From Anderson Valley, a great Email question was raised from a wine advocacy leader, after receiving another Email was sent within a couple of weeks. Maggie Hawkins of Anderson Valley wrote. “Thanks for the update! Are you suggesting I send out another opportunity to our winery and vineyard members for these?”
What a great question she raised! As I took the time to answer her, I realized that this is a question most of the people I’m reaching via emails must also be wondering… Why my repetition? It’s not a sale pitch, as might be imagined. It’s an urgent, free give away pitch, because life and death could only have 10 minutes to auto correct. And her question deserved a thoroughly thoughtful answer, because I have to keep at it, until every last one of them has been placed. We thought this would a slam dunk, “FREE.” But we’re finding it’s like asking someone if they’d like a limb removed. “It’s squish,” at best; and, “can’t even think about it,” at worst.
PHOTO CREDIT: Anderson Valley, by gustavofrazao
What a Great Question
Dear Maggie,
What a great question you’ve raised.
When I was ending with this Email to you, I wrote, “What a great question you’re raised.“ But, instead I decided to move it here, to the top. As you read this email, you’ll understand why I moved it up to here. It’s also a great Wine Blog post, as I’ve been wondering how to get wine media to pick up one more story, on these AEDs (ZOLL Automated External Defibrillators). Again, it has to do with repetition and how to sell something to someone who doesn’t want it, yet.
Muchas Gracias!
Anything I’m sending, especially for anyone else – not you – who might not have sent anything to their members yet, is for all of you to further use, in any marketing you might want to send out. With 4,391 wineries in California, and only 328 placed in the program, we’ve got a long way to go. Not that long… only 122 left, but we’ve got to break that hurdle of getting into the 400s. Then, a sigh of relief will mean we’ve reached the home stretch. [Champaign has been promised for when they’re all placed.}
So, for instance, the latest wine companies on board aren’t from Anderson Valley – not your fault, because you’ve tried. It just takes a wine company time to decide, in their very busy lives with all they have to do. So if they read about it again, they might be reminded to do something about it. I just had one gentleman say to me, “I’ve got to do this, I’ve been thinking about it for the last four years.” Seriously… It can take that long, but by then if people don’t act soon, the opportunity might be long gone.
Why Digital Marketing is Important for Business Owners (Forbes)
This was not shared, but now added for the web purposes: FROM the FORBES SITE LINK: Stay Connected With Your Customers – Traditional marketing is still effective for getting your message out there to people. But if you want to truly engage with your customers and know what messaging they respond to, nothing is more effective than digital marketing.
This link is how I guide my communications for clients. (TRAINED FOR SAVING LIVES is just one of them.) Every Impression Counts: Are Your Digital Advertising & Branding Tactics Delivering ROI? (Return on Investments)
Your question is a really good one, because my first line, from now on, is going to be the exact point of seven seconds, to hook people in, then the rest of the information will be necessary info. For instance, “How prepared are your guests for safety? is another one, especially, during your next wine tasting events?”
People come from all over, and we just don’t think about their “safety” during any events, including wine, as much as we could. When someone needs an AED at an event, we’re just not as prepared as people are, including at an NFL game, for instance. I’m willing to bet that every single team now has an AED right at the player’s location.
Eventually, wine events with AEDs will be necessary by counties, when issuing licenses… Just like fire extinguishers became necessary for organizers… As the organizer for an event for nine years, I had to have extinguishers at every other table at one county. It just got too cost prohibitive by the county to keep Dark & Delicious going. That’s why Dark & Delicious (Petite Sirah advocacy group) ended, after nine years… County rules, regulations, and their outlandish demands and fees. The Supervisor wanted to have bleach at every table… in an actual wine cellar! Bleach! (Link below on this one.) I understood some of their rules, but not all. It was $3,000, just to be there. Never mind that it cost $4,000 for the venue. For a small advocacy group, it’s important to not be dead in the water at the end of so many hours for planning and execution.
Use of Bleach in a Winery? So, I’m acting as a marketer, not because you haven’t done your job – because you HAVE. I know you’d also like to know where the AED’s are in your valley. You guys are pretty remote and 10 minutes could be the difference between life and death.
I think I’ll also let other people know ABOUT impressions. That way, they’ll know where I’m coming from ~ That being repetitive is a positive, not a negative, to make this important decision of FREE AED.
I’ve now also been given a credible blog post. AEDs are a bit scary, when not educated. They’re not like asking the wineries if they’d like free fudge. They’d be on it in a heartbeat! (Who wouldn’t, besides someone with diabetes.) And then, you’d never hear from me again.
I really appreciate your question, Maggie! It was a really good one. (Another marketing rule, “An objections is just a request for more information.”) ♥ Smart
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