Liberty Wines Ltd’s Post

Interesting article. I like the honesty from Solectrac and how they are repositioning the business. It’s always important to maintain a close relationship with your end customer. I look forward to seeing Solectrac shift their GTM and overall business strategy.

Finding, selecting, hiring, training, and leading a great sales team is daunting! It requires very specific knowledge and real-world experience. In this video, industry expert Ben Salisbury goes through the five biggest mistakes he sees sales team leaders make. From the people you hire to how you manage them -- it all matters! If avoided, These five mistakes will allow you to achieve your desired sales goals easily. Salespeople are the "revenue engine" that drives sales & profits for your winery or distillery. The task of hiring a great salesperson is, therefore, very serious business. Ben has personally hired, trained, and sometimes fired more than forty salespeople in his career. His advice is based on four decades of experience! https://lnkd.in/gEF4bTbD

I often find myself considering the overlap between my personal and professional interests and passions, finding connections between activities and lessons learned that on the surface seem disparate. Just the other day I was connecting the dots between my interest in wine and strategic account management, which have some remarkable similarities when you dive in: - Both are incredibly approachable at a basic level. You don’t need to know much about wine to enjoy it, and on the surface strategic account management as a concept seems easy to understand. However, once you dig under the surface there’s an almost limitless amount of information you can learn to become an expert. - Every vineyard and winemaker offers something different to take advantage of the climate and terroir within a different region or viticultural area – producing wine that may be considered good for varying reasons. Likewise, no strategic account management approach is the same, every team will offer something distinct in the customer relationship. - Strategic account management requires an understanding of many elements: the customer’s objectives, goals, challenges, and what you include in the value proposition. Likewise, producing fantastic wine requires an appreciation of how the soil, aspect, altitude, and climate can affect the grapes, change the perfect time to pick and how you may begin to “make the magic” in the cellar. While I’m no master sommelier, I love the pursuit of knowledge when it comes to wine, and how the intricacies, notes and bouquet can be so nuanced. I’m lucky enough to also be able to feed my own inquisitiveness when it comes to my career – always able to learn more but also being able to help teams all over the world navigate the intricacies and nuances of strategic account management. Cheers and enjoy responsibly! ~My opinions are my own~ #pfecolleague #StrategicAccountManagement #KeyAccountManagement #KAM

Customers are your best 'sales reps' 💰 No amount of marketing or money spent elsewhere can do for you what a customer referral can. Wineries (or any business in hospitality) should for this very reason not neglect the in-person experience, i.e Tasting Rooms. Simple, sustainable ways to do this are: - Knowledgeable and friendly staff 👨🍳 (knowledge can be taught, but friendliness is a personal trait. Choose staff wisely.) - Convenient services 🏪 (make it easy for the customer to purchase wines, use facilities etc.) - Private tastings 🍷 (people prefer people, always have the option of private tastings and make the standard tasting 'more' personal.) If you could add more, what would it be?

So, just what is the secret sauce that spirits brands need to have to both catch the attention of a distributor and stay the course to become a brand with longevity and loyal advocates? I don’t think I have to preach about the benefits of working with a distributor when it comes to the UK spirits industry. It’s a complicated market at the best of times and currently full of challenges like cost-of-living pressures and hospitality closures, which in turn lead to more cautious buyers that are harder to access. There’s just no doubt that by working with the right distributor you open up a new world of opportunities but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy. There’s a plethora of independent spirits producers out there, so how do you differentiate yourself from the crowd; and what’s going to convince a distributor to take on your product? Thanks so much to the team at Harpers Wine & Spirit Magazine for letting me share my own personal thoughts on what we’re looking for in a spirits brand at Mangrove Global Ltd.. https://lnkd.in/ecAPEqQj #teampurple #drinksdistributor #mangrovedrinks

