Having attended a few significant conferences and presentations of late, viz the Wine Tourism Conference, South Africa Wine Summit, and others, the message is clear: understand who your customers are, engage with your visitors, and provide a world-class experience. By doing so, you'll ultimately improve profitability and long-term loyalty.
"As a millennial, we don't have the attention span of our predecessors, and so we won't remember what you tell us, but we will remember how you made us feel. It is so important to create memorable experiences," said the passionate and energetic GM and winemaker at Beau Constantia, Megan van der Merwe.
Below, we share five reasons to train your tasting room staff and give them the tools and skills to provide an experience to remember.
5 reasons to train your tasting room staff
1. Enhanced wine knowledge
Training equips tasting room staff with a deeper understanding of the winery's wines, winemaking processes, and grape varieties. This allows them to answer guest questions with confidence, make informed recommendations, and inform guests about the wine, leading to a more engaging and enjoyable tasting experience.
2. Improved guest experience
Training focuses on communication skills, understanding guests' needs, and exceeding their expectations. This results in a more positive and personalised experience for guests, increasing satisfaction and encouraging repeat visits and residual sales.
3. Increased sales
A well-trained team can effectively guide guests through the tasting process, highlighting the unique characteristics of each wine and its pairing suggestions. Recommendations that are tailored to guests' tastes can also enhance the experience and perception of the winery. This, in turn, leads to more confident purchasing decisions and increased sales volume.
4. Stronger brand loyalty
By delivering an exceptional experience and providing valuable insights into the wine and the winery's story, a well-trained team builds a strong connection with guests. This can lead to increased brand loyalty and repeat business, as guests are more likely to return to a winery or purchase their wines in store if they feel valued and had a positive guest experience.
5. Higher business profitability
Training can be a proactive investment that leads to tangible results like increased sales and reduced service issues. Employee training is also known to reduce staff turnover, improve employee morale, and create stronger business continuity that builds a lasting legacy. A well-trained team is loyal, productive, efficient, and less likely to make mistakes, ultimately boosting the winery's bottom line.
DTC Academy training courses for tasting room staff
Our DTC Academy has crafted valuable in-person training courses with exactly these aspects in mind. Our lead trainer, Neil Tabraham, has many years of experience in the field of direct-to-consumer wine sales, hospitality, training and marketing.
Each candidate will receive a detailed study guide and certificate. The minimum number of candidates per course is 4, and the optimum number is 10-15 candidates.
We can offer these on your premises or at your wine route, and also will be running courses at wine.co.za offices in Somerset West over the next few months. See our scheduled training days HERE.
Wine Advisor Level 1: Introduction to wine and service (R1 890 pp)
The morning session looks at the basics of wine; the history and culture of wine, where grapes grow best, how wine is made and understanding the label, before looking at the main wine regions of South Africa.
The afternoon session focuses on understanding guest needs and suggestive up-selling, which includes practical application of newly acquired skills.
Wine Advisor Level 2: Deeper dive into wine and effective engagement (R2 300)
The morning session gives a deeper knowledge of South African wine, its regions, climates and soils with an enhanced understanding of winemaking. Candidates will learn to compare key wine styles with international examples to give context and background when talking with guests.
The afternoon session provides strategies for building professional rapport, effective selling and delivering a real wow factor, leaving guests wanting to come back for more.
Wine Sales Advisor Level 3: Sales and service focus (R1 500)
This is a sales- and service-oriented course, designed to enhance the guest experience and deliver a wow-factor for wine knowledgeable teams.
*All pricing excludes VAT.
Due to popular demand, we are also looking into offering training for tasting room managers. We welcome input on your needs.
Please take a minute to complete our TRAINING NEEDS QUESTIONNAIRE HERE so that we can understand your requirements better.
If you are interested in discussing any of these, please contact Judy Brower: judy@wine.co.za | 076 011 0753 | 021 8512737
