the
CANVAS PINOT’S PALETTE FRANCHISE NEWSLETTER
Summer 2016, Issue 3 Vol. 3
Flipping out YOUR STUDIO ARTISTS: 9 simple ways to drive Pinot Perks signups
+ inspiring photos of BRAND new studios!
Good ol’ fashioned CUSTOMER SERVICE: How’d you score? Katie Roch opens the
100th studio
in West Loop!
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8 WAYS TO ROCK YOUR PASS GEAR PINOT PERKS
Thank you, everyone, for sending in these beautiful photos! Next on deck: the new Mosaic! Keep on rockin’ your PASS gear, and send pictures to marketing@pinotspalette.com or post on Team Pinot with #TheCanvas.
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the
CANVAS PINOT’S PALETTE FRANCHISE NEWSLETTER
Summer 2016, Issue 3 Vol. 3
Editor In Chief Lori Lockerd Contributing Editors Craig Ceccanti Charles Willis Creative Direction & Design Natalie Wells Illustration Leticia Mazariegos Featured Writers Charles Willis Kendra Lewis Kristin Humphrey Missy Erickson Lori Lockerd Cara Calvert-Thomas Cody Miller Jacqueline Deavenport Renee Mak Adina Simpson Cover Feature Katie Roch, Pinot’s Palette - West Loop Published by Pinot’s Palette Franchise, LLC.
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North Shore by Kristal Wheeler Pinot’s Palette - Riverwalk
the
CANVAS PINOT’S PALETTE FRANCHISE NEWSLETTER
Summer 2016, Issue 3 Vol. 3
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CONTENTS p.
16
35
p.
20
p.
7 8 9 12 28 34 40
IN EVERY ISSUE MPL HIGHLIGHTS PINOT FAMILY ARTIST FOCUS MARKETING MADNESS TEAM OF THE QUARTER STAFF SPOTLIGHT FUN & GAMES
FEATURES
10 THE STATE OF PINOT PERKS
Spoiler alert: Adoption rates are on the rise.
20 BREEZING INTO THE WINDY CITY Katie Roch opens the 100th studio!
24 A CRYSTAL BALL TO CREATIVE MINDS
Annual artist survey reveals magical insights.
30 NOBODY RAVES ABOUT AVERAGE
Secret shop results are in on customer service.
35 ALOHA ANNUAL RETREAT
Memories, awards and a recap of survey results from everyone’s favorite meeting.
Something you want to see in the next edition of The Canvas? Send us your pictures, articles & ideas! marketing@pinotspalette.com or #thecanvas on Team Pinot. 5
PRESIDENT’Smessage
IRONS FIRE IN THE
I am excited to bring you the leadership message in this canvas as we have had a lot of exhilarating items unveiled this year already! The response from the new website and Pinot Perks program has exceeded our expectations. If you have seen pictures of the studios opening with the new look, it is apparent that the direction we are moving is upscale and “top right”. These changes are proof of the Pinot’s Palette system’s evolution and ability to adapt to changing customer demand digitally and physically all while continuing to deliver on the Pinot Promise. These changes give everyone an opportunity to start the next chapter in their Pinot’s Palette journey by focusing on what is most important, your businesses future.
If you are like me, your excitement level was through the roof after the retreat and you found yourself armed with a ton of great ideas on how to propel your business forward (there is a list of everyone’s top take away from the retreat on the KB, definitely worth a read). One of the ideas that I mentioned to everyone is to always have 10 irons in the fire. This is a metaphor to help you judge if you’re getting enough done each day that is working to help grow your business. If you don’t have 10 things working each day to help grow your business, you need more. Don’t let old things hang around, figure out new ideas. These 10 things don’t have to take a lot of your time up each day either. One simple item each day could be reaching out to a different business to speak with the person that schedules and plans their parties. Within a month you could have talked to over 20 different party
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planners, that’s over 250 people per year, just by making 1 phone call each business day. If you have trouble thinking of ten things, don’t forget about your most valuable resource for ideas, your artists. Our artists are closer to our customers than anyone. Reach out to your artists and ask them what they think you could do to be better and drive more business. You and your artist’s goals are inline to drive more business for you and get more hours for them, not to mention the pride a person feels when asked their thoughts on how to grow a business. Not every idea is going to be a winner, but there should never be a lack of ideas. Fun Fact: The term “Irons in the Fire” references the time of blacksmiths and their practice of having multiple pieces of iron in a fire to bring them to red-hot so they could be hammered. While the blacksmith hammered a single piece of red-hot iron it would begin to cool and would need to be returned to the fire to heat up again. Because it took longer for the iron to reach the red-hot temperature than it did to cool, blacksmiths kept multiple irons in the fire to be more productive. Charles Willis President
MPLhighlights
Wildwood Enchantment 2HR/Appleton
Cosmic Tree 2HR/St. Matthews
Metallic Meadow 2HR/Fort Collins
Romantic Roost 3HR/Cherry Street
Where Daisies Bloom 2HR/Brandon
Beach Reflections 3HR/St. Petersburg
Incline Dreams 2HR/Reno West
Winged Guardian 3HR/St. Petersburg
Aspen Trees at Sunrise 2HR/Henderson
Galaxy Getaway 2HR/Des Moines
Mystic Lake 2HR/Lawrence
Red Poppies 2HR/Georgetown
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PINOTfamily
new partners ELMHURST, IL Anam & Ayesha Bokhari
PEARLAND, TX Arub Alam, Nadia Alam, and Mohammad Ali
COLUMBUS, OH Meggie and Tony Agosta
HELOTES, TX Renee and Jimmy Guiterez
GOODYEAR, AZ Linda Powell
VOORHEES, NJ Tra and Rosa Thomas
SAN ANTONIO 4, TX Lisa and Kevin Glover
FISHKILL, NJ Jose Domenech and Shirley Cartagena
SANDERLIN, TN Diane Barney
CYPRESS, TX Ash and Maddie Kulkarni
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL Chris Pallitto
OMAHA, NE Sonja Kapoun-Roof
NORTHGATE VILLAGE, CO Thomas and Shannon Webster
NEW JERSEY #15, NJ Jessica Smith
DETRIOT #3 AND #4, MI Liz Secor
ALISO VIEJO, CA Anna Leonenko
CHARLESTON, SC Jamie Little 8
ARTISTfocus Tear and share with your artists!
