I recently came across the acronym B.R.A.I.N which is regularly used to help women make decisions as to the right course of action in pregnancy.  When I read the acronym, I realized that it could be just as useful when selling wine (or any other product for that matter).

The acronym B.R.A.I.N. stands for

BENEFITS • RISKS • ALTERNATIVES • INTUITION • NEED*

The questions your guests may be trying to answer for themselves are:

What are the benefits for me if I buy this wine?

What are the risks associated if I decide to buy?

Are there alternatives to my actions; if so, what are they?

What does my gut say?

Why do I need this?

Think about when you are considering a purchase. Possibly one that you think you want, but don’t know whether you should buy it or not. What questions go through your mind as you weigh the pros and cons of making the purchase. What information you would like the salesperson to give you to encourage the sale?

Your guests are in the same situation when they visit your winery. If they are not particularly knowledgeable about wine, they may not trust their own judgment. Or, if they plan on visiting more wineries that day, they may be reluctant to buy until they know all their options.

Your job is to present the answers to their unasked or even unthought of questions. Doing it in a way that confirms their thoughts. You may say any of the following:

You seemed to like that wine:

I am not surprised we have had some excellent reviews and scores.

Our winemaker, who is amazing, was particularly pleased with this wine

You have a good palate. This wine is very popular.

It won’t be around too long, we are selling lots of it

You must give your guests information and the confidence they need to make the decision they really want to make.

A tip of the glass from me to you

In the original, the N stood for “Nothing” as in Do Nothing, though used in a sales context, “Need” is more fitting.