Small but mighty. That's the phrase that kept coming back to me throughout last week's webinar. The three panelists who joined us are running lean DTC teams — Chelsea Leniart, Wine Club Manager at Scheid Family Wines, Hilary Berkey, Director of Sales, Marketing and Operations at Emeritus Vineyards, and Kristy Quigley, Operations Manager at Alma Rosa Winery. "Lean teams" meaning two or three people deep. At the most. The outsized results they're seeing, in a market that everyone agrees is hard, are genuinely remarkable. Here's some highlights and takeaways from  what they shared in last week's webinar. On Wine Club Customization The fear is that if you give members flexibility, they'll race to the bottom and swap out for your cheapest wines.  What Chelsea actually found was the opposite.  By studying what members customized in the previous year's March run, she reshaped this year's offering mor

Wineries that are finding traction aren't just grinding harder. They're leaning on better tools. Tools, that is, that do the heavy lifting so that the wineries can focus on what they do best: making great wine and building real relationships with their customers. That's what this free webinar is all about, on Thursday, April 9 at 11 am PST / 2 pm EST. We'll walk you through the specific tools and strategies that are helping wineries grow — even in a down market. Here's a preview of what we'll cover: AI-driven sales suggestions. Our machine learning algorithms look at your customer data and tell you exactly who to call, what wine to pitch them, and when. These are smart, predictive tools for both sales and customer retention that lead directly to increased revenue. Marketing automation that actually works. Set up a highly targeted campaign in about five minutes (minus writing the actual message), with built-in safeguards so you don't overserve your

In this free, one-hour webinar, you’ll hear from industry experts and top-performing peers who are using data to grow their outbound sales. We will share growth tools for building high-performing, hyper-segmented lists without spending hours creating segments or exporting and importing spreadsheets. You’ll learn to use predictive analytics tools to anticipate when customers are likely to purchase again, and send them relevant offers they are interested in. And we will share key integrations that both speed the outreach process and drive greater campaign ROI. You do not need to be an Enolytics client to sign up for this webinar, and any DTC winery leader or operator can benefit from the tools and tactics presented. If you’re ready to sell more wine through your outbound sales channel, sign up below. We can’t wait to see you there. Thursday, March 19, 11:00am - 12:00pm (PDT) RSVP  

Perspective is Everything: Are You Waiting or Winning? There are two ways to look at today’s tasting room traffic rollercoaster: You can dwell on empty seats, tight budgets, and yesterday’s numbers—or you can embrace uncertainty as the spark that ignites innovation, focus, and results. At WISE, we believe this is our chance to lean in, not lean back. It’s time for a bias for action. The most successful winery leaders don’t wait for the doors to swing open—they open new doors, every day, with intention and creativity. If you’re ready to shift gears, here are 10 proven, actionable ways to sell more wine DTC—no matter what your foot traffic looks like this week. 1. Leverage Your Data Goldmine Segment your existing customer data. Reach out to top buyers, club members, and those who haven’t purchased lately with a personalized offer. Don’t let leads grow cold—your database is your secret weapon. It goes without saying, this

From blog posts and email campaigns to Instagram Reels and virtual tastings, the content you create sets the tone for how people discover, engage with, and connect to your winery. Great content isn’t just filler for your website or social media—it’s a powerhouse tool for growing your winery’s audience, converting casual visitors into loyal wine club members, and driving revenue.  Even better, content works double-duty: it supports inbound marketing, by attracting new customers who find you organically, and outbound marketing, by amplifying your message through ads, email, and other promotional efforts. Whether you’re sharing your winemaking journey, crafting a how-to wine pairing guide, or highlighting your latest release, well-planned content is key to building your brand and boosting your sales. Here’s how to create winery content that attracts, engages, and converts your audience into loyal customers and club members. What Is Inbound Marketi

SimpleTexting for Classic WineDirect Classic WineDirect users looking to leverage their existing opt-in SMS lists now have an easy option to start messaging their customers: SimpleTexting for Classic WineDirect. This recently updated solution powers outbound SMS marketing campaigns, transactional messages like order confirmation & wine club sign-up, and 1-to-1 SMS conversations with wine customers. Pricing starts @ $98/mo, and onboarding takes less than a week, so you'll still be ready to profit from SMS messaging this holiday season. Place an order here or request a demo here. Happy Selling! VinterActive LLC

Join Jennie Gilbert, RedChirp Cofounder, and Molly Spurgin, vinSUITE Marketing Coordinator, as we unveil the secrets to leveraging text-based communication to drive sales. Learn exactly what has worked best for others, backed by insights from hundreds of wineries already utilizing SMS strategies.  Our focused discussion will be divided into three sections:  1. Inbound Essentials: Discover insights gleaned from analyzing tens of thousands of inbound conversations between real wineries and their customers, along with practical best practices uncovered by AI sentiment analysis.  2. Bulk Messaging Mastery: Gain insights from extensive analysis of outbound text campaigns across multiple wineries, real campaign examples, segmentation tutorials, and how to use them to boost non-club sales.  3. Navigating 2024 Challenges: Address emerging challenges and capitalize on opportunities with strategies you can implement this quarter to boost visits, reduce returns, and execute be

The changing landscape of sales Nearly every advancement in professional selling is due to the use of technology. When you fold in the rapid evolution of consumer behavior - such as independent online research and social media - you have a perfect storm that will leave most salespeople bobbing precariously in the wake of forward progress.  This article is intended as a wake-up call to all sales professionals in our industry. Salespeople who are comfortable with and proficient in using digital tools will reap significant advantages compared to “traditional” salespeople. The reward for the tech-savvy includes higher productivity and better customer insights. Adaptability is an attribute that will become increasingly prized as time goes on. Traditional versus modern sales methods Historically, most salespeople rely on ‘traditional’ means of selling. We are all familiar with these common methods, such as: Face-to-face appointments with samples in tow Phon

If you’ve been reading any marketing articles in the past few years, it’s all about multichannel marketing – or how you coordinate your messages across channels. At WineGlass Marketing, we have been testing and have some exciting case studies today to share on the benefits of integrating your marketing. What Is Integrated Marketing? Simply put, it’s when combining different channels tells the entire story. The idea is that the sum of the parts becomes more significant than the whole through a multidisciplinary approach. This is not a new concept; it’s just become more complicated to execute. Before the internet, we had print, broadcast, outdoor, and direct mail, so being integrated was relatively easy. Now, we must consider additional digital channels like email and social media. Plus, traditional channels are bifurcated with streaming services and digital magazines. Even an emerging service type, DSPs or Demand Side Platforms, is popping up to help mark

Chatterbox Wine Marketing are experts in running successful outbound campaigns that combine equal parts of service, sales, and engagement. They will share how all calls are successful, even the ones that don't result in a sale like reaching out to make an update to the customer’s account, credit card, or their wine preferences around an upcoming release. Steven Smith II, General Manager of Chatterbox Wine Marketing, shared how a little personal attention goes a long way with customers in driving sales.