The "M Word" that almost destroyed an entire wine industry

Behold the business-destroying power of storytelling: Many years ago when I briefly lived in The Burgle (i.e., Roseburg, OR) I was hanging out at a local wine tasting room there, and got to talking to the guy doing the pours about the movie "Sideways". It's a pretty entertaining movie (even if you hate wine) about a couple middle aged guys who take a week long trip through California's wine country. Anyway, they are about to meet some chicks at a restaurant. But, before they go in, one of the guys says: “…if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any f___ing Merlot!" And guess what? This one line in an indie movie with a $12 million budget... Killed Merlot wine sales! And I mean, just murdered them. It gave Merlot a terrible stigma. Made people think it sucks. And, sales dropped everywhere. Yes, even in other states. Example: The guy at the winery I was hanging at said even in Oregon at their winery, Merlot sales plummeted. But, when they changed the name to something else (didn't call it Merlot), sales went back up. The point? There are several. Like, the psychology of wine snobs. Testing changing your product's name if sales die off. But, most importantly… The power of stories. Humans are "hard wired" to be persuaded by stories. And they can work either for or against you. That’s why I used them not just in ads & emails (like this one). But in content, too. All right, end of PSA about stories. It’s one of the most reliable ways to sell anything, in any medium. I don’t care if it’s video, audio, text, or even by carrier pigeon. To check out the Email Players newsletter, go here: [https∶//www.EmailPlayers.com]( Ben Settle This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. Copyright © 2021 Settle, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this email may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Settle, LLC. Click here to [unsubscribe]( Settle, LLC PO Box 1056 Gold Beach Oregon 97444 USA