Up Selling Skill

“Suggestive Selling” means encouraging guests to buy additional food & beverage.
An example of suggestive selling is suggesting an appetizer (snacks items) to go with beverage (wine, whiskey etc) orders. “Up selling” means suggesting more expensive and possibly better quality items. Instead of simply bringing a guest your house brand of scotch, you can up sell by asking, “Would you prefer Dewars or White Label?” when a guest orders the drink.

Suggestive selling and Up selling requires tact and good judgment. If guests know exactly what they want, don’t try to change their minds. However, you shouldn’t hesitate to suggest additional items that will improve guests’ meals. And learn to pick up on when guests want suggestions.

Suggestive selling might make you nervous. If so, it’s probably because selling reminds you of a pushy salesperson you’ve known. Using suggestive selling and up selling techniques, however, is not being pushy. These techniques are part of providing good service.

The key to effective selling is a good knowledge of the menu. You should know all of the products your restaurants sells. When you are completely familiar with the menu and how each items is prepared, you can suggest dishes confidently and professionally.

Effective Suggestive Selling & Up Selling Tips for Hotel & Restaurant

• Develop a “selling attitude”

• Be enthusiastic. It’s easier to sell something you’re excited about.

• Make food sound appetizing. Use word like “ fresh,” “popular,” and “generous” when describing menu items.

• Ask questions. Find out if guests are really hungry or just want something light; whether they like chicken or beef; or if they feel like having something hot or cold.

• Suggest specific menu items. Don’t simply ask: “ Would you like soup with your meal?” instead point out: “ A cold bowl of borscht would go nicely with your salad on a hot day like this.”

• Suggest your favorites. Try as many menu items as you can, and tell guests you’ve tried them: “you’ll like the chicken Kiev. It’s one of my favorites here.” But be honest- don’t say that something your favorite when it is not.

• Offer choice: “ Would you like a slice of our famous cheesecake or our homemade pecan pie for dessert?”

• Suggest the unusual. People dine out to get away from the routine fare they have at home. And most people don’t know what they want to order when they arrive.

• Suggest foods and beverages that naturally go together- soups and sandwiches, bacon and eggs, steak and baked potatoes, coffee and dessert.

• Compliment guest’s choice. Make guests feel good their choice even if they don’t order what you suggest.

• And remember to always ask for the sale. After you suggest and describe an item, ask if the guest would like it. A good way to do this is to describe several items and ask which the guest would prefer: “A glass of cabernet sauvignon (white wine) or light merlot (red wine) would go very well with your six-cheese lasagna. Which would you prefer?”