A few years back, I happened upon Hello Wines. We were visiting a micro winery complex, where a number of very small winemakers rented their own spaces to produce their wines. I was taken aback almost immediately with the winemaker, John Caracciolo. John was from the East Coast, and once he opened his mouth, it was apparent, both in attitude and diction.
If John liked you, you were in. However, if he didn’t, he would throw you out, as much as sell you something. And, if John didn’t like you – just leave! However, the wine was great, and reasonably priced.
I received an email from John, letting his customers know that he was closing. He had moved around a lot in recent years, trying to find the right “fit” for his wine making operation. I don’t know anything about the wine making business, other than some great advice given to me by Jan Shrem, the founder of the Clos Pegase winery. He said, “To make a small fortune in the wine business, start with a large fortune.” (On a completely unrelated side note, if you’re in Northern California I strongly recommend that you visit Clos Pegase. The winery is absolutely beautiful and the wines are among my favorites.)
So, given my recounting of John’s attitude towards customers, I bet that you think I’m going to espouse the validation of our customer service principals. You would be wrong. John was part of the Hello Wines brand. He is who is, take it of leave it. He was never mean. Sometimes, it was like watching an accident scene, you couldn’t turn away to see what was going to happen next. John & I have always gotten along. We have fun. His attitude was something you expected, and looked forward to.
As John said in his farewell message, he’s been fortunate to live his dream, and passion. I don’t know what’s next for John, but I can guarantee whatever it is he will make it his own. I wish him the best!
Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
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