by Cara Calvert Thomas
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SIMPLE WAYS
TO DRIVE PINOT PERKS® SIGNUPS
During our first months since the rollout of Pinot Perks, we’ve stirred up a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for our new rewards program! We even have a few Connoisseurs as well as Collectors in addition to lots of Club members, but what about those newcomers who you just haven’t hooked yet? I know if you’re like me, trying to sell something to others in a traditional elevator sales pitch can feel awkward or unnatural, so I’ve put together some ideas to make it a little easier to persuade everybody you meet to join the club, whether you’re inside or outside your studio… 1. Become a member yourself. It shows you know what you’re talking about and expresses your own enthusiasm! 2. Refer your friends and make sure they know they can collect corks by referring people too! 3. Share on social media! 4. Wear your Pinot Perks swag and tell people all about it if they ask. 5. Note who your members are when you greet them at the door. If they are members, say something like “I see you are a Pinot Perks member – thanks for being part of the club!” If you see they are a Collector or a Connoisseur, make them feel special “Oh wow – you are a Pinot Perks Collector! I’m in the company of a rock star tonight!”
6. Small talk: There is frequently someone at the event who has never been before, came alone, or just arrived earlier than the rest of their group, so this is a perfect opportunity to work Pinot Perks in. If the studio isn’t busy and you have everything set up, this is even better, because you’ll have time to get them enrolled. 7. If someone wants to be a member, but time is tight, you can make a note on the seating chart, give them a new Perks card and tell them to be on the lookout for a confirmation email, and that once they follow that link, they can connect their card to it via the website. Then, when you do attendance for the night, you can enroll those people who requested it using the email address on their account. 8. Class intro: Work it into your Pinot’s Palette information... or the class survey… or any other creative way you can think of! 9. Birthday toast: Poll the room when coming back from break to see if there are any Pinot Perks members in the house. Then ask if any of them have a birthday (you will probably know this already, based off of the seating chart, but not necessarily). Once the birthday Perks members have identified themselves, lead the class in a birthday toast or in singing “Happy Birthday To You”. Once everyone has said “cheers!” present the Perks members with their birthday glass from the studio.
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SPECIALfeature
THE STATE OF PINOT PERKS SUMMARY & DATA Cody Miller INFOGRAPHICS Leticia Mazariegos 10
For the past few years people have been coming to Pinot’s Palettes all across the United States. They have seen beautiful studios, met wonderful artists, and created their very own masterpieces along with their everlasting memories of that night. Recently the customers have been given something else to collect when coming to Pinot’s Palette, and that something is corks! On April 13, 2016, Pinot Perks was officially released and available to the public. Since the launch of Pinot Perks, 11,560 new members have officially joined the program! This is the amount of people that have fully completed the sign-up process and verified their email address. That means there have been 2,890 new members signing up each week since the launch. This is a great way to start off a new program and we should all continue to promote Pinot Perks and keep this momentum going.
PINOT PERKS ADOPTION
MEMBER STATUS
COLLECTOR
CONNOISSEUR
as of June 2016
CLUB
over the first 4 weeks
11,463
70
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12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 Launch
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
TOP 10 STUDIOS
with the most Pinot Perks members
STUDIO 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 10.
# OF MEMBERS
Naperville Henderson Ridgewood Ellis Street Montclair Spokane Cherry Street Tustin Wichita Broken Arrow Appleton
283 240 238 231 220 209 205 201 201 199 199
Meet Lourdes Shapiro, our very first Connoisseur. Lourdes reached connoisseur status on 5/30/2016, and in the last 13 months, Lourdes has been to Pinot’s Palette – Liberty Station over 100 times!
It’s a tie!
The list was meant to be out of 10, but there was a tie for 10th at 199 New Members. One of the goals of Pinot Perks was to have each location receive 100 sign ups per month, and many studios have been able to achieve that within the first month. As the new members continue to join, some members have already reached Connoisseur Level.
The first Connoisseur member within Pinot Perks is Lourdes Shapiro, a customer at the Liberty Station Studio. Lourdes has already collected 69 Corks with 10 more pending at this time; however, she is not the only Connoisseur. There are a total of 9 Connoisseurs and 70 Collectors in Pinot Perks at the moment, which means there are 11,463 Club members. As the amount of Club members continues to grow, Pinot Perks gives us the opportunity to create long lasting customers with perks they can enjoy!
