691. "Am I the Bottleneck in My Business?" | Coaching Session with Jen of Corkscrew Imports

Summary

Episode Summary: "Am I the Bottleneck in My Business?" | Coaching Session with Jen of Corkscrew Imports

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Product Boss: Business Coaching for Product-Based Female Entrepreneurs
• Host: Jacqueline Snyder
• Episode: 691
• Release Date: May 15, 2025

Description: In this episode of The Product Boss, Jacqueline Snyder conducts an insightful coaching session with Jen of Corkscrew Imports, a Canadian wine importer dedicated to connecting consumers with small, underrepresented wineries worldwide. The conversation delves into the challenges Jen faces as a solopreneur and explores strategies to overcome being the bottleneck in her own business.

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1. Introduction to the Coaching Session [00:02 - 04:00]

Jacqueline Snyder opens the episode by introducing herself and her mission to empower product-based female entrepreneurs. She emphasizes the importance of mindset, strategy, and support in transforming dreams into reality. The focus of today's episode is a coaching call with Jen from Corkscrew Imports, a business that imports and sells wines from small family-owned wineries that typically don't make it into Ontario's LCBO stores.

Notable Quote:

"All you need is the right mindset, a little courage, strategy and support, and you too can be the next million dollar product boss."
— [00:30] Jacqueline Snyder

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2. Guest Introduction and Business Overview [04:00 - 05:50]

Jen introduces her business, Corkscrew Imports, explaining that she imports wines from small family wineries in France, Italy, Spain, and Chile. Her focus is on bringing in wines that are produced in limited quantities and aren't available in Ontario's liquor stores.

Notable Quote:

"I import wines that are primarily from small family wineries throughout the world... to sell them directly to private consumers or restaurants."
— [04:35] Jen

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3. Identifying the Bottleneck [05:00 - 08:50]

Jen shares her primary struggle: she is the sole operator of her business, handling everything from sales to fulfillment. This dual role creates a bottleneck, limiting her ability to scale and move sales quickly. She highlights how her current setup affects her ability to meet LCBO's stock requirements and grow her business.

Notable Quote:

"I'm the problem, I'm the solution. I'm the everything in the business."
— [06:45] Jen

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4. Developing a Sales Strategy [08:50 - 23:04]

Jacqueline guides Jen through diagnosing the bottleneck, emphasizing the need to shift from “how” to “who” in her business operations. They discuss customer segmentation, focusing first on high-value licensees like restaurants and bottle shops. Jacqueline encourages Jen to set concrete sales goals, such as selling 50 cases to licensees, and creating a structured plan to achieve these targets.

Notable Quotes:

"Who do we need? It could be who we need as a coach... someone to fulfill packages."
— [07:58] Jacqueline Snyder

"Once you've got the numbers, you can do the math problem."
— [12:09] Jacqueline Snyder

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5. Delegation and Operational Efficiency [23:04 - 18:19]

The conversation shifts to the importance of delegation. Jacqueline suggests that Jen hires an assistant to handle processing and scheduling, allowing her to focus solely on sales and relationship building. This shift is crucial for removing the operational bottleneck and enabling faster sales cycles.

Notable Quote:

"As the CEO, you should not ever be processing. I'd rather you be on a beach with a cocktail than processing orders."
— [17:01] Jacqueline Snyder

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6. Enhancing Branding and Messaging [34:14 - 43:57]

Jacqueline emphasizes the need for a compelling brand story that resonates emotionally with customers. She encourages Jen to move beyond logistical details and articulate the transformative experience her wines offer. By creating a vivid narrative around each wine, Jen can connect more deeply with her audience, making her products irresistible.

Notable Quotes:

"Facts tell, stories sell."
— [43:57] Jacqueline Snyder

"You are the average of the five people you hang out with the most."
— [40:25] Jacqueline Snyder

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7. Emotional and Mindset Shifts [43:57 - 71:40]

Jacqueline and Jen explore the importance of operating from the heart and gut instincts rather than being bogged down by numbers and strategies alone. They discuss how emotional connection and storytelling can enhance sales efforts, making interactions feel like engaging conversations rather than hard pitches.

Notable Quotes:

"When your heart feels something, then your head's going to tell your head, this is how we express it."
— [58:37] Jacqueline Snyder

"We sell the energy and the magnetism, the excitement, the transformation."
— [43:58] Jacqueline Snyder

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8. Practical Action Steps and Visualization [72:09 - End]

In the concluding segment, Jacqueline provides Jen with actionable steps to refine her sales strategy and brand messaging. They discuss utilizing visual storytelling on platforms like Instagram to transport customers through the experience of tasting each wine. Jacqueline encourages Jen to embrace creativity in her marketing efforts, ensuring that each interaction with her brand evokes the desired emotional response.

Notable Quotes:

"Imagine you're sitting here with friends, tasting wines and experiencing the story behind each bottle."
— [68:00] Jacqueline Snyder

"It's your ability to articulate transformation... to make your customers feel something when they're interacting with your product."
— [72:09] Jacqueline Snyder

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9. Conclusion and Takeaways [71:12 - End]

Jacqueline wraps up the session by highlighting the key insights from the coaching call. For Jen, the path forward involves structuring her sales processes, delegating operational tasks, and enhancing her brand's emotional appeal. The episode underscores the importance of recognizing personal bottlenecks within a business and taking strategic steps to overcome them.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify Bottlenecks: Recognize when personal roles limit business growth.
• Delegate and Structure: Hire assistance to handle non-core tasks, allowing focus on sales and relationships.
• Customer Segmentation: Prioritize high-value segments and set clear sales goals.
• Emotional Branding: Develop a compelling brand story that resonates with customers.
• Mindset Shift: Operate from passion and intuition to enhance marketing efforts.

Notable Quote:

"It's okay to be the star, but just don't be the only one on stage."
— [71:12] Jacqueline Snyder

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Supporting Jen's Business:

If you're in Ontario, Canada, and wish to support Jen's Corkscrew Imports, visit www.corkscrewimports.com or follow them on Instagram at Corkscrew Imports.

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Final Thoughts: This episode is a treasure trove for entrepreneurs feeling overwhelmed by juggling multiple roles. Jacqueline Snyder effectively demonstrates how to diagnose and address operational bottlenecks, emphasizing the importance of strategic delegation, emotional branding, and structured sales processes. Jen's journey offers valuable lessons on scaling a business by focusing on core strengths and enhancing customer connections through compelling storytelling.

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Transcript

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Hi, I'm Jacqueline Snyder and this is the Product Boss podcast. I've helped launch and grow thousands of product based businesses, even one of my own. And over the last 20 years, I've seen behind the scenes of businesses just like yours. Whether they are makers, manufacturers, artists, or food and beverage businesses. I have spent so many hours studying it all. I've discovered what makes them successful, what mistakes they could have avoided, how did they turn their ideas into successful business, and what are the strategies that they have used to make more sales and be discovered by more customers. And this is what this show is all about. Whether you're just starting out or you're looking to become a million dollar product boss, I'm here to give you the permission to chase your dreams, no matter how big or small. All you need is the right mindset, a little courage, strategy and support, and you too can be the next million dollar product boss. Let's do this. Oh my goodness. Friends, if you are anything like me, you probably spend more time running errands than running your business. Am I right? Like, everything needs something, we gotta run around. And I knew that this was like a major issue for me back in the day, which is why I decided to get help where I could. And I decided to let Instacart handle all of my grocery shopping. So I no longer had to worry about running all the errands and having to run out and get more almond mil from my lattes. Rather, I was like, you know what? We're just gonna let Instacart handle that. So I want you to imagine skipping the store and getting back to designing packaging, orders, making, or maybe actually taking a break, even a nap. Remember those? Okay, so with Instacart, you can get groceries and essentials delivered in as fast as an hour, so you can focus on growing your business without sacrificing a meal. Plus, less stress and more focus. And here's a tip. I've actually used Instacart before to order gifts from my daughter's friend's birthday parties because I haven't had time to run out and get presents. And I've been able to get the packaging, like the gift bag and the g, like hello, Sephora, delivered to my house while I was in the middle of coaching sessions so that I could have the present right. It's like having a personal assistant without having a personal assistant. So if you want to do what I do and get the help where you can, you can try it now if you head to the Product boss. Com Instacart Hey. Hey, product bosses. All right, my friends, welcome back. Today we're diving into a coaching call, which I know you all are absolutely loving. So thank you for those of you who leave reviews about it and how much you love the coaching calls. It just keeps us going, going. And I love all of you that submit to work with me one on one so that I get the privilege of digging deep into your businesses. And thank you for sharing it with our audience. So today we're diving into a coaching call with Jen of Corkscrew Imports. And Jen has a Canadian based business. She's a wine importer, connecting customers to small batch, underrepresented wineries across the globe. Okay, so from Chile to France, Jen's business is fueled by her passion for travel, for savoring the good life, for tasting that in bottles of wine. But my friend, she is also a solopreneur, right? And she's feeling the weight of doing it all. So in this episode, we're going to talk about what happens when you become the bottleneck in your own business and how to break through it. Now, Jen's ready to move faster, sell smarter, and finally scale and grow her business. But she's only going to be able to do that if she stops juggling everything else, right? From wine tastings to paperwork to deliveries, and literally everything in between. I mean, who else needs a glass of Jen's wine right now? So if you were feeling stuck, if you feel like you're wearing all the hats, then, my friends, this episode is for you. So let's uncork this strategy session and pour out a better plan. Did you see what we did there? Okay, Jen, I'm so excited to work with you today and coach you. I know you were just telling me that you've just hopped out of one of the boot camps that I host. And we're friends, we're old friends here. So let's dig into. I wanted you to share what you make and sell.

