If you’re a brewpub, multi-tap, bar or restaurant, here are 5 ways to sell more beer to women.

1. Sincere Greet. Every time you see a female patron be sure to greet her genuinely and with appropriate enthusiasm. Nothing fake or forced. Simply genuine we’re-glad-you’re-here professional manners. Knowing right from the start that she is wanted and welcome is the key.

2. Respect. Make sure you treat her with respect every time. Ask if she’s been to your place before and if she has – thank her and refresh her knowledge as it fits. If she’s visiting for the first time, make sure you give a brief and concise overview of who you are and what you offer. This is a great thing to cover at a pre-shift/staff meeting to help staff become comfortable and competent with this information.

Talk to the women at your establishment about beer

3. Timeliness. Ensure your service is well run and people get their beers and perhaps other ordered items in a very timely manner. Short staffed? NEVER tell people you are understaffed. You are telling them bluntly that you can’t handle what you’ve started and that’s bad. You best have Plan B in place to ensure proper levels of service. You’ve put lots of care and passion into your beer: this is not the place to scrimp and fall short.

4. Keep It Clean. Your establishment should be clean from stem to stern. She should be able to look in corners and see no dirt or grim, spilled foods or dripped pools of liquids of any sort. Cleanliness is the gateway to success and it’s one of the first and most obvious things noticeable by everyone who comes through your door. Your pride should be evident in the clean environment you provide.

5. Ask her what she wants. Make the assumption she knows what she’s ordering, what she likes, and let her lead. Train the people who work in your establishment, including yourself, to find appropriate ways to help her with the decision process – at whatever stage her beer knowledge is.

What does “beer clean” mean? Here’s a helpful post.

Beer clean glassware is also indicative of the commitment of the brewery, brewpub, operator – whoever is in charge of the beer inclusively – to high quality beer.

Larry Chase, brew master at Standing Stone Brewing Company is Ashland Oregon, told me this.

“Because beer is alive and produced by a living organism (yeast), in order to make better beer, the entire brew house should be clean. Everything the beer is going not touch needs to be clean.”

He tells me it tastes better and it’s more consistent when everything is clean. Not just surficially clean, really elbow grease scrubbed clean.

The dedication to a clean brew house and all its equipment is evident in fresh, clean beer – yes, you can taste the difference.

Any while contamination may not make you sick, it’s kind of a disheartening thought. To think that after all that effort, someone may be slipshod on cleanliness.

Quality assurance quality control makes sense to the senses.  Make sure your brewery is clean. All the way to the glassware.

You know the adage “Cleanliness is next to godliness…”

All idolatry aside,  cleanliness is important.

And you know what? Most women feel the same way.

When you have a clean establishment, they want to be there because they know you care. If the floor or corners are dirty, missed by the broom and mop - it’s noticed. When the bathrooms are unkempt and dirty (not just messy) - yesh! MAJOR negative. When the glassware and dishes are not paid attention to – that’s a no-no.

Said another way - if you don’t care then they certainly aren’t going to – enough to not patronize your business. This translates outward too. If they’ve been to your place (brewery/pub/taproom) and it’s dirty, they’re way less likely to purchase your products, beers, & goods from other sources as well.

So here’s a goodie for you: Keep Your Act Clean.

Cleanliness will have positive payoffs when marketing to women consumers – craft beer, lumber, clothing, whatever.

No one – women & men – likes to shop in a dirty messy place – and remember dirty is different than messy or sloppy. Dirty is much worse. Dirty says you don’t care, that you are unsanitary, careless and therefore your standards are low. (Stay tidy though, too.)

Tsk tsk. Such an easy thing to pay attention to and do well.

Photo courtesy of Flickr by sarahkiff