7 Essential Tips you NEED to know going into the BUSIEST TIME of the Year!

Welcome to December! The GREATEST month you will EVER see as a Mobile Bartender. If you have properly marketed yourself and your business, you will have clients kicking down your door on their hands and knees PLEADING with you to book ‘em. Your Fridays, Saturdays and even some weekdays will all be booked with corporate parties and Holiday get-togethers. And of course, it all ends on New Year’s with a BANG

With the economy the way it is right now, I want to give you an Insurance Policy that will GUARANTEE you a financially successful December that will fatten your pockets with some extra dough that you can spend on some Christmas Shopping!

Christmas-time always puts people in a mood of nostalgia and love. You must evoke these feelings in your guests and work for those tips! Below are SEVEN of the powerful tips and tricks I implement in all of my Christmas Parties!

1. Get in the Mood: It’s Christmas! Let’s get excited about it! I want you to try this: Give your guest their drink, look them in the eye and say, “Merry Christmas.” …and mean it! Because we don’t say it anymore! Everyone is worried about being “P.C.” But take the time to say some kind, genuine words to your clients and spread that Christmas Cheer!
2. Charge More: Do you remember your High School Economics? As the Demand increases (more parties in December) so do your prices! Do NOT be afraid to charge more for your services this December. If you are a client looking for a bartender this December, it is going to be hard! Everyone is booked! So take advantage of that and hold out for the highest bidder! On a side note, you should be increasing your prices as you get closer and closer to the 25th and of course, charge AT LEAST TRIPLE on New Year’s Eve!!
3. Dress Up: This Christmas, I am dressing up for a Tropical X-Mas Theme as well as a Tacky Sweater Party. For my other events, I will be wearing AT LEAST a Santa Hat! What will you be doing to make you stand out?!
4. Decorate your Tip Jar: This Christmas, my tip jar will actually be decorated to look like a stocking! Instead of candy and gifts, this stocking will have tons of cash! Even better! How can you decorate your tip jar to make it look more festive? Try wrapping it in a small wreath or adding christmas lights.
5. Decorate Your Bar: You can also add some Christmas decorations to your bar. Some wreathing and lights will go along way and help everyone get in the mood!
6. Give Gifts/Treats: ‘Tis the Season! Take the time to put up a bowl of candy(like Candy Canes!), some Christmas cookies or even little gifts. What if you had a small little tree on the bar, with little mini presents. Each present was a wrapped up mini bottle of liquor that the guest could open and keep!
7. Customized Drinks/drink menu: You MUST have some Holiday Cocktails for your guests. Check out my other Blog Post for some great Christmas Cocktails that your guests will LOVE!

I hope these SEVEN TIPS help you this Holiday Season! If you have additional tips, please share by submitting a comment on this post! hank you so much, and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I just got an e-mail from one of my clients who wanted to give me an update on his Bartending Business status! Let’s just say I was soo PROUD to see all of the great work he had accomplished in such a short time!

His name is Shawn Picard, and he purchased The Bartend-4-Profit System just a few months back. What he has done in that time has been amazing!

You can take a look at his website at: www.ServeChilledBartending.com

Shawn built a beautiful website that has great pictures, video, and copy. He build his own portable bar that he takes with him to all of his events! He even learned how to become a flair bartender so that he could “wow!” his guests to giving him more tips! What I would like to do now is take a second and see just what we can learn from a success Case Study like Sean here.

What YOU can learn from Sean:

1. Have a Great Name/Branding: Serve Chlled is a great name, and he branded his company with a penguin-an animal that represents both the elements of cold and elegance (tuxedo)
2. Have a Website: Website is REQUIRED! But very easy to obtain one!
3. Great Headline/Copy: Take the time to read Shawn’s headline. It goes right for the benefits of why someone would hire him!
4. Clear, Visual Pictures: A picture tells 1,000 words, you need some of you bartending!
5. Include Video: Marketing is all going to video now and Shawn nailed it with his video!
6. Different Pricing Options: Shawn gives his customers several different pricing packages to choose from
7. Learn Flair: Shawn is MORE than just a bartender. Someone who wants to have fun and entertainment will choose Shawn for his flair skills!
8. Easy Contact: Make it easy for your visitors to contact you INSTANTLY. Shawn using a contact form that his clients can fill out.
9. Take Action: The biggest reason people FAIL is that they NEVER took action! Shawn simply purchased The Bartend-4-Profit System (the first action) and simply followed the steps laid out before him. THIS is what he has accomplished!

I am so proud of Sean for all of his work to making his business take off the way it has! It is one of the most rewarding experiences to make a difference in someone’s life like this!! I look forward to all the others who decide to follow this path and work for themselves as a mobile bartender! I am here to help!

7 Halloween Tactics to Make you MORE Money this Holiday Season while Bartending

YES! This is my favorite time of year! As a kid I had Haunted Houses in my garage. Today, I still think of the BEST possible costumes I can come up with!! But as a bartender with a Mobile Bartending Business…Expect a lot of Halloween Parties!

Below is a small list of great tips for all my fellow Mobile Bartenders that you can implement during Halloween!

Halloween Bartending Tips:

1. Dress Up! If you are NOT dressing up for Halloween parties…you’re CRAZY! Not only is it fun (and more casual, but your clients/guests will LOVE it. (Just make sure you ask if you can dress up first) Try something related to bartending or your task behind the bar. This year I am going to be a Mad Scientist mixing up some crazy concoctions! (Yes, you may steal my costume idea!)

2. Add Dry Ice: This is awesome! Every martini I make, I put in a REAL glass and add a small coin-sized piece of Dry Ice. The effect is amazing! Your guests will love it and it will keep your cocktails a bit colder!

3. Charge More: It’s basic Supply & Demand here people! When you have more party requests…up your rates. You can only be at one place at one time, bless only the highest bidder with your presence.

4. Unique Tip Jar: I love to decorate my bar with cobwebs, an ugly rat or snake, and a unique tip jar. Try something like a witch’s cauldron or one of those cheesy candy bowls with the motion-sensor hands. Let people have FUN while they give you money (yay!)

5. Include Halloween Inspired Recipes: I have include a great website that has a huge list of Halloween Drink Recipes. Click Here to check those out now: http://www.drinknation.com/theme/Halloween

6. Include a Menu: Put those fancy drink recipes on a menu of some sort and display proudly on your bar. Find one of Grandma’s ancient/gaudy picture frames, print out your recipes, and add some cob-webs to the frame. BOOM!

7. Bring a Camera: Chances are, your party will be a dress-up Halloween Party. Well, here is the BEST way to capture leads for your business: Take group pictures of guests as they approach the bar. For them to get the pictures, they must e-mail you…so make a list of their names and e-mails…and now you can promote to them! Oh, and you can also add these pictures to your website!

Got any more Tips?

Have any costume ideas, tip jar suggestions, or anything else that could help the other bartenders out there? Post a comment and let me now? Also, did my tips help, or do they suck?! Let me know your thoughts! Other than that, I hope you have all booked a lot of events for this October (and yes Nov. 1st for those Saturday party-planners)

Cheers,

James Wedmore
Mobile Mixologist