Business Building Sales strategies
Simple strategies to bolster liquor sales As a bar owner, often success is dependent on your front-line employees. U.S. sales expert Bob Brown suggests seven universal strategies Canadian licensees can employ to up the sales ante
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everages are the elixir of celebration and romance. We commiserate over a couple of drafts, savour a glass of wine or try a bar chef ’s latest concoction. Yet, this liquid gold is too often unnamed, unnoticed and poorly offered. Millions are spent on advertising and training, but servers fail to take advantage. How do we close the gap?
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Bottled water: Water, water everywhere Pitfall We buy water at the market, gas station, 7-Eleven and Starbucks. Yet, when was the last time you were offered bottled water in a restaurant, other than at the Per Se’s of the world? And when it’s offered, it’s often in the poorly worded, “Will that be bottled or tap?” Or, in the sneaky, “Will that be still or sparkling?” Plus, it doesn’t pump sales if tap water is poured when guests are seated. Best practice Be artfully soft: “By the way, we offer Evian still or Perrier sparkling.” Gently, offer, inform and describe. Joe Kurth, GM of Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel, set up a display in the entrance of Café restaurant. Combine that with saying, “I don’t know if you noticed, but we offer Panna and San Pellegrino” can double up verbal and nonverbal selling.
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Wine: The land of fear and confusion Pitfall Wine is perplexing to guests – and servers. When servers lack basic knowledge of wines such as Chardonnay,
Bob Brown
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www.liquorcanadamagazine.com