distribution & Logistics
SOFT SELLERS Brand ambassadors can be excellent assets for craft spirits companies, as long as they approach their role with certain considerations in mind. BY ANDREW KAPLAN
“I can’t tell you how often I get asked by people, ‘what do you actually do?’ says Kirsten “Kitty” Amann, the Boston-based brand ambassador for Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. Amann hits on a good point. The role of a brand ambassador has changed over time and often depends on the company. Large, established brands, for example, tend to use them as social media influencers, educators and event organizers, while smaller and nascent craft spirits brands with tighter budgets view them more as salespeople with a deep knowledge and passion about their brand. “Brand ambassadors are a cost-effective way to have representation of your brand in-market without investing in a full-time employee,” says Kate Palmer, founder and president of Hearts + Tales Beverage Co., Sausalito, California, which specializes in sales and marketing of artisanal brands. “Sometimes, they even share their time with other brands.” And yet, many brand ambassadors tend to be bartenders who take on this new role despite having little if any experience in sales. As a result, when they come out from behind the bar to represent a brand—or from whatever their “day job” happens to be—they often find themselves in foreign territory. This can especially be true when it comes to navigating the relationship with the distributor’s sales reps. In many cases, they will be working closely with the distributor’s reps in the field, often carrying out much the sales role minus the actual job of fulfilling the order. With two people carrying out much the same role in all-important accounts, does the potential exist for problems? The bad news is experts say there is the potential for missteps. The good news, however, is that with a careful strategy these problems can often be avoided. What Works and What Doesn’t Those who have successfully carried out the role of brand ambassador for craft spirits brands say that being aware of the overall situation in the marketplace is vital to navi-
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gating the relationship with the distributor’s representatives. “Most of the reps usually have long days and have all kinds of things that they’ve been asked to go to at night on the supplier side, so they’re busy,” says Amann. “So, I always try to keep that in mind.” Amann, along with Erin Hayes, who wears two hats as director of sales and also brand ambassador for Westward Whiskey of Portland, Oregon, view their relationships with their distributors very much as partnerships. Amann, for example, will often devote her time to accounts she knows her distributor has been trying to get into. “I will go to bars where they’ve been trying to build a relationship but just haven’t been able to get in,” she says. “That’s something that certainly I view as the job of the supplier. To help them out.” She continues: “I have had situations where I’ve been able to leverage a personal relationship to help a rep kind of get in the door and do more business. That always feels good. Because they’re out there trying to open the doors every single day for us.” Hayes agrees, saying she views her relationship with Westward’s distributors “as more of a partnership. We try to work with our distributors as much as we can. We try to educate the distributors. My philosophy across the board is that hospitality in our industry extends far beyond the bar and the restaurant. And kindness and a willingness to work together is really, really important for the success of any brand.” And such generosity can go both ways. Nicolas Palazzi, owner of PM Spirits, an import-distribution company in Brooklyn, New York, says he is happy to assist the supplier’s brand ambassadors in any way he can. “Working on a daily basis with someone dedicated to helping us sell more product of a specific brand, that person becomes a little bit part of the team,” he says. “The ambassador is here to have the brand sell more product. If the brand sells more product, we sell more product. So, we want to work hand-in-hand so we can achieve the same goal.”
Finding just the right level of communication with the distributor is key for a brand ambassador, says industry consultant Robin Robinson, who teaches a seminar “How to Build a Better Brand Ambassador.” “Calling on an account and working a deal with an account and not telling the distributor what you did and then dumping that in their lap, that’s a fatal flaw,” Robinson says. “Lack of commu-
“The ambassador is here to have the brand sell more product. If the brand sells more product, we sell more product. So, we want to work hand-in-hand so we can achieve the same goal.” —Nicolas Palazzi of PM Spirits
Nicolas Palazzi
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