Shipping Wine
Interview With a Wine Club Director
In the first of a series of interviews, we’re going to expose the perspectives and job duties of the people who make Peachy Canyon Winery tick.
If you’re a member of Peachy’s wine club, you’ve likely spoken to this first individual on the phone or via email at least once. For the rest of you, meet Ryan Lopez: Direct to Consumer Sales Manager and Wine Club Director.
The wine club is much more than an excellent way to receive a discount on your favorite Wines-although it is that, too-it is the place where the fruits of the vineyard and the customer intersect directly. For many family-owned wineries, the wine club is the heartbeat of the winery. A wine club provides a winery with a constant connection to its most dedicated and important customers, and creates an all important feedback loop between winery consumers and the winery itself.
Q: What would you say is the main thing you do as Wine Club Manager?
R: There’s really no one thing… I interface with customers, handle shipping schedules, create and implement marketing campaigns specific to the wineclub… It’s a job with many different hats. Which is great, because I love hats.
Q: We know it’s great to be a member at a neighborhood winery, but what does a wineclub do for someone who lives far away from a winery?
R: Members actually benefit if they live a distance from their favorite wineries. Besides getting the member discounts usually associated with Wine Clubs, members also get discounted shipping (at least at Peachy they do) and access to wines that wouldn’t be available out of state through normal avenues of distribution.
Q: What is your daily routine like?
R: I begin by answering all the members requests I’ve received over the night, I check all inventory to insure that we can fulfill orders, synchronize any new members with their purchases, prepare and plan for shipments to members.
Basically, the bulk of my daily efforts concentrate on communicating directly with club members and potential members, and then making sure we can provide our wines to them. There’s more of course-compliance software, tax codes, database maintenance, even checking weather reports to make sure it’s safe to ship wine… It all falls under the daily umbrella. There are a lot of spreadsheets to keep in mind-the wine club is an ever-growing, ever-changing group of people that requires constant attention year-round.
And, speaking of growth, the goal of a wine club is always growth. The club needs to reflect all the results of all our sales techniques: ecommerce, email marketing, events… If all goes as planned, these things mean that our club is growing.
Q: So, it’s established, a wine club is a great thing for a winery.
R: Yes, but-like I said before-it’s also great for the consumer. Being part of a wine club means that you have access to things that the general public doesn’t. In Peachy Canyon’s case, we offer our members exclusive discounts, pre-release wines, access to private events, and special offers. It’s true that these are all marketing tactics, but they’re also real consumer advantages.
We care about our club members because they’re willing to invest in our success as a winery-business. After all, being a wine club member isn’t just about the either side’s benefits-it’s a symbiotic relationship where a person promises to buy wine in advance from a winery in exchange for special advantages and incentives. It works out for everyone, and it means that many of our customers are repeat customers that we have a relationship. I know most of our [thousands] of club members’ names. It’s crazy, but I recognize voices on the phone. It’s just what happens.
Q: What’s one thing you think people misunderstand about your position?
R: That it’s easy (laughs), that all I do is run a spreadsheet and send out packages twice a year! We have thousands of club members for me to keep track of, all with their own personalities, tastes, and needs-all of whom need to be addressed on a personal level. Everyone has a special request, and it’s important to fulfill those requests. So, on one level, I do manage a lot of spreadsheets. But on another, I am definitely dealing with people, not numbers.
Q: What’s the one question you wish I would ask you?
R: When do you get a day off? Just kidding!
Published 07.31.11 from Paso Robles, California
Peachy Canyon Winery is a family owned and operated winery on the Central Coast of California. Visit us at our wine blog, http://WWW.TASTESPEACHY.COM
About the Author
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