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The Wine Clip


docsconz

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I should make one more comment on something that happened once during our taste tests.

We used a bottle (can't remember which) that had a long neck and used a metal wrapper. For some reason we weren't getting a strong change. We took the metal wrapper off and had the results we expected.

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BIGGEST.  TEASE.  EVER.

What Tommy said.

Although Mr. Clip doesn't need (or perhaps want) marketing advice from us, I have some - for free, although a consulting fee would be appreciated :smile::

Pricing it at $75 is a brilliant move - people perceive higher price as associated with higher quality. Plus, it helps set expectations; if you're going to buy an expensive widget, you're already primed to expect that it'll work, and that helps guide the user to a favorable conclusion.

Marketing via demos at fairs is similarly the best idea. Peer pressure in public is excellent - how many people are brave enough to say in a public demo, "The clip and non-clip samples taste identical." Very few. My ex- was shockingly vulnerable to a good in-person pitch; she bought Ginsu and lots of other crap due to a well-crafted demo (when I wasn't there).

But, here's the best part. Sell the clip for $75 at demos, but $100 on the website. Make the rubes (er, customers; sorry) that saw the pitch but didn't immediatly buy, pay extra for their hesitation. You also get the benefit of saying that you're offering a $100 product for $75, but only if you buy right now. Ka-ching, guaranteed sales, and 25 bucks extra from the losers that buy it via the web.

(That said, I still think that the clip is crap; I'm not participating in any of the tests here, and wouldn't buy one. But gullibility still leads to gold for a canny huckster-- er, I mean marketer - sorry again).

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I should make one more comment on something that happened once during our taste tests.

We used a bottle (can't remember which) that had a long neck and used a metal wrapper.  For some reason we weren't getting a strong change.  We took the metal wrapper off and had the results we expected.

Dennis: So are you saying that some (unknown) metal is able to block the effect of "Rare Earth Neodymium Iron Boron magnets - the most powerful magnets available"?

May I make a few small suggestions?

  • If you are trying to sell to people who know something about wine, you'd better at least be able to identify what you used for your test(s).
  • Remember that if you are leaving "bitter tannins on your pallet," as you said back on 10/4 at 11:50am, you are spilling the wine, not tasting it.
  • Since some of us wait, and read whole threads at once, you really should not say "I am now engaged on a day to day basis, selling Wine Clips" in your first post (9/26, 7:10pm) and follow it with "And I'm not a salesperson. Just a cheerleader." ten days later (10/6 at 10:52pm).

And may I ask: From its design, it appears that the clip is meant to work only as the wine passes through its internal magnetic field. That is the logical inference from having the device merely on the neck of the bottle. In which case, the rest of the wine in the bottle should remain unchanged, no? So would it not be more efficient to have a full-body version of TWC, that affects the entire contents at one time? (Forgive me if all this is explained on the website; I have not been there yet.)

I do look forward to all reports.

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I would like to know in what order the wine was poured.

About: Mary Ewing-Mulligan, president of the International Wine Center ( www.learnwine.com ) is the only American woman who is a Master of Wine. This title represents the highest level of knowledge and proficiency in the wine trade. Qualification as a MW is so rigorous that there are only 217 Masters of Wine in the world, and only 18 in America.

:blink:

Maybe she's a crackpot like me? :raz:

We have a Wine Clip on its way to her.

Alpina Singh and Andrea Immer might have issues with this claim.

over it

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BIGGEST.  TEASE.  EVER.

What Tommy said.

Although Mr. Clip doesn't need (or perhaps want) marketing advice from us, I have some - for free, although a consulting fee would be appreciated :smile::

Pricing it at $75 is a brilliant move - people perceive higher price as associated with higher quality. Plus, it helps set expectations; if you're going to buy an expensive widget, you're already primed to expect that it'll work, and that helps guide the user to a favorable conclusion.

Marketing via demos at fairs is similarly the best idea. Peer pressure in public is excellent - how many people are brave enough to say in a public demo, "The clip and non-clip samples taste identical." Very few. My ex- was shockingly vulnerable to a good in-person pitch; she bought Ginsu and lots of other crap due to a well-crafted demo (when I wasn't there).

