4.2 How Do Guests Make a Purchase Decision

As mentioned in the introduction to this section, it is important for your to see yourself as a guide to help the guests through the process of making a purchase of wine and/or other products from your winery. Again, the good news for you is that they are already half way through the process when they step foot in the winery. In a way, the most difficult part of the sales process (making the guest aware of your winery) has been accomplished. The guest has already: 

 

Therefore, the guest is interested in something (a product) that your winery can provide them. One of your tasks is to help them find that "something" and then sell it to them. Your job now is to help them through the decision process to select what will best meet their needs and wants.

 

 

 

Path to a Decision.mp4

 

 

 

The Decision Making Process

 

So what does this decision making process look like. The decision making process can be thought of as a path with 4 main parts;

1.      Awareness (of the winery and wine)

2.      Assessment of Probable Satisfaction (meeting needs and wants)

3.      Assessment of Value

4.      Sale

 

Awareness (of the winery and wine)

The guest is already aware of your winery (through marketing/ promotional material) and may have some experience with your wine. You need to be familiar with all the marketing/ promotional material that your winery has including social media (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram), website, brochures, advertisements, etc. These sites and materials have already set expectations and the guests already has an idea of the experience they are about to encounter in your tasting room and winery.

You need to have a basic knowledge of this so that you can meet and exceed these expectations. If you do not meet the basic expectations that you have promised in the winery’s marketing, then you could easily lose the sale. The guests have placed their trust in you to deliver the needs and wants that winery marketing suggests the winery can meet. If you do not succeed, you have broken the trust with the guest. Trust is vital for any sales process and especially for the hope of upsells and additional sales.

 

Assessment of Probable Satisfaction (meeting needs and wants)

The guest is tasting the wine and trying to make a decision if the wine helps satisfy their wants. Through the sales process (covered later) you should be able to identify the main wants of the guest and be of assistance in guiding them to the products (this is where you knowledge of the product comes in handy) that will best meet their wants. This is also the point in the decision making process where you can make additional product suggestions that would enhance the primary product they are planning to buy. (For example, suggesting the purchase of chocolate to accompany their red wine selection.)

 

Assessment of Value

At some point the guest is going to either look for the price or ask you “How much does this bottle of wine cost”. The guest is now trying to assess the value of the wine against the cost. In other words, the guest has decided that the wine meets their wants, now they are deciding if the cost is worth the benefit. This is where you should emphasis the aspects of the wine that creates its worth, usefulness, importance and finally value to the guest. The value can be distinguished in a variety of ways including: 

 

You can help guests as they assess the value of the wine by mentioning any preferred pricing (discounts) that they may receive by purchasing multiple bottles, cases, or by joining the wine club (if your winery has one). (For example, you might say the wine costs $15 a bottle but today we have a special on 3 bottles. This would bring the cost down to $12.50 a bottle. May I get you 3 bottles?).

However, be careful, you do not want to come across as being too aggressive in closing the sale. Remember you are guiding them through the process and showing them different options that will best meet their needs. The final decision is the guest's. Also, depending on the size of the purchase and your guests’ personality, they many need to think through the overall value and the final cost. This is a very tenuous point in the decision making process. Give the guest time (if they need to talk with someone – give them the opportunity to do so). This is not the time to be overly pushy. However, be present so that you can answer any questions they may have. 

 

Sale

Once the guest has gone through the process of assessing, "if and how," the wine meets their wants and needs, then comes the time for decision (in this case, sale or no sale). As previously mentioned, the simple act of visiting the winery gives indication that the guest plans to buy something. Your job is to determine what that is, help them purchase it, and help them to identify additional wants and needs that they have that could be met with products available in the tasting room. For example, a customer has bought a bottle of wine – do they need a bottle opener? The way that you go about this is covered next in the sales process. 

 

Now let's pause for a minute to review the ideas we have just covered. Read each question below and select what you believe is the correct answer. When finished, look below the last question for the correct answers.  

1. What is the part of the decision making process that has already begun before the guests visit your winery?

 

a. awareness

b. assessment of probable satisfaction

c. assessment of feasibility

d. sale

2. The simple act of visiting the winery gives an indication that the guest plans to buy something. Your job is to ....

  

a. determine what it is they need to purchase

b. help them purchase the product they need

c. help them to identify additional wants and needs that they may have

d. all the above

  

Did you get them all? The answers are: 1. a and 2. d.

 

This is the end of the second section in Module 4. When you feel ready, move on to the next section by clicking the following link. 4.3 The Sales Process