An excellent post, as always, from Jason Haas at Tablas Creek:
Making the most of time in market
I had a distributor tell me last week that I should provide “supplier training” to their other wineries. I laughed; it’s good to feel appreciated. But then I thought, why not? There are lots of wineries, across the spectrum, who are realizing that they need to spend time out in the market if they hope to survive or grow in the current economy. Many of the people spending time out in the markets haven’t done it much in the past. And I’m always amazed how grateful the reps I work with are for the follow up I do. Is it really that rare?
Effective market work includes things to do before you arrive (even when you are scheduling your work), other things to do while you are there, and follow-up to complete after you get back. Here, is some basic advice for all three phases of your market work …
Really an excellent post, and a must read for those new to working the market. That includes those cellarrats-turned-owners who have previously worked at wineries where magical little marketing elves did all the work.