Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:Thomas wrote:Yes, the idea behind "handsell" is that the retailer holds the bottle, maybe even hands it to the customer. I think it fits.
I once had a retailer kiss a bottle before he sold it to me. (This was in Italy, of course.)
LOL. Back in my halcyon youth when I worked the sales floor in a wine shop----and I did so love doing that---someone pointed out to me that when "hand selling" I quite literally did that: I would handle and fondle and caress the bottle while talking about it to the customer. When customers see you get physical (well, within limits, anyway
) with and passionate about a wine, they'll get interested in it too.
On a practical basis, if you're interested in selling (evangelizing) a good wine, it's smart tactically to pick up the bottle as the first step of getting the customer to get it in his/her hands. And I would take the occasion to run my palm across the front of the bottle, to clean up any potential dust and to put a slight glisten to the bottle from the oils on my palm. (Worked, more often than not too.)