tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post3221514501530020418..comments2024-03-11T03:24:58.582-07:00Comments on SVB on Wine: What's the One Job Wineries Can't Fill?Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-63616610117914380132013-04-16T18:03:01.052-07:002013-04-16T18:03:01.052-07:00Hello Rob,
This is the best article (and one of t...Hello Rob,<br /><br />This is the best article (and one of the very few!) I have seen in regards to DTC and the case for specifically having a designated person (dedicated staff would be better!) whose focus is creating direct to consumer strategies, plans, action items and integrating those into the overall plan for the winery's success (wine making, brand positioning, marketing, etc). <br />I worked for a well-known winery with a very successful DTC program that, I am proud to say, I contributed to and helped grow to be even more successful. I was the Consumer Sales Specialist for the first 7 months and then had the position of Marketing & PR Manager created for me. In my role as Marketing & PR MGR I focused on enhanced communications & initiatives for our DTC programs and creating a synergy with all of our marketing materials to have a cohesive brand message, along with an accountable action plan for growth and a road-map on how to get there. I was in that position for over 3 years. I have continued to consult for this winery for the last two years, remotely, as I changed locations for personal reasons. It has been an amazing relationship. <br /><br />Your article is incredibly timely for me, as I have spent the last 6 months working on and creating programs/trainings/consulting options specifically in the area of DTC for wineries. I was seeing there was a need that wasn't being served and decided to take all I know, have learned and applied successfully, and create a business around it I am just about ready to launch and this article gave me an awesome validated boost!<br /><br />I would love to share some of what I'm doing with you and to be acquainted. Please let me know if we could chat off-line. I would be so delighted to know you. <br /><br />All the best and thanks again for an amazing post and a great, useful blog. <br />Cheers,<br />MicheleMichelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04730511413120770379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-57642227642761936702013-04-09T10:48:29.629-07:002013-04-09T10:48:29.629-07:00That would be great if only there were time and mo...That would be great if only there were time and money .... and I could figure out a way for the Bank to make money. All this analysis we give away for free is keeping me from a full-time job being a banker. :)Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-59150706770202467522013-04-08T15:09:46.914-07:002013-04-08T15:09:46.914-07:00Sounds like it is time for SVB to work with a few ...Sounds like it is time for SVB to work with a few of us to put together a DTC certification program!<br /><br />(One for those within the industry that need to expand DTC know how and another for the Consumer Direct experts from outside the winery that need to learn wine.)<br /><br />Perhaps we partner with UC Davis or SSU or Wise Academy to create the on-line program?<br /><br />I now make my living as a DTC expert in the wine industry--but despite the fact 1) I grew up around here and all my first jobs were in wine and 2) was an acknowledged expert in customer marketing & operations in several other industries--it still took A LOT of effort and drive to break in.<br /><br />Advice to those outside the industry that want to break in: 1) take wine courses and get some industry credentials, 2) go to work helping a winery at a steep hourly discount as a DTC intern for at least 6 months 3) network and apply for jobs on winejobs.com<br /><br />Good Luck--our industry needs you!<br /><br />MJ MJ Dalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13149525005423352281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-89507703625367211542013-03-29T09:11:52.054-07:002013-03-29T09:11:52.054-07:00Maybe this recent press release "Beverage Ind...Maybe this recent press release "Beverage Industry Unites for Drink Careers 101 Employment Initiative" will help!<br /><br />http://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=113879Jon Bjorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08915787145103864827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-19635120698597428492013-03-28T19:00:43.820-07:002013-03-28T19:00:43.820-07:00Kayla
