7 Highly-Effective Ways to Attract New Clients

I have been receiving email after email from students of mine asking how they can get their FIRST client, or get MORE clients so they are bringing in MORE business and more money.

The following is a list of the 10 MOST effective ways that I am using to attract new clients and how YOU can quickly do the same without spending a lot of money at all so that you are booking bartending gigs quicker than ever before.

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7 Ways to Book Bartending Gigs NOW:
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1.  Vendor Directories
Get your phone number and website listed in Online Vendor Directories.  This is important because these big sites will have better SEO (search engine optimization) than your website. When someone searches “Dallas Bartender” and the directory pops us, you want people to find YOUR business information. The largest directory is www.PartyPop.com-make sure you are on it.  There are a ton of other directotories for party planners and weddings out there as well. You can also add your business to Google AND Yellowpages’ directories.  But here is my ONE RULE: Don’t PAY to have your website/business listed.  It is NOT worth it!!  If you an get a F.R.E.E. listing, GREAT, if not, don’t do it!

2.  Craigslist.org
Here is a big SECRET for you: I have put WEEKLY listings in my local Craigslist and the listing itself would rank HIGHER in Google than my website!  Pretty Cool!  I have a GREAT Craigslist script for you to use on my website. http://www.bartenderforprofit.com/bbbstep6.html

3. Website & SEO
If you don’t have a website/blog, than no one will take you seriously! Your “web presence” is your virtual storefront where people can “check you out” and learn more about you and your company.  EVERYONE is using the Internet to search online now, are they going to find YOU or your competitor?  I highly recommend just getting a Wordpress Blog and using a blog theme that looks like a standard website. With Wordpress, you don’t need an expensive website designer!  Once you have a website up, people searching Google (70% of Search Engine Traffic) can find YOU on the first page for your keywords (if you are performing the proper Search Engine Optimization techniques), and THAT is free advertising!

4.  Google Adwords
Without SEO, you can actually pay Google money on a “per-click” basis to get on the first page of Google’s search engine results page.  This is a GREAT way to get started when you are brand new with your business because the minute your website is live you can INSTANTLY drive traffice to your site  and start getting phone calls.  If you get TOO MUCH business, you can simply turn off the ads whenever you like…pretty cool!

5.  Preferred Vendor Lists
This is a POWERFUL Step!  Whenever I hear my students complaining about not get any business, I suggest this step right here!  You must keep this in mind: you are starting/running a business, that is no easy job, it takes a little work!  So let’s do some work!  Let’s hustle a bit!  Start calling caterers, party-planners, DJ’s, etc and get them to REFER you business.  When I’m calling up another party-vendor, I tell them a ton of my clients are looking for a DJ, and I have no one to recommend, can I recommend YOU?  The DJ always says YES, and automatically returns the favor and starts to give me business!  Create these powerful synergistic relationships now! ALSO, you want to get on the Perferred Vendor lists for any 3rd-Party Venues in your area…so stop making excuses and start calling them up!

6. During-Event Promotions
Don’t forget! Your biggest way to promote your busines is DURING your event! Simply having IMPECCABLE service is enough to spread the “word of mouth!” BUT pass out your business cards, collect contact information and mingle with
the crowd.  The better you do at your existing event, the more gigs you will book in the future because of that one party!

7.  Social Media
Social Media has taken us by storm in the past two years and as we go into 2010, I am MAKING all of my students use it!  (Don’t worry, I will be posting plenty of future articles on how to use Social Media for your business soon!)  For now, get on Twitter, Facebook & Linkedin and start connecting with other business professionals, past cleints, friends/family etc.  Spend 10 minutes using Social Media a day and see what comes of it!  At the very least, Social Networking sites are very SEO friendly and you can be found in the FIRST few results on Google’s search pages…not bad!

I hope you enjoyed these quick strategies for Client-Getting!  For some, I know these simply serve as a reminder for stuff you already know.  for others who are new and less experienced, hopefully you will take at least one of these techniques and implement it RIGHT NOW in your Bartending Business!  Make the effort, take the action and see the change!  Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, please email me or send me your comments!

The Mobile Bartender’s ULTIMATE Guide to New Year’s Eve

Note: This article was written for Mobile Bartenders-those who choose the adventurous lifestyle of working at private parties as a Bartending Business Owner!  I have made over $950.00 in tips just from one New Year’s party, and that did not include the commissions I made from other parties I booked that night.  The following article will tell you a few tricks on just exactly how I did that.

The Craziest Night of The Year:

Welcome to New Year’s Eve!  It is no question that more people party of New Year’s Eve than on any night of the year…AND the party harder than ever before!  What does this mean for you as a Mobile Bartender?  Well, if you play your cards right: more work & more money!

As Demand Increases, So Does Our Rate:

Remember High School Econ’s Supply & Demand Curve?  The MORE people want a product or service(demand), the more the market is willing to pay for it (the price increases!).  That means good news for YOU!  New Year’s Eve is the one night of the year where you can double-or triple your bartending rates and people will easily pay them!  WHY?! Two Reasons:

1. People want the BEST Party ever & are willing to pay for the best help!
2. It is NOT easy to find a bartender who is willing to work on New Year’s Eve!

How Much Will You Charge?

