Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association Newsletter
(April 4, 2010 - April 10, 2010)
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for the
As I See It...... 
 
Clean Up 

Spring Cleaning is in the air!!


Spring is coming and we should make sure we are ready.

Facility Cleanliness:


Make sure the parking lot and sidewalks are presentable, they can get a little dingy and a heavy winter. It may be a good time if you have carpets to get them cleaned after everyone drags their dirty salty feet over them all winter. Also vent cleaning, this seems like an area easily forgotten. We never look up, but it can get thick around those heat and air ducts. Make sure the feather duster gets a work out and there are no dust bunnies living on the bottom shelf. 
 
Inventory Cleanliness:


For wine you want to make sure to clearance out any seasonal or holiday wines, especially Nouveau. Make room for summer wines such as Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays and Pinot Grigios. Also make sure you are getting into the spring and summer beers and getting rid of the winter and heavy beers. Also get rid of those old displays that have been sitting around all winter long ! Also as we get closer to summer where the ice will start to sell, check you mark ups and make sure you are making enough money.  Look at your competition and never worry about being the lowest ice price. It is an additional sale!!  Average 5 pound ice prices around the state are $1.49-$ 1.69.
 
Promotion Cleanliness:


It's a good time to look at setting a schedule of what you will promote all summer long. Some beer prices are starting to come down after that raise at the beginning of the year. Also look for deals for higher end wine.  Prices are dropping because of the economy, so be wise and buy right.

 

Staff Cleanliness:


Okay that sounds weird, but make sure your staff is representing your organization in a professional manner! Also take a look a scheduling and make sure staff is aware of working any busy holidays coming up. The 4th of July falls on a Sunday this year. That will be a nice break for everyone.
 
That's about it for now, enjoy your spring and Go Twins!!

 
Tom Agnes
Brooklyn Center Liquor Manager
MMBA President
Liquid Assets: Many Local 'Munis' are New, Improved
 
New 

BILL WARD, Star Tribune

Scott Swanson is justifiably proud of Apple Valley's new, environmentally focused liquor store. With 70 wells beneath the parking lot and three ponds collecting rainwater for re-use, lights that adjust when sunlight beams in and a geothermal heating and cooling system, the building earned Minnesota's first "Green Globes" rating from the Green Building Institute.

Even the tasting bar is made from recycled glass.

But the red, white and pink liquids in the wine bottles, rather than any "green" features, are what make Apple Valley #3 very much not your Uncle Pete's municipal liquor store.

A slew of brews, including a raft of craft beer, and a vast array of spirits take up much of the 15,900 square feet at 5470 W. 157th St. But the wide-aisled wine section -- carpeted, soothingly lit and beautifully stocked by savvy store manager Rick Heyne -- is a difference-maker.

"We're getting people who travel further than the standard two or three miles into this store," said Swanson, director for all three Apple Valley munis.

Other communities have moved in a similar, if less green, direction. Eden Prairie recently remodeled two of its three "munis," and Wayzata is building a long-overdue new one.

And from Apple Valley to Buffalo, from Mound to Columbia Heights, wine inventories have improved. The reason is older than wine itself.

"Supply and demand," said Randall Johnsen, liquor manager for the city of Monticello. "The demand comes from Americans, who are drinking more and more wine. Also, the amount, and quality, of wines available have gone through the roof the past decade. And the public is more educated about them, more willing to try the 'next thing.'

The faltering economy actually helped, he added. "Restaurants are one of the first to suffer in a tough economy, forcing distributors to find new outlets for their wines. [That has] allowed a savvy municipal manager to provide customers with the Silver Oaks, Cakebreads and Turleys that they used to have to shop for at Haskell's and Surdyk's."

Whether buying Silver Oak or Yellow Tail, muni customers know that some of their expenditures might come back to them.

Apple Valley's profits all go to the city's Parks and Recreation Department, Swanson said. And while not all of Minnesota's 244 munis are profitable every year, they did provide $18 million for their respective city funds in 2008.

And that's no small amount of green.

Are You Asking These Fundamental Marketing Questions??
 
Question Mark 
By BarOwners.com 
 
You can't give your customers what they want if you don't know what
they want.  Ask questions before you start any marketing initiative to uncover your customer's needs and your competitive advantages.
 
With the answers you find, you can see marketing opportunities and create offerings that will bring in new customers and allow you to sell more to your existing clientele.
 
Here are 3 Essential Questions to ask for Successful Marketing:
 
1. Who exactly are your customers?
 
When you find out who your customers are, you can effectively market
to them.  You may also find that you could expand your customer base
by marketing to another type of customer. 
 
For example, say most of your customers are professional men, 25-35
years old and making between $50,000-$100,000 per year.  You realize
that your bar (or liquor store) isn't appealing to women of the same age and income level.  

With this information, you can change your marketing strategy to
include promotions that will attract more females into your bar.  
 
2. Why do customers come into your bar?
 
The answer to this question will help you identify the strengths of
your bar and also areas where you can offer additional products or
services to your customers. 
 
For example, if customers come into your bar to relax and unwind from
the day's stresses, one of your strengths is that your bar's ambiance
is peaceful and non-threatening. 
 
You could add to your product offering with a stress relief cocktail
menu featuring drinks like ginger martinis.   
 
3. What do you offer that your competition doesn't? What does your competition offer that you don't?
 
These answers may lead you to adding new products or services to your
offerings, or it may bring you to the realization that your competition
isn't doing things to reach the same type of customer that you are. 
 
If you find that your competitor is offering something that you might
want to offer also, you can add it to your bar. 
 
But be wary of copying things that the competition does, you want your
bar to stand out and not blend in with the rest and you can never know
if what the competition is doing is really profitable. 
 
Instead of copying the competition, think of things that you can offer
that will be unique to your bar. 
Future Dates to Remember!!
 
 
May 15-18, 2010 Arrowwood 
Ask A Director
 
Gary Buysse
Rogers
763-428-0163
 
Bob Leslie
 Pelican Rapids
218-863-6670
 
Brian Hachey
Stacy
651-462-2727
 
Nancy Drumsta
Delano
763-972-0578
 
Lara Smetana
Pine City
320-629-2020
 
Joyce Zachmann
Spring Lake Park
763-780-8247
 
Virgene Shellenbarger
Hutchinson
 320-587-2762
 
Tom Agnes
Brooklyn Center
763-381-2349
 
Steve Grausam
Edina
952-903-5732
 
Toni Buchite
50 Lakes
218-763-2035
 
Michelle Olson
Sebeka
218-837-9745
E-Mail Me
 
Bridgitte Konrad
North Branch
651-674-8113
 
Paul Kaspszak
MMBA
763-572-0222
1-866-938-3925

 
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2010 MMBA Conference
Vending
No Vending Machine Selling!!!!!
 
Idea of the Week
Mission Statement
Have a Mission Statement
 
A mission statement explains what the purpose of your business is with regards to your customers.
 
Have your employees assist in creating a mission statement which should be printed and posted where your employees and customers can read it.
 
For example, here is the Lakeville Liquor Mission Statement:
 
Lakeville Municipal Liquor Stores exist to control the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
 
While our municipal operations generally produce a profit, they are authorized only as an effective means of control.
 
No matter how profitable, our municipal operations are justified only if we encourage moderation and consistently observe and enforce all regulations contained in liquor laws, including those related to hours of operation, sales to minors and intoxicated persons, gambling on the premises, and sale for the purpose of resale. 
 

 Leaders always find a way to make things happen