Advice to a New Sales Rep
The unvarnished truth from the field
No textbook can teach you what it actually feels like to walk into a slammed bar with a heavy sample bag, or how a single calendar shift can tank your monthly quota. The best advice comes from other reps, buyers, and bartenders who survive the daily grind.
Culled from the archives of Reddit, here is the collective wisdom for the next generation of wine, beer, and spirits salespeople:
1. On Integrity and Deadlines
“If you say you’re going to deliver something (a physical product, a price inquiry request, or any deliverable) and end up not being able to, then get that communication out as soon as you know, and own it. Fix it if you can, but don’t just say nothing and miss a deadline.” - Source: r/beer Thread
The Lesson: Trust is built on predictability, not perfection. Bad news delivered early is an opportunity; bad news delivered late is a broken relationship.
2. On the Math Behind the Hustle
“Read up on sales days and calendar impact so you’re not caught off guard by swings in your sales vs last year. For example, March 2017 started on a Wednesday, ended on a Friday, and had 23 sales days. March 2018 starts on a Thursday and ends on a Friday, but it only has 22 sales days. Ignoring other factors like weather, that lost trade day will make it ~4% harder to meet last year’s numbers.” Source: r/beer Thread
The Lesson: Understand the calendar. Data will protect your sanity when the raw volume numbers don’t seem to add up.
3. On the Golden Rule of Field Timing
“For god sakes don’t go in and try to sell something during peak hours, avoid lunch time and dinner time... going in during lunch is rude and virtually guaranteed not to work.” Source: r/bartenders Thread
The Lesson: Read the room. If a buyer is drowning in service, your pitch is an active annoyance. Guard their peace and they will respect your pitch.
4. On Doing Your Homework
“Take time to walk the store/look at the wine list before you speak with the buyer. The last thing you need to do is, for example, present a Napa Valley Chardonnay when there are already 12 on the wine list.” Source: r/wine Thread
The Lesson: Blind pitching is lazy pitching. Identify the shelf gaps before you ever try to make a rec.
5. On Being a True Consultant
“As you walk the store, check the back room, etc., take inventory of your own wines. See what’s moving well and what isn’t. Tell the buyer (e.g.) there’s only two bottles left of that case I sold you last time.” Source: r/wine Thread
The Lesson: Your job doesn’t end when the case hits the backroom. Track the pull-through; solve their depletion problems before they have to ask.
6. On Detaching Your Ego
“If they don’t buy something on any given day, don’t take it personally. It’s not you they were rejecting, it was the wines.” Source: r/wine Thread
The Lesson: A “no” is just a data point about a buyer’s inventory, budget, or current menu constraints. It is never a report card on your worth.
7. On the Power of Radical Honesty
“Don’t lie or make stuff up. If you don’t know something, just say so and circle back with an answer.” Source: r/wine Thread
The Lesson: Buyers can smell manufactured answers from a mile away. Admitting you don’t know builds a foundation of credibility that a fake answer will instantly destroy.