A model and exploratory study for promoting professional sales in winery visitor centers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a model for promoting professional sales in winery visitor centers, as well as the results of an exploratory study to test the model. Design/methodology/approach – A survey methodology was used to evaluate the sales behavior of winery personnel in three popular wine tourist regions of California, USA. In total, 284 mystery shopper evaluations were completed and analyzed. In addition, a professional sales model for winery visitor centers was developed based on secondary sources drawn from the literature. Findings – Results indicate that some of the winery visitor centers have adopted professional sales techniques and trained their staff to perform these tasks, but there is still ample opportunity to improve. Sales presentations could become more interactive in many cases, and relationship and trust building actions could be emphasized more. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to three wine regions in California, and only provides descriptive statistics of service and sales in the tasting room. Further testing of the model in new locations with expanded statistics would be useful. Practical implications – The study highlight effective professional selling tactics used in winery visitor centers which could be adopted by managers. It also identifies areas for improvement. Originality/value – This paper introduces a new model on professional sales in winery visitor centers. This is the first of its type to be applied to the wine industry for direct to consumer sales.