Selling Through Independent Distributors And Retailers:
Competing For Mindshare With A Sales Resource
A major U.S. winery sells through independent distributors to restaurants, hotels, and other on-premise sales outlets. New sales representatives vary widely in terms of their entry level skills, knowledge, and experience. To succeed in a hotly competitive market these new reps must quickly acquire an understanding of the food service and wine industries along with competitive information, product knowledge, and presentation and sales skills.
The TEG Solution
TEG produced a 29 chapter On Premise Sales Manual that provides new representatives with the skills and knowledge they need to establish themselves as effective consultative resources to restaurateurs and other key decision makers at on-premise outlets. The manual includes extensive background information on the U.S. wine market, the food service industry, the winemaking process, chain accounts, and catering. And it provides representatives with practical skills in the areas of merchandising, pricing strategies, wine lists, waitstaff training, food and wine pairings, new business calls, and professional sales presentations.
New sales representatives now have an extensive and flexible self-study resource that they can use to get up to speed quickly and efficiently. And our client is better able to compete for the representatives' share of mind in an environment that is increasingly dominated by multi-line distributors who represent a large number of competing brands.
