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Suggestive selling as a tool to increase the profits of your restaurant

Suggestive selling as a tool to increase the profits of your restaurant

Probably at some point in your gastronomic venture you asked yourself how to increase sales? In this article we will explain what suggestive selling consists of and how to include it in the sales efforts of your team of waiters.

 

What is the suggestive sale in your restaurant?

Also known as upselling, it is a sales technique that seeks to retain customers or enrich their experience satisfying your needs, and best of all, increasing the sales of your restaurant at the same time.

 

It is easy to describe but there is a fine line between offering a product of interest to coercing the purchase of a product that is not wanted, it all depends on the strategy behind the suggestion and the waiter's body language.

 

Commonly in a restaurant they train waiters to offer good service, maintain hygiene and be organized, but do you train them in sales? sales are paramount in your waiter's skill set.

What is not a suggestive sale in your restaurant?

Surely you wonder what is the correct way to offer your dishes, there are some factors that you should consider to devise your sales plan through suggestive selling, we will explain them later.

 

75% of customers who visit your restaurant do not have a clear idea of ​​what to order.

Increase the profitability of the restaurant

A suggestive sale is not selling more, it is offering dishes that meet the customer's needs and, if possible, exceed them with very low cost margins to increase restaurant profitability with each suggestive sale made.

 

Exm. Saucer A costs 350 pesos and Saucer B 250, of which A has a production cost of 250 pesos and B of 100.

During the day of 200 suggestions, 20 were made from dish A leaving 2,000 pesos in profit, and 20 from dish B leaving 3,000 pesos in profit, the most profitable dish offers the best opportunity to increase the profits of your restaurant.

Build loyalty with new customers

Suggesting the most expensive dish is not a suggestive sale, opening a restaurant represents a challenge to retain customers, the primary objective of your strategy is invite the diner to return with more friends.

 

In this case, your sales strategy must be based on strengthening the customer's experience, offering dishes that you have classified as star products, so that customers get a good impression of your restaurant, recommend it and return.

Increase customer churn

Another important issue when planning your sales strategy is to estimate the influx of customers in your restaurant, a correct suggestive sales action will offer related products that can be ordered to take away and thus reduce the load in the dining room.

 

In busy hours it is essential to have a table always available for new customers to occupy the place. 

A coffee, a croissant or an aperitif with good packaging is your best tool to promote your establishment.

Sales techniques for waiters

The sales work of a waiter begins from the first contact with the customer, the presentation and his body language is essential to provide the customer with assurance that what is going to order is the right thing to do.

 

We previously talked about some strategies for suggesting dishesThese must be fully understood by the waiters, with Soft Restaurant® you have all the tools to know which products are more profitable and monitor the sales of your waiters at all times.

Sales Technique for Waiters 80-20

This technique involves active listening accompanied by strategic questions to evoke the conversation, a client better expresses his wishes by perceiving a real interest and not just generating a sale.

 

For this, there must be 80% active listening and 20% speaking.

 

A traditional server sales script might look like this:

 

Hello, good morning, my name is ____ and I will be your server this afternoon, I will share the menu with you and I will return shortly to take your order.

Today we have the house dish ____ accompanied by ______, we still have promotion on drinks ______, what do you want to order?

 

An 80 20 sales script invites the diner to express themselves, through open questions, with this the client will offer information that indicates the right way to make the sale.

 

Ask the customer his name, if it is his first visit, what type of meat he likes, if he is a lover of a special dish, if he is allergic to any product or if he prefers organic products, these are data that can be useful in a sale suggestive.

 

Whet your appetite with your senses

An important topic for the suggested sale is to whet the appetite with the senses, we can offer our best speech with details and anecdotes, but the smell, the sight and the touch, play an important role in closing the sale.

 

Some restaurants always have some products ready that they use in their suggested sales efforts, always fresh and ready by the time the customer decides to take the suggestion.

 

Analyze what products you can offer as a suggested dish and create a strategy to communicate to all sections of your restaurant, remember that objectives are important to measure and reward your collaborators.

 

Listening to the customer, asking for their opinion and suggesting something that makes sense to them, strengthens quality and raises the average ticket sale.

 

Turn your servers into salespeople participate in our free webinar and train your staff to increase the sales of your restaurant.

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