This Is Not Your Hobby Episode 6: Communicate Intentionally with Wholesalers for Sales Success with Michelle Forester
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Nov 18, 2025 In this discussion, Michelle Forster, Director of Sales at Black Tooth Brewing with a rich background in field sales, shares valuable insights for beverage brands. She emphasizes the need for both soft and hard sales skills and highlights the importance of active listening. Michelle advocates for respectful curiosity in managing distributor relationships and simplifying pricing for better communication. The conversation also touches on effective tools for streamlining distributor interactions and practical advice on avoiding burnout.
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Solo Territory Of 217,000 Square Miles
- Michelle covers roughly 217,000 square miles as Black Tooth's director of sales and often works solo.
- She previously ran the Wyoming Craft Brewers Guild and came to beer from title insurance and opera training.
Listening Reveals Real Needs
- Attentive listening is a high-impact soft skill many salespeople are losing.
- Michelle Forster says deep listening reveals real needs so you can offer the right solution.
Ask Curious, Deeper Questions
- Activate curiosity before judgment to dig into a distributor's real problems.
- Ask deeper follow-up questions to uncover issues you can actually solve in-market.