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Latest — Jan 28, 2023

<#027> A dead-simple system to know what to do after a bar orders its first bottle

You've been there, done that. You see it every day when a bar makes its first order. They buy their first bottle from you. You are probably the only person selling your brand in your city, and you focus on moving on to the next bar, forgetting about the previous

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<#026> 4 reasons why big brands decline and how bottom-up thinking can prevent that

In our industry, there's a tendency to think that bottom-up brand building is only for small brands. I've been challenged that it works for small brands launched in the market, but it does not work when selling 1 million cases. Well, that's a myth. Although big brands have passed the

Jan 15, 2023 5 min read

<#025> Why global success is misleading and how to win market-by-market bottom-up, instead

Today I will debunk the myth of global success. We are obsessed with making our brand a worldwide phenomenon. This affects small and big brands alike. 99% of brands I speak to mention in the first 5 minutes of conversation the number of markets they are sold in. I usually

Dec 17, 2022 4 min read

<#024> Why you should ignore your FOMO and decide on one core drinking occasion for your brand.

There is an eternal debate among drink brand owners: Should I base my drinks strategy on neat or cocktails? Despite being a very interesting debate in meeting rooms across the globe, I noticed that 99% of brands procrastinate on that decision trying to appeal to the masses. There's usually an

Dec 10, 2022 5 min read

<#023> Does your brand need Ambassadors, Salespeople, a new approach to On-trade, or all 3?

In today's issue, I will talk about a massively debated topic in our industry: brand ambassadors. There is a lot of confusion about their role, what they should do and why a brand should need one. Big brands started the trend of Brand Ambassadors, but they are now popular among

Dec 3, 2022 6 min read

<#022> A dead-simple system to cluster your On-trade customers in 4 types (2 ✅ +2 ❌)

‌ Today's issue will follow up on Issue #019 where I spoke about the importance of using outlet segmentation in hunting new customers. Today I'll dive deep into the importance of using such segmentation for farming existing clients. Unfortunately, many brands I see daily, lack a straightforward system to prioritize where

Nov 26, 2022 6 min read

<#021> Why your brand's success depends on how relevant it is for its 3rd party partners

In the drinks industry, there is a tendency to overfocus internally and underestimate the ecosystem in which brands are built. Most of the time is spent perfecting the liquid, the packaging, the positioning, and targeting illusionary personas. Unfortunately, very limited time is spent understanding how to make our brand fit

Nov 19, 2022 5 min read

<#020> 3 reasons why you are afraid of selling your brand to more average bars (and how to fix it)

In today’s issue, I’ll share my experience and insights about what happens to your sales and to your brand's P&L when you start selling to more average bars. By adopting this approach, you’ll spend time better. You’ll likely increase your distribution while growing your rate

Nov 13, 2022 6 min read

<#019> A dead-simple system to cluster On-trade prospects in 4 types (2 ✅ +2 ❌)

Today's issue will follow up on Issue #018 where I spoke about the importance of using outlet segmentation in hunting new customers. Today I'll deep dive into the dangers of generalizing outlets and splitting them only into "cool ones" and "mainstream ones". Unfortunately, most outlet segmentations I've seen in the

Nov 5, 2022 7 min read

<#018> How outlet segmentation can help you prioritize whom to sell (5 simple steps)

In today’s issue, I’ll talk about why it's important to use outlet segmentation and why it's crucial for hunting new bars. You will learn to prioritize the outlets based on a very simple matrix. Unfortunately, most drinks brand builders use segmentations just as a monodimensional pyramid to segment

Oct 29, 2022 6 min read

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<#017> Why some value chains fail and 3 steps how to fix it

In today’s issue, I’ll share my 3-step process to improve your approach to creating your value chain. I don't have a silver bullet for the perfect one but I can give you some guidance on what you should consider when creating one. By adopting this process, you’ll

Oct 22, 2022 6 min read

<#016> 5 things I learned from attending Bar Convent Berlin that you can benefit from

In today’s issue, I’ll share my learnings after attending Bar Convent Berlin. I will share 5 tips. These are notes to self as much as a guide for you. You will be able to make the most out of trade fairs, regardless if you are planning to have

Oct 15, 2022 7 min read

<#015> Why you should stop looking for an importer and start looking for the right bar, instead

If you want to start exporting, stop looking for importers. Start with the bars and restaurants that are right for your commercial proposition. Then you can move backward and get to an importer. 99% of brands will look for an importer first. But if you do that before clarifying what

Oct 8, 2022 6 min read

<#014> 5 tips on how to step out of the meeting room and gather insights from the market

In the drinks industry, there’s a problem. People tend to spend more time in the office than in the market. It's quite counterintuitive for an industry that prides itself in being a people business. That creates an echo chamber that provides biased feedback while building the brand.

