Stop Tamping Down Your Sales Expectations: How to Grow Your Brand

Moving up the down staircase

There will always be “gatekeepers” telling brand owners to temper their expectations regarding their growth goals.

They point to the category’s current state and say it’s unrealistic to expect growth in a down market.

This is poppycock, of course, because if that were entirely true, there wouldn’t be any brands growing, and the data tells a different story.

According to IRI scan data for the last 52 weeks, roughly ⅔ of all wine brands sold in grocery stores have a lower unit sales volume than last year.

But what about the other ⅓ of brands? Are they down, too? Of course not.

The fact is, it IS possible to grow in a down market. It’s called gaining market share.

So, why are some brands growing sales and gaining market share despite the downward pressures on the category? What are they doing to buck the trend?

Let me tell you; it has just as much to do with what they are not doing as with what they are doing. I'll be sure to explain more about this in a moment.

Reframing your perspective

It is indeed possible to grow sales and market share in a depressed category, but it will only happen if you refuse to succumb to the “wisdom of the crowd.”

Here’s a quick but illustrative anecdote to make my point.

I started selling wine to restaurants for a distributor in Houston in 1984, right when the bottom fell out of oil prices. Restaurants were hurting, and one way this showed up was that they started ordering wines by bottle instead of full cases to keep inventory levels low and tie up less cash.

The sales team I was part of constantly moaned and complained about their decreasing sales and their “inability to achieve their sales quotas.”

One day at our weekly sales team meeting, the sales manager asked me to stand up. He said, “Do you know why Salisbury is the only one with positive sales growth this month? Because he doesn’t know any better.”

This “down market” was the only environment I’d ever known as a salesperson. I wasn’t around when sales were going gangbusters.

My sales manager was right. My ignorance of the current reality meant my perspective was untainted by all the negative energy that existed at the time.

I needed money and intended to get it by crushing my sales goals and reaping the bi-weekly bonuses being paid at the time.

My benightedness left me free to control the things I could and ignore everything else.

That is the mindset I’m inviting you to adopt.

Sometimes, you eat the bear; sometimes, the bear eats you

There will be winners and losers no matter what consumer product you compete in.

I just shared the data above. Fully ⅓ of wine brands are experiencing growth. Why not your brand?

Will you adopt an Eeyore-like attitude and say, “Oh, well. The sky has fallen. Always knew it would.”

Are you just going to throw up your hands in acceptance and despair?

Or worse, wait for “someone” to change the 3-tier laws, wait for “the industry” to turn things around, or wait until the younger generation changes their buying behavior?

I’m a firm believer that capability is built into your desire. If you desire sales and revenue growth and are willing to do what it takes to win, you will win.

So don’t let ANYONE tamp down your expectations - beginning with yourself and your team.

What used to work no longer works (or works as well)

I don’t think it is too hyperbolic to suggest that you adapt or die.

“But HOW do I adapt, Ben?” I’m so glad you asked.

An excellent first step is to toss out the “old playbook” for selling wine and spirits and adopt the new one.

If you’re still going to market the way you did ten years ago, I have no sympathy if your sales are declining.

A new environment calls for new strategies.

Brands enjoying growth are doing things differently. They leverage data, pay more attention to their customers’ needs (trade and consumers), and use technology expertly.

But they don’t stop there. They are changing how they sell, their expectations of what distributors can do for them, and their actions to become more self-reliant.

They are spending less time and money on things that cannot be scaled and much more on things that can be scaled.

Defy the odds with the “modern” playbook for wine and spirits sales

Here are seven things you should stop doing and eight things you should start doing:

Stop 🛑

1. Expecting your distributors to sell for you. Those days are over, and they’re not coming back. This goes for every brand, regardless of size. You’ll have to do it yourself if it's important to you.
2. Treating all accounts as if they had the same volume potential. The key to accelerating sales is to narrow your focus to only the most attractive and responsive accounts.
3. Lowering prices to prop up sales. The damage to your brand equity will be irreparable. Price is only an issue in the absence of value.
4. Focusing on the features and benefits of your products. This way of selling went out of fashion in the 1950s. The more you act like a salesperson, the less you will sell.
5. Confusing activity with achievement. Being busy is part of the job, but it isn’t THE job.
6. Participating in antiquated and futile sales tactics like blitzes and work-withs.
7. Depending too much on your tasting room to generate sales. Learn how to sell outside your tasting room.

Start ⏩

1. Learn how to hold your sales team accountable for results.
2. Putting your customers' needs first and your needs second. Read Buyer First and To Sell Is Human.
3. Unlock the true and incredible power of “modern” email marketing. Newsletters are a relic from the 1980s when email was new, and no one knew what else to do.
4. Shift sales team compensation to the at-risk side by offering a modest base salary and letting them sell their way to top earnings.
5. Learn how to hire killer salespeople.
6. Invest in modern sales training for your sales team. I am NOT talking about product knowledge here.
7. Learn how and why a cloud-based, mobile-friendly CRM system can transform sales.
8. Learn how to generate your demand digitally. Digital lead generation and the use of lead magnets are game changers!
   
   
   

Defy the odds: your path to growth starts now

In every industry, including wine and spirits, some thrive despite the odds and those who fall victim to external circumstances.

The key difference lies in mindset and adaptability.

As you've seen, embracing change, discarding outdated practices, and focusing on scalable, customer-centric strategies are non-negotiables for growth.

Don't allow the market's challenges or the naysayers to dampen your expectations. Instead, set your sights on growth, redefine your playbook, and pursue it relentlessly.

Just to remind you, your potential is only as limited as your willingness to act.

Be the brand that rises above the storm, not succumbs to it. Your success story starts with bold choices today.