If this was easy, everyone would do it. Setting expectations is difficult. After all, we all want perfection and success, so isn’t it just positive thinking to predict that your campaigns will be victorious? That’s what “The Secret” tells us, anyway. But while it can’t hurt to take a stab at manifesting abundance and contemplating gratitude, you are likely using more concrete values, such as benchmarks and previous performance, to project the results of your marketing campaigns to your management. We submit additional data points to anticipate reasonable responses to your marketing campaigns. These data points are: What environment exists around this campaign? What workload can I reasonably handle successfully? What does my management consider, including the cost of goods sold? Let’s break each of these down and include some real-life winery examples.* CONTEXT – WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY? Many marketing decisions are best made with

Afternoon Brief: What Do Neo-Prohibitionists Really Want?

Organizations that advocate for more stringent policies around the sale and marketing of alcohol are gaining momentum. What does this mean for the beverage industry?...

Listen to this article! By acting environmentally and socially responsible today, we give future generations a healthy place to call home. The actions that you as an individual take have an impact. The summer months bring more staff and guests into tasting rooms across the country. Invite your whole team to join in your brand’s sustainability efforts when you practice these 5 Sustainable Tasting Room Habits. 5 Sustainable Tasting Room Habits   Tip #1: Conserve Simple actions like completely shutting off water faucets after use and notifying management of leaks help to conserve this limited resource. Turning lights and appliances off when not in use reduces electricity use. Although the commercial end-use energy sector uses the smallest amount of energy of the four sectors (transportation [36%], industrial [35%], residential [16%], commercial [13%]), the majority of the energy used comes from fossil fuels (EIA.gov, 2022). Small efforts in the workplace reduc

Mosquitoes do not respect human-defined boundaries. Your commercial property may not have any of the conditions that promote mosquito breeding, like an overgrown landscape, or standing water – and as little as a quarter-inch of the latter will suffice. But if those conditions are present at the property down the street,  your property can be at risk for these unwanted visitors. Mosquitoes possess numerous unique characteristics. Their most notable trait is that they are vectors of numerous diseases, including West Nile virus, malaria, dengue, and equine encephalitis (EEE). Although your local mosquito and vector control agency provides community-wide population control of mosquitoes, Clark Pest Control’s SWAT Mosquito service offers targeted, ongoing coverage to owners and managers of commercial properties. SWAT Mosquito service uses a three-pronged approach to mosquito control, serviced year round, to ensure that your business, employees, customers, and guests ar

It's tough out there right now. COVID cases are on the rise, scaring both our customers and employees. Bank relief programs are ending, but the virus looks like it is just getting started. Even if we are in an area that can open a tasting room, we're not sure what the rules are this week, or exactly how to alter our protocol to keep everyone safe. With harvest looming and the farming community profoundly affected, some wonder if they'll get their grapes picked at all this year. My day is spent hearing the stories and struggles of so many within our community, I wish I could do more to help. All I have to offer is my experience. This is not a sales article. I'm not pitching anything. I don't have a silver bullet, but I can share some advice on how to help your businesses. Waiting is not a strategy. The first day wineries were closed in California we lost 5 clients – all calling to apologetically say they were cutting spending while the tasting room was c