Oct 1, 2022 5 min read

<#013> Why a good relationship is only 1 out of 3 things you need with distributors and customers to drive sales

The drinks industry is a relationship business. We know it, we live it and that’s why it attracts so many new entrants every day. At the same time, we all know that it is also one of the issues in our industry. The informality of our business makes us

Sep 24, 2022 4 min read

<#012> 3 steps to improve how you spend your time and money, building your drinks brand

99% of drinks brands I see, start in the market thinking they should follow what big players are doing. They spend their limited resources on sponsorships and fancy events with no link to where they’re sold. Big budgets go to digital campaigns with alleged influencers and drinks awards. If

Sep 17, 2022 5 min read

<#011> Why you should create brand demand before your team can capture it. A 4-step guide

I am often asked about how to choose the right team. 99% of the time, I have the feeling that there is no clear idea of what those team members should do apart from “selling”. Are you sure that you have everything in place to start selling? Most of the

Sep 12, 2022 6 min read

<#010> Why you should focus on the little things to make your brand big

the most common mistake new Founders do by overthinking strategy instead of focusing on building solid basics. I'll talk about how in business and life, we are busy being busy, and we don’t take enough time to collect and organize what we see and understand the patterns.

Sep 3, 2022 6 min read

<#009> How to choose the right profile for your sales team in 4 simple steps

Hiring the right salespeople is one of the toughest things for new and existing brands alike. Read the 4 steps to get it right.

Aug 27, 2022 6 min read

<#008> How to step-change your advocacy training so that customers want to learn from you

Advocacy trainings are a great tool to drive share of mind and boost sell-out. How do you ensure that customer give you their time to hear about your brand.

Aug 20, 2022 5 min read

<#007> 5 easy mistakes to avoid when setting targets with your distributor

The 5 most common reasons why drink brands struggle with distributors. I'll show you my 3-steps to set the foundations right for a healthy relationship and brand growth.

Aug 13, 2022 5 min read

<#006> 5 reasons why you should win in your home market first and how to do that

The top 5 reasons why many drinks founders don't focus on their home market. I'll show you my 5-step process to change that and make winning on your home turf your priority. By adopting this process, you’ll fix the basics before scaling abroad.

Aug 6, 2022 6 min read

<#005> Why the world’s best bars aren't enough to scale your drinks brand (and how to fix that)

The main reasons why the world's best bars are not enough to scale your brand. Why it's wrong to focus only on those when you start selling?

Jul 30, 2022 5 min read

<#004> 5 reasons why you should rethink the importance of wholesalers in your route-to-market

The most common issues new drinks brands have with sales and distribution. I'll show you my 5-step process to ensure a great relationship with your distribution partners. By adopting this process, you’ll make sure you have solid basics in place before scaling up your brand.

Jul 23, 2022 8 min read

<#003> 5 dead-simple steps to get your brand's sell-out in a bar from 1 bottle to 1 case

The 4 most common issues why new drinks brands struggle to get sell-out. I'll show you my 5-step process to make your brand’s rotation in a bar go from 1 bottle to 1 case. By adopting this process, you’ll make sure you have solid basics in place before scaling up your brand.

Jul 16, 2022 5 min read

<#002> 5 steps to get more bars to place their first order

Why new drinks brands struggle to get a meeting with bar owners. I'll show you my 5-step process to make your cold-calling warmer and land more first orders. By adopting this process, you’ll spend time better. You’ll likely increase your strike rate in the right outlets and get them to re-buy.

Jul 9, 2022 4 min read

<#001> 5 steps to improve how you “hunt” On-trade customers

My 5-step process to improve your approach to selling to on-premise outlets. By adopting this hunting process, you’ll spend time better. You’ll likely increase your strike rate in the right outlets.

Jul 3, 2022 4 min read

Topics

15 tips to export

Best practice / Myths debunking

Business travels/ Visiting markets

City strategy

Commercial proposition

Commercial strategies

Consumption occasions

Demand generation & ROS

Digital & DTC

Distribution & Channels

Distributors / RTM (Route to market)

Drinks brand building

Entering a new market

Insights

Marketing Spend Effectiveness

Off trade

On Trade

Outlet Segmentation

Portfolio Management

Sales Force Effectiveness

Stakeholders alignment

Targets & KPIs

The Bottom-up Drinks Newsletter

Value Chain / P&L

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