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How do you sell your wine for more money and faster? You probably know that movie, “The Wolf of Wall Street”, with Leonardo Di Caprio. The pen scene is famous. The main character asks his students to sell him a pen. They all make the same mistake: they describe the object and its characteristics. In reality, that’s not what the prospect is interested in. Don’t make this typical mistake yourself. Here I explain a simple technique to increase your wine sales. Discover with me one of the fundamentals of the new wine economy: the customer’s need.

A mistake common to all winemakers

It is the same instinct that drives most professionals: 99.9% of them only talk about their product when they try to sell their wine.
This is normal because wine is your life.

You talk about it with passion. You mention the appellation, the grape variety, and the vintage. You express your love for the precious beverage in which you put all your heart. You explain the wine’s color, its tannin, its nose, and its aromas.

And this is the mistake that too many people make. This approach to sales and marketing is tied to the characteristics of the product.

But the most effective approach is simply to focus on the needs of the prospect.

Selling your wine: the unstoppable approach

In the famous Scorsese film, the character played by Leonardo asks a top-notch salesman to give an immediate and foolproof demonstration. How to sell a product in no time?

Right away, the seasoned salesman focuses on the need. “Do me a favor: write your name on a piece of paper”. “I can’t, I don’t have a pen”. “Here’s one, I’ll sell it to you”.

I have a pen, it doesn’t matter what it’s worth, if it’s beautiful or solid and if it works well. The important thing is that you need it, and then you buy it.
You don’t buy a drill: you buy the hole you make in the wall to hang your frame.

You don’t buy a tractor: you buy a clean vineyard. Your customer doesn’t buy a wine: he buys the ability to gather his family and friends and share a pleasure with them. Wine is a celebration. In these troubled times, this is even more true.

So, focus on what your wine, champagne or spirit can bring.

I know the pen example may seem basic. But it is precisely because it is simple that it speaks. It is also powerful and educational. It’s an easy lesson to understand and explain. Let’s apply it to the field of wine.

iDViN can help many smart winemakers and wine professionals to sell their wine better. Here, being smart means going with the flow and being willing to adapt to the changes taking place.

Detach yourself from your wine or champagne to find the prospect’s need

You are close to your product, and you are proud of it.

I know that it is difficult for you to do otherwise. You have your nose on your wine. Every day, you are in the vineyard and in the cellar. Taking a step back is a complex exercise.

I understand winemakers who communicate by describing their wine. This is a mistake made by many small wine companies.

I see so many winemakers on social media showing off beautiful images of the vineyards or the bottling process. Videos of the brush cutter going through the field. They show their work. It is beautiful, the passion transpires. But that’s not the point.

You must ask yourself this question: what is the real need that my wine meets?

In other words, if you’re selling wine, stop talking to me about your methodology. Don’t tell me about organic or sustainable agriculture. Don’t mention nature protection.

Stop telling me about grape varieties and appellations. Stop telling me about the weather or the number of hectoliters or hectares.

What matters to me, as a customer, is the result I can expect from this wine.

I know you are proud of the work you have done. I know you are proud of your bottle and your label. Even if wine is your obsession and your passion, don’t forget that I, as a customer, am interested in something else.

Young woman opening a bottle of wine

What does the wine lover care about?

The prospect who is looking to buy wine wants to have good bottles in his or her cellar, to enjoy his or her Sunday meal with the family.

He or she wants to please their friends. Maybe he or she wants to seduce someone with the choice of an excellent vintage.

Or spend a good evening with friends and enjoy a dinner. Most of all, to celebrate, to get together, to love each other.

I want to know if I’m going to enjoy drinking your wine.

And what kind of pleasure will I get from it? Will it last long? Will it grow? Will I be able to share this delicious nectar? And the next morning, how will I wake up? I also think about my digestion and my liver.

That’s all I’m interested in.

To sum up, my message is simple and clear. Focus on the need that your wine meets, rather than the product itself.
I know it’s very easy to forget that. But that’s what’s important. Make your customer dream.

I hope this simple example speaks to you and that it will stay with you for a long time. Remember the pen and think about the need that your wine will meet. It is crucial to think about how you will sell your wine, champagne, or spirit. In our group of smart winemakers and wine professionals, we share information like this. We want to secure the future of the vineyard. If you also want to receive good advice and communicate with your colleagues, join us. Get in touch with me. There are already more than 300 of us and you don’t need to become a Romanée-Conti wolf to see your turnover increase. To sell your wine for more money and in less time, be proactive and regular. Don’t forget that wine and intelligence go together very well. Wine elevates on all levels.