But, here's the best part. Sell the clip for $75 at demos, but $100 on the website. Make the rubes (er, customers; sorry) that saw the pitch but didn't immediatly buy, pay extra for their hesitation. You also get the benefit of saying that you're offering a $100 product for $75, but only if you buy right now. Ka-ching, guaranteed sales, and 25 bucks extra from the losers that buy it via the web.

(That said, I still think that the clip is crap; I'm not participating in any of the tests here, and wouldn't buy one. But gullibility still leads to gold for a canny huckster-- er, I mean marketer - sorry again).

Human Bean:

your last post is insulting and I won't reply to another post of yours.

You have no idea about marketing. A true marketer tries to serve his/her customer's needs, not "trick" them as you suggest.

Edited by thewineclip (log)
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I should make one more comment on something that happened once during our taste tests.

We used a bottle (can't remember which) that had a long neck and used a metal wrapper.  For some reason we weren't getting a strong change.  We took the metal wrapper off and had the results we expected.

Dennis: So are you saying that some (unknown) metal is able to block the effect of "Rare Earth Neodymium Iron Boron magnets - the most powerful magnets available"?

May I make a few small suggestions?

  • If you are trying to sell to people who know something about wine, you'd better at least be able to identify what you used for your test(s).
  • Remember that if you are leaving "bitter tannins on your pallet," as you said back on 10/4 at 11:50am, you are spilling the wine, not tasting it.
  • Since some of us wait, and read whole threads at once, you really should not say "I am now engaged on a day to day basis, selling Wine Clips" in your first post (9/26, 7:10pm) and follow it with "And I'm not a salesperson. Just a cheerleader." ten days later (10/6 at 10:52pm).

And may I ask: From its design, it appears that the clip is meant to work only as the wine passes through its internal magnetic field. That is the logical inference from having the device merely on the neck of the bottle. In which case, the rest of the wine in the bottle should remain unchanged, no? So would it not be more efficient to have a full-body version of TWC, that affects the entire contents at one time? (Forgive me if all this is explained on the website; I have not been there yet.)

I do look forward to all reports.

S:

If it makes you feel better I just ordered my "Wine for Dummies" book from Amazon.

Edited by thewineclip (log)
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I should make one more comment on something that happened once during our taste tests.

We used a bottle (can't remember which) that had a long neck and used a metal wrapper.  For some reason we weren't getting a strong change.  We took the metal wrapper off and had the results we expected.

Dennis: So are you saying that some (unknown) metal is able to block the effect of "Rare Earth Neodymium Iron Boron magnets - the most powerful magnets available"?

May I make a few small suggestions?

  • If you are trying to sell to people who know something about wine, you'd better at least be able to identify what you used for your test(s).
  • Remember that if you are leaving "bitter tannins on your pallet," as you said back on 10/4 at 11:50am, you are spilling the wine, not tasting it.
  • Since some of us wait, and read whole threads at once, you really should not say "I am now engaged on a day to day basis, selling Wine Clips" in your first post (9/26, 7:10pm) and follow it with "And I'm not a salesperson. Just a cheerleader." ten days later (10/6 at 10:52pm).

And may I ask: From its design, it appears that the clip is meant to work only as the wine passes through its internal magnetic field. That is the logical inference from having the device merely on the neck of the bottle. In which case, the rest of the wine in the bottle should remain unchanged, no? So would it not be more efficient to have a full-body version of TWC, that affects the entire contents at one time? (Forgive me if all this is explained on the website; I have not been there yet.)

I do look forward to all reports.

the wine clip, for you, will now be $105.

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I should make one more comment on something that happened once during our taste tests.

We used a bottle (can't remember which) that had a long neck and used a metal wrapper.  For some reason we weren't getting a strong change.  We took the metal wrapper off and had the results we expected.

Dennis: So are you saying that some (unknown) metal is able to block the effect of "Rare Earth Neodymium Iron Boron magnets - the most powerful magnets available"?

May I make a few small suggestions?

  • If you are trying to sell to people who know something about wine, you'd better at least be able to identify what you used for your test(s).
  • Remember that if you are leaving "bitter tannins on your pallet," as you said back on 10/4 at 11:50am, you are spilling the wine, not tasting it.
  • Since some of us wait, and read whole threads at once, you really should not say "I am now engaged on a day to day basis, selling Wine Clips" in your first post (9/26, 7:10pm) and follow it with "And I'm not a salesperson. Just a cheerleader." ten days later (10/6 at 10:52pm).

