel Posner

@Tom Hudson

I think it’s the same way with hiring servers.

The most knowledgable usually don’t get the highest tips.

We had one server (now gone) who would get amazing comments from customers about his wine knowledge. But if you actually talked to him about wine, you’d realize in an instant that he didn’t know jack.

I know I should never have tolerated this, but…

The best are wine knowledgeable AND a good salesman. That is hard to come by, but in the end, I think I prefer good salesman to wine knowledge and I have learned that the hard way.

Most people want someone that they can relate to. Most people hate the Lyle Fasses of the world.

This wine geek here has sold a lot of wine in his life . . . so all ya’all can go shove it. Gotta know the product or just hire women with big tits. [rolleyes.gif]

[Daniel_Posner]

@Lyle Fass

@Daniel Posner

@Tom Hudson

I think it’s the same way with hiring servers.

The most knowledgable usually don’t get the highest tips.

We had one server (now gone) who would get amazing comments from customers about his wine knowledge. But if you actually talked to him about wine, you’d realize in an instant that he didn’t know jack.

I know I should never have tolerated this, but…

The best are wine knowledgeable AND a good salesman. That is hard to come by, but in the end, I think I prefer good salesman to wine knowledge and I have learned that the hard way.

Most people want someone that they can relate to. Most people hate the Lyle Fasses of the world.

This wine geek here has sold a lot of wine in his life . . . so all ya’all can go shove it. Gotta know the product or just hire women with big tits. [rolleyes.gif]

I missed making fun of Lyle…good to have you back…

[Lyle_Fass]

It’s good to be back. I’ll be on the floor at Grapes this Thursday talking about the differences between Cour-Cheverny and Cheverny to people wanting to buy pointy Cabs.

[Max_Marinucci]

@Lyle Fass

@Daniel Posner

@Tom Hudson

I think it’s the same way with hiring servers.

The most knowledgable usually don’t get the highest tips.

We had one server (now gone) who would get amazing comments from customers about his wine knowledge. But if you actually talked to him about wine, you’d realize in an instant that he didn’t know jack.

I know I should never have tolerated this, but…

The best are wine knowledgeable AND a good salesman. That is hard to come by, but in the end, I think I prefer good salesman to wine knowledge and I have learned that the hard way.

Most people want someone that they can relate to. Most people hate the Lyle Fasses of the world.

This wine geek here has sold a lot of wine in his life . . . so all ya’all can go shove it. Gotta know the product or just hire women with big tits. [rolleyes.gif]

Thought about that but we’d get sued within minutes

[Lyle_Fass]

When I was just on my LI wine junket, I went to a tasting at Shinn vineyards and there were around ten producers pouring and there were two blonds, buxom, beautiful girls pouring a wine called Sparkling Pointe. Immediatly my father and gravitated towards the silicon and I told him, “these wines suck because the hotter the girl, the worse the wine they are trying to sell you.” Easily the worst wines in the room.

[Daniel_Posner]

@Lyle Fass

It’s good to be back. I’ll be on the floor at Grapes this Thursday talking about the differences between Cour-Cheverny and Cheverny to people wanting to buy pointy Cabs.

You gonna bring Dressner too?

[Lyle_Fass]

Dressner, Jay MIller (the good one), me, David Lillie, Thor Iverson, the whole gang. Azay-Le-Rideau and tons of Biodynamic Chenas will be poured!

[N_Weis]

@Lyle Fass

When I was just on my LI wine junket, I went to a tasting at Shinn vineyards and there were around ten producers pouring and there were two blonds, buxom, beautiful girls pouring a wine called Sparkling Pointe. Immediatly my father and gravitated towards the silicon and I told him, “these wines suck because the hotter the girl, the worse the wine they are trying to sell you.” Easily the worst wines in the room.

So true. I always make my way over to their table, though. Must…resist…Sparkling…Pointe.

There are a few TR’s around here that seemed to have…ahem…selective hiring practices. They all wind up changing policy, though. Not sure if it’s due to the above-mentioned effect or lawsuit threats?

[CFu]

@Lyle Fass

@Daniel Posner

@Tom Hudson

I think it’s the same way with hiring servers.

The most knowledgable usually don’t get the highest tips.

We had one server (now gone) who would get amazing comments from customers about his wine knowledge. But if you actually talked to him about wine, you’d realize in an instant that he didn’t know jack.

I know I should never have tolerated this, but…

The best are wine knowledgeable AND a good salesman. That is hard to come by, but in the end, I think I prefer good salesman to wine knowledge and I have learned that the hard way.

Most people want someone that they can relate to. Most people hate the Lyle Fasses of the world.

This wine geek here has sold a lot of wine in his life . . . so all ya’all can go shove it. Gotta know the product or just hire women with big tits. [rolleyes.gif]

i didn’t know you worked at K&L!

[Daniel_Posner]

@Lyle Fass

When I was just on my LI wine junket, I went to a tasting at Shinn vineyards and there were around ten producers pouring and there were two blonds, buxom, beautiful girls pouring a wine called Sparkling Pointe. Immediatly my father and gravitated towards the silicon and I told him, “these wines suck because the hotter the girl, the worse the wine they are trying to sell you.” Easily the worst wines in the room.

They got me to buy 4 pallets.

[Lyle_Fass]

Ah. I have found the secret to Grapes success. Silicon!! [d_sunny.gif]

[Steve_Sliger]

i already have one salesperson who resembles that remark. while it works on a few it amazingly doesn’t work on the majority…

[Roberto_Rogness]

Bob Wood:

“All the dot.coms and big techie companies were bound and determined to hire people with heavy tech backgrounds (EE degrees and the like) for sales positions. You can’t do that and succeed. The person who’s got a sales orientation isn’t the person who would choose a geeky major in college as a rule, and a smart person with a sales orientation can usually learn what needs to be learned to sell the product.”

Remember the guy in “Office Space” who was trying to explain that his job was to talk to the customers because the engineers “don’t have people skills, I have people skills!”?