The 5 Vital Post-Booking Email Templates Your Mobile Bar Needs

You don’t have to stick around here long to hear me talk about workflows, automation, templates, and other ways to systematize and streamline your mobile bar business for scaling. It’s one of the primary things my coaching clients and I work on when they have plateaued below the six-figure mark. Perhaps one of the easiest things to template and, in some cases, automate, are the emails you send to your booked clients!

Even if each event is slightly different, they should each follow a very similar process post-booking. They pay, then what? Not only should you have that ironed out for your own sanity, but for theirs as well.

The number one indicator of success in business is how well, and how often, you set expectations with your client.

Me. I’m saying this;)

There are five email templates that I think all mobile bar owners should have, and use, for after their client has reserved their event with you.

1 – An AUTOMATED Thank You For Your Payment/Booking

When you put money down on something, you expect awknowledgement from the seller, whether it’s an online purchase or otherwise. This should be an automated email because your client may book when you’re sleeping, or working another event, or (gasp) taking a day off!

This doesn’t have to be a fancy email (though you can make it as gushing as you’d like to) but it should be something that thanks them for entrusting you with their event, and then sets the expectation for when they can expect to hear from you with next steps.

2- You’re Booked! Here’s What Comes Next…

For me, this email is more personalized, so I don’t automate these, but if you streamlined your processes enough, you could. In this email I break down what the remaining process looks like for the client.

I have two versions of this email. The first one is if they’ve booked 90 days out. The second version is if they’ve booked with fewer than 90 days until their event. The sequence of events doesn’t change, but the timeline does.

My process includes a questionnaire, a tasting or event consultation, alcohol order assembly, touching base a few days before the event, the actual event, and then post-event follow-up and alcohol returns. I lay this all out in bulleted form with expected time frames so my client knows exactly what to expect and when.

3- Questionnaire Email

I send out a pre-event questionnaire about 90 days before the event. Why? Because they may have booked me 18 months before their event and some things may have changed since their original booking. Maybe they wanted the caterer to handle non-alcoholic beverages but have since decided that they’d prefer the bar service to do it. Maybe they added another hour of beverage service based on the changes to their itinerary, etc.

Members can access a copy of my pre-event questionnaire on the membership site here.

In this email, I re-engage with them (as it may have been many months since we last communicated), then I lay out the remaining steps in our process together, along with links and information as to what their action items are. For example, they need to fill out the questionnaire and schedule the pre-event consultation or tasting.

4- Final Alignement Email

This is a MAGICAL email. It’s literally your last opportunity to set expectations and clarify what you are handling, what they are handling, what time you’ll be there, what time beverage service with start/stop, etc. I also always cc the wedding/event planner on this email because it’s just as important at this point for them to have and know this information as it is the host. I can’t tell you how many times, despite all the conversations with the host, the planner will pipe up here and be like “Oh, we actually have 2 bars instead of 1” or “We’re expecting the bar to open for service at 5 pm, not 5:30 pm,” etc. It’s a game-changer, and it makes you look like a pro.

5- Staff Details Email

Having a template for staff emails not only allows you to build a rhythm of what information to provide for staff for every event, but it also allows them to get familiar with where to get the necessary information, and where to find it. My staff knows that they don’t need to text me for parking or uniform information because it’s all in the email. Address? In the email. Do they need to pick up equipment before the event? In the email. Staff know the expectations, and how to succeed within them. Win/win!