[Jen]

So. I do not make anything. I am a provider to residents of Ontario. I work in Ontario, Canada, with wines that are primarily imported from small family wineries throughout the world. Right now, we have a really strong focus on those wineries that are underrepresented because they make things in such a small quantity. And that's not to say like just 50 bottles of something, but it might only be 5,000, and that's not enough to make it into the liquor control board stores that we have here in Ontario. So I import those and then sell them directly to private consumers or restaurants to Your distributor? Yes, essentially, yeah.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

And where are we importing from right now?

[Jen]

France, Italy, Spain and Chile.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

I have really good friends here in California that import natural, clean, organic wines. So I've been behind a lot of the scenes, like, of them being like, what are we doing with these tariffs and what are we gonna do with this? And like, so I've got a little historical knowledge from what they're going through too.

[Jen]

I'll tell you the truth, I've never been so happy to not have a US wine in my portfolio because it's one less thing. Because it's really, really, you can get your hands on them a little bit here in Ontario. But as soon as all of that, the war of the words started, they were stripped from the liquor store shelves and it's now all of that space has been taken in by Ontario based wines.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

You know, and I talked about that in one of the podcast episodes where it's just like, let's talk about the benefits that tariffs can create. Right. Like, we can always look at the negatives, but you're in Canada and so you have a very different perspective of like the benefits to you versus us here in the States. Again, apologies to my Canadian friends, but like us here in the States, you know, there's different ways that we can lean in. It's all marketing angles. And then I just want everyone to always look for like the positive or what can shift and change from it. So I love that you are finding that. So, okay, so you import wine, which. So all of our Canadian friends that are looking for great wines, you've got corkscrew imports, which is your brand. So let's dig into really like your biggest struggle right now. Where do you feel like you're really struggling in your business and you're looking to get a good fix?

[Jen]

It's basically me. I have two freelance people that do sales for me, one of whom is, you know, a new mom. She's got two young kids and so she's transitioning back into the workforce and into a full time position that is far more regular hours. You know, when you do this business, you're kind of all over the place with your time. And then I have a gentleman who does it as a side. It's sort of like a side hustle. He has a full time job and he does this. So it's me. I'm the problem, I'm the solution. I'm the everything in the business. And that's really tricky. If I'm in the office, I can't sell. If I'm out selling who's handling everything back in the office. So I need. I need a better way, and I need to make it move faster because the faster sales come in, I mean, that's great for me, it's like a total vanity thing. Yay. Look at me. I sold so much. But it also impacts my business because through the lcbo, they have rules on how much any one importer is allowed to have in stock, and you earn that based on your sales. Okay, so we need to move it.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay. So you would say that one of the things that you want to look at and fix the most right now is really the bottleneck that's happening.

[Jen]

Yes.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

And would you say it's a sales bottleneck?

[Jen]

I think so, yes.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay. So it's like what we want to do is when we want to create a structure and a strategy behind it. I think so many times people go to, like, the how, how, how, how, how. There's also the who. There's a great book called who, not how, which I'm actually reading currently. Let me just shout out the author so that I'm not like. And I can tell you that. So you can listen to it, too, or read it.

[Jen]

The note to myself. It'll be in my cart next, as soon as we're off this call.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

So it's dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy. And so it's a great book. And it's kind of, if you listen to it, it's a little bit like. A bit like a podcast as well, because they do interviews. So it's a really great book. And I think this is just something, you know, a lot of times. And I teach strategy every day. You know, if you're in my programs, you go to my boot camps. But a lot of the times, too, it's like, who do we need? And it could be who we need as a coach. Right. It could be who we need as community. It could be that who we need is someone to write our emails for us or someone to fulfill packages or license and all that. So one thing you're realizing right now is you're the who for a lot of it.

[Jen]

Yes.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

And you're becoming the bottleneck in a lot of it as well.

[Jen]

Yeah. It's a tough thing to realize. Cause yourself all of your own problems, but it's really there.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

No true statement has ever been said about life in general. Right. So if we. If I were to ask you the first thing that would help remove the bottleneck, what would that be?

[Jen]

I think it would be faster Sales.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay, and so what does that mean by faster sales?

[Jen]

When a product comes in, I need to move it faster. And so that could be selling more to one restaurant, or it could be very broadly just selling one to one, a hundred different places.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay.

[Jen]

But it's that movement, that momentum that I'm. I build it up and I get some of it going, and then I'm like, okay, well, I have to take care of all of these back office kinds of things, and I lose the momentum. And, you know, like, it's like trying to roll the boulder uphill. Once it starts coming back on you, it's really hard to. To get it up again.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yeah, totally. So what would be the lowest hanging fruit for you to first approach this to move product faster?

[Jen]

How do you mean? Are we talking about like a hiring?

[Jacqueline Snyder]

If I said to you. No, if I said, because this. Who might be like, who are we selling it to? Right. So when you're like, I have this product, I need to sell it, and then you're like, do I do it to this person or this person? So who would you sell it to? Who would buy from you the fastest out of every. Whether they're new customers, customers. You already have the people built into that customer list. Right. Like people who order all the time. Wineries, like all the places you sell. Who would be the first, fastest place.

[Jen]

To move it would be to a licensee. So restaurants, hotels, catering, anything along those lines. Because they buy more. They buy more at one time, and then ideally they buy more consistently.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay. So when we're looking at this and we're looking to diagnose, like, where this bottleneck is. Right. Because if we want to fix something, we have to first, like, diagnose and say, like, let's look under the hood and see what's wrong. I like to go from like a customer centered perspective. Right. So at first we want to think customer wise, who is the right customer? Who is the customer or the customer segment that you would target to move it? So you're telling me that the customer that has like the highest value and the quickest win and that would maybe get the most, are restaurants and licensing ideally?

[Jen]

Yes.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay, so knowing that, what would be your first plan of action? What would you do? You get the shipment in, you know, these are the first people to sell to. What would be the next step?

[Jen]

Once I've gone out to the licensees and I've tried to deplete as quickly as possible in. In that space, then I move on to private clients. So I would go to a wine club or something like that where people are already wine lovers that are interested in it. And I would go there and showcase the wine.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

But before we go to the next customer segment, let's talk about the current. Because I want you to have a clear plan of action and strategy. Like, when you get off this call that you don't feel like, oh, okay, this person. This person. But okay, so we're going to go to the. You call them your licensees?

[Jen]

Yes.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay, so we're going to your licensees. And so knowing the amount of product you have to sell, the speed in which you want to sell it, and your conversion rates. Right. Like, I'm going to take this. How many different people do you have to approach and what does the offer need to be to move that product to hit a certain amount of, let's say, 100 bottles to move? You're like, I want to sell 50 of them.

[Jen]

Mm.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

It's like, I need to sell X amount of cases. I want you to really work off of numbers and things that are solid versus, like, if it's all in your brain. And you're like, oh, okay, like, I'm gonna do this. And it's like. But there's nothing tangible to hold on to, so let's actually back it up. How much product do you normally get in that you want to move?

[Jen]

On average, between 50 and 100 cases of a particular product.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Great. Okay, so what number do you want to go off of? 50 or 100?

[Jen]

Let's do 50.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay, we got 50 cases in, and you're like, I'm gonna go to my first. The first customer segment I'm gonna go to is, are the licensees, what offer do we want to make them, and how many cases do we want to move out of that? 50 to them.

[Jen]

So the offer is always, hey, Jacqueline, I just received a new order of XYZ that you have had before. Or if you're a new. You know, you're. If this is completely new to everybody wine. Hey, Jaclyn, I've got this new order that's come in of this particular wine from France. I'd love to come into the restaurant and show it to you. Do you have time for me on Tuesday at 1 o' clock?

