EdgeBusiness  OCTOBER 2007

 Case Study 

This monthly feature shows how business expertshave helped entrepreneurs address specificissues that face small businesses. 

Independent consultant turns passion for wine into profit 

By Janet Rorholm

There are many opportunities to be an independent consultant for various companies — Longaberger, Mary Kay, Tupperware and Avon are just a few, but making it work is a real challenge.

Statistics show a 50 percent failure rate for all new startup businesses, but multilevel marketing businesses have a staggering 90 percent failure rate.

One person determined to beat the odds is Penny Fitzgerald of Newhall (Iowa), who became an independent consultant and team leader for The Traveling Vineyard in May 2006.

A few months ago Fitzgerald began working with personal and executive business coach Lisa Van Allen with Van Allen & Associates of Cedar Rapids in order to push herself to meet her business goals while maintaining a balance between work and family life.

‘‘She really has jumped in and exceeded. She is so determined,’’ Van Allen said.

Part of Fitzgerald’s passion for her job is fueled by her love for wine.

‘‘My motto is, ‘So much wine, so little time,’’’ Fitzgerald said.

Others seem to agree because interest in wine has soared.

‘‘Wine has become the No. 1 alcoholic beverage sold in America, overtaking beer,’’ she said.

Fitzgerald has tapped into that interest and pushed herself so that she earned an all-expense paid trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico this year. Her next goal is to earn next year’s trip to Tuscany, Italy and to become a director in the company and with help from Van Allen she is well on her way.

She has 18 wine tastings booked for October, beating a company record she set in April with 13.

Fitzgerald was first bitten by the wine bug on a trip to Napa Valley in California with her husband, Jeff. A friend heard about The Traveling Vineyard and told her about it.

The business was founded by a company, Geerlings and Wade, in 2002. The Traveling Vineyard contracts with mostly smaller private label family vineyards worldwide to carry and promote their wines, selling them for $15 a bottle. The wines are usually exclusive to The Traveling Vineyard.

Consultants like Fitzgerald host wine-tasting parties, bringing a selection of wines for partygoers to taste while teaching them more about wine and how to pair it with food. Because of liquor laws, Fitzgerald cannot sell the wines, but she can take orders.

‘‘It’s a good gig. There are a lot of perks,’’ she said.

But part of the job is finding those willing to host a party or become a consultant for her team and that means making a lot of contacts and phone calls, not always everyone’s favorite part of the job.

To push Fitzgerald, Van Allen encouraged her to use the two-plus-two method, a sales technique that requires her to make two new calls plus two follow up calls each day.

‘‘When you’re in direct marketing and multilevel marketing, you constantly have to have people in the pipeline,’’ Van Allen said.

This helps Fitzgerald because through some analysis, she’s found that she needs to make a minimum of 10 calls a week since it typically takes nine ‘‘no’’ responses for every one ‘‘yes,’’ Van Allen said.

Other businesses might need to make more calls a week in order to fi nd the magic number that works for them, but consistency and discipline is key, Van Allen said.

‘‘It’s just like exercise. If you don’t do it regularly, it’s not going to pay off,’’ Van Allen said.

Fitzgerald said the process has kept her sales from ‘‘yo-yoing.’’

To make those calls easier, Van Allen encouraged Fitzgerald to use the DISC personality profiling method so that she can better cater to different personalities in making those calls in hopes of being more successful.

They also worked on putting together some informal ‘‘scripts’’ Fitzgerald can use on the different personalities.

The premise of DISC profiling is that people tend to be one of four main personality types — dominant, influential, steadiness or conscientiousness.

• Dominant personalities are assertive, goal-oriented, take-charge individuals who want you to get to the point quickly.

• Influential personalities are social people who would enjoy the fun and socializing aspect of The Traveling Vineyard.

• Steady personalities are extremely family-oriented and need to make sure what they do doesn’t interfere with that. These individuals might like the job because it can work around children’s schedules.

• Conscientiousness personalities are analytical who need to know all the details and would like the monetary/business aspect of the business.

‘‘It works because you’re working with someone to help them meet their goals,’’ Fitzgerald said. ‘‘By understanding their personality type I can help get there faster.’’

The business:
The Traveling Vineyard
www.myttv.com/penny9596
(319) 321-6045
winechick@southslope.net
Independent consultant: Penny Fitzgerald of Newhall (Iowa)
The consultant:
Lisa Van Allen, personal and executive coach, Van Allen & Associates of Cedar Rapids (Iowa)
(319) 551-1414
www.vanallencoaching.com
lisa@vanallencoaching.com

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