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!

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,

In my experience as a Mobile Bartender, I have often noticed that myself and my bartending staff has always run into problems with caterers.  It seems that there are power struggles and ego-trips at play with both parties…especially when YOU have been hired by the Host, NOT the caterer.

Caterers and party planners like to have full control of everything and so they may start telling you how to do your job or treat you like one of their employees.

This quick article is intended to help YOU (the Mobile Bartender) “deal” with caterers during your events.  So, let’s ALL put our egos aside and take some advice that does work:

1.  Caterers ARE Control Freaks! They have to be, that’s why they are so good at what they do! So you must accept that fact and understand how their mind works if you want to have a pleasant night while working with them

2.   You BOTH want the Same End Result Both you and the caterer want the event to be as spectacular as possible.  As long as you aware that you and the caterer/party planner want the same outcome, you can begin to work better together.

3.  Be Proactive-Introduce yourself! As soon as you arrive at the event (or even a few days beforehand) introduce yourself to the caterer or whoever is in charge.  It is also good to meet any staff that the caterer may have brought along)

4.  Offer Your Assistance Do your best to finish setting up your bar-area early so you can offer help and assistance to the caterer.  They will appreciate this.

5.  Kill them with Kindness! If you find a caterer that is being rude or treating you poorly, react by “killing them with kindness!”  Compliment them on their work, their staff, their attention to detail.  They LIVE for these compliments,so shower them! hint that you are looking for caterers to refer to your clients-take their biz cards

6.  Use Leverage! You are the MOST-desired bartender in your area (or at least you present that image!).  Ask your caterer for some of his/her business cards and mention that you have A LOT of clients always asking for good caterers so you want to refer them business!  <—Your Social Proof just went through the roof and they will now treat you with more respect!!

**I hope that you NEVER have any problems with caterers or any type of event planners, but if you do, NOW you will be prepared! Use these tips and you will see a big difference!