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Let me back you up a little. Are there already customers that are buying from you? Yes. And they know, like, trust you?

[Jen]

Yes.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

So could you say, hey, I got this in. Let me get you five cases. I know you're going to love it.

[Jen]

They really, really like to taste.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay.

[Jen]

Just to make sure that it's what they think it's going to be.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

That it's, you have to go in.

[Jen]

It changes the wine and makes it a little bit, maybe more full bodied or something. Like they want to know that it fits within a parameter in their, in their list.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

So you are also acting as the rep that has to go over and bring it for tasting.

[Jen]

Yes.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yeah, that's a lot. Can you have a case per wine that you get imported again? So my friends, they have like a lot of reps that do the run around. They do the run around. They're always out bars and traveling and da, da. So if that, do you think that that is a major, major thing, a role in your business that right now is one of the most essential roles that you hold, Jen?

[Jen]

Yes, 100%.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay. So what we need to do long term is we're going to look at all the other things that happen because you need to have the flexibility to be able to go and keep the relationships. Like if I was coaching somebody who was, oh, I'm going to sell wholesale. If you are also acting as your rep, then you have to be the one that, that's why people will buy or pay reps because the rep will be your salesperson. So if you are your salesperson and that's the top of your funnel, the top of the way to start getting sales, then we got to keep you there and then free up the stuff that you don't need to do. Right.

[Jen]

It feels both true and false at the same time.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay.

[Jen]

It's my company. I'm the face of it. And in that regard, I'm the one that needs to be out there selling to all of the people in all of the restaurants and all of those things. But I also need to be the one still taking care of the wineries and answering their questions and doing well.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yes. And so, but what you said to me is both of those are front facing. You, Jen, have to be front facing. So you're the relationship person, whether it's with wineries and that. But when, let's say that the restaurant orders five cases from you, who's fulfilling, who's processing orders? Like where is all that coming from?

[Jen]

So all of the wine goes into the LCBO storage warehouse. That is part of of the process. So as I sell it, I buy it out, I add on my commission and then I have it delivered to the restaurant. So I do all of the necessary paperwork and then send a courier company to the warehouse. Or sometimes I go myself, depending on where it has to go.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

So the thing I see initially for you, which is different than maybe if you listen to other episodes or people listening, is that you need an assistant to do the processing and the scheduling. So you get to show up as the star. Right. Like if you think about a celebrity that's gonna go do the Met gala and they're like, they're not dealing back and forth with like the invitation, they're not booking their car, they're, you know, they're not even getting themselves dressed, they're just there and then stylist brings them clothes and they try them on and then someone drives them where they need to go and they say, get out. I'm gonna hold your purse. You need to be the person that's like the main character, the star of the relationships, I will say with the wineries. At some point you can hire a very actually on both sides. At some point you can hire someone that's just as awesome and amazing at dealing with people that you train and you trust to be a representative of it. Like, we don't. There's so many gigantic businesses where it was the first person that started selling it and there were other people. We're not there yet. But right now the bottleneck part is maybe the processing and the operations of it. The non sexy stuff where we keep you like front facing main character and then you get the order and then you give it to someone to process and then they handle it. So. So you get to just go to the next place and the next place and you keep closing deals, closing deals, closing deals. And then someone else is processing, fulfilling that part.

[Jen]

I've always thought about it differently, that I feel more comfortable on the backside handling all of that and managing the business to winery relationships and think that other people would be better out there because they would.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

But you've just told me that you said that you said that you have to do it. That's the only reason I'm saying it.

[Jen]

Yeah, because I've been the only one. Because finding somebody to do it has been tricky.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

You can go any way you want. I think in general, as being the, the CEO of your business, the owner of your business, the founder, you should not ever be processing. Sure. You, I'd rather you be on a beach with a cocktail or on a cruise or like on an airplane flying a vacation than processing orders. Okay. So long term we're going to keep you more in like relationship, discovery, curator. I'd rather you be at a wine, at a vineyard, drinking and being like, da, da, da. Da. And then, like, it comes back, like, that's the lifestyle I want you to live. We're not there yet. But as you're starting to break these parts, the bottleneck is because you're doing it all. And so you'll start to say, what do I love to do? What do I not love to do? How do I create processes and planning and strategy around each part so that when I do hire someone, I could teach them this process and then they can get trained underneath me and then they can handle it.

[Jen]

That would be great.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yes. So we're going to get there. Maybe not immediately in this call, but we're going to get there. All right, let's talk about bottlenecks. It's one of the most frustrating places to be in business, and it's also one of the most illuminating, right? Because what we've talked about is how our businesses can reflect back to us. Either something we have to learn about ourselves or something we're learning about the market or our business. And so this is illuminating. Let's get curious. So when you become the bottleneck, it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. In fact, it usually means that you've built something good, right? Good enough that people are buying it, good enough that things are in motion, but you've hit the edge of what one person can do. That's it. You're like, oh, hello, universe. My business is growing, and therefore I need to grow as well. I am at the edge of something bigger and something new, and I gotta get out of the way. So that's exactly where Jen is, right? She's there. She's passionate, she's driven and sharp, but she's literally wearing every single hat. And now she's stuck trying to sell, serve, fulfill, and build all at once. Now, that kind of hustle can get you started, but it's not what it gets you to scale and grow. So when you feel like you're the one slowing things down, my friend, let's take a pause for a sec. That feeling isn't failure. It's just your business telling you something. This is what we've been talking about. What is our business trying to tell you? What is the growth here? What's the growth edge? So it's our business telling us that it's time for a new phase. How freaking exciting is that? How exciting? You're like, oh, hello, new phase. It's time to grow, right? I've been saying this to my groups and I'm like, you know, Taylor Swift with, hi, it's me. I'm the problem. It's me. Well, how about hi, it's me, I'm the solution. It's me. It is time for her to reimagine, to reassign, to reclaim her role as a visionary in this business, as an entrepreneur and say, what's up? What's next? Where do I have to go? Hey friends. Okay, so I don't know if you're anything like me, but sometimes it feels like my self care routine is slipping through the cracks because when I'm juggling and wearing all the hats in my business and doing all the things, I mean the last thing I have to do is like really fulfill that self care routine that my daughter's talking about. She's like, mom. So listen. So when it comes to running a successful business, you can't really pour from an empty cup. And a lot of times that self care is like one of the first things to get yourself recalibrated. So that's why I want you to meet Glossy. Now Glossy is my favorite daily beauty supplement designed to transform your skin and gut health from the inside out. And I'm actually an invest investor in this business because I so believe in this idea of science backed ingredients for digestion and skin hydration. And Glossy makes it really easy to look and feel your best without that whole 10 step routine in the mirror. The thing I don't actually have time for, all I have to do is simply mix the stick into my water and I'm good to go. So if you want to try this because I so believe in this business, I think it's amazing. It's done so many wonders for my skin and my gut which are two things that I need help with. And you want to simplify your wellness and, and your beauty. All you have to do is click in the show notes and you can use the code Jaclyn Snyder. So it's my full name, use the code Jaclyn Snyder and I'm hooking you up with 15% off your order. So cheers to glowing skin and a thriving business. So it's going to start with first, this structure we're working on right now is we have 50 cases we need to sell. The first place you told me was I'm going to go to these licensees. The second thing I want you to know or to figure out is before we say who's the next person, I want you to figure out then what is the process? I contact them, I book a call with them or I book a thing. I'm like, I'm gonna bring you three wines I want you to try. Then it's like, these days, maybe I go take the meetings with them. Maybe you're on the road on certain days. Every other week you go on the road for two days or something. Whatever you think it is, you go. And then you think in your head, okay, in the next two weeks, I'm gonna have moved these 50 cases or I'm going to move 30 of the cases, because I'm going to meet with X amount of restaurants and I'm going to sell them X amount of cases. And so I know that I'll be able to. I'll get 50 in, but I can move 25, 30, 10, whatever the number is. And you assign a number. So then your sales goal when you go out is, you know, I have to meet with X amount of people. I'm going to bring X amount of wines to present to them. And my goal is that I sell X amount of cases. So that way, if you're like, okay, great, I meet with 10 stores. Each store buys five cases. You can do the, like, fifth grade math problem.

[Jen]

Right.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

And know what you're going to move so that then you know what you've got left out of the 50 cases to sell at the next customer tier.

