<p>What actually makes a buyer say yes?</p><p>In this episode of Business of Drinks, we sit down with Erik Segelbaum, founder of Amalfi Beverage Company and creator of Certo Cocktails, to break down how sales actually happen in the drinks industry when you’ve been responsible for a $100M+ beverage program across nearly 50 venues, trained top-tier sommeliers, and now have your own product on the line.</p><p>This is a look at selling from the buyer’s seat — how decisions get made, what gets ignored, and why so many pitches never land.</p><p>His starting point challenges how most people approach sales: “It is not about your product strengths. It is about understanding the buyer’s needs.”</p><p>From there, Erik walks through how strong reps approach accounts differently — often long before they ever introduce a product.</p><ul><li><p>Why top performers spend time in accounts first, observing how they operate before ever asking for a meeting</p></li><li><p>How buyers evaluate products in terms of time, revenue, and ease of execution — not just taste or story</p></li><li><p>Why leading with discounts or accolades can weaken your position instead of strengthening it</p></li></ul><p>The conversation also gets into how relationships actually work in this business. As Erik explains, a single order is one thing. Being the person a buyer calls first — and keeps coming back to — is something else entirely. That difference is what determines who gets placements, and who keeps them.</p><p>Erik also pushes on how the industry thinks about pricing and profitability: “You don’t put percentage points in the bank.” He explains how buyers think about total dollars, repeat orders, and turnover — and why those factors often matter more than hitting a target margin on a single sale.</p><p>One of the most memorable moments comes from a stadium example. Watching a bar take minutes to produce each drink, Erik calculated how much revenue was being left behind simply due to speed of service. The gap ran into the tens of thousands of dollars over a 20-minute window. </p><p>Throughout the episode, Erik returns to a simple idea: Strong salespeople make themselves useful to the buyer. “Make the case for why this makes sense for them.” </p><p><strong>Resources mentioned in the episode:</strong></p><p><a href="https://sommjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Somm-Journal-August-Sept25-comp-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Improving Revenue Through Transactional Psychology, Part 1 (p 14)</a> </p><p><a href="https://sommjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SJ-Compressed-Oct-Nov.pdf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Improving Revenue Through Transactional Psychology, Part 2 (p 14)</a> </p><p><a href="https://sommjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/PDF-Somm-Journal-Dec25-Jan26-comp.pdf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Improving Revenue Through Transactional Psychology, Part 3 (p 14)</a> </p><p><a href="https://sommjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SJ-Comp-PDF.pdf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Improving Revenue Through Transactional Psychology, Part 4 (p 16)</a> </p><p><a href="https://sommjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Compressed-SJ-Apr-May.pdf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Improving Revenue Through Transactional Psychology, Part 5 (p 16)</a> </p><p><a href="https://sommjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/pdf-Somm-Journal-Oct-Nov-2023-compressed.pdf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Tips to Maximize the Profitability of Your By-The-Glass Program (p 20)</a> </p><p><a href="https://sommjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/3-Somm-Journal-Dec-23_Jan-2024-comp-2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">How to Price Pours and Control Costs by The Glass (p 16)</a></p><p><a href="https://sommjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Somm-Journal-Feb-March-2024-comp-2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Understanding Blended Cost of Goods and Sales Frequency (p 16)</a></p><p><strong>For the latest updates, follow us:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessofdrinks.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Business of Drinks website (sign up for our newsletter!)</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Businessofdrinkspodcast" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Business of Drinks YouTube</a></p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-of-drinks/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Business of Drinks LinkedIn</a></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bizofdrinks/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Instagram @bizofdrinks</a></p><p><strong>Erica Duecy, co-host: </strong>Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of <em>Business of Drinks</em> and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of <em>Business of Drinks</em> and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.</p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-duecy-4a35844/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Erica Duecy LinkedIn</a></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/ericaduecy/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Instagram @ericaduecy</a></p><p><strong>Scott Rosenbaum, co-host: </strong>Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of <em>Business of Drinks</em> and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines &amp; Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.</p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-m-rosenbaum/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Scott Rosenbaum LinkedIn</a></p><p><strong>Caroline Lamb, contributor: </strong>Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at <em>Business of Drinks</em> and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.</p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-bork-lamb/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Caroline Lamb LinkedIn</a></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/borkaline/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Instagram @borkaline</a></p>