MdV: Merchant du Vin beer
e-newsletter – Wednesday March 21, 2007: Hand Selling Beer
Those
of you planning your spring/summer beer menu or tap handle rotation may wish to
recall: Ayinger Brau-Weisse Bavarian Hefe-Weizen, in 4-packs, half-liter
bottles, or 50-liter kegs . . . and,
starting this year, Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock will be available on-draft
year-round.
Look
for news from us within the next few weeks, about some fine new additions to
our portfolio.
Interest
in great beers continues to grow: Healthy Living NYC highlighted organic beers,
including Samuel Smith’s Organic Lager and Pinkus Organic Hefe-Weizen; new
publication Beverage Experts gave Ayinger Celebrator five stars . . . beer festivals, dinners, and events are
offering beer lovers all across
Full
national news & event listing at:
http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/1_about/news.html
Beer
Chat from the
Obviously,
the goal of any brewer is to eventually get their beer into the hands (lips?) of
a consumer. Whatever the characteristics
of the beer, it’s a product that must be sold - via Super Bowl TV
commercials, magazine ads, promotions, “hot prices,” really cool store displays,
exotic signage, or maybe even beer festivals and beer tastings.
A
term used occasionally by beer folks is “hand selling.” For example, an expensive beer from a small
brewery probably won’t have Super Bowl TV commercials, magazine ads,
promotions, hot prices, really cool store displays or fancy signage:
It
will need to be “hand sold.”
“Hand-selling”
can be frightening to some beer servers & salespeople, because it requires
time, knowledge, and commitment to the product.
And, sometimes American consumers automatically resist any kind of sales
pitch. But we think hand selling is one
of the best ways to introduce a beer to a consumer:
So
the next time you see a handwritten shelf-talker, put up by a passionate beer
department person, read it! Buy the
beer, if the description appeals to you.
The next time your server or bartender tells you “we have a new beer,”
and describes its characteristics, listen up!
Ask questions at your local store or restaurant – vendors who are the
most comfortable hand selling a beer are the ones who answer (and ask!) a lot
of questions. Thank your beer purveyor
for hand-selling a beer to you.
And
remember one thing: somebody that hand-sold you a beer is quite likely to have
your best interests in mind, because that person will probably see you again
and get your feedback face-to-face . . .
unlike the folks who make Super
Bowl commercials, magazine ads, big promotions, super-low prices, fancy store
displays or exotic signs.
Cheers,
thanks, kudos to hand-selling, and to
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Merchant