craft malt sales/marketing · adapting the sales strategy •re-assess success metrics and start...

Craft Malt Sales/Marketing

Matt Drew | Director of Marketing and SalesMontana Craft Malt

Common themes among craft malt users• Seat at the table (have a voice in their ingredients)

• LOCAL!

• Traceability (feedback from field to glass)

• Products they can’t get elsewhere

• Opportunity to be an active part of the local/regional story• Credibility within their community• LOCAL malt potentially conveys relevance• Small business supporting small business

• NOTE: This is YOUR biggest leveraging opportunity right now!

Standard objections

• Price• Approach: don’t try to make the same stuff and expect to get more for it.

• Make something different / unique and price it accordingly.

• Consistency• Proof is in the pudding!

• “If it ain’t broke, why try to fix it?”• See “price”

Cold calling

• DO YOUR HOMEWORK• Who are the owners?

• Head brewer / distiller?

• Know anyone else there?

• SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE (never hurts to learn more!)• Nobody wants to talk to a sales guy!

• Find connections and drop names• Referrals are GOLD

Cold calling

• Leave SWAG• T-shirts / hats / stickers are great, but almost expected.

• Get creative!• Useful things (e.g. branded dry erase boards / calendars for the brewhouse)

• Support them before you ask them to support you!• Social media props• Buy a growler• Buy SWAG• Buy lunch/beer

• TIP WELL!!!

Cold calling

• Show up with malt!• “Puppy dog” close• BUT give them enough for it to make sense

• What size brewhouse?• Are there specific styles they’re known for?• Extrapolate data and make informed recommendations

• Consider their perspective• Your malt = potential change and variability from what they know• Free trial = reduced barrier to adoption• TRIALS = REORDERS!

• Assumes the malt is awesome

Addressing objections

• “Price is too high”• You’re being evaluated strictly on price instead of quality and flavor

• Don’t compete on price – craft vs. commodity

• PERSPECTIVE: You didn’t start your malthouse to make Great Western 2-row!

• Bring it back around to why price isn’t analogous (neither is your product)

• WHY is your product different?

• Create value and sell THAT!

Addressing objections

• Quality• Manage this objection before you even have the conversation

• Proactive: ”What are your targets? / What DON’T you want?”• Ask what THEY want and be prepared to deliver it.

• Consistency• This can only be managed on an ongoing basis.• You have to establish a strong relationship with your customers

• Seek-out feedback (good and bad)• Make them active participants in the product.

Tying in customer messaging to craft malt

• Completely driven by how THEY tie their message into it.

• You augment and convey their message – don’t drive it (authenticity)

• Actively have that conversation!

• Remember: They are the artist. You just make the paints.

So . . . The pandemic?• MCM Steeped-in batch #1 at the end of February• No different for us than anyone else:

• Nobody was brewing (or buying malt).• Bright tanks were full of beer that nobody was drinking.• Brewers had stockpiles of grain they now had no immediate use for.

• We turned the worst possible time for it into the best . . . • We took a step back to go through some facility challenges more

methodically and tune things.

• Challenge vs. opportunity• Challenges are unmistakable and unavoidable.• Opportunities ARE THERE! You just have to identify them.

Adapting the sales strategy• Focus less on transactions and sales in terms of lb sold.

• Adjust your lens to focus more on what else they need.

• Remember: They’re part of the same chain as you• They’re scared• They’re unstable (and they know it)• They’re needy (probably more so than ever) • But individual needs are going to change from customer to customer

• TALK to them. Find out how you can be a partner rather than a supplier• Solve problems for them – and remember, ADDED VALUE IS HUGE!

• Help them keep the lights on!• That doesn’t mean giving everything away

Adapting the sales strategy

• Re-assess success metrics and start planning

• Has to do with identifying opportunities

• Shift to more of a consultative service model

• STAY RELEVANT!

• You have the ability TODAY to make yourself more relevant and more of a valued

partner than your competition!

• You just have to start those conversations!

• Consider an influencer strategy (bloggers / podcasters)

Sales tactics for “the new normal”

• There is no “new normal” (yet)• Resolution and adaptation come first…

• You have to be NIMBLE!• It’s easier to course correct a jet ski than The Titanic!

• Can THEY weather the storm?• Likely, but they won’t be the same.• They also can’t be the local partner that you can be!• They can’t address needs the same as you.• All they can do is give away the house and hope for the best!

You got into this business to do something special.

Meaningful.Different.

Now is your opportunity to do that.

Matt Drew

Matt@MontanaCraftMalt.com

406.493.2558