Welcome to another exciting update from The True Craft Podcast Recap!
This month, we had the honor of chatting with Andrew Coplon, the Founder of Craft Beer Professionals and Secret Hopper, and Phillip McLamb, COO and Co-Founder of Resident Culture Brewing out of Charlotte, NC.
Throughout April, our discussions covered two main topics: the taproom and self-distribution.
Our first episode of the month offers a deep conversation on how to create a memorable retail experience and the impact this can have on the bottom line. Our second episode shares lessons learned from the self-distribution journey.
Let’s get into it!
Deliver a “WOW Experience” in the taproom
Our month started out with a comprehensive discussion with Andrew Coplon about all things taproom.
When we asked him what, from his perspective, is the biggest driver of repeat taproom business, his answer was: deliver a “Wow Experience.”
Essentially what you have is one circle that is beer. The second circle is creating a memorable atmosphere. And the third circle is engaging staff.
When you get to the center of all those three circles, you get that WOW experience. And a WOW experience in a taproom is not when you leave and say, “That's the best beer I ever had.”
But it's like, when you say, “Wow, that beer was awesome. The food was great, the band was great. I can't wait to come back again.”
And taprooms who execute on Andrew’s Venn diagram of Quality Beer, Memorable Atmosphere, and Engaging Staff reap the benefits of repeat business:
Those are all truly the factors that are going to bring people back. And we do have data that says if someone comes to a taproom for the first time and they don't have a strong connection or positive experience, they're only 45% likely to recommend or return to that business. But if they go and it checks all those boxes that I just listed, they're 99% likely to return AND pitch it to their friends!
Use your story to sell more beer
Our chat with Phillip McLamb covered his team’s self-distribution journey starting with Resident Culture’s inception in 2017.
When it comes to selling beer and finding wholesale partners, especially in self-distribution, Chris preaches that the founders and owners of the brewery are oftentimes best positioned to share the brewery’s story and mission.
Chris asked Phillip if he or any of his co-founders have ever acted as sales reps, especially early on in the brewery’s self-distribution journey:
CHRIS: That’s great. Like I’ve said before, founders and co-founders had no choice but to sell early on and I kind of preach as of late that they need to get back out there if they're seeing a decline. There's no one better than the founder to sell the brand and sell the story.
And a similar sentiment was echoed by Andrew when discussing the critical importance of sharing the founder’s vision and story of the brewery, not just with potential business partners, but with their entire team:
But the big thing is: Can your taproom staff members tell your story?
If your team members can't tell your story or what you stand for, then they're not doing something right. As someone on the leadership team of the brewery, you need to be able to teach everyone working for your company what you stand for. And, in turn, all your team members need to be able to explain that to your guests, who at the end of the day, [interact with the customers and ensures] they have a positive experience at your brewery.
The impact of sharing your vision and brewery’s story is connected to every facet of the business. Don’t underestimate its importance.
Tap into your staff’s personal motivations
Chris and Andrew argue that frontline taproom staff are the most important folks in your brewery when it comes to making incremental profit. Investing in them and knowing their motivations is critical to their happiness, the overall customer experience, and the brewery’s profitability:
Are people working in a taproom just to make money while they're in college? Are they working because they want to open their own brewery? Are they working because they want to advance within your company?
It's so important when you hire someone to work in your taproom, to understand what they need and what they want out of working in your taproom. Even in the interview process, ask potential hires, ‘Why are you interested in working here?’ And think about how you can maximize their experience.
Andrew goes on to share that knowing your staff’s motivations can also impact how they are rewarded when goals are achieved. While running a weekend contest of who can sell the most To-Go Beer might work for some, recognition in your company’s newsletter could move the needle for others.
Bottom line? Motivations will vary by person and knowing this allows you to customize your culture to match what your staff cares about most… and to retain and motivate them to deliver a great experience to your customers as a result!
And that’s a wrap on April’s The True Craft Podcast Recap!
If you haven’t already subscribed, you can do so here and listen to new episodes as they’re released.
We’ll see you back at the end of May!
– Keaton
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