Make A Personal Connection

Someone asked me last week "What is the key to building business in a nightclub?" Now my answer is not the typical answer that he or most people are looking for. It does not involve budgets or promotions or costs or advertising. It doesn't involve staffing. It doesn't involve planning or organizing. It doesn't involve maintenance or repair or music or atmosphere. It is just one simple statement that you should live by....

Make a Personal Connection.

Sounds funny and sounds easy... I will say that it can be funny and I will also say that it is definitely EASY. Try it for yourself and see.

Make a point to talk to every single guest that comes into your venue.

Ask questions... Where are you from? What brings you to XYZ Bar? What is the occassion? How do you like the music? How was your experience?

Introduce yourself...Learn names...Make eye contact...Engage Conversation...Invite people to come back...Buy patrons a drink or a shot...Do a shot with the entire party..Don't be afraid to make people feel special.

Once this becomes habit for you, cultivate it amongst your entire staff. Get every person in the building to do the same thing. Have everyone "Make as many personal connections" as they can throughout the night with old and new customers. Have a postshift to discuss customers they met and things they learned about those guests.

Now you and your staff will have a better undertsanding of who your guests are...Not only that, but you are creating regular customers everytime you open the doors by remembering people's names and why they are out. When people are deciding where to go for this or that special occassion, your name will be at the top of the list.

Best of all....IT IS FREE!

I believe that the theme song from Cheers was correct when it stated..."Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name..."