Talence Group | Executive Search & Consulting’s Post

I'd love to say that this year's SVB report is unnecessarily dour, but I can't. In my opinion, the U.S. wine industry is far closer to the beginning of this correction than the end. However, well-run companies with disciplined management, solid cost controls and authentic branding backed by serious investment in attracting and maintaining customers, will be the winners. Grape costs are going to drop SIGNIFICANTLY barring some unforeseen climatic occurrence, providing substantial upside margin for nimble wineries with strong brands that can seize the opportunity. I'm sad to say, in my view, their success will come at the expense of many traditional farmers/brands that don't have the distribution, business model or wholesale/retail relationships to weather the storm. Buckle up folks, the next decade is going to require very disciplined leadership to win the day.

Interesting article. I like the honesty from Solectrac and how they are repositioning the business. It’s always important to maintain a close relationship with your end customer. I look forward to seeing Solectrac shift their GTM and overall business strategy.

Managing winery finances is a topic that keeps winery owners and leadership up at night. It's no surprise so many wineries are eager to learn best practices and ensure they avoid these four mistakes: 💸 Poor cash management 🍷 Inaccurately tracking and reporting on COGS 👫 Ineffective coordination across departments 👻 Unsuccessfully collaborating with finance partners We spoke with experts from METIS, LLC and Brotemarkle, Davis & Co LLP to learn how to tackle these issues. Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/g5gce2gz

The First 30 Days In a New Wine Sales Job Are Critical. A wine rep who can't introduce every producer in their book after 30 days on the job should quit immediatley. Here Is The Thing You MUST Do to Ensure Success Selling Wine For a New Distributor. Major wine markets like Chicago are hyper-competitive. Even veteran wine reps have to hustle to defend placements. New reps who don't invest in learning their book in the first 30 days have already started to fail. Fortunately, reps needn't memorize tech sheets to be taken seriously but they do have to remember one sentence about each producer. Anchors: The Keys To Ensuring More Sales An anchor is a sentence that follows a pattern to introduce a producer logically, simply, and memorably. Anchors present global, regional, and local information in one sentence. “Julien Brocard makes wine at Les 7 Lieux in the French appellation of Chablis, with bottlings from all levels including Grand Cru, Premier Cru, and Chablis." Written properly, an anchor allows a rep to introduce an estate confidently in just one sentence. Assignment: During the first 30 days at your new job, write and repeat anchoring phrases for each of your producers until you can recall them easily. The Good News: It's Easier Than You Think Anchoring producers simplifies the biggest challenge most new reps face: digesting the portfolio. Working in an orderly fashion, a rep can write unique anchors for each winery in a region or country with a few hours of dedicated work. Further, the repeated structure reveals connections and relationships that will serve as valuable memory prompts. By the third producer in a region, even the most foreign names will sound familiar. In one sentence, a rep with anchors shows their customers that they are going to be a serious partner. Any new rep can do this, but not every new rep will. Where will you be after your first 30 days? #wine #wineindustry #winesales #salesjobs #hiringnow #imhiring Photo Credit: Gosia Matuszewska, Rishi Productions Chicago Model Featured in the Photo: Michael McAvena

It’s #InternationalWineDay and I wanted to reflect on the moment that inspired me to go into the wine industry. In 2020, I celebrated my birthday during a time where covid restrictions were lifting and I went to my first winery tour in Solvang, CA. I had in depth conversation with the owner of the winery and he asked me what I was in college for. I went on to explain that I was a Marketing Major, but had no plans of what industry to dive into since the options are endless, especially living in Los Angeles. He then suggested, ‘well why not wine marketing?’. This sentence alone changed my entire perspective as I didn’t think of wine marketing being an option and what the career path looks like in that industry. He continued to explain the importance of wine marketing and how it may seem niche but there’s a lot to learn and accomplish in the alcohol industry. After that trip, I finished my college degree and was searching for any job to kickstart my career, but in the back of my mind I knew I wanted to eventually give it a shot in the wine industry. Fast forward to the end of 2022, I was given the opportunity to work for the most historic winery in Los Angeles and work with the powerhouse of wine brands and I can’t be any more grateful and motivated. Being in the wine industry has taught me so much and I know I’m still in the beginning stages of my career and it’s amazing to think how much more is yet to come. It’s quite interesting to think a simple conversation on a birthday trip truly impacted my career path and journey in life. I’m always so thankful for that owner for taking his time to educate me and guide me in this direction. Who knows what direction I would have went if I didn’t have someone in the field speaking passionately about their profession. As this post is a reflection of my journey to discovering the marketing side of the wine industry, I’d love for this to be a reminder to always ask questions if you want to know more about something or be the person who can educate someone on their career journey. You truly never know the impact one conversation can have on somebody. Cheers 🍷 #InternationalWineDay #WineMarketing #WineIndustry

