Building a Natural Happy Hour

I get asked this question all the time... "How do I get people to come in early in the evening?" There are lots of sales techniques and segments used to address this questions, but for this blog I will focus on one.... "Natural" Happy Hour.

Natural Happy Hour
Natural Happy Hour, also known as the “After Work” Happy Hour, is that time in the early evening when businessmen and women go out to have a few drinks after work. This is usually a segment of the day prior to “PRIMETIME” but after lunch rush. (i.e. between 3pm and 8pm).

Drink specials should be offered during this time and if applicable food specials as well. Typical Happy Hour would look something like this….

• 3pm-7pm, Monday-Friday
• 2-4-1 Drafts, $3 Well Drinks, ½ Price Appetizers

Promotion for this segment has to be aggressive and done weekly without fail…

Focus in on the closest major businesses in the area (i.e. Businesses that have more than 20 employees that are within 5 blocks of your business).

• Every week drop off invitations (see “When Does a Flyer Become an Invitation”) every week with the receptionist or the person closest to the front door. Drop them off every week with the same person, this will build a relationship and loyalty. Give him or her something extra… a $10 Gift Certificate or a Free Dinner Coupon. They will become your best friend and in return bring people to your establishment. Do the exact thing with concierges for all surrounding hotels. Make sure the concierge knows you by name every single time you walk through the door.
• Gather information through business cards and/or word of mouth. Do not be afraid to ask for an email address or phone number…. Also, ask key questions like “Who plans your office parties?” or “Who goes out a lot?” or “Who is the most fun person in the office?”
• Use the information to build a database for just these businesses. Use this database once a month to send out an email with Specials and Discounts for ONLY THESE BUSINESSES. When I say only these businesses, I mean those businesses that you are planning to use to build your “Natural Happy Hour”. Make these people feel SPECIAL. MAKE A PERSONAL CONNECTION.

Natural Happy Hour is usually most successful later in the week. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have this segment early in the week, it just means that your success Wednesday thru Friday will historically be better than it will be on Monday and Tuesday(different cities/areas/neighborhoods will have different results).

For this reason, weekly promotions of this segment should take place early in the week when business people are planning the week. For example, every Tuesday at 2pm visit each business. Never take a week off. HIT UP THESE BUSINESSES EVERY SINGLE WEEK with something in your hand. No excuse for laziness.

You should add no fewer than 3 new businesses a week to your database(I would suggest 5-10). This means you must take control and visit 3 new businesses every week, while continuing to hit all of the ones you hit the previous week.

RELATIONSHIPS=$$$$