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MARKETINGmadness
THE SOCIAL HORIZON Let us be honest, there is no such thing as a social media guru, there are barely people who reach expert level and they probably work for Facebook. Just as social media platforms evolve, we have to learn to adapt to them and their new rules. Once you have decided to clobber a social platform, remember to never walk away, rules change and they don’t usually give you a heads up. That being said, let us talk about some platforms in the pipeline! Cyber Dust: The business version of Snap Chat. Send and receive text messages, stickers, links, photos, videos and more. Your messages are protected from screenshots and disappear after they are read. They are heavily encrypted and never touch a hard drive- not even their own. Once your messages are gone they are truly gone forever never to be recovered (as of today’s rules).
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Shots: Probably one of the simpler platforms, designed for “selfies”. Users send pictures to each other and there is a scroll down feed similar to Instagram. Commenting on those photos is disabled, but users can chat with each other. Hyper: Similar to Instagram, its primary function allows users to post and share photos. Like Reddit, it features a voting system that increases the visibility of more popular posts. Hyper is only on iOS and doesn’t have much of a user base, yet. With a geographic tag feature, users can discover things happening in their vicinity. According to social media specialists, this platform will grow rapidly. There are several more up and coming platforms to take notice of, but make sure you spend your time on the platforms that you can relate back to actual purchases.
MARKETINGmadness
WE ARE REBRANDING:
BUT WHY? by Kendra Lewis
Pinot’s Palette has rebranded its organization from the ground up. So what does that mean for the day to day interaction between studios and their customer bases both new and established? Well, the explanation is simple. The brand revamp is not simply a cosmetic change to improve the look and feel of Pinot’s Palette online and in the studios, the need for the change is much deeper than that. Pinot’s Palette is the upscale, destination paint and sip in an industry that is continually growing and evolving. With this change several things have happened. The industry has become saturated with competition including growing industry leaders as well as small turnkey operations. As with any industry, this rapid growth has left every organization mirroring each other and falling into a desperate pool of sameness. With the Pinot Promise of a chic, fun and entertaining night out as a definitive distinguishing mark of our business, the need to elevate our brand has risen.
In the same tone, with the rapid growth that Pinot’s Palette has experienced internally, a lot of core values have become misplaced in the noise. Pinot’s Palette has a longstanding, true and important promise to all of its patrons to deliver a customer service experience that is not only good but exceptional. This rebrand is also a reminder of those core principles and a rededication to the customer service that prominently distinguishes Pinot’s Palette from the growing number of paint and sip companies throughout the country. When new studios sign on, and established studios make the transition from the Vintage Brand to the New Brand, remember we are doing more than just shedding our old colors, logo and look. We are leaving our competitors in the dust by truly and definitively emerging as the powerhouse in paint and sip, and delivering on the promise of an upscale experience with exceptional attention to detail for our patrons.
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JULY
1 Canada Day (Dominion Day) 4 Independence Day 22 Hammock Day... Relax and Enjoy
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AUGUST 3 5-21 10 13 30
National Watermelon Day Summer Olympics National S’mores Day Left Hander’s Day National Marshmallow Toasting Day
SEPTEMBER 11 18 22 22
Patriot Day National Cheeseburger Day Fall Begins World Rhino Day
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BESTpractices
FLIPPING OUT (your studio) by Kristin Humphrey It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Pinot’s Palette family with the roll out of the new brand and retirement of the vintage brand. As I am sure many of you are very excited about the launch of the new logo and interior graphics, it’s important to make sure there is full transparency on how the transitioning process will work for your studio and throughout the system. Prior to getting into the how this will work, let’s cover the when. First and foremost, the transition to the new brand is not a requirement. The only time the transition will be required is when your studio comes up for renewal and you sign a second agreement for your existing studio. If you choose to transition prior to December 31, 2016, there are incentives in place to help offset the costs associated with the flip. If you chose to flip your studio after December 31, 2016 and prior to your renewal, there will not be incentives in place to help you offset costs.
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So how will it work you ask? When you are ready to flip the interior of your studio, please submit a ticket to HQ Ops & PTS. This ticket must include a PDF of your studio layout, pictures of your artist stage, front desk area, bar area (if applicable), buffet area, hallways, and bathrooms. This ticket will be assigned to me (Kristin) and I will immediately go to work constructing a color and graphic layout that features the unique aspects of your studio, but preserves as much of the existing wall color that transitioned from the vintage color family to the new one, Indigo, as I can. It’s important to note that the only thing changing on the inside of your studio will be paint colors and graphics. You will not be asked to change cabinets, countertops, or fixtures. Once I have completed the new color and graphic layout for your studio, I will send an email, cc’ing you, to South Water Signs. Once their team has received the email and attached document, they will begin to put together an interior sign package
that is unique to your space. It will then be sent to HQ for final approval to ensure all graphics have been included appropriately. You can expect to be included on all email communications between HQ and South Water Signs. The next step following interior graphic approval is to schedule the graphic install. The install should happen roughly 48 hours after you have painted the interior of your studio. Prior to the install of your new graphics, a ticket must be sent to HQ Ops & PTS showing the new paint 24 hours prior to the install. Approval of your painted walls is critical. If South Water Signs shows up to your studio and find that the vintage colors are still in place, they will be leaving and there will repercussions to follow. How you plan to paint your studio is totally up to you and can be done by your staff, a painting company, or coordinated through the general contractor you used for build out. If your studio installed vinyl graphics, plan to use a heat gun and plastic scraper to remove the graphics from your walls prior to painting. A heat gun and razor blade scraper can be used to remove the vinyl signs from your store front. Once South Water Signs has completed the install of your interior graphics, they will submit the final invoice to HQ. We will take care of the cost for production, shipment, and installation. Please
make sure to take tons of before and after photos to show off on Team Pinot. When it comes to exterior signage, this can only be converted if the interior is also being converted. The process to work with South Water Signs is similar. Submit a ticket to HQ Ops & PTS with pictures of your current signage along with landlord requirements. Another email will be generated to South Water Signs and they will begin to put together the exterior sign package for your studio. This will be approved by HQ in advance to ensure proper quality standards are being met and also approved by you to ensure that landlord requirements are met. Exterior signage can include fascia signs, blade signs, monument signs, and awnings. Once the install has been scheduled and completed, please submit the final invoice to HQ Accounting and we will reimburse your studio up to $2,000 for the exterior signage. Please be sure to give yourself ample lead time to transition. As we all know, Q4 is the busiest time of the year for everyone and last minute requests to flip run a very high risk of not making the December 31st, 2016 cut off. If you would like to plan a flip for later in the year, but would like to put the wheels in motion now, please do so. I look forward to assisting you with the transition process!