There are schools that teach all of the theo...Kayla<br />There are schools that teach all of the theory and most of the practical. That said, there are no schools that teach it all in one place. It would be great to have a place to send everyone to solve the issue, but finding the "who" in your investment question would have to be answered. I don't know of any pots of money available to invest in this kind of narrow education. I don't think you will find the money available from the government. You have any rich uncles not named Sam?Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-28026909140128220712013-03-28T18:44:08.304-07:002013-03-28T18:44:08.304-07:00Great comments Mark. Thanks for sharing with the c...Great comments Mark. Thanks for sharing with the community.Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-36613474175508174312013-03-28T18:10:09.758-07:002013-03-28T18:10:09.758-07:00With the exception of "profit center analysis...With the exception of "profit center analysis" (I'm only 1/2 sure I know what that means) I think I fit your description by 50%. I work in Clarksburg CA at a very small producing winery. I believe I'm being groomed to fill that position in 5 years (with 3 behind me) to a "T". This job sounds like something several people are being hired to do at one winery and work as a team with maybe one Sales Director leading that team.<br /><br />On your note that we should recruit people with these skills and then teach them the wine know-how. How about investing in them while they are still in college! A topic near and dear to my heart as my goal was to always work in the wine industry was that we as a group should fuel student interest in the industry. This idea comes from personal experience, because I did not fit into the "Enology & Viticulture" group or "SSU Wine Business students" group I was left to compete with students in my field for scholarships regardless of by ambition to join the wine industry. The industry I so wanted to be apart of, on the business end didn't support me. "INVESTING" in students or recruiting them will accomplish 3 goals. <br />1.) Providing financial assistance to those who need education & skills to work (or are already working) in this industry <br />2.) Draw in and romance an age group that will become potential clients before they are completely drowned in beer. Just getting to know them wouldn't hurt either!<br />3.)We then wont have to go outside the industry, we will have created a feeder program through outreach to students.<br /><br />What are your thoughts on this idea?Kayla Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12210838461063083657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-55656885144584500682013-03-22T16:28:48.029-07:002013-03-22T16:28:48.029-07:00The restaurant part of the wine industry has dealt...The restaurant part of the wine industry has dealt with the money problem for a very long time. Sommeliers are the classic example, the more experienced are pushed aside by the young and hungary willing to work cheap for the title and perks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-72042688860097973252013-03-21T14:52:29.548-07:002013-03-21T14:52:29.548-07:00I completely agree with your article Rob. Having s...I completely agree with your article Rob. Having spent the last 7 plus years in the wine business I have similar findings. Coming from a background in printing and graphics you wonder why there isn't more cross pollination of talent into the industry? It makes total sense for a winery in Napa that is small to focus on all direct sales with a limited out reach to Restaurants in the broad market. For larger, more established wineries with broad distribution it is a tougher sell. Sure you can make more margin selling direct, but how do you reverse the process? I worked for a medium sized winery with multiple brands and 3-tier distribution in 50 states and 27 countries. To convince consumers to buy $14 wine direct, when they can buy for under $12 locally isn't going to happen. Napa has the luxury of location which is an easy sell to the 5 million visitors a year. To the rest that can't visit, it's harder to get your online message out there without Top Notch marketing strategies. The culture of wine in Napa is very insular. They promote from within based on who you know and not on who is best for the job. Wine could take cues from the Tech world or even Restaurant business. DTC marketing isn't about wine knowledge as it is about Digital Marketing skills. Wineries don't place a worthy value on the Social, Digital marketing. It's just as important as winemaking and sales. This hurdle needs to be jumped before any real change in direct sales percentages will be realized.Mark Buckleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09064352575409422346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-85850704360373009122013-03-20T18:59:41.533-07:002013-03-20T18:59:41.533-07:00I work at a winery that is totally DTC. They recen...I work at a winery that is totally DTC. They recently hired a new tasting room manager, and the requirements were very much like the ones in the article. I have 25 years in the restaurant industry, have run big staffs, run events and now have several years experience selling wine, yet I am not considered as all my management experience is in the food business, not the wine field. And the salaries in the wine biz are really disgraceful as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-80711538374775958802013-03-19T19:36:43.163-07:002013-03-19T19:36:43.163-07:00French will give you an interesting accent, a pess...French will give you an interesting accent, a pessimisitic view normally, and a strange desire to shrug. Optimism is not tolerated in these parts. You have been duly warned.Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-15783859998616347172013-03-19T14:43:52.343-07:002013-03-19T14:43:52.343-07:00And I thought it was the French that would get me ...And I thought it was the French that would get me banned ;).<br /><br />I think anyone who started marketing in the nineties (I make that anyone who is 35+ but math was never my strong point) has had to reskill for Search by '01, for social from '06, for smartphones '07 and LBS '09. A (wine) marketer has continuing education (self, online, or in class) just like lawyers, doctors and engineers. Bruce McGechanhttp://www.mylocalwinestore.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-88719086350437670122013-03-19T14:22:45.197-07:002013-03-19T14:22:45.197-07:00KMP - I know recruiters are looking outside for th...KMP - I know recruiters are looking outside for these roles. They are hard to fill and Z is right that there is a disconnect in salary versus what they can make in Tech. Then again, this is wine and its not SF/Silicon Valley real estate rents so its a little cheaper (and nicer) to live in wine country. I'm hoping those inangibles help to bridge the gap. Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-55235561758503173672013-03-19T14:18:28.564-07:002013-03-19T14:18:28.564-07:00Thanks Rob. I'm noticing that the most success...Thanks Rob. I'm noticing that the most successful people in the industry I've encountered thus far, are committing wholeheartedly to hiring "outside" the industry to get current. Hopefully, their skills and experience will merge with the skills and experience I and my cohort have, and propel the wine business forward in a positive way. <br /><br />And Z, in all honesty, I'm willing to accept less pay in order to work in and be an innovator in this industry and not deal with the tech headaches in my past life. All innovators must prove their value at first, right? K.M.Pnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-86221083048913827252013-03-18T22:59:23.544-07:002013-03-18T22:59:23.544-07:00Yup. Moana Surfrider last July. My favorite spot o...Yup. Moana Surfrider last July. My favorite spot on earth .... well that and Disneyland but I've never looked good in ears.Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-61958573691399524052013-03-18T22:56:24.547-07:002013-03-18T22:56:24.547-07:00I couldn't help but notice the local of your p...I couldn't help but notice the local of your photo, while it is a no brainer that it's Oahu's Diamond Head in the background, I'll hazard a guess that you seated at beach front bar @ historic Surf-Rider Hotel on Waikiki Beach ?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-66223081829171435782013-03-18T22:19:12.852-07:002013-03-18T22:19:12.852-07:00Bruce - close, but no cigar...the Tier 1 companies...Bruce - close, but no cigar...the Tier 1 companies have a pitiful record of employing talent outside the industry in roles that should be (and are) transferable skills. As an ex-P&Ger myself, I'm astounded by the inability to either pay sufficiently or listen/adopt approaches, both of which combine to stiffle the talent stream. <br /><br />As for growing talent, perhaps yes but it requires significant investments...and especially in the case of technology, the pace of change is so rapid that catchup is near impossible unless you're at least at a certain level. <br /><br />Please be careful - this kind of thinking could actually create competitive advantage...and who wants that?<br /><br />ZAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-64721385066081544712013-03-18T22:13:14.414-07:002013-03-18T22:13:14.414-07:00Ah, key phrase "Pay them what they're wor...Ah, key phrase "Pay them what they're worth"...that will prove to be the 'undoing' of an obvious approach. The biggest wineries devote about 20% of what they should to marketing/CRM/etc. and it shows...unfortunately.<br /><br />ZAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-290820895807416382013-03-18T21:53:59.193-07:002013-03-18T21:53:59.193-07:00Thanks Bruce. Please check the posting rules that ...Thanks Bruce. Please check the posting rules that allow no optimist posts.<br /><br />I'd love to be proven wrong and see the skill needs located in the business because it would shorten the execution curve. But I don't see the skills here. I've talked to numerous wineries and recruiters about the lacking skill sets and while there are lots of applicants out there, my sense is the applicants aren't generally the kind of employees who can evolve the strategy of a winery using current business intelligence tools. <br /><br />I'm just reporting what I see and hear, but I sincerely appreciate a different point of view Bruce. I'm not always right. Just ask my ex-wife.