You probably became a bartender because you love the nightlife!  That means it may be hard for you to pull yourself away from the biggest party night of the year so you can “work.” (Like this is actually work, right?!)  Well, putting that into the equation, that should make it easier for you to charge $250-450.00 JUST to show up for five hours!  Because what’s the worst that could happen?  You DON’T book a gig and you end up having a great time with family & friends!

Bottom Line: Do NOT be afraid to charge double/triple your standard rate for New Year’s eve!

A Tip on Tips:

If your host is shoveling out +$300 just to have you pour a few drinks, they might get a little stingy on a tip at the end of the night (uh-oh…problem!)  So…I always REQUIRE a tip jar on the bar for my New Year’s parties! If the client says no, you have two options:  a) Say goodbye; b) Pass it off to another bartender

What About Extra Bartenders?!

Whether or not your business has grown to accommodate additional bartenders, THIS is the night to start thinking about additional bartenders…because you will have more than one client calling you for this night!  And remember, we can’t be in two places at once (duh!) And we don’t want to just trade time for dollars, right?!  What if we could get paid an extra $100 just for booking one of your friends?!  Now multiply that a few times and New Year’s is starting to look pretty good, yes?!

Attracting High-Paying Clients:

A lot of my New Year’s parties come from past clients and referrals which is great.  If you have been private party bartending at LEAST 6 months, you will start to see the “Word-of-Mouth” take effect.  BUT I also get clients from my advertising efforts.  How do I advertise?!  Well…I have a few secrets, but GOOGLE is the big one!  Your client will type in “Los Angeles Bartender” and click the first result they find in Google!  Is that result you?!  It should be!  Do you even have a website?!  You better, it’s a MUST!

When clients call, I always let them no we are in high demand for New Year’s, if they try and hang up to “think about it,” you have lost them!  Let them know the spot will probably be filled because you get several calls a day or week for bartenders!  Get them to say “YES!” now, before you are SOLD OUT!

A Final Thought:

Yes, you have the potential to make a TON of cash on New Year’s if you play your cards right!  But what any bartender will tell you is this: don’t worry about the money/tips while you are actually bartending…focus on giving excellent service!  People are at this party to have the most incredible night of their lives…GIVE IT TO THEM!  (…they may just compensate ya for that!)

Be safe, make some money & have fun this New Year’s eve!

Cheers,

James Wedmore

How to Book an Unlimited Amount of Bartending Gigs Easier Than Ever Before!

I want to reveal one of MY biggest secrets to how I book events like crazy.  This is one of the reasons that my business grew so fast and forced me to hire more bartenders.  And the best part is, this secret is so small and simple, ANYONE can do it with 5 minutes of time and little to NO budget!

Would you like to know this POWERFUL Marketing Trick?!

It’s called The Follow-Up.

Now, before I explain the Follow-Up in detail, I want to share a basic, fundamental marketing & business principle first.  It is the concept of how acquiring NEW clients is more difficult (and costly) than acquiring MORE money from a PAST client.   In other words, it is easier for me to make more money from a client I who has already agreed to pay me, work with me and do business with me, than it is to go out, find a new client, gain his or her trust, and get them to hand me their credit card info or write me a check.  It makes sense right?!

Good!  So here is your goal…FOCUS on our PAST clients!  That is where the REAL MONEY is!

The Follow-Up is simply a quick and easy technique of “staying in touch” and showing appreciation to past clients.  This will give you repeat business AND plenty of referrals!

How do We do That?!

It can be as simple as sending out greeting cards/post cards with a quick thank you message the week after you have bartended their event.  An even cooler tip:  What if the party you did was their Birthday Party?  NOW you know that they have an October Birthday, soooo….you put their name in a calendar or excel document, and at the end of September 2010, BOOM!  You send them a quick Happy Birthday Card!  You can also send holiday cards etc!  VERY, VERY POWERFUL!

Now, here is the real trick!  Making a system that works for you!

Last thing you want to do is spend hours writing cards yourself, licking envelopes, and making several trips to the post office!  What if I told you there was a service that could automatically write the cards in your hand writing, create customized cards AND send them out for you…for LESS than a dollar! ($.50-.70!!)

I LOVE this service, it has CHANGED my life and it has helped my business more than I could ever imagine!

If you are interested in such a service, I would love for you to contact me and I can get you set up with them!  If not, I STILL suggest you use greeting cards in your business!!

Hope you enjoyed the tip!

Professional Bartender Resume Secrets to Land ANY Bar Job

The Bartender Resume! This is a CRUCIAL element to getting your foot in the door, booking the interview, and ultimately landing the job of your dreams.

I have been working on a few projects recently, and my latest one is called ‘Bartender Resume Secrets.’  It is simply a collection of REAL Bartender Resumes hand-picked by actual bar managers in one of the hottest spots in the country: Los Angeles!

Not only did we create a collection of REAL resumes that you can use to easily craft your resume from, BUT we also provided the Bar Resume Survival Guide, which gives tips & advice for crafting the PERFECT Bartending Resume!

I am really excited about the release of this new product and I want to make a special offer to my dedicated blog readers:

**Special Offer:

It’s couldn’t get any easier than this: Simply leave a comment below in this blog post (make sure to include name and email) and we will send you a FREE copy of ‘Bartender Resume Secrets!’  I’m giving this away to my loyal readers for a very LIMITED time!

Just right a comment below that says “I want it!” and as soon as we finish it up, we will send you a free copy!!

Thank you so much!

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