Thread by @BeerBizDaily

Selling beer is about knowing the local people, which means actually knowing their names and the lingo franca. Just few people who like you, your brand, your people, your culture, to make a beer business successful. A-B always had it right, "Making friends is our business." ...

Some beer companies use the international language of math to make money in the beer business. Math transcends lingua franca, it transcends culture, hell it will likely transcend worlds. Math works in the beer business to make money, but sadly it doesn't sell more beer.

But even the pure language of math has its limitations, when it comes to beer. Because beer is personal, it's outside the realm of math -- it's the opposite of math. People skip math class just to drink beer. I love math and I love beer, but I don't like them together.

I'm thinking, of course, of large international brewers who are adept at math, but are finding it infuriatingly difficult to grow organically when the "math" tells them otherwise.

My oldest son was a math major at the University of Texas, and now he's a broker (sales) for a large commercial real estate firm in Austin, and killing it. Understanding the math is table stakes (cap rates, free cash flow etc), but being able to sell is where the true value is.

These huge brewers put to much emphasis on really smart MBAs (math) and not enough on the gum chewing gal whom they thing is a jackass but could actually transform their business. Just ask math guy Jim Koch, and his gum chewing sales partner Rhonda Kallman. Fire ensued.

Jim Koch refused to receive the Maverick Award from me, a career award, without including @rhondakallman, as he should've. Strategy without sales is like planting corn without water. Dumb business.

Nerds without cool kids is like peanut butter without the jelly. It sucks.

You gotta have both, guys. Looking at you $BUD $STZ $TAP . Get with the program.

Look, we have 100's of beer salespeople at distributors and brewers, who know the names of each account's manager/owner whatever, and because they have a relationship, can get a new placement or a Friday night deal on karaoke. Those folks don't show up on spreadsheets, bitch.

And those folks are not shown on the balance sheet of both small and large brewers, and yet they are your largest asset. Betray merchandisers and salespeople at your own risk, homeys.

Dropping mic because I'm tired. But I have more to say on this topic so stay tuned.