And may I ask: From its design, it appears that the clip is meant to work only as the wine passes through its internal magnetic field. That is the logical inference from having the device merely on the neck of the bottle. In which case, the rest of the wine in the bottle should remain unchanged, no? So would it not be more efficient to have a full-body version of TWC, that affects the entire contents at one time? (Forgive me if all this is explained on the website; I have not been there yet.)

I do look forward to all reports.

the wine clip, for you, will now be $105.

no tommy, she can take one of the 5 that are coming back :biggrin:

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no tommy, she can take one of the 5 that are coming back :biggrin:

i' m glad you're still having fun with this. it will be, i think, one of the best egullet threads ever! :smile:

I think NeroW and I have dibs on two of the clips, if they come back.

And this thread might top Cabrales cooking a chicken, but I don't think it approaches the heights that were reached by the fish puns.

Suzanne, I don't think you've been fair to Mr. Clip. Although his product may be intended to work mostly as the wine passes through the neck of the bottle, it is not unreasonable to suggest that attaching the clip could affect the bottle enough that it will be hard to detect the clip's influence after it is removed. While I think some of Mr. Clip's posts may have been a bit more confrontational than might seem wise for a businessman, the more he talks the more he wins me over. You've got spunk, Mr. Clip! Keep it comin'. Straight talk from a true believer!

(Now can I have a wine clip?)

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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no tommy, she can take one of the 5 that are coming back :biggrin:

i' m glad you're still having fun with this. it will be, i think, one of the best egullet threads ever! :smile:

I think NeroW and I have dibs on two of the clips, if they come back.

And this thread might top Cabrales cooking a chicken, but I don't think it approaches the heights that were reached by the fish puns.

Suzanne, I don't think you've been fair to Mr. Clip. Although his product may be intended to work mostly as the wine passes through the neck of the bottle, it is not unreasonable to suggest that attaching the clip could affect the bottle enough that it will be hard to detect the clip's influence after it is removed. While I think some of Mr. Clip's posts may have been a bit more confrontational than might seem wise for a businessman, the more he talks the more he wins me over. You've got spunk, Mr. Clip! Keep it comin'. Straight talk from a true believer!

(Now can I have a wine clip?)

To your credit, I have written a few things that were "out of the box" -- but in comparison to some of the things written by others... I'm Bambi.

:blink:

Edited by thewineclip (log)
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Suzanne, I don't think you've been fair to Mr. Clip.  Although his product may be intended to work mostly as the wine passes through the neck of the bottle, it is not unreasonable to suggest that attaching the clip could affect the bottle enough that it will be hard to detect the clip's influence after it is removed.

sure. some of the wine that passes up into the neck then goes back down with each pour.

however, being hard on The Wine Clip will only make him a better salesman.

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To your credit, I have written a few things that were "out of the box" -- but in comparison to some of the things written by others... I'm Bambi.

:blink:

Here's an opportunity for you. I hear Rick Bayliss is available for an endorsement!

I'm hollywood and I approve this message.

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your last post is insulting and I won't reply to another post of yours.

Ouch! That wasn't my intention, I was just trying to help. Admittedly, I'm not an award-winning businessperson such as yourself; I'm not fit to lick your boots. It's perfectly understandable that you wouldn't want to reply. After all, you run a respectable business, not a carny con.

You have no idea about marketing. A true marketer tries to serve his/her customer's needs, not "trick" them as you suggest.
A true marketer sells the product, by whatever means. I appreciate your efforts to be ethical though. My opinion is that your product is worthless crap. It's an opinion, not a fact. Others whose opinions I respect will be soon be reporting their results. We shall see.
Your idea of selling the clip for $100 on our website it almost as foolish as you calling the people who would do so "losers". As much as I enjoy this product, I wouldn't pay $100 for it. Your sales strategy, is a fail strategy.

