2/3 oz Cinnamon Schnapps

1/3 oz Tabasco Sauce

Ingredients:

1 oz Apricot Brandy
5 oz Gin
1 oz Aperol
1 oz Peach Vodka
3 oz Dry Sherry

When I was working my “real” bartending job, we were forced to wear nametags. Are you rolling your eyes at that? I WAS! …BUT, I decided to wear my nametag to my bartending event that Friday night and the results were astonishing!

When people saw my name…they called me by name! (Crazy concept right?!) But here is the important part: when people call you by name, you can establish trust and rapport quicker, and that results in BIGGER TIPS! Sooooo…get yourself a nametag!

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

———————————————————————————————————————–

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!

HUNGOVER JACK:

Ingredients:

½ oz Coffee Liqueur
1 oz Dark Rum
1 oz Rum
1 ½ oz Whiskey
2 scoops Vanilla Ice Cream
Fill: Coca-Cola

Very early on in my mobile bartending career, I knew it was very important to be contacting other established vendors and build synergistic relationships with them. That means DJ’s, caterers, wedding planners, etc are all your biggest allies.

Today I get calls based on referals from caterers or third-party venues, etc and I don’t have to do any work! They book me on the spot…EASY!!

You Must Give In Order to Recieve!

So here is how I was able to do this, even when I was BRAND NEW! Here is my step-by-step procedure:

1. I created a list of vendors in my area who looked LEGIT & established

2. I created a “Preferred Vendors” page on mh website and added them

3. I then called each of them up and showed them their link on my site. I told them I was looking for good “synergistic relationships.” And asked if they would make a good fit for MY customers. (They always say YES!)

4. The Law of Reciprocity immediatly sets in and they are more than willing to do the same.

5. I also email them an email with all of my business information.

6. I then MAIL them that same information along with a stack of my business cards!

Now…who is gonna say no to THAT!

Can’t you do the same thing?! It’s easy right!! NOW, you have a ton of caterers, DJ’s, etc and they all have customers who ask, “So, you know any good bartenders?” hmmm…..YES!

You also need to build up relationships with 3rd party venues! but that is another topic for another time…

For more information on The Bartend-4-Profit System, click here: http://www.BartenderforProfit.com

]]> http://www.bartenderconfessions.com/leveraging-the-power-of-caterers-other-vendors/feed/ 0 http://www.bartenderconfessions.com/tip-of-the-week-dance-monkey-dance/ http://www.bartenderconfessions.com/tip-of-the-week-dance-monkey-dance/#comments Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:37:55 +0000 admin http://www.bartenderconfessions.com/?p=583 Dance Monkey! DANCE!

I don’t know what it is, but when people put money in your tip jar, they WANT to know that they put money in! They NEED that recognition! It makes sense right?! Well…give it to them! I always give a big smile, thanks, wink, or other gratious gesture when money gets thrown into my jar, so you should too!

At the “right event,” you can do a little dance, make some noise, sing a song, ring a bell, or even moisten the money and slap it on your head! You want to encourage others to tip too! Make it fun!

]]> http://www.bartenderconfessions.com/tip-of-the-week-dance-monkey-dance/feed/ 0 http://www.bartenderconfessions.com/bartenders-dont-waste-your-time-make-more-money/ http://www.bartenderconfessions.com/bartenders-dont-waste-your-time-make-more-money/#comments Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:33:32 +0000 admin http://www.bartenderconfessions.com/?p=579 Hey Mobile Bartenders!

Welcome to another addition of my Mobile Bartenders EXCLUSIVE newsletter! I have been getting some AMAZING feedback from how much this stuff is helping people, so that just makes me so happy!

I am working a wedding this Saturday night in Newport Beach, CA in the backyard of this beautiful home overlooking the harbor! Simply amazing! And I actually just got back from a quick “run-through” of the place.

I met with the bride and groom and the wedding coordinator and we went over where the bar needs to be, what we are servings, etc and let me tell you something…

WHAT A WASTE OF FREAKIN’ TIME! For two hours I was being told the same thing over and over again by this crazy coordinator lady and I just wanted to kill myself! I actually had to lie and make an excuse so I could sneak out of there early!

So Why am I telling you this?

Because I don’t want you making the same mistake I made (YES! I still make mistakes!) Look, you don’t need to go through some lame “walk-through” inspection before the party arrives! YOUR time is simply too valuable, you can not be wasting it doing stuff like that!

Everything the coordinator told me could have been expressed in a 15 minute phone call or a quick email. 99% of my OTHER events which have been a huge success have NEVER needed a “pre-screening” the day before, so WHY NOW?!

Soooo, if your client INSISTS on you coming over a few days before, so they can tell you where they want the bar, you simply ask them WHY they need you. Try and get them to explain everything they wanted to share in detail with you in person, right over the phone.

If they still demand your physical presence, tell them you have a day job as a bartender, and unless they are willing to adequately substitue the money you would be missing to consult with them, don’t go!

And if they are still persistant…drop ‘em! I pride myself on having the power to say no to clients I don’t want to work with. If they are causing problems now, they are gonna cause way more DURING the event! Trust me! …Ok, that’s my little rant for now! Enjoy the newsletter!

Here’s to your success,

If you have been with me for awhile, that should be a no-brainer.  If not, that’s ok, we’ll come back to that in a second.

Right now I want to take you back to this past Fourth of July Weekend where I walked away with just over $550 from an absolutely incredible event!  Which is good because I really didn’t want to work this holiday weekend, but I was understaffed and we had a ton of bookings!  So I decided to hop in there as well.

Why was the event so GREAT?

Well, other than the satisifying “Grand Total” I received at the end of the evening, I was in GREAT company.  Fourth of July brings together family and friends (and BBQ!) who are all in good, high spirits!

Even though I was not with MY family & friends, I still had a fantastic time!  I was taking shots with the host, teaching some fun drinks to the guests, and making some great jokes.

I think I left feeling like I had known all of the guests for years.  AND they could say the same about me.  I was able to joke and tease some of the guests, I created a few “custom-cocktails” for my VIPS, and I told some great stories about past events.

Bottom Line:  They LOVED Me!

NOW…why do I bother sharing this with you?

Let’s take a look back at the fill-in-the-blank I gave you at the top of this email:

If you want to charge PREMIUM Prices (by premium, I mean higher than any of your competitors) you gotta…

Sell the EXPERIENCE!!

Right now, Im going to go in and do some sneaky, ninja, mind-shifting voodoo on you to change the way you think!  Ready?

When you go to an event, people are NOT hiring you to be a bartender!!!

They’re not?

NO!!  They are hiring you for these TOP 2 Reasons:

1.  They want the Social-Status & Prestige of havng a “fancy” party where their friends are IMPRESSED by a professional waitstaff

2.  They want to actually enjoy the party themselves!

In other words, they want The BEST PARTY EVER!!  Right?!  And they expect you to deliver!

So…what you really have to do is offer an EXPERIENCE!

All I ask is that REMOVE that fact that you are just a bartender hired to pour drinks, and start thinking differently.  You are paid to provide an EXPERIENCE:  an unforgettable night for your host and their guests.

You can only make $150 bucks pouring drinks, but you can make $550 providing an unforgettable experience for your client.

HOW do you provide that Unforgettable Experience?  Well it is an Art Form…and it must wait for another email! 

Until then, keep hustlin’ & workin’ it!

To Raising Your Rates,