selling | The Barefoot Spirit

Time to Dress For Success – Again!

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 18:00:00 +0000

Many years ago, President Jimmy Carter upset men’s business fashion when he fancied himself as a “Peanut Farmer” and wore jeans in the White House. The fad took off! Ever since, it’s common to see CEOs and conference speakers wearing sport coats and jeans. Fashion changed again when we decided we all wanted to look like our hi-tech heroes, the engineers who made our lives easier. The ties went bye-bye and the shirt tails came out. It’s kind of the norm now, actually. But is it time for this trend to end?

Today there is more concern over what the subject line should be on your promotional email than what to wear at a business meeting. Sure, if you send the wrong subject line folks won’t open it. And whatever works today is obsolete tomorrow. The idea seems to be to distinguish your email and use a subject word that captures people’s attention. Your email must offer a good and effective first impression.

Well, how ’bout how you look? Don’t those same folks make the same snap judgements about you and what you’re offering based on their first impression? Of course they do! But what do they see? Do you look like you’re on your way to a ball game? Great, except that if what you’re selling is dependability, quality, and service-oriented, you just struck out.

You should look like what you’re selling because you are being judged – even before you open your mouth, or your sample case. They make an assumption about you in that first split-second. Then they try to justify that first impression every second, every minute and every hour thereafter. We like to say, “When the cement is wet, you can move it with a trowel. But when it’s dry, you need a jackhammer!” So why handicap yourself just to fit in and look “cool”? Do you want to make a statement? Or do you want to make a deposit? If you want to make a deposit, set the stage to give yourself every advantage you can right out of the gate.

How would you feel if your pilot was dressed like a baseball fan? What about your doctor? Your attorney? Your investment broker? Clothes speak volumes especially when you want something from someone else. Think of your apparel as the subject line in a sales email. Does it send the message you want? Does it give your prospect the confidence you want them to have?

Want to be different, stand out, and get noticed today? Dress sharp! In today’s world, you’ll stand out!

At Barefoot Wines, everyone thought we were running around in cut-offs, sandals, and tee-shirts. Actually, we were dressed in business attire, except for Fridays, when we dressed business casual, not free dress. Were we old fashion stuff shirts? With a foot for a logo? Hardly! We were dressed to send a message to every supplier, every buyer, and every investor that walked in our door. That message was serious, dependable, and professional. And it worked! More than a few big chain buyers wandered into our offices unannounced. And more than a few suppliers extended us credit after a visit, and more than a few of our vendors took us seriously when they came to our offices.

We have a friend who always dresses in top style. He usually wears, yes, a tie. But he is the top sales manager in his industry, and he is respected by all the buyers and salespeople. When you see him, you think, “Now that’s somebody important. That’s somebody who has something to say.” And after all, isn’t that what you want your prospects, associates, and superiors to think of you? Isn’t it time to be different and dress for success?

Who We Are

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey co-authored the New York Times bestselling business book, The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. The book has been selected as recommended reading in the CEO Library for CEO Forum, the C-Suite Book Club, and numerous university classes on business and entrepreneurship. It chronicles their humble beginnings from the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse to the board room of E&J Gallo, who ultimately acquired their brand and engaged them as brand consultants. Barefoot is now the world’s largest wine brand.

Beginning with virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they employed innovative ideas to overcome obstacles, create new markets and forge strategic alliances. They pioneered Worthy Cause Marketing and performance-based compensation. They built an internationally bestselling brand and received their industry’s “Hot Brand” award for several consecutive years.

They offer their Guiding Principles for Success (GPS) to help entrepreneurs become successful. Their book, The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways To Engage and Empower Your People, helps corporations maximize the value of their human resources.

Currently they travel the world leading workshops, trainings, & keynoting at business schools, corporations, conferences. They are regular media guests and contributors to international publications and professional journals. They are C-Suite Network Advisors & Contributing Editors. Visit their popular brand building site at www.consumerbrandbuilders.com.

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post Time to Dress For Success – Again! appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

The 9 Selling Seasons: Seasonal Selling Can Get You More Sales

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 18:00:08 +0000

Everybody in the consumer products business knows how important the winter holidays are to retail sales. But wait, there’s more, a whole lot more! In fact the entire year can be divided up into at least 9 selling seasons. Each one can have special significance for your product or service.

What most selling seasons have in common is that they begin right after the last 3-day bank holiday weekend and run through the next 3-day bank holiday weekend. During that period most retailers and smart producers are putting out signs, decorations, and trade dress on their consumer products in an effort to take advantage of the seasonal theme. In most cases, every seasonal selling promotion has to be scheduled substantially in advance to reserve display space, ad space and special pricing.

