You have a good portfolio? Congratulations.
You have a good portfolio? Congratulations.
Having a good portfolio isn’t good enough anymore.
If you bring up any company that imports or distributes wine today, inevitably someone will say “they have a good portfolio.” Try it. I have tried it often recently, and it is startling how confused we are as an industry.
How many times has someone said: “They are so great to work with.” Try it…Zero times, right?
Every importer and distributor with reps walking around this city has good wine that is buyable and in turn, sellable. And further, every single one of them is viewed primarily through the wines they offer.
The most important fact in the NYC Beverage market today is: Every player in import and distribution has good wine, and very few offer something special besides the products they list.
The Next Level “Portfolio”
Graceful distribution (Please see my previous post) will define the future not the wines in your portfolio.
Here are some ingredients:
Who can give the best service
Who can connect
Who has the best “logistics.”
Who can tell the best stories
Who knows their audience
Who can pay their bills
Who delights their partners, employees AND in turn who delights their customers
“ The soul of the company that this market buys from matters now, not just the wines it offers.
The Future
Whoever can build a soulful company will be ahead.
Don’t get me wrong: a waywardly selected portfolio of wines won’t help, but wine will not be the defining piece of the puzzle like it was before. People are the key and the true colors of all of these importer/distributors are on full display.
The soul of the company that this market buys from matters now, not just the wines it offers.
We are going to find out what a truly dynamic market is because the field has been changed forever.
Hang onto your hats, it is going to get wild.