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INSPIRATION
(check out these brand new studio pics!)
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COVERtheCanvas
BREEZING
INTO THE WINDY CITY Katie Roch Debuts Pinot’s Palette’s 100th Grand Opening
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Fresh out of college, enrolled in a master’s degree program, and recovering from a serious illness, Katie Roch did not fit the mold of a typical franchisee for upscale paint and sip concept Pinot’s Palette. But Katie isn’t one to let a few roadblocks get in her way. What she lacks in experience, she makes up for in drive and talent – and her store will celebrate Pinot’s Palette’s 100th grand opening in Chicago. Katie’s first encounter with Pinot’s Palette came at the Appleton, Wisconsin studio, which she visited with her mom. The experience resonated with Katie as she realized that painting had commanded her attention. “The entire time I was there, I didn’t look at my phone once,” she says, “I was fully engaged and not worried about any of the stresses in my life.” Katie found herself wanting to sign up for another class. Soon after, she found herself wanting to own her own paint and sip studio, and she began researching franchise opportunities. Katie thoroughly investigated Pinot’s Palette and its competitors. After deciding that Pinot’s provided the best experience in the industry, she decided to take the leap as a franchisee. A few weeks later, Katie met with the franchise team in Houston to learn more about the franchising process and the brand.
WINDS OF CHANGE Katie experienced a long journey on her path to becoming a Pinot’s franchise owner. She had to cross off her hometown of Appleton as a location option because it already housed a Pinot’s Palette. Katie next set her eyes on another city, and there wasn’t an option available for her there either. But fate works in mysterious ways. Finally, Katie expanded her search to the vibrant Chicago market. Narrowing down Chicago neighborhoods, she visited the West Loop area and felt an immediate sense of community. “It feels like home,” she says, “It’s still in a big city but there’s a great neighborhood feel.” With Restaurant Road two blocks away, the United Center (home of the Blackhawks and Bulls) nearby, and home to one of the biggest tech areas in the country, Katie could see the area provided an ideal customer base for a successful Pinot’s franchise. Katie now boasts the distinction of opening the 100th Pinot’s Palette franchise to open its doors, as well as becoming one of the company’s youngest franchise owners. Her bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism (with a focus on event management) has provided Katie with unique insights that have served her well in her Pinot’s Palette venture.
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OPPORTUNITY IN PERSPECTIVE But an experience outside of the classroom provided Katie with an even more valuable lesson. After graduating from college, she became seriously ill. “I was not sure that I would make it to 2015,” she says, “And that gave me a new perspective on life. It taught me to not stress about things beyond my control.” “When you open a business, you can almost guarantee that nothing will go as planned and there will be mistakes made and delays,” she says, “But as long as you have another day, you have another opportunity. I’ve been given the chance to make the most of every opportunity that comes my way.” But she has also experienced pleasant surprises along the path to opening her studio. Recently, Katie placed a job posting for artists on several local
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arts sites, including a job board for an arts college. Within two weeks of the posting, she received 270 resumes. And she also happened upon an ideal apartment at a fantastic lease rate. Since her studio is located on the first floor of a mixed-use development, Katie approached the landlords requesting a discount on an apartment in the building. With the development in one of the hottest neighborhoods in Chicago, she expected her request to fall flat. But the landlords gave her a 20 percent rent discount, allowing her exceptional convenience of living in the same building as her studio. STRIVING TO THRIVE Katie has big plans for her studio as she looks forward to introducing her area to what she describes as “a new breed of paint and sip.” She seeks to promote the Pinot’s experience as “diverse and inclusive,” ranging from girls’ night out events to
kid camps and mobile events. She’s even installing a custom black light system and working on creative cocktail recipes to create a higher-end bar experience. “Truthfully, I hope to break records,” she says, “With the customer density here and the partnership opportunities, there’s no reason this studio shouldn’t thrive.” As Katie looks forward to opening her studio, she invests much of her time in supervising the studio build out as well as attending networking events. She counts networking as key in developing relationships with the community and other business leaders. “It’s all about who you know in this city,” she says. “I attend three to four networking events a week – in fact, I’ve gained several pounds from meeting people at restaurants or for coffee,” she jokes. On a more serious note, she adds that networking is a bit out of her comfort zone: “It’s very intimidating
because I’m not used to networking situations. I had to step out of my box a little, but I kept at it.” Katie admits that since relocating to Chicago she has chosen to focus on her career as a new business owner: Between networking and getting her studio ready for opening day, she keeps pretty busy. But her hard work has definitely paid off: After only living in her new city for a few months, she has been invited to join the city’s Emerging Leaders Forum and cochair several local committees. And, she’s spent a lot of time getting to know her new city. She says she’s looking forward to exploring the incredible Chicago food scene once the studio is up and running. She has also enjoyed competing as a ballroom dancer for much of her life, and she hopes to dance to the rhythm of her new hometown very soon. “I moved to a different city to do this, so I’m all in,” Katie says, “I know what this market is capable of, and I want to exceed my own expectations.”
