Different Hosts, Different Parties

So it has been way too long since I posted. I guess I didn't realize how helpful this was, but I've been getting verbal feedback from new consultants who have been reading it so I'll definately be more diligent about posting. The goal is every week, but with kids, family, business, etc... I'll try to at least write about our weekly parties.

Anyway, the last 3 months have been some of the most fun I've ever had in the business. Of course there are lows and highs, but overall I can't believe this is "work". Since my last post we have had several more, obviously. Here are some challenges and things we learned from them.

The Family Reunion

It was a really fun party to do. What a great way to spend time with family and do something new! The energy in the room was really good almost too good. There was a lot of excitement to see one another and visit. Older family members were very interested in the wine tasting, some of the younger ones were mildly interested depending on their experience with wine, and the kids that were brought could obviously care less. What we learned is that when it comes to family reunions they are not gathering to learn about and buy wine, they are coming to socialize. This is fine as long as going in we realize that we are the entertainment and we get our host to buy extra wine for their party before hand. We still closed out some good sales for the night so it was worth it, just a bit more work than we thought going in. Some host coaching tips here. Remind them this is a wine event, all present need to be 21 & over. Please don't serve hard alcohol to guests before the tasting, it alters their palate and we don't want anyone overdrinking. And, if some of the guests are really not that interested in learning about wine, maybe they could go to another room to watch the game or something. That way everyone has a good time doing what they want & there will be plenty of wine left over to try as they would like to.

The Sharing Party

I call it this because this is a party where the host invites their friends that don't have very much money, but they want to do something nice for them and include them in something fun. The hard part with these parties is that you can't predict them. Good host coaching is key here. Make sure to emphasize that they should invite their wine loving friends. We want all to come and have a good time, but it's really discouraging to walk away with $40 in sales.

The Young Crowd

This can be a really fun, great party or a bust. It's similar to the family reunion in that some are there to drink & not to buy. But again this is an unpredictable group. So many young people are really into wine and trying new wines. We found that the wine club is something that did really well at this party.

In our most succesful parties that we've had, we've stumble across this formula:

1. Get the host to serve sparkling wine as the guests arrive. It creates a fun, festive atmosphere, but it doesn't alter peoples perception as to what the party will be like.

2. Good communication and coaching with the host to help them understand your vision for the tasting and make sure you understand theirs. Wine tasting parties are kind of a new concept and so its our job to teach people how they should go.

3. Practice presenting the wine. We have learned that it takes between 6-10 tastings before we really got everything down that we wanted to say. We've made lots of notes in our tasting book to help us and keep us on track, but every tasting is different. Stay relaxed and go with the flow. Guide the guests and don't try to be a dictator. Have Fun!

I made this post about parties, but it was just to get up to date. Next time I will talk about wine. We have learned sooooo much about wine I can't wait to share it, but it'll have to wait until next time!