Laurent is the 2nd generation of a family estate in Saint-Chinian, in the Languedoc.
22 hectares of schist and garrigue.
95,000 bottles a year.
His target was clear: independent cavistes, organic shops, and small distributors across Germany.
At ProWein, the big trade fair in Düsseldorf, luck seemed to strike.
3 German commission agents stopped by his stand over 2 days.
Neighbors from the village and older producers from the appellation knew them by name.
"He has the best network in Berlin," one elder promised about the first.
"The other 2 cover Munich and Hamburg. Sign all 3, you will have the whole country."
So Laurent signed.
No written targets, no onboarding plan, no trial period.
Just handshakes and verbal promises between 2 tastings at the fair.
His sales trip to Düsseldorf had already cost him booth fees, 4 nights of hotel, and travel costs.
He even paid for German back labels so his new agents would look serious.
Back home, he sent each of them a price list and a few sample bottles.
Then he waited for the orders to roll in.
1 month passed.
Then 3.
A full harvest came and went.
After 12 months, his 3 agents had earned exactly €0 in commission.
Because they had shipped exactly 0 bottles.
When Laurent finally called them, the truth came out.
None of them had made a single sales call for his wines.
His cuvées were sleeping at the bottom of portfolios with 40 other producers.
No samples planned, no tastings booked, no follow-up.
He had not signed a sales force.
He had signed 3 middlemen with other priorities.
The village elders shrugged.
"Export takes time. Be patient."
But patience does not pay for storage.
95,000 bottles a year need cash flow, not promises.
And Laurent had just lost 12 months of margin on the German market.
That is when he changed method.
An agent is not a lottery ticket you pick up at a trade fair.
An agent is a partner you source, vet, test, and onboard.
Using the CommsOnly frameworks, Laurent terminated the 3 dead partnerships and rebuilt from zero.
Scorecards to vet every candidate.
Reference checks with real German buyers.
A 90-day onboarding plan with samples, targets, and weekly pipeline calls.
That is how he found Lukas.
A Berlin-based commission-only agent who had spent 8 years selling French wines to independent cavistes and organic shops.
This time, nothing was verbal.
Lukas received a clear offer, a tight price list, and samples reserved for pre-qualified buyers.
Every week, Laurent knew exactly which doors had been knocked on.
The first orders landed in month 2.
Pallets left the warehouse at full Ex-Works price, payment upfront by wire transfer.
And the buyers came back.
4 re-orders in 6 months.
The 3 old agents had shipped nothing in 12 months.
Lukas alone built a recurring German revenue in half that time.
The village elders still recommend their friends at ProWein.
Laurent smiles, and keeps his scorecard.
Laurent didn't find Lukas by shaking hands between 2 tastings at a trade fair; he sourced, vetted, and onboarded his new commission-only agent right from his office in Saint-Chinian, using the exact frameworks we share inside the CommsOnly Mastermind with our selected producers.