3 strategies for effective distributor relations

Josh Hurst, industry veteran and Director of Operations and Hospitality for Pies & Pints, has dealt with a ton of distributors in his time. With 13 locations in six different states he's managed to hone in on a few key strategies for effectively managing distributor relationships.

Josh shared these strategies with us in a recent interview. Here are the key takeaways:

• Set communication expectations at the beginning of the relationship. Tell reps when and how you'd like to be communicated with, especially when it comes to managing something that is unexpected/went wrong. For Josh, this means getting a call or text as soon as a distributor realizes something's wrong (not on the day of the delivery).
• Josh's mantra at Pies & Pints is "make people happy." That includes his customers, but also his vendors, for whom Josh always seeks to be the most loyal, simple, basic customer they ever have.
• Why be nice and seek to make vendors happy? Because being a good partner to others makes it more likely they'll be a good partner to you.
• So how do you make your reps happy? Do whatever you can to say yes to them. Do they have some kegs they're having trouble moving? Buy them. Is there an event they want to throw with a brewery? Do it.
• And if something doesn't work out—maybe you don't get that limited keg you were hoping for—don't be a jerk about it. Be nice and understanding. If you have a pattern of being a great partner, next time a super limited keg rolls around, you'll be on their list for getting it.
• But if there's a pattern of stuff not showing up or of reps being cavalier about it, be direct about changing something, and perhaps cutting ties.

Check out these short interview clips for more color and advice from Josh!

Every week I take a look at the top-10 trending beers on BeerMenus.com from the previous 7 days. Last week included St. Patrick's Day, so unsurprisingly the trending list was dominated by Irish (or Irish-ish) beers.

Here's the top 10 list, from #1 to #10:

	Green Man St. Patrick's Favorite Green Beer Pale Lager · 5.0% · Asheville, NC
	New Holland Dragon's Milk Imperial Stout · 11.0% · Holland, MI
	Harp Irish Lager Pale Lager · 4.3% · Dublin, Ireland
	Guinness Dry Stout · 4.2% · Dublin, Ireland
	Guinness Blonde American Lager Premium Lager · 5.0% · Dublin, Ireland
	McSorley's Irish Pale Ale Irish Red Ale · 5.5% · San Antonio, TX
	Smithwick's Premium Irish Ale Irish Red Ale · 4.5% · Dundalk, County Louth
	Guinness Kilkenny Irish Red Ale Nitro Irish Red Ale · 4.3% · Dublin, Ireland
	Smithwick's Red Ale Irish Red Ale · 4.5% · Dublin, Ireland
	Harp Lager Pale Lager · 5.0% · Park Royal London

Lots of usual suspects on the list, but I've gotta say it's cool to see Green Man Brewery duking it out with Guinness and the like!

Note: The extent to which a beer "trends" is based on the week-over-week increase in views to its beer page on BeerMenus.com. So if a lot more people view the beer this week than last, it would be trending.

• White Claw is now making vodka and canned vodka sodas. Why? They're seeking to diversify their revenue streams to something outside of seltzers. Makes sense, given how damn many seltzers brands there are now.
• Just add water and stir: a brewery in Germany has created powdered beer. Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle in East Germany hopes to eventually release a full range of different powdered beers.
• Spring Break in Miami is officially an emergency. Following two fatal shootings last weekend, Miami declared a state of emergency that was extended yesterday. The renewed order prohibits off premises alcohol sales after 6pm in parts of South Beach popular with Spring Breakers, but dropped the midnight curfew that had been in place since last weekend. The order is rough on local businesses during their busiest time of the year, and one liquor store owner has already sued the city over the measure.