I am in a garage band and we played at a birthday party (I have a sweet ‘62 Fender Duo Sonic). Someone took a video of us playing and when I saw it, my first impression is that guy on the guitar looks like a piece of wood.
Right now we are biking in BC and started in the town of Pinticton, where the Canadian Elvis impersonators are competing. The winner goes on to represent Canada in world competition. The little hotel we stayed at was headquarters for the Elvis impersonators. They were all over the place, and even at breakfast in their street clothes you could tell they were still in form, with their strange large gold sun glasses and over-sized dark side burns.
I thought to myself, if you want to be an Elvis impersonator, there is no going half way. You are either all in or don’t even bother. Then I thought about the wooden guitar player.
Whether you are playing a guitar or Elvis, you can’t hold back if you want to be entertaining.
This holds true for a brewery as well. The Elvis impersonator might look and sound exactly like Elvis, but he he doesn’t move like him, or he holds back, he will lose that competition hands down.
You might make the best beer in the world but if your brewery isn’t entertaining you will lose that competition as well. By entertaining, I mean you have to provide the whole package. Customers go to a brewery instead of buying a six-pack and staying home because they want to go to the source, where it’s made and experience that brewery. How do you entertain?
Show off the equipment as much as possible. Customers want to see stainless steel. As much as you can put in front of them and in more creative ways the better. Kegs as urinals work, what about replacing the handles on restroom faucets with trim-clamps? If a brew was in the works, can the tasting room customers see it?
How is the staff trained? Can they explain how beer is made? What kind of uniforms are they wearing that fit with what the brewery is about?
Is there some sort of mug club program that makes customers feel they are a part of the brewery? Can you use your good customers in advertising your brewery?
How about making Youtube beer commercials that are funny? Then showing them on a screen inside the brewery.
What does your brewery do to support home brew clubs in your town?
I think the lessons in Elvis really translate well to business. Well, actually anything if you are dealing with customers. There just isn’t room to dabble. Jimmy Buffet isn’t a great singer, but he entertains.
Anyway, I’m on the road and wanted to share this. It’s a good lesson for all brewers and guitarists too.
