Testimonials
TESTIMONIALS
What Our Clients Say
The Hart Agency is 1st in Class when it comes to off premise promotions. The
Consumer Educators are educated by our suppliers and have knowledge of the brands we represent better than any other agency. The suppliers also receive monthly PowerPoint recaps of
how the tastings went that particular month based on different criteria. I sit in many supplier meetings who use alternative companies because they are less expensive. It is those promotional companies that I am constantly putting fires out for. Hart far and away is #1 in UNY.
Chad Homer
Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits
We had a portfolio tasting at Hopewell Wine & Liquor over the weekend. It was the first time for this type of event in this account. It was promoted for over a month and the turnout was pretty good, but not spectacular. The Hart reps on the other hand were spectacular. The top 3 were Carolyn (75 bottles tasting NPD¹s), Dana (51 bottles tasting Ruffino) and Tammy (23 bottles tasting SVEDKA). The other two tables were for Go Big and Black Box. All five ladies had a lot of enthusiasm, were well versed on the brands and represented Constellation and Hart very well.
This is a little bit of a learning curve for the account. They routinely do one table at a time. They liked the concept and we will likely do another one in the fall. We are going to brainstorm on how to communicate the event to the public a little better for the next event.
Tony Perricelli
Constellation Brands, Inc
Just sending this email to thank you and your staff on what a great job performance the Hart Agency has done. The tasting girls you have are very professional, well-dressed, product knowledgeable, always on time, and have a smile on their faces. Our store prides itself on customer service and your agency exceeds our expectations. In our industry we usually hear the complaints, with very few complements. This is why I am sending this email to the Hart Agency (Julie & Kim, to thank you for the hard work the both of you do everyday to make the Hart Agency # 1 in what you do). It has been a pleasure to work with your agency and looking forward and continued success in the upcoming year. Thank you again for everything.
Paul (manager)
Global-McKinley Liquor Store
We do a lot of business with Hart in NY and they consistently perform at a high level. They keep a quality person behind the table which makes all the difference. Quite honestly we have tried other companies over the years and none have matched the level of professionalism that the Hart has. Most recently they are moving to the next level of customer service and overall have been a great partner to Constellation.
Matt Kubinski
Constellation Brands
The Hart Agency is a very dependable and reputable tool for us in both the on and off premise area. Knowing that Hart is well versed and committed to compliance is a very important feature in our current business climate. An area where Hart separates itself is the professionalism and product knowledge of the Consumer Educators which stands out to the suppliers and customers alike. Hart also provides suppliers with monthly recaps of all events that I have received positive feedback on.
Hart continually proves to be a company we have been able to count on for reliability, consistency and very few issues with our Supplier and Customer network.
Dave Foster
Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits
We have been doing business with the Hart Agency for many years and have only seen true professionalism with selling & promoting our brands. Also, we have seen an increase in brand awareness and more importantly sales based off of the work ethics, enthusiasm & commitment by management and staff.
JORDAN WEISZ
Castle Brands Inc.
Hart Agency tasters are constant professionals every time they walk in the door. They are always courteous to customers, show up on time, and have a grasp on the products they are pouring. If they don't know full details on the product, it is my experience that they ask one of us in order to pass on the correct information to the customers. With some other companies we have tasters show up late, use their phones, eat snacks, and leave early. We never have those issues with Hart Agency employees. Hart agency trains their employees well, and sets them up for successful in store tastings.
Phil Colarusso Jr
Prime Wines
As a brand marketer, the last critical points of contact for our consumers are the shelf, the retailer and most importantly, the demo and tasting teams. I have launched 50 new items over the past 7 years and know that a brand has one chance to make an impression with a new consumer. Hart makes sure it¹s the right educator, reaching the right consumer with the right info. We at The Wine Group have trusted the teams at Hart with staffing for 30k+ people events such as The Food and Wine Festival and conducted several thousands of in-store consumer tastings across the state. Hart agency is proactive in trainings, education, proper sample controls and working ahead of potential logistic issues we may face across the varied demands of the market. Post event, Hart uses smart tools for recap and consumer feedback which are critical in evaluating our brands performance. On a personal level, I have come to trust the agencies staff. Have been treated with a high level of customer service and we continue to use and recommend Hart as the agency of choice in NY State.
Harry McKaig
The Wine Group
I have been the events coordinator at Century Liquor & Wines for five years. I have worked with the Hart Agency throughout my tenure at Century. During that time, they have been professional and willing to listen to our needs and work with us to accommodate our high standards. Two examples stand out: when I first started at Century, there were some miscommunications surrounding punctuality and varietals brought for tastings with all the pouring agencies. Hart was the only one who worked with us to understand our needs and began to schedule their people earlier, and paying them to arrive with plenty of time to set up so they were ready to go when the tasting began. Lisa Martin emails me every week with the weekly tastings, times and varietals so if there are any discrepancies, we have plenty of time to correct them. The result? Their people arrive on time (early), prepared, and with the proper bottles, ready to work.
Most of their pourers go above and beyond and bring decorations to make the tables look extra special. They study the products before they arrive so they can speak intelligently about them and pronounce them correctly. They don’t have to be reminded to stay off their cell phones or prompted to be friendly and engaging with our customers. I never have to worry when I know the pourer is coming from Hart. They are pros and know their stuff. I have to admit, when I set up a tasting with a vendor who doesn’t use Hart, I expect the worst, and often get it: no shows, pourers showing up late, unprepared, full of excuses, unapologetic and with attitude. (Just this past weekend we had a no show, and someone who arrived late because she had to come from Buffalo.) We had one vendor switch from Hart to another agency because his company was trying to reduce costs. He had three bad tastings in a row for one particular brand. (One no show, one arrived an hour late, and one arrived an hour early and expected to go home an hour early.) The vendor got three angry emails from me in a row and I banned his product for 6 months. The bottom line: our customers don’t know the pourers aren’t Century employees, so bad tastings make us look bad.
Leah, Suzanne and Lisa are a great team. They understand our needs and do a great job meeting or exceeding our expectations. I know budgets are tight, but in my experience, you get what you pay for.
Century Liquor & Wines