Everyone has a story worth telling. At least, that's the theory. To test it, Tempo is throwing darts at the phone book. When a dart hits a name, a reporter dials the phone number and asks if someone in the home will be interviewed. Stories appear on Fridays.

        In Jim Diana's line of work, it pays to have personality. Outgoing. Easy to talk to. Energetic. That's Jim.

        “My mom thought I was going to be a politician just because I was never afraid to extend my hand and introduce myself,” the 32-year-old married father of two says in his Union Township home.

        Instead, after earning a marketing degree from Gannon University in Erie, Pa., he went into sales, where handshake opportunities abound.

        But even a garrulous guy with a great personality can find tough sledding in sales. Such was the case during the year-and-a-half that Jim peddled life and health insurance and other financial products.

        “As soon as you say "life insurance,' people automatically put up a barrier. Although it's very important, they don't want to talk to you,” Jim says.

        So six years ago, Jim went looking for another sales job.

        “I never imagined myself getting into this,” he says.

        Wine. He started selling vino.

        “I had no knowledge of wine besides, yeah, I'm Italian, and we drank it. That's basically what I knew about wine.”

Jim and Betsy Diana, with sons Jake, 3, and Nicholas, 4 months. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        He didn't know about merlot. He drew a blank about sauvignon blanc. Cabernet? Chardonnay? So many wines, and so little time before that first sales call for an Indianapolis distributor that catered to restaurants, hotels and country clubs.

        But Jim had this: a willingness to learn.

        “I remember the days he'd bring home the wheel,” says Betsy, Jim's wife of nearly seven years. The device helps novices identify wine flavors and aromas. “We used to have friends over and taste from the wheel,” she says.

        Then, armed with a bit of knowledge, Jim ventured out. He remembers meeting with the legendary owner of an Indianapolis fondue restaurant. “He was intimidating, because this guy knew so much about wine. He kept meticulous notes on everything he tasted.”

        As they sat together, sipping, Jim knocked his glass over, spilling red wine all over the table. But it wasn't his most embarrassing moment. That occurred five minutes later, when Jim knocked over another full glass.

        Better days were ahead. Never afraid to admit his inexperience, Jim would pepper a buyer with questions, gleaning information about a wine's finer points. He'd use that information on his next sales call. Before long, he moved up to sales manager.

        Then two years ago Jim and his family moved back home to Cincinnati, where Jim is still a wine guy. He's a sales director for Glazer's Distributors of Ohio, while Betsy, trained as a speech pathologist, stays home with their two sons, Jake, 3, and Nicholas, 4 months.

        Over the years, Jim's work has taken him to wineries in California, Washington state and Germany. He's had fun and has learned a lot, but he's hardly a wine snob. He's as outgoing and easy to talk to as ever.

        “People are so intimidated by wine, but it's just wine,” he says. “It should be fun. It's like art. What you like is going to be different from what I like.”

        Sipping aside, Jim Diana is glad he's found his niche. Wine may not be as important as life insurance, but many people find it easier to swallow.

Opera scales up its ambitions
Wine knowledge uncorks sales career
Insatiable Shopper
Mom - finally - finds time for fun
Country radio giant tumbles
Get to it