[Jen]

It's interesting. I've been thinking a lot about the minimums because I've heard you in different episodes talk about minimums when you're talking wholesaling. And so in my mind, it's. It's very similar. And I have not had a minimum because the pushback is always. Well, I don't have a lot of room or it's going to be a new wine, you know, I'm not really certain how it's going to go over, and so I always back off. But I'd really. It would be much better for me in terms of moving and increasing our sales if there was a minimum.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Obviously, the minimum is a case.

[Jen]

It has been. Yes.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yeah. You don't break up a case. Right. So they get a case. Yeah. So you want to incentivize. I only have 50 cases. You love this line. We got it. Let's get you. I'll hold two for you if you want, but let's have you reserve them. I'll ship them when needed. Right. You can get them to pay for it and hold it for them and ship it, but they're committed to that because it's scarcity and it's going to run out. Okay. Okay, great. Okay, let's get you love it though, right? Oh, yeah. You love it. Then let's. Let's get two cases. I'll hold two cases for you. One I'll get shipped to you. The one. The other one I'll hold and I'll ship it when you're ready. But at least you have it, because once these are gone, they're gone and people are loving them.

[Jen]

Right. It just feels sometimes like I know that maybe you're my first or second person I've gone to. And I feel like I'm lying if I say that because I don't actually have X number of people behind, clamoring to get it.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

When you taste the wine, do you know if it's going to be a hit or not?

[Jen]

I have a pretty good idea.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yeah.

[Jen]

I think that I can find a place for it.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yep.

[Jen]

I haven't found anything that has been like, oh, my God, the earth has tilted a little bit. But so far we haven't had anything that's come through that has not.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Because you have a taste. Like, you are the curator of these wines. You're the importer. Right. So you yourself, like, Jen has, like, we trust Jen. So you might say, look, I'm meeting with 25 restaurants. I only have 50 cases. I've got this, this, this, and this. Like, let's get you two on reserve. This is a great wine. Wouldn't you agree? Yeah, it's a great wine. Okay, so let's get it, like, held for you. It doesn't have to be in competition, but five stores down, five restaurants down, you might be able to be like, so and so and so and so and so and so have booked this up. Like, you're going to want to hold a case. It doesn't mean you have to sell them more than one case. I get it.

[Jen]

But when you like that line of I'm meeting with, instead of it being in my head, like, I'm, you know, blowing sunshine in that, I've got all of these people clamoring just to say, hey, you're on my list. And I'm meeting with X number. This is the quantity I have. It does kind of make it a little bit get it now.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yeah.

[Jen]

Like, that kind of feeling.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

We sell in two ways. Scarcity of time and scarcity of quantity. If it's always available, people will be like, meh. A good example of this is Disney. Remember, like, the Disney Vault, where it was like, bambi's out and the Bambi's going back in the Vault. You'll never get this VHS Again. Then streaming came and you can access anything. But the Vault made it that people wanted to get it as DVD, as Blu Ray, as VHS, like Bambi's out, get the 50th edition. And then I don't know why I picked Bambi of all of them, because it's the worst one. But, you know, so it's like, it's that idea. And this is why people hire sales reps. My sister in law was a sales rep for textbooks for colleges. We know the route of textbooks in technology. But now she sells. My brother has a cleaning company. Like they sell like commercial cleaning. Like they do like the Rams stadium, right. So now she can sell cleaning services, she sold textbooks, she could sell me her outfit. She's just a salesperson. She knows how to connect what you have to your customer. And that is very much built into the marketing and the messaging. People that are in sales are trained, so these are little like breadcrumbs to show you. But you've told me you like the relationships better. So long term it might be that you get a killer salesperson. They get it, they have relationships. They like have the drinks with them. They're like, oh my God, they text, oh my God, I just got this wine and you're going to absolutely love it. I can't wait to show it to you.

[Jen]

Right?

[Jacqueline Snyder]

That kind of excitement. My sister in law, like, that is her, like she's, oh my God, like, and I'm like, like it's not a hundred percent my realms. That's why I shouldn't be in that space. So that's what you're going to think about when you're thinking about cases and positioning. This is your marketing messaging. So what I want you to do is I want you to say, okay, I'm going to set up, I'm going to meet with 10 restaurants. I'm hoping I'm going to bring them three new wines. I'm hoping that I can sell, I don't know, four cases of each wine. Right? You know the numbers. You've been doing this long enough, right? Then you'll see. Okay, out of 50, now I have 46 left. Then what's your next customer you want to go to?

[Jen]

After I do the restaurants, then I would like to do the private clients, actually. Well, it's interesting because I think of things in terms of licensees and they're each different. So restaurants are one place. We have this new phenomenon here called bottle shops. So when Covid came and everything had to stop and pivot in order for Restaurants to stay open and alive through everything. They changed the laws and allowed them to sell liquor as part of takeout. You had to buy food, but you could buy a bottle of wine or cocktails or whatever, and you can't put the genie back in the bottle. So those places that had a little corner, a little niche in their bar, some of them stayed restaurants and have a bottle shop within them where you can have a bottle of wine with dinner and take it with you to go. And some of them changed their whole plan and became essentially what in the States you would look at as like a liquor store or specifically a wine shop more than you find spirits. So I think about them in different ways, but it might be best to then focus on bottle shops because they buy the in similar quantities and then they're responsible for selling one bottle after one bottle after one bottle to people that come through their doors. It's a little bit faster for me in that regard.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Great. So what I want you to do is I want you to map out for yourself the one fix. The first one I see is customer segmentation. So when I, when we look at our customers and our best, best customers, the ones that like are the, the easiest to sell the most to, most of the time, these are our customers that have bought before. It's way easier. You already have relationship established. So whether you were a distributor, you were selling one bottle at a time on a website, or you're selling cases to stores. Like it's the same concept. Whatever, how, whatever product you're selling and how you're selling it. So you're going to look at the different segments you have and I want you to just map it out. So every time you get wine in and you're like, I have, I need to do a sales, I need to turn this product over, I want to turn this over. I want to sell through these in the next 60 days or 90 days or whatever it is you create the structure of. I'm going to hit up these people and then I have a plan on how to hit them up. So the restaurants then hit up the bottle shops and here's the plan. And you're going to create a plan for each segment. So you're going to work through them as projects. Okay. Wine comes in restaurants. I'm going to take the next three weeks to sell to the restaurants. Great. Okay, next after that or two, whatever your timing is. Next one, I'm going to go to bottle shops. If you can do them all at the same time, great. But I don't want to give you, like, more bottlenecks. If it feels overwhelming, I want to tell you, you could work in segments, right? Or you can have processes that you just kick them in. On Monday, I do this, on Tuesday, I do this right. You get to choose your speed, and you're going to work through each type of customer segment and what needs to happen for each customer segment with set goals for each. I want to approach 10 bottle shops. I want these 10 bottle shops to buy this many bottles, cases, individual bottles, bundles, whatever it is. So you know that when you repeat this pattern, I can, I get 10 people. I sell X amount. You know, you can move through it. It all becomes a math problem. I think the problem is, is people feel like sales is some sort of number. We'll never know. It's like just guessing and praying like, okay, I got this. Hopefully I'll sell it. I have such a system in my business that I know exactly how. How much it's going to cost to acquire a new customer. So I know how much I have to spend to get X amount of customers. And I know my conversion points. I know, okay, I got these customers. I spend this much to get them. I can convert them at this percentage. So if I spend, I'll just say, like, if I spend a hundred thousand dollars on ads, but I know it costs me $10 per person, and I can spend a hundred. And like, I know that this is the cost and what I'm selling them. I know I could make $200,000, a million dollars, whatever it is. Like, it's such a math problem. And then you just pull the levers and you're going to only know that by testing it and tracking it. And the better you get at it, you tweak it, and you just get better and better.

[Jen]

I think I've done too much being erratic, too much ready getting thrown at the wall and trying to be all things at all times for all people. And I have not sat down and really specifically said, this is the customer today. It's the only thing I'm worried about.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yep. And having a plan, which is why you're on a call with me right now. Right. We all think it's like everything and all the things and it's. And. And really everything has a strategy behind it and has a purpose. And we're not doing things with purpose, even from a customer perspective. I just coached someone earlier, and I'm like, I was like, I tried to order. I was like, I don't know what to buy. I don't Know who you're selling to. Like, you're selling to people who see your product as like an everyday product, and then other people who see your product as like the ultimate solution to something. And you trying to be to everybody makes everything messy. So that's gonna be your job, is going to be getting really clear on who. Who we're selling to as the customer, setting goals for each. Each section and for you, Jen, to create a plan for you. You can go as fast as slow, whatever you want to decide, and you're going to track it. I approached 10 people. I'm doing this right now with one of my students. She was full on. Everything was being sold through Amazon, and Amazon for her started to slow down. And she really want to get into wholesale. She's one of my students in the accelerator. She's also a masterminder of mine. And she's like, it's finally working. She knows she's closing. She approached 35 stores. She's closed 12% of those stores. I know the number's not huge, but when we look at it and we're, okay, you're closing 12%. Now if it's a hundred, a thousand stores, right. We take that percentage, we get better at it. And now we can actually just do the math problem then say, okay, on average, they spend $500 with me. Now we know how much you're going to turn out by the end of the year.

