At the risk of stepping on the toes of columnist Rico Cassoni, let’s talk about wine.
Living in California means regular exposure to wineries and tasting rooms.
Not surprisingly, practically every winery has a wine club, and most tasting rooms have wine subscription services. Customers typically get free membership, committing to buying one or two bottles monthly.
Members seek convenient access to wines, special pricing and exclusive experiences. These clubs and subscriptions generate recurring sales while developing long-term customer relationships.
The challenge is customers who cancel after receiving one or two shipments, seeking to avoid automatic credit card charges, shipping costs, limited wine choices from a single winery or accumulating bottles they may not drink.
Plus with several thousand wine clubs in California, finding ways to stand out can be problematic. Consistent wine quality, good customer service and meaningful benefits all make the difference for maintaining memberships.
Here’s where tasting rooms have an advantage, with offerings coming from a range of wineries. And that, plus some personalized service, can easily make a difference.
Saturday, my bride and I found ourselves at a wine tasting event at La Costa Wine Co., rubbing elbows with roughly 60 local wine aficionados.
Amid the din that comes from a crowd in a contained space on a rainy day, we discovered six stations, each offering samples of five offerings for the new season.
We also learned about something unusual — customized wine selection.
As we’ve learned at the Temecula area club we belong to, you’re typically told what wine will be sent to you.
But La Costa’s wine subscription service is different. Owner Triana Hinchey explained she personally selects two bottles monthly based on the profile of the customer.
I translated this as a choice:
- Buy from someone with a “take it or leave it” attitude; or
- Buy from someone providing concierge service based on my tastes.
There’s a lesson here, regardless of what you sell. Treating your clientele like numbers on a page is guaranteed to make them start questioning why they’re doing business with you. But that extra bit of service may be just enough to lure customers who are on the fence and tip them into your family of buyers.
Doesn’t really seem like much of a choice, does it?
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
Need marketing ideas? www.askmrmarketing.com.
