20 UPSELLING TACTICS THAT WORK

No matter how great business is at your bar or restaurant, chances are you’d like to make more money.  One of the easiest ways to do this is upselling, or convincing customers to upgrade their current purchase or buy more items.  How can you use upselling tactics in your bar or restaurant?  Read on for 20 upselling tactics that work.

1. Train your servers – Make sure all your servers know how important upselling is and how to do it.  Routinely go over new information with them and make sure they know how upselling can help your restaurant.
2. Determine which items to upsell – Be sure your servers know which items they should focus on.  For example, you might have a new dessert menu that you want to push, or you might want to focus on selling pricier drinks.
3. Determine what times to upsell – Certain items should be mentioned at certain times.  For example, your servers want to mention your appetizers before customers order their entrees.
4. Try to help – Remember, you shouldn’t be forcing customers to order things they don’t want…you should be helping them make their dining experience even better.
5. Be knowledgeable – If you want to be able to upsell, you have to know the menu.  Every server should know exactly what’s on your menu and be able to suggest what drinks, sides, etc. go with each entrée.
6. Make it sound irresistible – Part of upselling is convincing.  Make whatever you’re upselling sound attractive and your customers will be far more likely to order it!
7. Don’t forget takeout – Takeout options can be a great way to upsell.  Maybe your customers are too full to eat dessert right now, but they can order it and bring it home for later.
8. Play off what customer wants – Not every tactic will work on every customer.  Treat each customer like an individual and focus on his/her specific needs and wants.
9. Don’t make it sound like a sales pitch – Customers came to your restaurant to have a nice time with their friends and family, not to get a sales pitch!  Try to sound natural and conversational.
10. Be specific – ‘How about dessert?’ probably won’t help.  However, saying “A slice of our delicious cheesecake would be a great end to your meal.” Is a lot more enticing.
11. Focus on hesitant customers – If customers don’t seem sure about what they’re going to order, you’re more likely to be able to upsell.  Are they taking a long time to look at the menu or asking a lot of questions?  These are good customers to focus on.
12. Ask about larger size – Let’s say your customers have the choice between ordering an 8 ounce or a 12 ounce steak.  When they’re ordering, you might try asking “And did you want the 12  ounce?” Of course, any customer who is set on ordering the 8 ounce is welcome to say so, but many times customers will agree with what you asked.
13. Know parings – If you want to be able to suggest a certain beer or wine, you’ll need to know which beers or wines go with which entrees.  Make sure all your servers are well-versed in pairings.
14. Try downselling – This doesn’t sound like a profitable idea, but it can be!  Let’s say your customer doesn’t want to order a more expensive cocktail.  You might try offering a less expensive cocktail in it’s place, and even explaining why the less expensive cocktail might be better.  This way, although you couldn’t sell the more expensive drink you initially wanted to sell, you’re still adding a few dollars to the bill.
15. Focus on more profitable items – Your servers should know which items in your restaurant have a higher profit margin.  For example, if a customer asks for a certain dessert, and you know you have another dessert with the same price but a higher profit margin, you might try suggesting it.
16. Keep it subtle – You don’t want your customer to know you’re upselling, so be subtle.  Don’t try to upsell for every course.
17. Focus on your service – You can increase your likelihood of upselling if you provide great service.  If you get orders wrong and barely meet your customers’ needs, are they going to want to order even more?  Probably not.
18. Don’t be too pushy – No customer likes to feel pressured, and if you’re too pushy, you might offend the customer and lose his or her business.
19. Keep it simple – If a customer asks for recommendations, it’s more helpful to suggest a few things than to suggest a ton.  For example, if a customer asks what beers would be good with their meal, they might be overwhelmed if you suggest every beer on your menu.  Focus on a few.
20. Be patient – Sometimes customers might have a lot of questions before they decide to check out dessert or get a more expensive entrée.  Be patient and answer every question they might have!  Your great service will pay off.

By keeping these tips in mind, you can use upselling to increase sales and profits at your bar or restaurant

(Article provided by Buzztime)