Suggestive Sales
Upselling Spirits is An Asset and An Art
By Mike Hanley
The term upselling has been taught to bartenders and servers in
millions of bars around the globe. When a guest asks for a vodka tonic,
many servers are instructed to ask if the guest has a vodka preference
such as Stoli or Absolut, for example, with an accompanying nod. This
accompanying nod is called the Sullivan nod, apparently after the first
person to have ever nodded and suddenly realized that his actions were
contagious. The apparent result is a higher-priced brand sold. And
evidently to most operators, the unapparent result with this technique
is that most people already either have a brand in their head, if any
preference at all. Guests who have no preference in liquor feel
somewhat pushed with the upselling technique on their first order. This
isn’t the kind of practice any operator should suggest their staff to
utilize in an equation for success.
Upselling is a good tool for introducing new liquors to a guest after
he or she has become comfortable in your surroundings with their drink.
Upon receiving the second drink order, the server now can inquire as to
whether or not the guest has tried or would like to know more about the
selections of this particular bar. Using upselling in an introductory,
communicative style allows the guest to accept or deny without feeling
cheap or pushed into something if they choose to continue drinking the
lower-priced brand.
The best brands to upsell are either new to the market or have some
other uniqueness that would warrant a change to what the guest
currently is drinking. The liquors that have been successful in the
past and remain competitive today have remained committed to their
traditions, but they also have evolved to broaden their appeal.
Identify Selling Points
Crown Royal is one of those liquors. It has been around since 1939 when
it was unveiled to celebrate King George VI’s and Queen Elizabeth’s
first visit to Canada.
Today, Crown Royal is the No. 1 Canadian whiskey in America and more
popular than maybe it has ever been. It is one of the only brown
liquors to evolve into the shooter market. The Rock Lobster, Red
Snapper and Washington Apple all are very popular shooters that have
introduced Crown Royal to new generations of drinkers. More people
today undoubtedly remember their last celebration with Crown Royal far
better than the Queen’s first visit back in 1939.
The next two liqueurs offer outstanding sales opportunities. The first
is a line of liqueurs out of Florida and still somewhat of a best-kept
secret for those craving the next best thing. Shakka is a company with
a rapidly expanding line of unique liqueurs. Shakka has Grape, Kiwi and
Red Apple liqueurs. The bottle design looks similar to a bottle for
housing a genie, and although not quite as exciting as releasing a
genie, the contents are magical still. These liqueurs do not have the
sour elements or puckering ability of their competitors. However the
sweeter elements do allow them broad applications. The Red Apple is the
only red apple liqueur on the market, and don’t forget red apples are —
for lack of a better term — delicious. Look for the Shakka line to be
making its debut very soon at some neighborhood bars in your area, and
consider capitalizing on the selling point of uniqueness.
Utilize Uniqueness
Growing up, no one ever thought a yuppie version of Mel’s Diner would
become a part of the daily routine for 30 million Americans per week,
much less have a product entering bars and nightclubs. The company in
question is, of course, Starbucks and the product is its new, recently
launched liqueur. This espresso liqueur is the closest you can get to
the nectar of a properly extracted espresso without taking a trip to
Seattle. It is a full-flavored liqueur that fills up the mouth with a
rich coffee taste without the bitterness that the non-alcohol version
can produce. Coffee fanatics are seeing new levels of fulfillment with
this Starbucks liqueur in their coffee Martinis. It already is making a
huge impact in bars all over the country, and soon the only place you
won’t be able to try this liqueur is in an actual Starbucks location.
Also consider a hot brand in the fastest-growing market in distilled
spirits: vodka. Belvedere is a brand that came to America in 1996, so
it is neither a new kid nor an old dog. The name is derived from the
Belvedere Palace that formerly housed Polish royalty and presidents.
Belvedere is a Polish vodka made with Dankowski Gold Rye, whereas most
vodkas are made with wheat. This single-grain ingredient combined with
its quadruple distillations creates a simple, delicate, luxury vodka.
The more times vodka is distilled, the less congeners or impurities it
has, and these impurities come off as flavor or alcohol taste and
therefore taste stronger. Upselling to Belvedere can be explained with
these attributes for higher sales and happier guests.
Making Introductions
Many people have a very personal relationship to their brand. No brands
are better than others, because everyone has different tastes. As an
owner, operator or server of alcohol, remember that upselling brands
can alienate well drinkers from your establishment via pushiness or
assumptions of knowing what the best brands are. By introducing new
liquors, or reintroducing old ones, guests can remain comfortable with
their decision of brand and remain longer in your bar to try new ones. NCB |
