The hospitality project launched by WTSA in 2016 will continue in 2017, and will expand to other regions on request. The project consists of monthly one-day workshops held at Jordan Estate.
Background
The level of customer satisfaction as well as winery staff who are passionate and knowledgeable about the entire winemaking process – from the soil to the senses – influence the decision to buy, the amount spent and the number of bottles purchased in a Tasting Room.
It is critical to train staff in customer service, product knowledge and sales. Although tasting room staff may be friendly and knowledgeable, they may not ‘ask’ for a sale and ‘hope’ that customers will buy just because they had a nice experience.
Training in all aspects of tasting room operations, products and services available as well as local tourism and destination attractions will also contribute towards the tasting room experience.
Through a need assessment done by WTSA in 2016, the following training needs were identified.
- From the Soil to the Senses (the complete process from winemaking to tasting)
- Wine Sales and Marketing
- How to present a wine tasting
- Excellence in wine and client service
- Comparative Tasting – Wines of the World vs. South African wines
- Wine and Food Pairings
- Social and Emotional Intelligence
- Photography for “Dummies”
Except for training needs, the following needs were also identified.
- Networking opportunities
- Mentorship
- An induction programme for students and part-time staff
The following workshops were presented in 2016, were all fully booked and will be repeated in 2017.
The content of the Workshop, Wine Sales and Marketing includes:
- Strategies and ways to increase direct sales (for example in a tasting room)
- The Don’ts of Direct Sales
- Analyse client needs
- Encourage and motivate employees / part time employees to deliver excellent service and sell more wine
- Sales process, buy signals and overcoming objections
- Closing – How to ask for, and get the sale
- Investigate Wine Clubs and Mailing lists
- Investigate ways to create relationships and long term relationships with potential clients and how to strengthen relationships with current clients
- Practical Hints i.e. How to handle big groups and rowdy crowds; Dress sense in this day and age; Selling “the self” and it’s limits; The “I know wine better than you” group and tour guide!; Knowledge on Winery, neighbours, restaurants, Exports – which countries, have a list of importers and contact details available etc.
- Case Study
The content of workshop, Excellence in Wine and Client Service as follows:
- Wine Service : The Wine Law, Bottles and Glasses, Temperature, Opening and Pouring , Wine etiquette and much much more
- 5 Star Client Service
- What is the purpose of a tasting room?
- Disney’s Chain of Excellence
- How do we create a culture of Service Excellence
- 4 Keys to Great Guest Experience
- Daily Non-Negotiables
- Show you genuinely C A R E
- How to create great guest experiences
- Code of Conduct for tasting room staff
- W I N E
- 5 Steps to improve customer service
- Analyze
- Staff Training
- Develop teamwork
- A T T I T U D E
- Follow-up
- Do it again…….
The content of the Workshop, How to present a Wine Tasting – The why, the who and the how as follows:
- Who needs to taste?
- “I don’t know how to taste”
- Points to take into consideration beforehand
- 5 Basic senses of sweetness, acidity, astringency (bitterness), saltiness, Umami and possibly a sixth, fat
- Criteria for Scoring and Two ways of scoring
- How to taste
- Pointers to identify ‘nose’
- Classification according to sugar levels
- Wine styles and different bottle shapes
- What do you need to conduct a wine tasting?
- Practical demonstration on how to taste wine
New Workshops for 2017 include :
- 31 March – From the Soil to the Senses
- 26 May – Wine Sales and Marketing
- 30 June – Creative light photography
- 25 August – How to present a wine tasting
- 29 September – Wine and food pairing
- 27 October – Social and Emotional Intelligence
- 24 November – Excellence in wine and client services
- Wines of the World vs South African wines – Date to be announced.
WTSA has a formidable team of presenters, including a Tasting Room Manager, Marketers, Public Relation Officers, a Clinical Psychologist, Photographer, all with a passion for people, training and development.
More information available from
emma@winetrainingsa.co.za