Finding the right fit in the wine industry isn't just about skills—it's about culture. How do you ensure a new hire aligns with your winery's ethos? Share your insights below! #WineIndustry #HiringCulture

My ride today spied some mature vines doing their thing. Standing majestic. Soaking in the rays and breeze. It is the mature vines that yield the robust flavors you come to love and respect from a Napa Cab. Seeing old vines mixed among the new vines makes me appreciate a multi-generational approach to wine making. It takes on average 3 - 4 years for a new vine to produce grapes qualified enough to be picked and incorporated into the wine making process. If we think about on-boarding new talent, we could borrow from the vineyard. Mother Nature appreciates growth cycles. Do we as leaders of organizations pay respect to the nuturing cycles it takes to produce a viable outcome? The next time you enjoy a Cab from Oakville. Think about the vineyards and the maturity of the grapes that make you smile.

I like wine. Far from an expert. Know what I like and what my wife likes. However, have learned from folks who are knowledgeable that some wines need to breathe. The wine changes and evolves as it opens up. The second glass is different from the first glass. Interesting analogy to what we do here at The Mullings Group. When we partner with companies, the executives normally feel they have a good grasp of what type of person they want and need to hire. And then... After the first few people are interviewed, the opportunity opens up. Meeting talented individuals in the first round of conversations usually prompts questions and changes in impression of what would be the ideal hire. The role begins to evolve. It breathes. There becomes a clarity and allows for insight that would never have surfaced without time. Takes on a nuance that was not noticeable prior. Start to detect hints of personality traits and skills that would enhance the entire experience. Always wondered what it would be like to be a sommelier. To have that much knowledge and be able to use it to help people enjoy their time together. Did not think it was possible, but love what we do here a bit more than usual. Enjoy your weekend. See if the second glass is different than the first... #medtech #careers #hiring #wine

THE WINNING EQUATION - The Fast Track to Winery Success Are you struggling to make your winery a success? NOW IS THE TIME TO MOVE FROM STRUGGLE TO SUCCESS! Some background info first…   Recently I sent a message to everyone of my 1280 LinkedIn connections asking them if they personally knew any small winery owners I could connect with.    Shockingly, I heard several times that there weren't many small wineries left. All the big guys are buying them up. Could this be true?   The other day I was looking through all the wineries I follow on Instagram. I specifically was looking at every single one of them to see when their last post was. Many, far too many, haven't posted anything since 2021-22. Why?   A family member of mine had their own wine company for 5 years. They poured every penny made back into that winery. They never took a paycheck, and they never made a profit. They made amazing wines. Got double golds in wine competitions. They had to work a full-time job to support their family. It was a lot of work. In the end they had to shut it down.   This is why I started this business, to help small family wineries, just like yours, become successful, so you don't have to shut down or sell out. I want to help you fulfill your dream. I want to help you leave a legacy for your family.     I love seeing wineries that have been in business for several generations and now the grandkids or great grandkids are running the show. It warms my heart.   If you are struggling with your winery and need help to make it successful, I have some exciting news!   I have a program specifically for you, to help you: 🍷 get more online visibility 🍷 increase your online reputation 🍷 get more visitors to your online shop 🍷 get more members in your wine club 🍷 make more revenue AND more profit 🍷 run your business in a way that buys you back time 🍷 create and lead a high performing team 🍷 infuse your faith into your business in an impactful way 🍷🍷🍷 and more!   I developed a proprietary winning equation that will propel your winery to the next level.   I have space for 5 wineries right now who are ready to move their winery from struggle to success. I am offering this robust and transformational program at an incredible 90% discount off the full price.   Oh... and the “and more!” I mentioned earlier? It was going to be a secret. But I am so excited I can’t hold it in. When you successfully complete this program you will be spotlighted on my new YouTube channel and my podcast where we will celebrate your winery success!   If you are ready to go all in on your winery's success, just fill out an application. If approved we will schedule a time to chat! Easy peasy! (Link in the comments below).   Please share this with any other struggling family wineries you know. NO WINERY LEFT BEHIND!