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 

Ever try to slam a square peg into a round hole? That’s what I did with my first job out of college, and it taught me a lesson that propelled me to a successful 15 year run afterwards. In 2007, I moved to Washington, DC with my girlfriend. No job. No friends. 1/2 of a plan of what I wanted to do there. I wanted a career in the wine industry because I liked wine. Looking through the open jobs, I came across “Wine Broker.” Wine broker sounded sexy! I applied got the job. I hung up the call, ran into the bedroom, jumped on my girlfriend, and told her we needed to celebrate. We picked the 8th best sushi spot in town. We were new to town and didn’t know any better. But we celebrated! It was my first job after graduating, and I felt like such a professional. I rode the metro and wore slacks and a button-up shirt and everything. I turned out to be a telemarketer masquerading as a wine broker. Basically, I sat on a yoga ball, behind a desk, calling guys at work and selling them $500+ cases of wine. 8 other recruits did the same. Success went through four steps: 1) Get past the gate-keeper 2) Build rapport 3) Pitching the wine 4) Close the sale This office was an old school sales room. Each day we had a new goal. Day one get passed the gatekeeper, get to the pitch the next day, then through the pitch, and finally to the close on day four. If we successfully achieved that day’s goal, we walked to the front of the room and put a tally up on the board. Whoever had the fewest marks got fired. Brutal. Here’s the thing: I didn’t actually know anything about wine. I knew I liked to drink it, other people liked to drink it, people bought it, sold it, wrote about it, and that I could make a career in the industry. But I didn’t know enough to earn trust. I could’ve been talking about hillside vineyards in the corner of Napa’s most prestigious area or scotch tape. I didn’t know the difference. They fired me last, and said, “You would do great in a different venue, like a tasting room or with a distributor. Sometimes people don’t translate over the phone.” I spent more on that sushi dinner than I earned at the job. But it taught me I couldn’t fake my way to a sale. Lots of people can, but I can’t. I have to believe it in it. I have to trust myself. I’m not a great bullsh*tter. Luckily, they fired me fast enough that landed another job I had applied for before, which I got. That job spring-boarded me into a successful 15 years in the industry. I just needed the right fit.

Analyzed historical monthly sales data of a company. Created multiple forecast models for two different products of a particular Wine Estate and recommended the optimum forecasting model to predict monthly sales for the next 12 months along with appropriate lower and upper confidence limits. #timeseriesforecasting #TeamWork #ExploratoryDataAnalysis #Decomposition #MovingAverage #ExponentialSmoothening #ARIMA #SARIMA

Nick Gillett gave an exceptional talk on what good distributors are looking for in the brands that they partner with a few years back at the Verallia Distillers Forum. If you missed the chat, he’s outlined it again (updated of course) in his latest article with Harpers Wine & Spirit Magazine. It’s a great read and essential for any emerging brand / challenger brand to digest. Make sure you register for this year’s Distillers Forum (link in comments) for insights on how you can build your drinks brand in the current market. #distribution #brandbuilding #emergingbrands #challengerbrands

Team Spotlight: Steve Todhunter Meet Steve Todhunter, our Sales & Marketing Manager for the Sentia wine product. Since joining Universal Biosensors in September 2020, Steve has brought with him a unique blend of experience—from stockbroking to professional cooking, and now to beverage sales and marketing. A Success Story: Steve played a pivotal role in launching Sentia globally during the pandemic, a time when establishing relationships with distributors worldwide posed unprecedented challenges. His diverse background uniquely positioned him to navigate these challenges with success. A Passion for Wine: Growing up in a wine-loving family, Steve developed a deep-rooted passion for wine. He was thrilled to combine this passion with innovative technology in his role at Sentia, marking an exciting new chapter in his career. Looking ahead, Steve is driven by the vision of having Sentia in every winery around the world, and he’s excited about making this a reality. Advice & Lessons Learned: Steve encourages newcomers to be open to exploration, develop resilience, and, most importantly, enjoy the journey without taking themselves too seriously. At Universal Biosensors, Steve has gained invaluable insights into the practical application of science in product commercialization. He’s also been reminded that enduring success is a long game—one that requires building a great team and never giving up. A Day in the Life: With a global team, Steve’s day often starts early with online meetings with US-based staff and distributors. After clearing urgent emails and attending onsite meetings, he collaborates closely with the office team to drive project priorities forward. His day may end with work-in-progress meetings with the European team—a true testament to the global nature of Sentia. Industry Trends: Steve believes that point-of-use technology will continue to evolve, and he’s eager to see Sentia at the forefront of this change in the wine industry. Although changing traditional behaviors is challenging, Steve is confident that Sentia’s quick and convenient testing capabilities will empower winemakers to produce better wines. Outside of Work: When not working, Steve enjoys laughing with his family over good food and wine, walking on the beach, and staying fit. He’s always wanted to learn a foreign language—perhaps a nod to his early French classes in primary school! Recently, Steve had the opportunity to visit the breathtaking Douro Valley in Portugal. Though his visit was brief, he’s eager to return. Locally, Ningaloo Reef is on his list! #teamspotlight #worklife #workculture