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

Dear James,

I am new to the bartending scene…very new, I just finished bartending school and have not secured a job yet. I really do not want to work in a bar, club or restaurant, I would much rather do private parties, weddings, etc; however I am very nervous about starting out alone. I think that starting with a company that specializes in bartending for private events might be a good avenue for me to pursue. The question is how do I get a company to give me chance to prove myself with a even though there will be a little bit of a learning curve?  So what would your best advice be about how to get your foot in the door without having experience?

Sincerely,

Roni

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James’ Answer:

Hey Roni!

Welcome to the Bartending Catch 22: Managers are looking for bartenders with experience…so how do you get some?!

Listen, if you want my advice, just do private parties on your own! But here is ONE way you get over your fear…

BRING someone with you!

If you know anyone who has been in the service industry for sometime, even if they are just a server, having a second person there will help you tremendously!  Promise them you will split all the money 50-50 and they will be very willing to help!

Another trick with mobile bartending is that you will tell the host exactly what to provide so YOU will know what drink options are available.  If some guest throws a curve-ball drink at you that you have no idea how to make, simple say, “Oh sorry, I dont have the proper ingredients back here to make that.”  Simple!

ALSO, when you arrive early and get all set up, the guests will usually start to “trickle” in.  SO you quickly get acclimated to the process of mobile bartending.  In other words, you get to practice on a few guests before the real party begins!

Once you do your first event, you will actually laugh at the fact that you were ever nervous!  All of the bartenders and staff I train have NEVER bartended before…YOU have actually gone to bartending school so you are light-years beyond the rest!  You are going to KILL it, just go out there and get that first gig under your belt!

Take care!

http://www.BartenderWebsites4U.com

It makes sense, right?! Ford tells you they have the fastest, sleekest, most popular car on the road, and you may take in the information, but does it really convince you? Then your best friend Mike pulls up in THAT car and does nothing but RAVES about how this is the fastest sleekest, most popular car on the road. A little more convincing, right?! Well why is that?!

Well, you like, know, and TRUST your good friend Mike, BUT you also know that he has NO hidden agenda for praising this new car. We tend to not trust salepeople and television commericals, etc because we know that whatever they are feeding us, they have the intention of SELLING us something.

So Why Does This Matter?

When you are marketing your Bartending Business and your services, YOU may be the BEST bartender in the World, and you provide AMAZING service, and your drinks kick butt, but how well can you (the salesman) convey that message in a way that your potential clients will believe what you say! As part of your Marketing Strategy, you NEED Testimonials (on your website) of Past Clients who can rant and rave about you. THIS is what gets potential new clients excited! THIS is what works! THIS is what sells your customers!

What is a Testimonial?

A Testimonial is any form of feedback or praise from a past client or customer that describes how AWESOME your services were and recommends you to others! They are a form of Social Proof: “Well, if SHE liked this company, I’m sure I will be pleased with this company too!”

How To EASILY Get Testimonials:

It is IMPERATIVE to include testimonials on your website…the good thing: it is EASY to get them (once you’ve had your first bartending event!)

First, make sure you provide outstanding service! If you are not putting the effort in to make people start talking about you, they won’t have anything to say when you ask for that testimonial! This means, be early to your bartending events (not on time!) Be kind, courteous, and treat the guests like royalty. Be funny, outgoing and helpful! Keep your bar clean, make the drinks fast and keep a smile on your face! Do this and put 110% effort in at all times, you will have no problems.

Make sure that when the event is over, you thank your host with sincere appreciation while in person. Within the next 2-3 days (the sooner the better), write them a quick email thanking your host again! Your client will be 100% obligated to return that e-mail and say a few kind words (THAT IS YOUR TESTIMONIAL!) I would highly recommend asking them for their permission to publish this information on your site (at this point, they may be MORE inclined to write you an even better testimonial). The client will ALWAYS say yes, so do not hesitate to ask.

The Money-Maker: Ok, so text is great, but a picture says 1001 words, right?! Get a picture of you and the host right about the testimonial and you will have a bullet-proof marketing tactic!! Either bring your own camera and ask for a pic, OR ask the host to take a picture of the both of you! Its THAT’S simple!

The ADDED BONUS: Now, if you have REALLY hit it off with your client, or they are a family friend or something, I would simply ASK them for a good testimonial, but here is where it gets better! I use a service called AUDIO GENERATOR that allows the client to call a number and leave a VOICE recorded testimonial which you can INSTANTLY add to your site so people can listen to it!! Pretty cool, right?!

So there you have it! Now go out there and get some bartending testimonials for your website.

www.BartenderBlueprints.com

Below is a short little video about a really cool Website service that will get your website up and running in no time! Let’s make 2009 the year of CHANGE! Happy New Year!

THIS IS THE LINK:

http://pipelinemarketingxl.com/pipelinexl/jwedmore

1. Dress-Up! It’s New Year’s! Dress up and look great. I always like to add a silly hat or glasses to my attire to help get in the mood and show everyone that I am the “Life of the Party.” Everyone else will be in the mood to party like there is no tomorrow, so be prepared to do the same! Wear something, beads, “2009 Glasses” or a crazy hat to show you are ready for a great night!

2. Bring Props! Add a little flair to the night with some noise-makers, poppers and other do-dads! Keep some for yourself, but share the love and pass them out to eager guests. When that clock strikes Midnight, it will be THAT much more fun to have everyone using your toys and gizmos and even the host will appreciate it! (More Tips)

3. CHARGE DOUBLE: This is my most important tip! You must charge AT LEAST double your normal rate for New Year’s Eve..your reasoning: “It’s New Year’s!” No one wants to work on this night unless it is really worth it! So make the price you charge high enough so there are no regrets! And don’t forget gratuity!

4. The Tip Jar: No one is found at home doing nothing for New Year’s, so chances are, you will have MORE guests at your event than most other parties throughout the year. Imagine if everyone in the room of a 100 guest party just gave you $2.00 a piece. Not bad, right! Well, get that Tip Jar out on your bar and make it visible to everyone. For New Year’s this year, I found a GIGANTIC glass Champagne Glass that will be just PERFECT for my Tip Jar. Having a Tip Jar this New Year’s is a MUST and make sure you dress it up so guests have FUN giving you money!

5. Champagne anyone? New Year’s Eve is all about celebration! 2008 is gone, and 2009 is upon us! And what better way to celebrate than with a full glass of bubbly! No matter what, make sure you host is supplying champagne for their party! Imagine being the bartender at a New Year’s party that DOESN’T carry champagne! BONUS: Why not add a few other Champagne drink options to the menu like Mimosa, Kir Royal, etc.

6. The New Year’s Kiss: Great conversation always leads to great tips. Ask your guests if they have that special someone to kiss when the clock strikes midnight or what their New Year’s Resolution is. Who knows, you just might find yourself kissing a guest at Midnight too!

7. Just Have Fun: As a Mobile Bartender, sometimes we get stuck at uptight, stuffy parties where the liquor is NOT flowing, and the guests are NOT having fun. A New Year’s Eve party is ALWAYS the exception. Be prepared for guests bringing their “A Game” and their “Party Hats!” So have fun, relax, drink a little, and enjoy your New Year’s!!