I was watching The Wine Show on the television the other day, It’s an English show that talks about wines from around the world, visiting different wine regions and adding humor into the discourse on wine, winemaking, etc.
One of the hosts was asked why he had bought a particular bottle of wine and he remarked that he bought it because of emotional memory, rather than anything else. He smelled the wine, tasted the wine and was reminded of something in the past. Obviously it must have been a pleasant memory as he bought the bottle of wine and brought it to the tasting.
It reminded me of something I have been saying in my seminars for many years, “People buy because they feel, not because they think.” The mammalian brain is responsible for memory, emotions and feelings and it is the emotions and feelings that make us want to buy most of the time. Especially when it comes to wine.
In the wine business you have an added benefit, the customers that come into your tasting rooms or see you at outside events have the opportunity to see, smell, feel and taste your wine and those things will bring back memories. Take a sniff or taste of a wine and see how many memories it brings up.
When you are encouraging someone to buy, try using emotions instead of just logic. In most tasting rooms the hosts use facts, and while these are important, mixing the facts with some emotional reasons to buy is going to bring you more success.
There are different emotions that make customers want to buy.
Being Ahead of the Curve
Nobody’s buying this wine, I can impress my friends with this
Time Saving
By joining the wine club I will always have good wine on hand that I can trust, no last minute decisions.
Inclusion
My friends really like this wine, I am part of the group
Reward
I deserve to buy this. It’s been a tough week; I owe it to myself.
I am sure you can come up with a lot more reasons for customers to buy if you give them a chance. Give it some thought.
A tip of the glass from me to you
E Column
by Elizabeth “E” Slater, In Short Direct Marketing
A recognized expert in the fields of direct marketing and sales in the wine marketplace. Slater has taught more wineries and winery associations how to create and improve the effectiveness of their direct marketing programs and to make the most of each customer’s potential than anyone in the wine industry today.