Let’s examine these selling seasons (theme-promotional periods) and the opportunities they present for producers to help their retailers decorate, celebrate, and move product:

The Martin Luther King 3-day Weekend – the 3rd Monday in January celebrating the great civil rights leader. The selling seasons begins on January 2^nd. It’s relatively short but this is the time when retailers try to sell off any unsold inventory they bought for the Christmas – New Year’s selling season. Expect big sales and volume discounts during this selling period, making it difficult to sell in when retailers want to reduce inventory. It’s a great time for snow sports and winter recreation, however.
The Valentine’s Day- President’s Day Weekend – the 3^rd Monday in February and because Valentine’s Day (February 14^th) falls so close, we end up celebrating our two greatest presidents and romance around the same time. Super Bowl Sunday also occurs during this period. The period starts the day after MLK Day and is a month-long selling season. You guessed it, a perfect time for all thing romantic – flowers, chocolate, wine, pajamas, travel, restaurants – you get the picture. How can you make your product romantic?
St Patrick’s Day – Easter. Although neither is a bank holiday, Good Friday is generally observed as a day off making Easter a 3-day weekend. Some years when Easter falls early, it’s very close to St Patrick’s Day which can combine the two into one selling season. When Easter falls late we can have an up to three-week Easter selling season. You get the idea, shamrocks, eggs, bunny’s and new items.
Memorial Day – in honor of our military service people, the last Monday in May. It is also considered by many as the “official” first day of summer, with picnics and barbeques, outdoor activities, and vacation time. Discover how your product can fit in. This is a two-month selling season starting the day after Easter. The only big selling day in between is Mother’s day, the second Sunday in May, which obviously has its own theme.
Independence Day. Depending on how close it comes to a weekend, it can be a 3 or 4 day weekend. Get out the red, white and blue! The Independence Day selling seasons starts the day after Memorial Day and continues with the summer vacation and recreational theme for over a month. The only other big selling day is Father’s Day, the 3^rd Sunday in June.

Next time we will examine the last 4 selling seasons of the year and their commercial implications. But knowing what’s coming and how you can lever each one gives you a real advantage, if you sell with the seasons!

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post The 9 Selling Seasons: Seasonal Selling Can Get You More Sales appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

The Top 5 Challenges to Going Global

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 18:09:28 +0000

As our world gets smaller, more and more entrepreneurs are going global. But just what does that mean in terms of entrepreneurship? Sure, it seems easy enough when you market through e-commerce. It’s almost a given that you will be selling internationally as the internet seems to be boundless. But what if you are selling a real product with dimensions and weight? Now you are selling a product in international commerce. You can get degrees in international commerce, but if you are like us, you may find yourself thrown into it, especially if your product is a hot seller in the US. We are often asked what where the main challenges we faced selling internationally. Here is our short list for you to consider:

Compliance. Make sure that you or your agent is licensed to do business in the foreign country with all the various agencies that require licensing. Labeling is a big deal. Most countries want metric weights and measures, and many want terms in their own language. Your US trademark won’t protect you there. You’ll need a trademark in each country in which you intend on doing business. In fact, you may have to buy out a trademark sitter who isn’t even producing a product but has your mark already registered in that country.
Shipment. Find a freight forwarder who specializes in your type of product. They should know the myriad of documents required. When using ocean-going freight, be sure to account for the time necessary to make the journey. You may well be shipping weeks in advance to prevent run outs. Most international shipping is done in 20-foot containers that hold 850 to 1,050 cubic feet. For the most part, your pricing and quantities are based on this. You may want to use refrigerated cargo shipping containers to transport your temperature sensitive items.
Receivables. Extending credit is always a big risk. You are not likely to take buyers to court in a foreign country and they know it. The instrument that we used successfully is a Letter of Credit which works very much like an escrow account. It’s written on a US bank with orders to pay you upon the presentation of certain documents, one of which is a signed ocean-going bill of lading which proves the goods have left the US.
Duties and Dollars. Import duties are usually due before the goods can leave the dock of first landing. Depending on your type of product and the political situation, the other country’s import taxes and tariffs will vary widely. In some countries you can ship your goods to a duty-free zone within the destination country and maintain possession of them in your name until they are removed by you or your buyers, at which time the taxes are due. Even with the ever-changing exchange rates, your foreign buyer wants long-term stable pricing.
Brokers. International brokers will approach you at trade shows and ask for the rights and the exclusive to a foreign market. They may offer to take care of all the details. They will work on a percentage of sales. Be careful! You don’t want to give the exclusive to a non-producer who just wants all sales to go through them. We found few who will actually go out into the market and merchandise products at retail. Sometimes it’s much better to invest in your own sales representative in that country.

Selling to a global market is challenging. If you can master the 5 steps here, you will be well on your way to successfully selling internationally!

