Wise Academy Launches Robust Educational Program For Direct To Consumer Professionals

Online Registrations Now Accepted for Courses Developed by Vintners and Direct Marketing Experts

February 20, 2009, Napa, Calif. -- The WISE Academy, the only wine industry education, training and certification program dedicated solely to direct-to-consumer sales, today announced that online registrations are now being accepted for April courses at www.WineIndustrySalesEducation.com.

WISE -- which stands for wine industry sales education -- offers a comprehensive curriculum developed by more than thirty vintners and industry experts, all geared to increase the number of direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing and sales professionals, and to fuel professional aspirations. Courses are divided into three levels, plus an executive series, to meet the needs of those just entering the wine industry to the winery CEO. Full-day and evening courses in Napa and Sonoma Counties provide flexibility and convenience.

"After two years of curriculum development, we are proud to announce our first courses," said Lesley P. Berglund, Co-founder and Chairman of the WISE Academy, and former co-founder and CEO of Ambrosia Wine Catalogue/The Winetasting Network. "Our goal is to build and develop the talent pool that will drive winery DTC success. Our curriculum team has been very busy creating coursework, exams and background materials for our first students in April," she added.

The WISE Academy was founded in 2008 by Berglund and Mack Schwing, former Director of the Wine Business Program at Sonoma State University for five years following his retirement from Deloitte Consulting. "WISE will help the industry cultivate the direct marketing function. It will set the standard for professional wine direct marketers," said Schwing.

The WISE Academy Advisory Board includes Jennifer Becker of Ensemble Marketing, Pamela Hiett of Jackson Family Wines, Dan Michael of E & J Gallo, Greg Ralston of Chateau Montelena, Karen Roche of Streetwise Reports, Patrick Roney of Windsor Vineyards and Girard, Lesley Russell of St. Supéry and Matt Wood of 1-800 Flowers. WISE is proud to have collaborated on curriculum development with wine industry leaders at the Wine Institute, Napa Valley Vintners, Sonoma County Vintners, The Personnel Perspective and Full Circle Wine Solutions.

"The launch of the WISE Academy is a watershed moment for the wine industry," said Greg Ralston, Managing Director, Chateau Montelena Winery. "It's amazing that the wine industry, until now, has not had a sequential educational program to award certificates in direct-to-consumer marketing and sales. This is a great investment for winery owners," he added.

"WISE is what I needed when I first started in winery DTC marketing -- it should really accelerate careers," said Lesley Russell, Vice President, Direct Marketing and Sales, St. Supéry Vineyards & Winery.

WISE offers a total of 14 courses, 11 certifications, three levels and an executive series.

What follows is a sample of upcoming courses:

• 101: Professional Core Course. Courses in March, April, May (16 hours, $250) This Professional Core course is the foundation of the WISE Level I Certification Programs. It provides a broad overview of the wine business and wine tasting basics with special emphasis on the history of wine in America, fundamentals of grape growing and winemaking, basics of consumer direct wine sales and service standards, hands on wine tasting and sensory evaluation. Successful completion of this course provides the knowledge and confidence required to be a WISE Professional and is a prerequisite for all four Level I Certificate courses.

• 111: Tasting Room Professional. Courses in April, May, June (24 hours, $500) This course explores the specific knowledge and skill sets required of a successful winery tasting room professional. WISE Tasting Room Professionals develop confidence in their wine knowledge and tasting ability while also building strong skills in sales and customer service. Beyond their clear command of the best in tasting room practices, these WISE Professionals also discover how to help the tasting room become a fully integrated part of the winery's overall consumer direct program, with well integrated DTC channels. Successful completion of this course will result in earning a WISE Tasting Room Professional Certificate, Level I.

• 213: Wine Club Management. Courses in June (20 hours, $750) Our wine club management program is focused on industry best practices. The course provides students with an understanding of effective strategic club design (structure and benefits), tools for optimizing membership acquisition and retention, and tactics for maximizing club growth. The course also covers budget development and implementation, building a club community through events, customer feedback, online communications (e-mail campaigns, wine blogs, etc) and persuasive wine club writing. Emphasis is placed in wine club direct to consumer best practices, integration with other DTC functions at the winery, key success metrics and reporting tools, and database and list development basics. Successful completion of this course will result in earning a WISE Wine Club Management Certificate, Level II.

 • 214: Online Wine Manager. Courses in Summer 2009 (32 hours, $1,200) Out online wine management program is focused on industry best practices. This course emphasizes the strategies and tools needed for superior online sales management. It provides students with a thorough understanding of the website design, web analytics and effective tools driving successful online marketing via SEO, SEM and e-mail campaigns An understanding of the online impact on the buyers' continuum, integration with other DTC functions at the winery, key success metrics, and best database and list development practices are also addressed. Successful completion of this course will result in earning a WISE Online Wine Management Certificate, Level II.

 • 401: DTC Intensive Overview Course for Owners, Presidents & Executives. Courses in April, May, June (16 hours, $2,000) This class provides executives with a comprehensive review of direct-to-consumer opportunities, activities, required resources and best practices within the wine industry. We provide both a historical perspective on DTC market size and projections on future growth. The ability to benchmark the organization against known best practices, develop action plans aimed at optimizing the opportunity and determining infrastructure and systems priorities are all a focus of the course. Attendees will leave with the ability to score their current DTC performance and direct key future DTC decisions.

Level I classes include (see website for descriptions):
• 101: Management Core Course: April, May, June 2009 (24 hours, $900)
• 102: Responsible Hospitality Professional Certificate: April, May, June 2009 (4 hours, $35)
• 111: Tasting Room Professional Certificate: April, May, June 2009 (20 hours, $750)
• 112: Inside Sales Professional Certificate: Summer 2009 (12 hours, $450) • 113: Wine Club Professional Certificate: May 2009 (20 hours, $750)
• 114: Online Wine Professional Certificate: May 2009 (32 hours, $1,200) Level II classes include (see website for descriptions):
• 201: Management Core Course: April, May, June 2009 (24 hours, $900)
• 202: Responsible Hospitality Management Certificate: April, May, June 2009 (4 hours, $75)
• 211: Tasting Room Management Certificate: May, June 2009 (20 hours, $750)
• 212: Events Management Certificate: Summer 2009 (12 hours, $450)
• 213: Wine Club Management Certificate: June 2009 (20 hours, $750)
• 214: Online Wine Management Certificate: June 2009 (32 hours, $1,200) Level III classes include (see website for description):
• 301: Consumer Direct Leadership: Coming Spring 2010 (80 hours, $4,000) Executive Series classes include (see website for description):
• 401: DTC Intensive Overview Course for Owners, Presidents & Executives: April, May, June 2009 (16 hours, $2,000)

Complete course descriptions are available online at www.WineIndustrySalesEducation.com, or for more information, call (877) 740-WISE (9473). WISE futures are available for wineries interested in purchasing blocks of educational credits at a discount.

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