<br /><br />Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-16336504582356325042013-03-18T21:43:30.832-07:002013-03-18T21:43:30.832-07:00KMP - good luck in this crazy business. I hope the...KMP - good luck in this crazy business. I hope the industry starts to commit in the ways you suggest.Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-14954837193948883382013-03-18T21:41:15.725-07:002013-03-18T21:41:15.725-07:00Great comments Anon 3:32. Thanks for sharing with ...Great comments Anon 3:32. Thanks for sharing with the community. Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-14207080966947069092013-03-18T21:38:41.886-07:002013-03-18T21:38:41.886-07:00Actually humility is the only thing that can't...Actually humility is the only thing that can't be taught. A little flogging can help someone improve integrity. Humility is the only thing that once you discover you have it, you just lost it.Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-82408336300032839862013-03-18T21:36:11.171-07:002013-03-18T21:36:11.171-07:00Education when you are teaching isn't an initi...Education when you are teaching isn't an initial win, but more times than not, its an opportunity to develop a relationship with a potential client.<br /><br />Lodi continues to do a great job with improving image and quality. Keep at it JonRob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-8060661744135303182013-03-18T18:17:18.916-07:002013-03-18T18:17:18.916-07:00Having run marketing (dr, pr, brand, sales promo) ...Having run marketing (dr, pr, brand, sales promo) for a company with 500,000 dtc beverage customers and 50,000 b2b beverage customers I am very familiar with the difficulty of both finding competent people and creating an integrated effective dtc marketing program. <br /><br />Dtc in the wine business is in essence a subscription business. <br /><br />Brands matter but understanding the "lifestyle moments", adoption migration process, net present value, churn rate, optimal clusters etc. requires both tacit knowledge and current online experience. <br /><br />The new Napa "incubator" needs to create its own "Victory Lab" because if past is prologue what it really takes to optimize a dtc wine program isn't even on the wine industry’s radar yet. I suspect the combined tacit knowledge of how to do this currently lives in the Napa Valley. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-51896050031958551152013-03-18T16:16:09.884-07:002013-03-18T16:16:09.884-07:00I think it is too early to say we need to go outsi...I think it is too early to say we need to go outside the industry. For two reasons.<br /><br />(1) Most wine businesses don't have that option as Adam Lee and Paul Mabray have said above. Some do, what I'd call tier 1, the ones with cashflow. The Napa wineries with private wealth and the Constellations, Gallos, K-Js with company wealth.<br /><br />The rest of the industry, a tier 2 with less access to cash, faces the same issues as other small and medium businesses, finding budget to attract top talent.<br /><br />So Tier 1 is welcome to, and does, go outside the industry and competes with the likes of Proctor & Gamble and Silicon Valley for top internet marketing talent. Tier 2 will have to decide whether they spend limited cash on a new tank or a top marketer - at least one can be depreciated ;)<br /><br />(2) The second reason is that the talent is willing and able - within the industry. I almost lost my voice two weeks ago, I had been doing wine internet marketing workshops with scores of wineries (and, er, trying their wine afterwards). Despite all my talking I kept hearing a common desire from old winemakers and wealthy wine owners, harried cellar door managers and sales reps, even savvy young brand managers … all had the desire to upskill their existing abilities from the old school of wine marketing (what I call "les sulfuristes") with the new school of wine marketing (which I call "les americaines" after the two schools of phyloxerra scientists in France, see my latest blog post).<br /><br />I think you've given up too soon Rob. Just look at the comments from Angela, Jon, Alana and @ManAboutWine. Why not upskill the loyal? Whether they be the CEO, family members or existing employees with great attitude and have promising ability when it comes to using software (proxy for CRM, Google Analytics, Social Connect) and Facebook (proxy for social media). Combine the talent of the people commenting above on a contractual/software basis, with the upskilled family members, cellar door managers or existing sales and marketing staff that have the right attitude. <br /><br />Bruce McGechan<br />Optimist and non French speakerBruce McGechanhttp://www.mylocalwinestore.com/blogging/noreply@blogger.com