[Jen]

Right?

[Jacqueline Snyder]

It's easier that way to just have, like, the numbers to anchor into.

[Jen]

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay, good. So knowing that and talking about, like your first, you know, the first big kind of hurdle of feeling stuck or that struggle. Do you have any questions to follow up on that?

[Jen]

Is there a best way? You make your first contact and sometimes you get rebuffed. The best way to come back for that. Do you know what I mean? I make a call, and often they're cold calls. Everything in sales is relationships. But it was not my first career, so I didn't have all of those relationships to fall back on. Is there a best plan for turning someone who is cold into a warmer kind of relationship?

[Jacqueline Snyder]

So nobody should be cold. Calling it something that, like, isn't like a.

[Jen]

It's soul sucking. It really is.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

They'll all start cold. And this is something in the accelerator that we do teach is, like, how to sell wholesale. So if you were to, like, make it make sense for you and we have a whole, like, training on it, it's not cold because you know enough about them. So one of the very first things you can do is follow these restaurants on social, okay. And just interact with them like humans. Distributor, you know, Corkscrew Imports is following Beefsteak restaurant in Ontario and commenting and just interacting. Okay, so you're not cold and you're learning from them. So, you know, oh, they did a Valentine's dinner, or you know something about them. So that when you approach them, the conversation is not like, hi, I'm random Jen, I don't know anything about you, but I've got wine for you instead. You're like, hey, I'm Jen. I've been following you. Your restaurant's amazing. I absolutely love your steak. My God, your Valentine's event that you did was like incredible.

[Jen]

Right?

[Jacqueline Snyder]

I'm an importer. I do this, this, this, and this. I think that your customers, your, you know, I have these wines and like, they're incredible and they would do so well on your menu. And then it's a real conversation that you have information. And now they're like, oh, it's pension. Makes sense. There's people who message me all the time. Did you get our contact? We want, you know, John, John, John to be on the podcast, talk about real estate and how he's crushed the development industry. And I'm like, have you read anything about the product boss? Like, why would I have John John of real estate on? Right? Like, that is so cold and so inappropriate. And I go, marcus, Spam, right versus not spam, like block versus someone who's like, Jacqueline, you know, we have, you know, Jen who's like, been all over the world and imported these wines and has like crushed it with like one on one with these places. And she can come in and teach your community exactly how to speak to people when they don't know who you are. Oh, my God, that sounds so valuable.

[Jen]

Okay, So I always make sure when I go into a call that like, I've done the research on the restaurant, I will find their wine list one way or another and kind of figure out, can I say that it's going to fit in beautifully with other products. Is it a hole that's in there? But I've never actually thought about it from a point of interacting with them in some way on socials.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yeah, a lot of times. I mean, it may not be the executive chef. Right. It may not. I don't know who the decision maker is with. If you're selling to a retail store, a lot of times owners might be running their own account or there's someone close enough to them that they're like, hey, this like, cool wine company is following us right now. And then they look or they've interacted in some way with you because you've commented. You're actually interacting. You're not just following them and paying attention. You're not just like an owl in the tree watching. You're actually, like, interacting. You're liking, you're commenting. You're commenting on a story, you know, and so they see that because there's humans living behind these digital devices. And then they might click. And I'm like, huh, what's this? That's cool. She imports this orange wine from Italy. That's da, da, da. Like, that sounds cool. So then when you approach, it's like, it just. Someone might have heard about you. It just makes it warmer. And then your follow up, I mean, this is again, it goes back in the sales process. It's like you make the call and this is what I will give you. If someone ever says, like, they want to make a decision, be like, great. How many days do you think you need to make that decision? Okay, it's like, oh, you can get back to Monday. Okay, cool. How about we set up a call for Monday and I'll double check and we can know whether we're moving forward or not. I have 50 cases of this or I only have 45 left. I'd love to get it in. You'll love it. Or I can come in on Monday and like, let you taste it. You know, like, the pushiness is what sits in sales, especially in what you're doing.

[Jen]

Yeah, it's the pushiness that always feels a little. It's the part that I feel the ickiest about, you know, but if you.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Look at it in the way of such a great solution for their customers and a win, win, my friends at this, this weekend, I was like, oh, my God, it's genius. Two plus two equals five. When you've got something so good and so amazing, right? Like, this is so good. And then you've got the other person. They're like, but this is so good. And together, we'd be so good together. It's not two plus two equals four. It's like five. It's magic is created. Imagine now they've worked hard on their menu and they've got this stuff. And like now you've got this wine that you've curated and brought in. It's so special. And their customers are like, they come in and the sommelier is like, this is delicious. Oh, my God, you should Absolutely. Try. Oh, my God, this is amazing. And they've discovered this wine and two plus two equals five. We need the, like, not like, I'm bothering them energy, not the I don't want to be a bug. It's like, no, dude. Like, I've got this amazing thing that's going to make your customers experience better and everything's better. And it's a win win for both of us. How do you say no to that? It's that energy to come in instead of being like, I'm bothering them and I don't want to bug them. It's like, no, I've got something so good for you. Let's do this.

[Jen]

I would feel so much better if I were in that position instead of always in my head second guessing all of it or third or fourth guessing, you know, like, it's always that. But I do like the two plus two equals five.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yes.

[Jen]

I could steal that and be like, listen, put us together. Your menu is going to be on fire.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yes. That is the energy. We should all be approaching any partnership we're in. You and me, Jen, together, your business is going to be on fire. Two plus this call right now. Two plus two equals five, right? You doing this by. By yourself? Two plus zero equals two, right? Two plus two equals five. Like, what magic can we create when we work together? That is the. You know, I know I said who, not how, but it's like, that's the who. Like, what, who can we collaborate with? Who can we get with? Who can we market with? Who can we sell to? Like, how do we get together to create magic? And that is the, that's the thing. Like, you're smiling when I say that. Versus we're like, I don't want to bother them. And now it's like, you're like, oh, my God, this can actually be really fun.

[Jen]

Well, it's. It just, it puts me in a different mindset. Instead of always going in and before a call, you know, there's always those couple minutes of like, checking through my notes and everything in the car. And I look like a bit of a crazy lady because there's, there's stuff all over my paperwork and whatnot. And then I walk in there and it's like, okay, and I need to do all of this. And there's always the fear that of the pushback, the pricing pushback. Just listen to you talk about increasing your price by a dollar an item. For the woman who sold cookies in Kentucky and she was so low that she was killing herself. You know her business wasn't going to be profitable. And I look at that and I'm like, honestly, it's a dollar. Like, does it really make a difference? But then I think about, as I'm going into the call, the pushback, how am I going to negate that kind of thing? It's always. It takes away the excitement of going into a call.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Right? So if you think about all of your interactions with people of, like, one, like, people buy the energy, the magnetism, the excitement, the, like, this is this wine, and it's imported from here, and it's this much per case. And if these are the notes and da, da, da. It's like, okay, it's like, oh, my God, this is. This is the delicious. Do you taste that? And I talked to the vineyard, and, like, they bottle it like this and, like, it'd be so delicious with, like, your branzino and. And da, da, da. Like, could you just imagine it? And, like, in your customers and, you know, like, when your excitement shifts and your energy shifts, they're buying that. They're buying the excitement of, like, what could be, versus nobody wants to buy another skin cream that's like, it's got SPF in it, you know, but it's like when you see the photos, like, when we fix the branding and the messaging, and it all starts to connect with the customer and the customer's end goal, and you're selling that energy. That's the thing that people are like, yes, right. That's the difference between Lubriderm on a shelf or Sol de Janeiro, which is like a, you know, a popular skin cream that's blown up, that sells, like, tropical vacations in a cute tub that's brightly colored, they're buying that. And so I want you to approach. This is like, every time you're coming up against these. And you can quote Jacqueline's friend Alex shout out to Alex in San Francisco. He's in tech, so it's nothing to do with what we do, but it's like, two plus two equals five. Like, let's do this, let's go. Like, let's. Like, I've got the thing that you need, and we're gonna do it together. That energy, whether it's one bottle, whether it's a case, whatever it is, you want to drink yourself. Like, you want to watch, like, Netflix and chill with your glass of wine at home. Like, I've got the bottle for that.

[Jen]

Right. Okay.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

You know, I can do that.