The losers are only the ones that don't buy it at the demo, but at a hypothetically higher price at the web site. Glad to see that you wouldn't pay $100 for it; I agree.
Gullibility leads to "fools gold".
I'd disagree; apparently you're not familiar with infomercials - gullibility leads to REAL gold, whether deserved or not. But then again, I'm not an award-winning businessperson. You can laugh at me on the way to the bank with the profits from this clip thing; congrats, you deserve it. Edited by Human Bean (log)
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So far I've done two solo tastings, both on ~$20 wines (but picked up on sale :cool: ) -- a 1999 Peter Nicolay Riesling Auslese and a 2000 Domaine Vincent Girardin Santenay (a red Burgundy).

I perceived no difference between the treated and untreated Riesling. Given the stated theory behind the clip, this probably is to be expected.

I did perceive a slight difference with the Santenay -- the clipped wine was a bit less astringent -- but this difference disappeared after the wine had rested in the glasses for a few minutes.

Stay tuned....

Edited by Alex (log)

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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Wow - it seems that there's quite a market for used wine clips!

I may have been a bit harsh on Mr. Clip, but I'm willing to give it a fair test; if someone wants to send me their clip after they're done, I'll give it a try. If all else fails, it might still be useful to stick things on the refrigerator. If the wood(?) box was also provided, I'm sure that there are uses for that too.

NeroW still deserves one due to insistent whining though. :smile: SethG too.

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I have now conducted 3 seperate tests over the course of 4 days, all with similar results. I invited people who I consider the best palates I know to participate. I plan to post the results tomorrow. 

I participated in one of Mark's blind tasting tests today, and unless he played a really big practical joke on me ...

... this thing does indeed change the wine.

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Another unwanted marketing suggestion for Mr. Clip:

Since this clip is such a great thing, you're wasting your time retailing it. Go for the REAL gold. Since it can make Chateau Plonk taste like Chateau Margaux, market it to wineries, rather than consumers, but with royalties for each use.

Check out the market for laser-eye-surgery (Radial Keratotomy) machines; they sell the machine at a low cost, but charge a royalty for each time it's used. THIS is your true market, and the path to continuing riches. Royalties = riches.

Make an industrial version of the clip for Gallo (or whoever) to put on their bottling line. Charge them $100,000 for it. But the really clever part is that you also charge them (say) .1 cent per bottle to use it. They get better wine, you get rich; everybody wins, and you have continued revenue forever.

You can still retail the clip to those that insist on purchasing wine from companies that foolishly refuse to use the the clip - additional revenue.

I'll pay much more attention to the clip once a major winery adopts it in their production line.

This'll require a bigtime finders fee for the idea, but it'll be a drop in the bucket once those revenues start rolling in.

(Of course, Mr. Clip has said that he won't reply to me, but you can be sure that my lawyers will be in contact with his lawyers once he adopts this idea and has a continued revenue stream for life. I welcome the lifetime revenue stream also, and take back any negative things I may have said about Mr. Clip. :smile:)

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Mr. WineClip has put his product out to be tested publicly - for free. That takes guts and a belief in what he is selling. There would seem to be no reason to attack his ethics as he has been more open than most business people. Please keep the comments to the product and its effectiveness.

As with any other product the producer can set the price at whatever they want and then it is up to the public to decide its worth.

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Mr. WineClip has put his product out to be tested publicly - for free. That takes guts and a belief in what he is selling.

True, but the point is whether his product is snake-oil or not.

There would seem to be no reason to attack his ethics as he has been more open than most business people.

True again, but has no relevance to the validity of his claims for the product.

Please keep the comments to the product and its effectiveness.

Quite so; we've heard much about the product, but little about it's effectiveness outside of the promoter's demos. I presume that this'll soon be remedied.

As with any other product the producer can set the price at whatever they want and then it is up to the public to decide its worth.

Definitely.

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Mr. WineClip has put his product out to be tested publicly - for free. That takes guts and a belief in what he is selling. There would seem to be no reason to attack his ethics as he has been more open than most business people. Please keep the comments to the product and its effectiveness.

As with any other product the producer can set the price at whatever they want and then it is up to the public to decide its worth.

Craig:

Thank you.

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I have now conducted 3 seperate tests over the course of 4 days, all with similar results. I invited people who I consider the best palates I know to participate. I plan to post the results tomorrow. 

I participated in one of Mark's blind tasting tests today, and unless he played a really big practical joke on me ...

... this thing does indeed change the wine.

Well, what do you know... :raz:

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