Sweet Laminations

It’s sobering when you reflect on the year and realize your smartest move was probably the simplest. We’ve all heard that for any customer, the sweetest sound they can hear is their name. We know it, but that doesn’t mean we act on it. Kind of like exercise, meditation, or not finishing the bottle.

Our original good intent tends to be forgotten in our rush to communicate the drama of what we do and the valor with which we do it. I look people in the eye when they arrive at the winery. A good firm handshake, and they tell me their names – that’s the strong part. However, by the time we get to the deck there’s a 50% chance I’m not remembering all those names. If I don’t follow up, it drops to 10% by the time the first wine is poured. Sometimes, you can catch up if people use each other’s names in conversation. Often, I have just focused on at least remembering the host or lead decision-maker. If you are good at what you do, you can get by without names, make people feel awesome, and get the sale, but I think it’s still a failure if names are not used. I have failed many, many times. We naturally want to be the heroes in our narrative, and the babble of our ego can deafen us from remembering guest names.

This year, we decided to make an extra effort in this area during the appointment process. When confirming a wine appointment verbally or in writing, we ask, “To be hospitable,” if we can have just the first names of their guests or companions. They are usually happily provided. I’m sure many of you are doing this already. It achieves two things; first, it gives us a fighting chance in the name game when they get here. Secondly, it shows the guest that we care enough to ask, which is telling. We want to avoid what Jimmy called the “Don’t you know who we think we are” winery persona. It creates the potential for a small but significant humanizing dialogue and connection before they arrive. If the truth be told, if someone tells you they are coming to your winery to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary and you don’t care enough to get their long-suffering partner’s name, you should leave the front face of wine and try your hand at shipping or inventory management.

But this is not the topic punchline. The simplest thing we added to our Sweet Sounds process was to laminate a rough 8.5” x 11” sketch of where our tables are on the deck. Now we can write people’s names down where they are sitting. After they leave, we wipe it and start over. Nick and Chris adopted this immediately because they immediately recognized it was genuinely useful and cared enough to do it. No “training” required. The other beautiful thing is that if you see someone you know from a previous visit, you can go and check the sheet. You may not be hosting them, but as you walk past toward your other group, you can say, “Hey, Romeo… Juliet. Great to see you back.” I can’t emphasize enough how empowering this is for the team and how visibly taken aback with pleasure our guests have been. Frankly, giving them that sensation is what makes it so rewarding. I feel like I’m pulling a white dove from a top hat every time.

Finally, this is not a blunt instrument. Use it with finesse or you can do more harm than good. Use their names occasionally, casually, and where appropriate in the context of the conversation. “You’ve been very quiet Carol, how do you feel about that 2020 Cabernet?” So that was my 2023 value add – see you later, laminator.