[Jen]

I can get behind a sizzle, a story, you know, and have that excitement.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Stories sell.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Facts tell, stories sell. And that's the marketing, that's the branding. Like, so we've talked about, like to fix the customer. We've talked about, okay, who, who are we selling to? What do we need to do? What's the strategy behind like the segmentation and the figuring it out. But the next fix a lot of times is like the brand. So what does your brand stand for? You know, like when I think of Jen and her company, like when I think of Corkscrew, it's like I go to Corkscrew for what? And then when we think about the marketing, marketing, whether it's an email, whether it's a social media post, whether you are the marketer that's showing up and because marketing is how you sell, that's the next part of like, what's the energy behind it? What's the messaging that they need to hear? What are the stories we can tell them that make it click for them that this is the exact right thing thing for them right now. And that's the next shift for you. One of my favorite things to teach is this energy is contagious, especially in business. So when you pair your excitement with someone else's, it multiplies. It's not 2 plus 2 equals 4, it's 2 plus 2 equals 5. Magic happens in collaboration. Magic happens when excitement meets excitement. We are literally in this together. If you are selling to a store, a retailer, a restaurant, they also are buying your product so that they can resell it so that their customers are happy. Which are your customers? It is a win win. It is a two plus two equals five. That extra one is the magic that happens when people connect with what you're passionate about, what you're selling. That connection point, my friends, you do not need a viral TikTok to grow your visibility. You just need aligned partnerships, collaborations, places where it have built in audiences, right? Other people's audience is what we teach. That's what I teach inside of the sales accelerator. It's how do we grow? Well, we get in front of other people's audiences and, and that genuine enthusiasm for what you're selling. So if you're excited about your wine or you're excited about your candles or your jewelry or your art or your cookies or whatever you're making and selling your fashion brand, right? If you're excited about it, your customers will feel it too. Whether they're your direct to consumer customers, right? Like they're regular, like you know, Jane and John on the street, or if it's to buyers at retail stores and anywhere in between. So if you show up alongside your partners, alongside a partner who also believes in your product, and this takes you being excited about it, enrolling them into it, finding the win, win, finding the two plus two equals five, right? When you do that, like Jen, it might be a sommelier, it might be a chef, it might be a wine club host, right? They're going to get excited, and they're going to transfer that excitement to their audience as well, which ends up getting you customers. Win, win, my friends, they want customers. You want customers. Let's all make and sell products, or in Jen's case, import products, and let's spread it. Who wants to taste Tuscany in a glass? And think the way that Jen talks about, like, savoring that moment and hearing the stories and settling into it, I mean, it would be so amazing. The most magnetic businesses, my friends, are not the loudest. They're the ones who radiate that passion, that story, that connection to their customer. When you know your customer, you will win. When the things that you do connect with the people you're trying to sell to and you find the win win, those are the ones that work. Those are the ones that sell. You have to find that connection. So I want you to ask yourself, who can I bring into this with me? Right? Because when. When you bring the right people into your orbit, your energy will expand. Who do you need to hear? You are the average of the five people you hang out with the most at some point, it was me, my husband, my two little kids. I don't even know. I don't even know if my dogs count as people. The parents I talked to on the playground, like, that was not where the magnetism came or the energy, you know, where you have to be here, I hear. Listen to this podcast in groups with other entrepreneurs that are at the same vibe that you're at, surrounding yourself with people who lift you up, working with buyers or retailers or consumers or your customers. Being in person and lighting it up. Let's light it up. Because when you have the right energy around you, that's what's going to expand. And when your energy expands, so does your business. So does your business. Everything grows, everything radiates. All right, so let's check back in with Jen. Okay, so if I were to say to you, like, why would I be buying your imports? What's the thing that you look for when you explore the world and you find wine and like you, you decide to import it, what is that?

[Jen]

Why When I go out, I'm looking for something that is similar but different. So I don't necessarily always want to go. And I always drank this white wine over here and all of a sudden I'm just going to drink great big bold reds. Maybe I do love big, bold reds, but I want something that's a little bit different because I feel like I've been in a rut. So I want to keep you in that similar area that you've been in, but make you move just a little to the left or a little to the right and have a different kind of experience.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Still hasn't told me why I would follow you. So, Jenny, you need to figure out what your vibe is. It's not just move to the left, move to the right. I like red wine or I like white wine. It's like, what do I know your imports to be? What's the vibe?

[Jen]

Focus on that small family farmer that is underrepresented in the Ontario market that we're bringing in that work in a sustainable, at minimum fashion.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

I'm in a going to do something intense with you. Ready? What else? I'm just going to keep saying, what else? Okay, so you're like, okay, it's a small, sustainable farmer. Great. Okay, so her person heard that. But that's still not going to like great small, sustainable farmer. I don't care. Is the wine good? So what else? What else? Is another reason I would buy from your stuff.

[Jen]

They are products that have not been in Ontario before. So there's an element of discovery to these.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

What else?

[Jen]

They're exclusive because we bring them in in small quantities. They're delicious.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

What else?

[Jen]

I don't know. Give me this feeling.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

I know it's terrible like this at all.

[Jen]

And I see myself on this call and I'm looking at myself going, thank you, idiot. Think.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

No, no. I had to do this for, like, I did do this for me. And I was like, what else do you want? I was like, a tattoo. I said tattoo like four times. I don't want a tattoo. But for some reason I kept saying, I want a tattoo. Why? I say, what else is. You're telling me, like, these reasons why you're doing it, but what else? Why else? Like, great, they're not discovered in Ontario, but what else? What is the vibe of this wine? What is the magic that comes when I buy one of your bottles that you selected for me from this, like, small farm somewhere else? What is it like? Am I getting the. You're transporting me to, like, Tuscany and I'M sitting with this, like, small family that has grown these grapes for the last 250 years. And, like, their children and their grandchildren and all these people have been raised there, and it's been passed down, and then, like. And you can taste the sediment in the soil and, like, the sun. Like, what. What are you actually selling?

[Jen]

So we use a hashtag, and it's on our bio. It says, hashtag, armchair wine travels.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Okay.

[Jen]

And that's kind of like, in my head, when I have a glass of wine, I like what it does for me. I like the feeling. It's not the intoxicant feeling. It is the. My shoulders come down, I take a deep breath, things soften. And that is what a glass of wine does. It transports me somewhere. It gives me a different feeling. And then I can have, you know, a Chianti from the hills at, you know, grown at elevation from Rada. And what it does. And I get these pictures in my head, and I hear music, and it's all of that. We use that in our.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

That is the what else.

[Jen]

Okay.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

And I haven't seen it anywhere on your messaging. It's not on your Instagram, and it's not on your website.

[Jen]

It doesn't say it on the bio. Does it not? It's gone.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Let's see.

[Jen]

Okay, well, we're gonna fix that then.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Yeah, we are. Okay, let's go back. It says, boutique wine agency operating in Ontario, Canada. Uncork your curiosity, explore the world of wine.

[Jen]

Oh, I think that we moved.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Oh, then it's hashtag, armchair wine travels.

[Jen]

We put the uncork your curiosity first.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

