Friday, August 22, 2008

2 Strip Clubs, a Biker Bar and a Pizza Joint


Just returned from a sales blitz working the Atlanta market with Georgia Crown, our distributor for OVAL vodka and Absinthe Mata Hari. After one particular day of account calls this was how Dave Stringfellow summed up my accomplishments: "So let me get this straight, you were out in the market all day and you called on 2 strip clubs, a biker bar and a pizza joint?" Well, yeah. The good news is we sold both brands into all four accounts. Pictured here is the proprietor of Knuckleheads (the biker bar)
Sphere: Related Content

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Lessons learned from selling on the street

I've been in Atlanta working with our distributor Georgia Crown on a sales blitz/kickoff Oval Vodka and Absinthe Mata Hari.

Key learning 1: the pushback from on and off premise retailers we're hearing about the flood of new products, particularly vodkas, just isn't very significant. Sure, the first response you can expect is "Oh, no, not another Vodka." But when you start asking questions, we found that the reality is retailers very clearly recognize the importance of the category, the interest consumers in new items, and the need to carry new items to respond to those consumer needs and interests. And when it comes to new categories like Absinthe, the interest is very high.

So even in a "down" economy the market is still open and vibrant, albeit a little more cautious and conservative on inventory investments. So I guess the lesson I'm learning this week is get out of the office onto the street and see for yourself what's happening out there and where the opportunities are. Don't let the gloom and doom purveyers in the media determine your perception of what's really going on. We may be in a recession and consumers certainly are changing their drinking habits. But there is always room for new brands and programs. Keep in mind that what makes the difference for them is not your brands, but how your brands can help them grow their revenues and profits. Sphere: Related Content

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Scientific American article on magnifying taste

For those who are really into Darcy's presentation on sensory perception at TOTC (which he's now posted on his site), here's the link to the SA article (August 08 issue) on taste: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=magnifying-taste Sphere: Related Content