Now that the warmer months have arrived, shipping wine down south is no longer a possibility. That doesn’t mean it’s time to slack off on calling your customers, though. Even with the temperatures heating up, there are still a number of great reasons to get on the phones and call this summer.

Calling Keeps Your Database Up to Date

Do you want to see more holiday sales? Then start calling now and get your customer data updated. Especially if you haven’t done any calling in the spring, calling your customers now is a must. When you get a chance to update addresses and credit card information now, you will have a much smoother time selling over the holidays and you’ll be able to make the most out of your 4th quarter sales.

Ship Overnight at Ground Rates

One of the best ways to seal the deal on a call, is to offer a deal on shipping. Shipping overnight or 2 day air at ground rates can be a great solution to summer shipping woes. It doesn’t hurt your brand by discounting the wine, and your customers will get it quickly and drink it in time to buy more for the holidays.

Invite Customers to the Winery

Instead of shipping, schedule a pick up party! This time of year is perfect to invite local customers for a visit. Encourage them to bring family visiting from out of town. If they bring 2 friends, why not offer 2 for 1 tastings? The more people they end up bringing in, the more wine you can sell. Calling is a great way to get some extra summer foot traffic. Plus, right now people are itching to start traveling again but haven’t made plans. Giving them a call is an excellent way to get anyone out of state thinking about heading to wine country.

Even if a customer doesn’t want wine right now, chances are they’ll want a call back when it gets closer to the holidays. Calling during the summer is a great time to schedule that call.