Top tips on upselling wine and spirits

Upselling is the process whereby you guide a guest towards a "better" product than the one they have chosen or you sell them more than they originally asked for but not more than they need. This is what people mean by "sales-oriented bartenders" and are generally a boon to both owners and guests alike - the owner gets more money or more profit and the guest gets a better experience. But is it always like that?

Bartenders need to separate themselves from the typical customer wariness of "salesmen" being greedy people intent on merely parting you with your money come hell or high water. This is not the point of upselling.

You as bartenders are professional drinks salesmen and as such you need to know the features and benefits of every product behind the bar - yes, you may have favourites but a good bartender only ever displays knowledge and never opinions (especially with politics and religion). All we want as bartenders is to have our patrons drinking the best that they can and that means brands.

Your customers are "brand-aware" in that they recognise in many things that the brand one uses makes a statement about the user. Thus Asda jeans shows that your mum does your shopping and Evisu jeans means you have more money than sense. Yet they saunter up to your bar in DKNY, Patrick Cox and Prada and then just ask for a gin and tonic. They wouldn't go into Harvey Nicholls and ask for "blue jeans, 34 waist" because they are educated about jeans brands.

As a bartender you must make people aware of the features of different gins, etc. The ABV may sell it, the taste may sell it or the fact that it's the only one they recognise may sell it, but make sure that they are aware of why they are drinking it and perhaps what they should look for to enjoy it.

The rules of upselling​

There are four main rules to give better service and earn higher sales:

1. think of yourself as a salesperson and not just an order taker.
2. know all your products backwards and forwards so that you can make a recommendation with backup and suggest anything needed to increase satisfaction.
3. guide your guests to the best possible experience.
4. use the right words and techniques to "sell".

This can be broken down into several tips and hints such as :

• always get the name of a brand for any product served - only people who are ashamed of their house products don't tell their customers what they are drinking. If they don't specify then choose one (but not the most expensive) and let them try that.
• if someone asks for a particular brand that you stock, don't immediately try to upsell as this would throw doubt on to the original order. Instead wait till they come back to the bar and suggest that if they like X maybe they should try Y but don't be offended if they refuse - the worst that can happen is they say "no thanks".
• when relating lists of products remember that people are affected by Primacy and Recency in that of any list of items they will remember the first and the last best. Thus if you have favourites then list them first and last.
• be informed to back up any recommendation you offer. Knowledge is the key to successful upselling as you demonstrate the features (ie the things the drink company adds to a product) and the benefits (ie what the customer perceives the product does for them) of all your recommendations, ie "it's quadruple distilled" which means less hangover.
• recognise if the guest is having difficulty deciding and make some suggestions but also recognise a knowledgeable guest.
• with regards to knowledge know the following about every drink: the basic ingredients, how they are prepared, how it is presented, any variations that could add to it, the price of it, the general opinion of it and any benefit to the customer. Thus a Gin Sling becomes "a mix of Gordon's gin, fresh lemon juice, cherry brandy and soda in a tall highball glass with lemon and cherry, although maybe you might like to try it Raffled from Raffles hotel which is famous for it. It's £5 (for example) and is really popular at the minute as it's cooling and the juniper and cherry work well together".
• all salespeople use props- the process oriented drink will always catch people's attention so on a slow night make a few cocktails and make sure people see you making them. Also use words that create a "mental picture" or give an intriguing image. Try any of the following: fresh, hand-mixed, famous, fresh squeezed, mellow, tangy, muddled, laced, spiked etc. Words like "recommendation" go better than "promotion" or "special" and make it sound more personal.
• use body language to sell: try nodding your head when making recommendations - it makes people agree with you; avoid any gestures that imply deception or ignorance (folded arms, touching head/face, not making eye contact etc).

Angus Winchester is an authority on cocktails having worked with some of the biggest names in the drinks industry. He currently runs his own team of event bartenders as well as being a consultant with several drinks companies.​