So instead, in what you said, and this is something that we experienced in 2020, which is why I spent, I remember, like, 200 importing chocolates from Iceland that Zac Efron talked about on that show. Because I was like, I want to travel so bad, and I can't. And so if I want to go to Iceland and I want to explore Iceland, and I'm like, what does Iceland taste like? I imported. I was able to get these chocolates. And then with my pod, during 2020, we unwrapped these chocolates, and we talked about Trav travel, and we imagined we were somewhere we weren't. And that's what the what else is. Sometimes the most important question in business isn't, what do you sell? It's what else? What else? What else? So if you ever find yourself stuck like Jen, this is the question I want you to keep asking yourself. Sometimes it might even take someone in front of you going like, what else? Okay, tell me, what else? What else? I know I got a little intense. And thank you, Jen, for letting me kind of like trigger you in that way. And I appreciate you going with it because you're like, oh, my God, I'm never talking to this woman again. Get me the heck out of here. But no, because the thing is, sometimes that first answer, that second answer, that third answer, it's just meh. But when we keep going, what else? What else? What else? What are you going to get on the other side, right? Maybe you ask someone to reflect this back to you, jumping with the same enthusiasm that I was, like a Labrador puppy that's excited that you came home. What else? Because sure, Jen sells wine, right? But what else? What is she really selling? What she's selling is what her customer feels when they open that bottle. The story they are tasting, the story they're telling themselves in their head where they're transported, what small joy are they gifting themselves in that savor and that sip. So when you dig past the product into this kind of magic, you will find the true value. And for Jen, that value lives in discovery. It lives in curation, which is Jen's magic, right? She is the visionary. This is her magic. It lives in the invitation to taste something rare, to connect with a story and to be a part of. Of something that doesn't just live on a liquor store shelf. That is how you get access to it. But it is so much more than that. And that's where the real businesses grow, right? And that's where your growth lives. It's really not, my friends. And the logistics and the SKUs again, I told you in my programs, I'm going to talk to you about the logistics and the SKUs and the this and the that, right? Those are all the hows. We got it. Got it nailed. I got it for you. Let's do it. But the thing that I really want you to learn, and this is actually, this is truthfully, like, the depth of what we talk about in standout society is your ability to articulate the transformation you offer. So we talked about, you know, me thinking about renaming standout society and thinking about, you know, what's the right thing for you all and how can I be of support to you and what do you need to learn to level up, to grow your business, to step into this next level entrepreneurship? And truthfully, what it is, is how do we stand out in that crowded market? And the what else is not, I have a candle. And it's Lavender scented, and it's in this jar, and it's priced for 24. It's not that Jen is selling wine from Tuscany, and it's. And it's from Chianti, and it's a wine that I imported. That's not what we're selling. And you know that you felt her magic. Oh, that all of you are like, how do I order this? I'm not even in Canada. And if you are in Canada, you can go support Jen. It's your ability to articulate transformation. It is your ability to make your customers feel something when they're interacting with your product. That is how you stand out, and that's how you start to sell with confidence, because you believe so deeply in this, and you feel it. You feel the energy. You feel the transformation. You feel the joy that someone will feel when they're getting your product. It doesn't matter what you sell. It could literally be anything. And so that's how a bottle of wine becomes something unforgettable. All right, so now let's jump back.

[Jen]

I feel better knowing that there was a. What else? I just took my sweet time in getting that.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

You didn't. I had to do that for a minute over and over and over and like, people screaming at me and we're like, jumping. I know I'm like. I'm like coming out of, like a retreat that I'm like, probably a little intense. So welcome, Jen, to getting, like this version of me. But I think we're like, unraveling. Okay. I think we're discovering the. What else is more than these posts of come check me out here or here's a white wine. Try another one. It's like the story that you're selling is in your armchair in your living room, surrounded by friends in. Because people can't afford to travel everywhere, they dream. They're people. My mother in law, she dreams of going to Italy. She's like, oh, God, Italy. She could go. She'd go tomorrow. All the reasons she's never gonna go. But they have a wine closet and they love wine. And so if you sold her on like this, she would dream and imagine sitting there without wine in her backyard, looking at her at, you know, the foothills of Northern California, and she would imagine that she was somewhere else and transported. So it's more than a hashtag, Armchair Wine travels. It is you building that feeling into your website, into your visuals, into your social, into all of that, that we all get to explore the world through the taste of the wine that you have. And One day we can dream that we get to go visit, but if we can't, if we're never going to buy that ticket, we do exactly what you said. And that feeling that you said to me of how you feel is what I want you to convey to your customers. That's what sells it.

[Jen]

I did not know I was coming here for this part. Just like you said, sometimes you take a regular road, sometimes you take a turn. But it makes so much sense. It really does.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

You got such a big smile on your face.

[Jen]

I know. Who knew?

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Doesn't have to feel so heavy.

[Jen]

I mean, don't get me wrong, like, this will require a lot of thought and playing around and rejiggering a lot of things.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

But can I tell you, when you said it's going to take a lot of thought, it's actually going to get, I want you out of your head and into your heart. That's where I want it to come from. And then when your heart feels something, then your heart's going to tell your head, this is how we express it. This is if you can be marketing and branding and picking wines and selling from your heart, going from your gut and your heart. That's what sells our products, that's what sells our services. It's how somebody feels in their heart. If we keep talking in their head, then it's like price versus price, wine versus wine. That's why labels or branding or packaging make someone feel. They make some smile or laugh or feel luxurious or exclusive or, you know, the bottle is like, we're dating someone at a bar. Like, you meet someone back in the day. Now, I know the kids are like, on apps, but even so, they're swiping right or swiping left on a visual. So the visual is, what is the brand? What is the packaging? What does the thing look like on the shelf? Then you approach it and then you ask it its name. Then you pick it up and you look at the bottle and you start to find out the details and decide if you're going to take it home or not.

[Jen]

Right? So it's interesting because I've been there, I've done all of those things. But when I pick the wine, it is gut. I mean, there's always a what does it cost? Will we be able to make that work in the market? But if I'm picking, for example, when I had to choose our Chianti, it was out of three and it was, this is the only one that I would be excited about that I want to tell other people. To drink. This is the one. And that's how I knew, like, immediately I tasted three wines and. And done. It's just a matter of. Okay, I need to get this man on the phone right now and make this happen.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Mm. So you're already operating from your gut, and your brain is going to be the thing that figures out the we don't know problem. Your brain's got it right. Like, the course will teach you that. This coaching will teach you, like, do this step. Do this step. But, like, that there's two disconnects that I see happen. People disconnect from the customer, and they disconnect from the heart to heart to the customer, the gut to the gut. Like, we go brain to brain. We're like, oh, it's got this and this and this and this in it. And it's like. And we all buy based on how something's going to make us feel, you know, and your things especially, because it's a sensory. It's a taste that think. You know, when I lived so far away from my family, and I would do Thanksgiving by herself, and I just had to make. And thank God my grandma's still with us. But, like, I would make her stuffing and English, by the way. So, like, my American holiday is rooted in English meals, but I would have it. I'm like, oh, my God. It's like, grandma's here. That taste and the smell, those scents. Memories are so much more powerful and stronger. And then you also remember when you were somewhere and you drink something. Podcasts. When you all listen to podcasts, there's some podcasts that significantly. I'm like, I remember I was right where I was when I heard that thing. And it sticks in your brain.

[Jen]

Yeah. Some messages just resonate, and it feels like they become part of your core.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Mm. And so that's the same with the taste. So you've got it. You know it. You're like this Chianti, that is your. We can't replace that. That. That is your superpower. And so the thing that you're the best in the world at is the discovering of these products, the tasting of them, and being like, yep, this is the one. And this is the one for my customers in Ontario, based on what I do.

[Jen]

So do you think, like, you showed me Taraji Henson's wine, and she's very forward, and I've always hidden behind a graphic, a pretty picture, whatever. But we did discover that the couple of times that I have been on social, that's when we've seen more of an uptake, and there's been more response to it.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

I think if someone trusted you as, like, the sommelier, if you wanted to do it. But honestly, I think if you sold me the places, the travel, the photos, the like, as if I was there with the vintner. Like, if you sold me the experience visually of what I will taste.

[Jen]

That's what I was thinking about. Should I be more forward in those things? This is why I picked this wine. This is what it does for me.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

I don't think it has to be.

[Jen]

You join me in that exploration.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Kind of imagine if it wasn't for. Because she's a celebrity. So, like, we associate, right? But imagine you replaced her with a. A model or you had no idea who she was. When you saw those photos, you were just, like, transported to this, like, fun girls party outside. Felt like the summer drinking Moscato, and there were, like, hints of orange in there. So you don't have to do a photo shoot. What I almost want to see is just like, again, like, what are those, like, luxurious meals that I would eat? What does the be an armchair wine travel? I'm sitting here on my phone, scrolling my phone. How do you transport me to these places visually that then make sense and connect to me then buying the wine from you so that I can not only have the visual of where this came from and imagine myself sitting there, but now I'm tasting what it tastes like.

[Jen]

And could that be something as simple as, again, using, like, a carousel? And it's, here's the Chianti. Here's the recipe from the winemaker on, you know, the family sauce recipe or something along those lines. And then some images that are of the winery or of maybe like, okay.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

So let's say, like, where's a place in Italy that you import from, from Chianti? Okay, so let's say that you were gonna really push your Chianti, and you're gonna do, like, a week of Chianti or, like, two weeks of Chianti. And imagine this was a grid of, like, nine you. I'm gonna start with, like, okay, so imagine there's an image of, like, I just imagine, like, the Kardashians, Dolce and Gabbana weddings. Right? Like, I'm not saying that that's your vibe, but let's. It's just such a visual for me. So it's like, you know, this Dolce and Gabbana. Or actually, I just watched Another Simple Favor, which is with Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, and they're in Italy, and there's like this wedding, and it's all, like, southern Italy, and it's everything. Southern Italy. So the cliffs down to the ocean. The wedding had these, like, dark reds and, like, white, and it was. It was just beautiful. So imagine there's some image whether or not the bottle's on the table or not, but there's an image with, like, this one that we're looking at has crab or a lot of Globster rolls, and it looks like a summer day. There's the bottle. You see the tablecloth and the color. And so, like, you found this beautiful picture of, like, a meal in Chianti that I look at the picture and it just feels like it. Then there's like, another image of, like, I don't know, some Sophia Loren, like, Italian feeling. Very. That vibe. Then there's. I know. I'm not saying that you get into, like, all the visuals because there's visual. There's so many visuals out there that you can source images. There's places you could buy images that, like, have certain feelings. Then it could be like the tasting notes of the Moscato in emojis. Exactly. Like, this tastes like, you know, a warm summer night surrounded by olive trees with, you know, pebbles beneath your heels and the sound of, you know, Nona in the kitchen yelling.