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TEAM OF THE quarter: Princeton
Congratulations to Kathleen Walters from Pinot’s Palette - Princeton and her staff on making Team of the Quarter. The Princeton studio was able to sign up over 220 Pinot Perks members since the program’s inception. This ranks the Princeton Studio as 10th overall in the entire system on program adoption from the Pinot’s Palette customer base. They achieved all of this while still finding their first-year rhythm as a newly opened studio.
ARTIST
FAV. PAINT COLOR
CHROME YELLOW
WHAT I BRING
I bring positivity, smiles, and encourage all painters to show off their artist hands.
GIOVANNA
VIOLET
EMILY 28
I bring an optimistic view and open arms for all.
PHTHALO GREEN
I bring smiles and support!
JAIME
RAW SIENNA
When I come to Pinot’s, I bring a party atmosphere and some karaoke!
FLUORESCENT GREEN
I bring my quirkiness to the table. I’m an advocate for all things fun and colorful! At the end of every day, no matter what job anyone might have, I firmly believe there is always time to let loose and allow your inner colors to shine, whether on, or off the canvas!
METALLIC GOLD
I bring great customer service! I love being able to share my love for painting with others and getting the customers to have a great and enjoyable experience here at Pinot’s. It is my top priority to get customers laughing, smiling, and of course loving their painting by the end of the class!
FIRE RED
I bring to Pinot’s Palette a genuine passion for teaching people how to enjoy painting. Art is and will always be my first love and I take any chance I get to share that with others! My laidback attitude helps people feel comfortable to paint, drink and have fun. :)
BRIAN
BRIANNA
KIRSTEN
KELLY 29
SPECIALfeature
The Pinot’s Palette mission is to bring art to the masses through a fun and entertaining atmosphere with extraordinary customer service. My focus is on those last three words – extraordinary customer service. I focus on the little bit of “extra” that will set us apart from everyone else – because nobody raves about average.
“55% of consumers have intended to make a purchase, but have backed out because of poor customer service.”
“A customer is 4 times more likely to defect to a competitor if the problem is service related than price or product related.” –Bain and Company
–American Express “A 2% increase in customer retention has the same effect as decreasing costs by 2%” –Emmet Murphy & Mark Murphy
ARTICLE & DATA Adina Simpson INFOGRAPHICS Natalie Wells 30
“68% of customers leave
because they were upset with the treatment they received whilst speaking to customer service.” –U.S. Chamber of Commerce
On my first day at Pinot’s Palette I was told that I was attending Boot Camp. My first thought was “What kind of place is this?!? They are making me work out? At work? I don’t run from anything except zombies.” Wrong kind of boot camp… but I was just as exhausted at the end of the first day – talk about intense, right?
Studios were scored on the results of the calls and may be eye-opening to some:
The first day of Boot Camp was “Accounting with Craig”. Towards the end of his session he asked one very specific question: “What is the reason you are in business? Why are you opening a Pinot’s Palette?” The answer was so clear to me – to make customers happy.
19 STUDIOS SCORED 83%
Happy customers are the life blood of any business. Happy customers mean money going into the business, which means money in your pockets. All that starts with great customer service. I’ve spent my first few months at Pinot’s getting to know your studios and how you handle customer service. My main focus was customer service on the phone, as this seems to be an often over-looked part of the customer-facing aspect of the business. I completed two rounds of secret shopper calls to studios. In the first round, I called 94 studios. In the second round, I called 98 studios. The calls were completed between 9am and 5pm local studio time. I recorded (almost) every call. In each set of calls, I developed a different “reallife persona” and asked about the possibility of a private party. The goal was to see how each studio scored out of the following six questions: • • • • • •
10 STUDIOS SCORED 100% 23 STUDIOS SCORED 67% 46 STUDIOS SCORED 50% 34 STUDIOS SCORED 33% 5 STUDIOS SCORED 17% 55 STUDIOS SCORED 0%
The results showed that there are some room for improvements with how the Brand presents itself to customers on the phone. Room for improvement, means room for growth. And I have never heard someone tell me that they want to stop growing (except for around their waistline, maybe!).
Did the studio answer the initial call? If not, did they return the call within 24 hours? Did they state the studio name when answering the phone and were they generally pleasant to speak with? Did they ask for contact information? Did they ask follow-up questions regarding my event? Did they send an initial follow-up email? (Or call, in some cases) Did they follow-up again later?