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post The Top 5 Challenges to Going Global appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

9 Steps to Achieving Your Goals for the New Year

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 15:31:40 +0000

As the current year winds down and we look forward to the New Year, start thinking about your annual goals. Don’t wait until the New Year is upon us. These last few weeks of December are a great time to identify what you want to achieve during the next year. Writing goals seems like a daunting task, but we have discovered a fun and easy way to get started:

List Your Achievements. How have you progressed so far? How many goals have you achieved this year? Reviewing your achievements is always encouraging because you can see the value in setting goals.
Identify Your Incomplete Goals. What goals did you set for this year that are yet to be achieved? Are they still relevant? If so, they need more time, so those are a great place to start your goal list for next year.
Write Your Annual Goals. What are the big goals you want to achieve for the New Year, for your business, your career, your health, and your education? Add those to the list of this year‘s goals that need more time. Now you have a core goal list.
Study the Year Ahead. Take a good look at a calendar with holidays and events already printed on it. This is the landscape of the New Year. This is the layout you can’t change, the one you must work within.
Set Your Deadlines. Break down your annual goals into achievable milestones to be completed before each 3-day holiday weekend and post them on the calendar. Make a list of the milestones for that period and keep it handy throughout the period as a reminder to keep you on track.
Set the Lead Times. Calculate how long it takes to prepare for any event. Look to see if there are there overlaps. By working backwards from the events, you will see when you must begin preparations.
Post the Must-Attend Dates. Identify the dates that you absolutely must attend, whether it’s at work or for a social affair. Those are the dates you can’t be on vacation.
Identify the Holiday Periods. When does school begin and end? Vacation spots are less crowded and often less costly when students return to school. When are the three-day weekends? These are great for short getaways. When are the key selling seasons? Some business people must plan months ahead to assure all is in place for essential selling seasons, and can take a break only after this essential work is completed.
Book Your Vacation. Now that you understand the fixed landscape of the coming year, when would be the ideal time for you to take your vacations? Buy your tickets now! You’ll get a better deal and you will have some hard dates by which to accomplish your goals. The rest of your work will fall in “magically” around your vacations.

By working with your goals on an actual calendar, you will be more likely to achieve them. When you discover the existing dated landscape that you must work within, you are setting yourself up for success. You will see the practicalities of the New Year and use it to your advantage. Your personal time-off rewards will be visible and your milestones will be more realistic.

You’ll be surprised how much you can achieve when you can see the end of the tunnel whether it’s a booked vacation or a three-day weekend. Nobody wants to come back to unfinished business and you won’t either. Be practical about your goals, the calendar, and your much-deserved rewards. Book your vacation now!

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post 9 Steps to Achieving Your Goals for the New Year appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Taste California Travel!

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 15:46:29 +0000

The Barefoot Spirit Review by Dan Clarke

The Barefoot Spirit succeeds on several levels.

Those in or around the wine business will enjoy some of the inside scoop on how a young couple naively entered their industry, made predictable mistakes and yet survived. And eventually prospered. Actually, though the product was wine, their journey might serve as a blueprint smart people with boundless energy and dogged persistence could apply to any business. There’s also a “feel good” element to the Barefoot story. Houlihan and Harvey found ways to “do well by doing good.” when they applied their social consciousness in helping causes they thought worthy—and did it in ways that helped build their brand.

When a winemaker friend was owed money by a bankrupt Sonoma County winery in 1985, the couple came up with a novel way to make him whole. They convinced the winery, which was cash poor, but did have a couple of unrealized assets—unbottled wine in tanks and a functional bottling line—to resolve their debt in wine and bottling services. They would help their friend out by selling the wine. After all, it was good wine. How difficult could it be?

To read the complete review, please visit Taste California Travel

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post Taste California Travel! appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

KBOI-TV 2 Television Interview

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Sun, 07 Jul 2013 18:42:32 +0000

BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) – The founders of Barefoot Wine have a new book out talking about their unique journey of building one of the countries top selling wines. Although it may not have happened if not for the current owner of a Boise restaurant.

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey started Barefoot Wine out of their laundry room in California back in 1985. The current owner of the Stagecoach Inn in Boise, Rick Fraser, was a distributor in California at the time.

Early in their business Michael had a different distributor who didn’t pay his bill, and put is wine out in the hot sun. That could have been a huge financial hit, but he called Fraser who went and picked up the wine and began selling it.

To view the complete article and watch the video interview, please click visit this link KBOI-TV2

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post KBOI-TV 2 Television Interview appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

When Success Means Being Turned Down by the Bank

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:13:49 +0000

By Ben Steverman

You’d think selling your wine brand to E&J Gallo would put you squarely on Easy Street. As accidental wine merchants Bonnie Harvey and Michael Houlihan found out, personal finance and entrepreneurship can make an awkward pair.

Before the mid-1980s, the married couple’s main experience with wine was drinking it. Then, while working as a consultant on office management to a wine maker without a brand of his own, Harvey learned that a winery owed her client a lot of money. She brought in Houlihan, a business consultant, who discovered that the indebted winery couldn’t pay cash — but could repay the debt with bulk wine and bottling services.

The couple developed a plan for the client to use those resources to set up a brand. When the client passed on the idea, Harvey and Houlihan took over the debt and launched Barefoot Wine in 1986. They sold the company for an undisclosed sum in 2005. Their book about the 20 years spent building the brand, “The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand,” will be published on May 21. Here are excerpts of their reflections on life and money.

Michael Houlihan: We like to say we fell backwards into the wine business. We didn’t know enough to realize what was involved.

Bonnie Harvey: Ignorance is bliss.

To read the complete interview, please visit Bloomberg News

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post When Success Means Being Turned Down by the Bank appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.