[Jen]

Right.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

And that is the armchair travel. Does that make sense?

[Jen]

It does. I have, like, little graphics going through my head. And honestly, it's going to take a long time before Sophia Loren driving with a scarf around her hair in that very, like, 50s time period in a convertible, like, up a winding mountainside that's tastes like Chianti.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

So your visuals are going to be, like, tasty. I don't even know, to be honest. And this sounds so stupid, which I probably knew, but Chianti. I don't know what Chianti looks like, meaning I know it's a wine or.

[Jen]

The wine, the place.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

It's.

[Jen]

It's a very hilly region in Tuscany.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Right? So that's. I'm saying, like, I know what Tuscany looks like, but what if you sold me, you know, like. So that's the thing. You already see this Sophia Lorenzo tastes like this, you know, Then you see the hills. This would be so cool for you to always do, like, a carousel like this. Like the blah, blah, blah, blah. Chianti in this tastiness they have explained in emojis, but you might have it explained in pictures. And it could be like a nonna with pasta, and it's like, tastes like you know her. And then like children running around an olive tree. Like, you. Like, you can get playful, but these descriptors and visuals and words are the things that cell, that creep. Go to the heart, right? They hit you right in the heart. I see you smiling. It's gonna make other people smile, and then it's gonna have them desire to taste this Chianti that they feel something about now. Like, yeah, I wanna taste what Chianti tastes like through Jen's bottles.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

We have here in the States, which is very American, is Buca di Beppo, which is. Have you been. So, like, every room feels different and there's pictures everywhere, and they even have, like, the sound in the bathrooms. They have the sound of, like, women speaking in Italian in the bathroom. That place, like, is the. So it's like, how can you take me on journeys through your emails, through your visuals, through your content that just make me feel such a longing to be there? And the closest way I can get there is by buying a bottle and drinking it and seeing it in my mind's eye the same way that you described it to me.

[Jen]

Okay, so I see where that can work very, very well for private clients, because one of my goals is to increase the email list with private clients. Will that resonate with a restaurant as well? Do they.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

If you do what we were talking about and you're following them? Well, one, yes. The stories, even eventually you present and you present in a different way, where it's got images and it's got, like, you show. You bring your. Your, you know, your catalogs, and you're like, this one's inspired by this. And, like, this is a mood board. Like, we can zigzag. Like, we don't have to do what everyone else does. You can have, like, mood boards for your wine. If this resonates with you and starts to feel creative, I don't need you sitting in front of Canva. I need you curating the experience. And you can easily find visuals, you know, but let's say you're following them and then they're like, who's this cool corkscrew person? And then they follow you back. Or they see it and they're like, what is Sophia Lauren doing here? Even if you, like, Photoshop, like, the wine bottle, like, in the back of her seat. I don't know, but like. Or you'd be like, what would Sophia Lauren drink? And you'd say, darling, she would drink this one because it makes her feel this way. You know, like, there's so much playfulness you can do And I think you're very playful at heart. And because you also have this, like the world traveler in you, I just think you could bring so much of that in. It doesn't have to be so serious. So there's, I think, what I want for you. And this is. This is the main fix. Right. This is the step before your sales accelerate. So the main fix for you right now is I think that the cue in is like, sure, we can the customer. And then what does the customer need to feel and know? What is their knowing? Not the, like, yeah, the notes and the tannins and the alcohol percentage and where it comes from. Sure. But what do they deeply need to know to be your customer and how do they need to feel? And if you can knock those. Those things out, which are basically like focusing and fixing on the customers and the sales strategy behind that, the brand and the messaging, everything else will start to be so much easier. That's when you're going to lock in so hardcore that it's going to be irresistible not to sell this. This is where your two plus two equals five. This is where you're like, oh, my God. Like, let's, like, let's imagine like we're sitting here. Like you, you know, like even your lightness when you go in the room with them is going to just feel so much better because you're going to feel like you're sitting down with friends and not no longer selling, but enjoying.

[Jen]

Yeah. It's more of a conversation and not a hard pitch. I would feel much better.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Irresistible.

[Jen]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. That's very cool. I like that.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

I'm so excited to see what happens. I know it's not like a hardcore strategy, but, you know, like, it's pointless for you and I to talk. I mean, to just run you step by step by step. Like, that's what you can come into one of my courses or programs, have access to it forever and like, be like, here's how to do it. Great. But the thing, the belief that you need is the level up, the unlock is that it's like, I've got the strategy all day, every day, but how do I make you smile? That this thing is actually exciting to you, that you can't wait to dig in and sell the heck out of it and connect with the people and get it out there. That's the energy we need now in the world. Feeling so freaking twisted and turned upside down and heavy, heavy, heavy. Let's find the joy and the light and the fun and the connection.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

You know yeah.

[Jen]

And these are like. Doesn't matter how many voices you have in your head. These are not the kind of conversations you can have alone. Somebody else has to say something because you need a different trigger. The whole brand message was not somewhere I was going. I was very concerned about numbers and plans and strategy. And this does make sense to me.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

This is the unlock before all the rest of it. And when you nail this, everything else will easily unfold. You know, this is the defining part of you and your brand. That's like, this is the why. This is. You haven't been able to message out why you decided to spend all your money, all of your time, all of your sleepless hours figuring out how to find these wines and bring it out there. But the why is this. This is the why. To experience the world through these bottles. To travel from your armchair, to taste life.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Good.

[Jen]

I've got so many different little, like, pictures flashing through my head.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

I'm so excited.

[Jen]

Ideas. Yeah. I'm going to have fun with this.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

Oh, I'm so excited. And you'll get the recording. So then you're like, what did she say? Well, you'll get the recording. So if anybody wants to, if they're in the Ontario area in Canada, how can we support you? How can we follow you and all? And watch, watch you, like, make us. Help us travel through the world through your Instagram.

[Jen]

Yes. No pressure at all.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

No pressure.

[Jen]

We can be found at www.carkscrewimports with an S at the end CA and on Instagram, we are at Corkscrew Imports.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

So good. Thank you.

[Jen]

Thank you.

[Jacqueline Snyder]

So in today's show, right, we saw that Jen isn't lacking drive or product or even customers, or truthfully, sometimes she's not even lacking time. What she needs is structure. So by identifying her profitable sales channels, by clarifying who her customers are, and by freeing herself up to be the face of the brand, she is paving the way for faster sales and smarter growth. So we talked through bottlenecks, we talked through buying behavior, delegation, and visibility. But more than anything, what we uncovered here was that spark, that reminder that her product isn't just wine. It's discovery, it's connection. It's an experience. And that's something worth building on. So, my friend, if you are feeling like you're doing everything and nothing at the same time, I want you to remember this. It's okay to be the star, but just don't be the only one on stage. I want you to build the support, the structure and the systems that you need to shine. And I want you to find the energy and the story and the win win. And the two plus two equals five. Write that down, confuse your fifth grader, and remember, it's a win win. It's a win win. If you and I get to work together in the future, if I meet you, one of my programs and one of my live calls, one of my workshops, if you're on this podcast as a guest, that is a win win. We both win. Two plus two equals five. Our energies exchange. The growth that we have together is a win win. It benefits all. I'll say the same thing for you and people you sell to at markets, people who land on your listings on Amazon or on Etsy, you know, retailers that you call up, influencers or creators that you work with. It is a win win. And when you can start to operate from that energy of the two plus two equals five, which, thank you to my friend Alex for bringing that to me. And I was like, oh, my gosh, these guys are just inspiring all sorts of podcast episodes and. And all the things. And I'm so grateful because me being around those people, these friends that I have, and that is my two plus two equals five. That is my inspiration. That is the energy that I want to live in and be in, and that's what's so contagious, and that's what I want to bring to you here on the show. All right, my friends, thank you for listening. Product bosses, go find your win wins. Go find that connection and find the energy that you want to live in. And if you can't find it in the real world, come back here, put it in your earbuds, because I'm right here every week, two episodes a week, supporting you. All right, my friends, see you in the next one.