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DID DID
ANSWER THE PHONE? (or call back in 24 hrs)
YOU... YOU... ASK FOR CONTACT INFO? No→ 58%
Yes→ 72% No→ 28%
STATE STUDIO NAME + SOUND PLEASANT? Yes→ 93%
Yes→ 42% No→ 7%
That’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? So let’s start small; two of the most impactful take-aways from the calls was hearing just how different every studio’s voicemails and phone greetings are. Here are a few examples of the voicemail messages that I came across: Your call has been forwarded to an automated voicemessaging system 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-0 is not available. At the tone please record a message. When you have finished recording you may hang up or press 1 for more options. (Number on recording does not match studio phone number listed on website) Thank you for calling Pinot’s Palette ________. We are sorry we are unable to take your call at this time, but your call is very important to us. Please leave your name, phone number and a brief message and we will return your call between 10am and 3pm eastern standard time. Messages left after 3pm will be returned the following day. To make a reservation or to view our upcoming painting classes, please visit our website at www.pinotspalette.com/______. Information regarding private parties is also available on our website for your convenience. If you prefer you can also email us at _________@pinotspalette.com and we will return your message as quickly as possible. Be sure to like us on Facebook and sign up to receive our newsletter via our website or Facebook page for exclusive insider information and promotional offers. We look forward to painting and having fun with you soon.
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Thank you for calling Pinot’s Palette _________. Located in the ____________ at the corner of ________ and ______. We suggest parking ____________ near __________, as we are located three doors in from __________ and across from _________. Our studio office hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 12 to 4pm. We also have private parties offered from 10am to 10pm when we do not already have a public class scheduled. For painting class times, schedule and general information, please visit our website at pinotspalette.com/________. You can also email us for a quicker response at ________@pinotspalette.com. Otherwise please leave a detailed message with your name and phone number after the beep. Thank you and we hope to see you painting soon. Cheers! The person you have dialed can’t take your call now. At the tone please record your message. When you have finished recording simply hang up or press the pound key for further options. Here are a few examples of the phone greetings I received: Hello? Pinot’s Palette ______. This is ___________. Thank you for calling Pinot’s Palette, this is ________ speaking. How can I help you? Pinot’s Palette, this is __________. How may I help you?
ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EVENT?
Yes→ 67%
Yes→ 5%
No→ 33%
No→ 95%
SEND A FOLLOW-UP EMAIL? No→ 74%
SCORE 100% ON THE SECRET SHOP?
SEND AN ADDITIONAL FOLLOW-UP EMAIL? Yes→ 26%
Now, let’s put on what I call my “Customer Goggles”. Which ones are the best? Which ones offer the best service to your customer? A customer’s phone call to you may be the first chance to make a good impression. If your voicemail is not set up as an extension of your business, what kind of impression are you giving that customer? During my secret shops, it was very confusing to leave a voicemail on an answering machine that didn’t match the studio phone number, or didn’t say anything about Pinot’s Palette. If I had been just an “every day customer” I would have simply hung up the phone and gone elsewhere. I would not leave my information with an unidentified number. A phone greeting can make or break a customer experience. Think about it – if you answer the phone and sound upbeat and excited, that sets the right tone for the entire call. Sound irritated, bored or rushed? That will also set the tone for the call. Answering the phone while you’re driving the kids to soccer practice or out to dinner with your friends? Your customers can tell, and they won’t appreciate it as much as you might think. How can you gather all of the information you need to make the best impression possible if you are not giving the customer your full attention? How can you enter their lead information into PTS if you are distracted with a plate full of calamari and wine during appetizers? So what do we change and how do we grow from this experience?
No→ 74%
Yes→ 26%
Every voicemail system should contain the following: studio name, office hours and location (address). If you would like to include your email, go ahead, but be careful not to push your customers to email you instead of leaving a message. In today’s day and age, they know how to email you – they most likely found your phone number from your website, which also lists your email. If they are calling, they are calling for a reason. Pushing a customer to email when they want to speak to you can leave a bad impression on them, or worse, cause them to look to your competitor for answers. Be prepared to speak to your customer in the same medium they reached out to you in – if they called you, return the call. If they emailed you, email them back. Your phone greeting should be simple and friendly; “Thank you for calling Pinot’s Palette, this is Adina, how can I help you?” is perfect! Throw in your studio location if you’re feeling sassy, why not? If you’re really feeling festive, mix it up with “It’s a great day at Pinot’s Palette” or something of the like. The more fun you have with it, the more you’ll smile when you answer the phone. That smile will be contagious on the other end of the line. I promise. As you set out to make these small changes throughout your studios, take a look at what other small things impact your customers. What else can be changed to make your customer experience better?
