I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and were able to relax, if only for a day. I know once Thanksgiving is over, the real fun begins for the next month.

 

Every holiday season brings new challenges, whether it is customers, employees, products we sell or wholesalers and suppliers we deal with. I truly believe there is never a dull moment in the liquor business, so enjoy every minute as best as you can.

 

I had the chance this fall to go to all 6 MMBA Regional Meetings held throughout the state, and it was very eye opening to me in many ways. It was great to hear all the stories from managers about what was working well. From special promotions, to community events, to wine club events, to poker night and the list goes on.

 

We heard how some stores saved money by cutting back on hours of operation, or by cutting staff during slow times, to keeping tighter control on inventory, to raising ice prices and changing their prices to .49 and .99.

 

Every manager, assistant manager and any other staff members should be commended for any and all changes made throughout the year.

 

See, there is never a dull moment in the liquor business.

 

I learned many managers need to get more comfortable in using their POS system, and not to worry so much if they make a mistake.

 

I also learned many managers don't like the idea of having to deal with another wholesaler or more salespeople. They say "I have too many salespeople and wholesalers the way it is."

 

So that brings up the question of, "How many is too many?" I wish I knew.

 

However, I do know if they have product I need, and product my customers want, I better start doing business with them.

 

The easy way to do business is to buy most products from one wholesaler. But no one said this business is easy.

 

I have found working with multiple wholesalers keeps all of them on their toes to make sure I'm getting the best price.

 

In addition, if I choose not to work with a wholesaler, who does that hurt? I say both the liquor facility customer (they can't purchase what they came for) and the liquor facility itself (they lose sales and profit due to less customers and possible higher cost of goods).

 

I know we can't work with every Minnesota wholesaler but I would think we would want to work with the biggest in the market. I know of stores that do not do business with Johnson Brothers or Wirtz or Southern or Quality for some real or perceived reason.

 

I believe to be as profitable as possible I need to work with and foster good relationships with each and every wholesaler I do business with.

 

In these tough times we need to be smarter than ever, and limiting access to product and pricing will only limit our profitability over time.

 

Every day we see change, so embrace it and good things will happen.

 

Wishing you all a safe and happy Holiday Season!!!

 

Steve Grausam
Liquor Director-City of Edina

 

 

 

 

 

Great managers are consistent, credible, promote stability and communicate well:

 

Consistency: It is difficult to follow a leader who is inconsistent. They may be seen unpredictable and/or wishy-washy.

           

Credibility: It is impossible to respect a leader who has no credibility. They can be seen as untrustworthy and insincere.

           

Stability: It is uncomfortable to work for a leader who does not create stability in the workplace and may even appear to promote instability and insecurity.

 

Communication: It is difficult to follow a leader who cannot, or does not, communicate well. They are often misunderstood and believed to be lacking clarity of vision and/or direction.

By DMSRetail

 

Anytime we're heading into a busy season, it pays to take some time to talk about selling what you've got in stock.

This is often referred to as SWAT - Sell What's Available Today.

To all managers... don't accept excuses or complaints. Whatever your store does not have available to sell on any given day...it simply cannot sell and it serves no purpose, whatsoever, to complain about this.

Maybe you didn't get enough, maybe another store, or even another retailer got more, maybe replenishment is slow. It really doesn't matter what the reason...the fact that it is not in your store to sell means you need to sell something else. Period. The alternative to selling something else is to sell nothing...and that really isn't going to help, is it?

So, not having the perfect inventory cannot be used as a reason, or excuse, for lack of productivity.

Having said that, however, DMSRetail always advocates excellence in customer service which includes selling the right product to your customer based on their needs and wants.

But, it is very often possible to find an alternative for your customer...particularly during gift giving seasons; one that will be of value to them and will suit their needs very well. And they will likely appreciate your e fforts as it will save them time looking elsewhere.

 

Your Sales Associates should be knowledgeable enough to interest customers in a solid alternative that you do have in stock.

And, quite apart from the benefit to the customer, remember one critically important fact - you have inventory in your store that the company owns; probably many thousands of dollars worth of inventory, and it must be sold at some point.

The fact that you may not have enough of the merchandise that is easy to sell is unfortunate but, again, you do have inventory to sell. And provided that you are giving your customer value with a good alternative, it's your job to do just that - sell your inventory.

Of course, sometimes a customer wants a specific item and cannot be persuaded to purchase an alternative, and that's fine. At least you've tried.

 

Hint: Stay on top of product knowledge more than ever during the holiday season; check out new items that are coming in so you're aware of what you've got in store. Keep the idea of alternatives in mind when asking your open ended questions during the 'determining needs' step of the selling process.

The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership

 

 Click Here to View the New Wine 101 On-Line Training

A man has a few drinks in a bar and asks what his tab is.

"$20, plus tip."

"I'll bet you double or nothing that I can bite my eye."

The bartender accepts the bet.

The guy proceeds to pop out his glass eye and bite it.

He has a few more drinks and asks for his bill again.

The bartender tells him that it comes to $30, plus tip.

He bets the bartender he can bite his other eye.

Thinking he can't possibly lose, the bartender accepts the bet.

The guy then proceeds to take out his false teeth and uses them to bite his other eye.