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STAFFspotlight
Grace Burks by Renee Mak Recently I had the pleasure of choosing the featured artist for this issue’s staff spotlight. It was a tough decision because so many studio owners submitted total superstars, which I’m sure you’ll be reading about in the near future. For this issue, our staff spotlight falls on our Wichita studio artist and manager, GRACE BURKS. Although Grace is only 22 years old and the youngest member of the Wichita staff, owner Ruthanne Timms said “she fills the studio with artistic energy and enthusiasm”. In addition to that, she gets great class follow-up comments, is a self motivator, gets things done at warp speed and almost always has a smile on her face. With such rave reviews, I wanted to know how she does it. Simply put, Grace always brings a positive attitude to work and smiles as often as possible. As for getting things done at “warp speed”, she’s highly goal oriented and likes to strive for the best. Doing the right thing, staying positive and adding a smile to every equation is her passion, it’s part of who she is, and when she arrives to work, she brings it, every time! When it comes to Pinot’s Palette, Grace said she’s looking forward to all the opportunities the franchise provides. One of her favorites is the Painting It Forward program. Thru Pinot’s Palette’s Project Pet, the Wichita studio has donated hundreds of dollars to The Kansas
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Humane Society and The All Paws Foundation. Giving back to the shelters “really makes my heart happy”, said Burks. I also asked Grace if she had any examples of tough, memorable experiences since she’s been with Pinot’s Palette and the first thing that came to mind was...Bootcamp! “Corporate Training was pretty tough, but SO WORTH IT.” She’s very thankful and fully credits Ashley G. for “whipping Team Wichita into shape!” When she’s not being a total rockstar at Pinot’s Palette, Grace loves creating mixed media abstract art, on a large scale. She likes to mix chemicals, like bleach and Windex, with acrylic paint to get cool effects. It all started in school, when she’d take her paintings into the chemistry lab and try mixing different chemicals into the paint. Paints are chemical mixtures, after all, and so it made perfect sense for Grace to combine her love of painting and her love of chemistry! One of her most memorable outcomes early on happened when a chemical concoction burned holes into the canvas she was working on and while being unable to remember exactly what chemicals created that effect, she does remember sewing wire into the gaps and loving the result. She said she really liked how the paint+chemicals “get freaky” on the canvas and continues to incorporate chemicals and found materials into her art to this day!
ALOHA
ANNUAL RETREAT
2016 by Lori Lockerd
The 2016 Pinot’s Palette Annual Retreat has come and gone once again. This year’s event hosted 162 attendees representing over 90 of the Pinot’s Palette studios in the system. Some of the highlights included the Brand Reveal, the Luau, the Studio Celebrity Sitdown session, swim up bar fun, the awards, and of course the Cody Miller/ James Serrano dance off at the sponsor happy hour. For those of you who missed it, I’d like to share some of the good times we had.
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ANNUALretreat DECANTER AWARD
IMPRESSIONISM AWARD
This award is all about the vessel that brings out the “values” in a wine. The core values of Pinot’s Palette are truly what makes us special to our consumers and each other. It is critical that we remember to live these values of creativity, fun, innovation, teamwork, professionalism, passion, characters with character, and staying committed to our community. This year, one team clearly jumped out as leaders and are deserving of this award. No matter what is going on, they are upbeat and willing to face any problem with a good attitude beholding all values... all the time. Congratulations Samantha and Soral in Paradise Valley!
This year’s marketing award, the Impressionism Award, was bestowed on a very young studio. This studio owner really dug in with her hands, created a marketing plan, and stuck with it. Hitting the pavement, and putting in long hours in a studio not yet open can be daunting because you don’t see immediate results. But she kept going and is truly a shining example for all! Way to go Amy Duffey in Green Bay!
CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD
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RETAIL AWARD
PINOT PERKS AWARD
Fairborn, Ohio (not in attendance) winners of the Pinot Perks Award.
MILLION DOLLAR CLUB
EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
SMOOTH STROKES AWARD
PICASSO AWARD
Each year the Smooth Strokes Award is given to the studio with the smoothest opening process. Despite having one of the quickest lease signings to date and a team ready to materialize for build out, this studio was put on hold for many months waiting for the city to give final approvals on zoning and everything in between. This owner remained positive for each and every status call with a completed list of partnerships she had created and a clear plan for future action items on her roadmap, and continually reinforced her passion for the brand and her desire to crush her opening weekend. Congratulations to “Awesome Jenn” from Hoboken!
The Picasso Award honors the studio that has the most paintings accepted into the Master Painting Library in a year. This individual studio had 34 paintings accepted into the MPL in 2015. Over 1200 classes have featured their new 2015 paintings with more than 23,000 seats filled by admiring customers. Biggest hits include masterpieces such as A Kiss In The Park, Cattitude, Sunset Palms and Solstice Blossoms. Additional highlights include numerous kids’ paintings and the Custom Door Hanger Ornament. It is with much pleasure that we presented The Picasso Award to Kathryn Baker of St. Matthews!
GOLDEN BRUSHES AWARDS
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ANNUALretreat: Messages in a Bottle Reach out to businesses who receive local awards such as “Best Places to Work” with a congrats message along with your private party info and team building info. Take leads all the way through to the sale.
A franchise’s brand is only as good as its weakest location.
Seven figures is possible with one studio. Back to the basics! Focus on customers, and the money will follow! Hire a manager and get out and do more grass roots marketing.
Comp cards – give them at business meetings, referral groups, DMV, anywhere you meet people. They will feel special and bring friends.
Don’t wait to see if something is going to work. Move on to the next thing. Have 10+ irons in the fire.
Stop stepping over $100 bills to pick up pennies. Never again will I use the phrase, “Not in my market”. Take the idea and figure out how to reinvent it so it does work in my market.
I learned that the Pinot’s Palette family is our greatest asset!
Answer the phone! People don’t remember what you said, they remember how they felt.
People are giving us the honor of sharing and celebrating important events in their lives, and we owe One can’t wait for the them the best memories we can dollars to come across give them. Market all the time, be the threshold. You must friendly to everyone, follow chase every dollar and Think about: the roadmap and other close every sale. Coffee is What story things laid out by HQ to for closers! will my guests make it easier for you to run tell when your business. they leave my There is a huge opportunity to capture studio? Give the local increased sales in private parties, by just florist comp doing the little things, i.e. placing a follow up Learn to LOVE your cards to give call or answering the phone. These little things customers. This promotes with every flower we aren’t doing can really capture significant excellent and extraordinary arrangement. new business. customer service!
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RETREAT Survey
See what 2016 attendees thought about retreat.
93%
Of attendees say they would return again. -“The community aspect of this system was a motivating factor for me to join.”
FAVORITE SPECIALTY SESSIONS 1. Chasing the Corporate Dollar 2. Google It 3. #socialskillz
87%
Enjoyed Franchise Council Discussion. -“The ideas and suggestions given by seasoned franchisees were extremely helpful.”
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
76% liked it! If you are interested in being on the 2017 Pinot’s Palette Annual Retreat committee, please contact lori@pinotspalette.com. 2016 Pinot’s Palette retreat slide decks can be found on the Pinot’s Palette Knowledge Base. KB Documents, Team Meetings, Annual Retreat, 2016.
22% thought it was alright. 2% would prefer another spot. 39
FUN&games
PINOT POP QUIZ Dip your brush in this trivia palette to find out what you really know about Painting. Drinking. And Having Fun. 1. WHAT’S A THIRSTY CANVAS? (A) One that has not been primed (B) One with a lot of liquid paint on it (C) One specifically made for egg tempera (D) There’s no such thing, only thirsty artists 2. WHICH OF THESE IS NOT A SPARKLING WINE? (A) Sekt (B) Asti Spumanti (C) Pinotage (D) Cava 3. WHAT’S A FUGITIVE COLOR? (A) A color that’s prone to darkening when exposed to light (B) A color that’s prone to fading when exposed to light (C) A color made from at least three pigments (D) A color made from illegal or poisonous pigments
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4. THIS IS MADE FROM THE LEFTOVER SKINS AND SEEDS OF GRAPES: (A) Brandy (B) Port (C) Marsala (D) Grappa 5. WHAT’S THE FUNDAMENTAL RULE TO AVOID CRACKING WHEN AN OIL PAINTING DRIES? (A) Always paint lean (thin) paint over fat (thick) paint (B) Always paint fat (thick) paint over lean (thin) paint (C) Always mix fat and lean paint to create a mid-fat paint (D) It doesn’t matter, oil paintings are meant to crack 6. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SHIRAZ AND SIRAH/SYRAH? (A) Shiraz is red, Sirah/Syrah is white (B) Shiraz is a reserved name only allowed to be used for grapes from Australia (C) Shiraz, Sirah and Syrah are the exact same grape. It’s all a marketing game as to which name they use (D) Shiraz has a higher alcohol content than Sirah/Syrah
FUN&games
7. IN TERMS OF PAINTING COMPOSITION, WHAT’S KISSING? (A) When two elements in a painting are just touching (B) When elements in a painting touch the edges (C) When there are two figures in a painting (D) When the painting continues around the edge of the canvas 8. WHAT ARE SULFITES? (A) A natural preservative found in many foods; extra has been added to wine for centuries to allow it to age (B) Small crystals found in the bottom of some bottles of wine, quite harmless to drink (C) An artifical flavoring ingredient which helps wine taste better (D) An additive to help the cork not get moldy 9. WHAT DID THE ‘NEW YORK TIMES’ ART CRITIC HOWARD DEVREE COMPARE JACKSON POLLOCK’S HANDLING OF PAINT TO? (A) Stir fry (B) Spaghetti (C) Noodle soup (D) Baked macaroni 10. WHAT IS A “FIRST GROWTH” BORDEAUX WINE? (A) The wine is made from the first harvest of grapes for the year (B) The winery was ranked of high quality in 1855 (C) The wine is made from the oldest vines on the vineyard (D) The winery was the quickest growing winery in the past year
Answer key: 1.a, 2.c, 3.b, 4.d, 5.b, 6.c, 7.a, 8.a, 9.d. 10.b 10 CORRECT You have a perfect palette! No one knows how to Paint. Drink. And Have Fun. like you do. 7-9 CORRECT A little bit of painting and a little bit of drinking is your motto. To improve your score, I guess you’ll have to do a little bit more of both. 5-7 CORRECT Every party needs a pooper, that’s why they invited you. If you don’t know the saying, it’s not a shock, because you also don’t know your art or wine. Better luck next time! LESS THAN 5 CORRECT Stay home.
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WHAT’Shappening
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REACHout FRANCHISE COUNCIL Reed Alewel (702.334.0392) Henderson@PinotsPalette.com Lisa Riley (918.810.5472) Lisa@PinotsPalette.com Dorothy Ferlanti (917.608.4788) RedBank@PinotsPalette.com Chris Harvey (201.213.2396) Ridgewood@PinotsPalette.com Cherisse Lockerd (720.217.4314) Tustin@PinotsPalette.com Samantha Karim (480.696.7220) ParadiseValley@PinotsPalette.com Chad Smith (646.541.2586) Stamford@PinotsPalette.com
HEADQUARTERS (713) 77-PINOT (74668) Development Franchise@PinotsPalette.com Marketing Marketing@PinotsPalette.com
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WANT TO WIN A
$5000 BONUS?
Click the icon in PinotAdmin Or visit try.pinotspalette.com/pinots-pals-referrals/ INOTs ALS
The Pinot’s Palette Partner Referral Program 44