I do not know about you, but do you find that your customers, clients, and friends alike tend to shorten their time with you, hold back a bit, and are just not themselves around you without a drink in your hand?
I know, for me, I don’t have any of the friends I had before I stopped drinking, and the ones I do, honestly, it is just different. I am different, I carry myself differently, I act differently, I did not think I would, I honestly thought I would still be the FUN girl everyone liked hanging out with, but I was wrong, and I am NOT mad about it!
My biggest goal in life is normalizing zero proof!
Here are my tips for creating an environment where your customer will never feel indifferent around you; lending them to be open and have an open dialog. I do this as I find that when I do not drink, they will not drink or only have one and call it a night as soon as we have finished eating; before, when I drank with them, we would talk for hours and go out after dinner. Wanting and longing to create that connection with my clients again, here are just a few things I like to do:
Find a great spot that has proper zero-proof cocktails or wine – Look at the menus online beforehand to choose your place.
If the location, you are meeting at does not provide these items – I tend to go early and give the bartender a bottle of NA Wine for me to drink during the meeting or dinner.
If you are at a location without anything zero-proof
I always order soda water, a splash of cranberry with a lime – this looks like a cocktail, and, best of all, no one will ask you why you are not drinking.
Have them put this in a lowball glass – like they would a Vodka and Soda
I also try to meet for Coffee or Lunch now instead of HH or dinner.
When I am out with my team, I want to feel part of the HH crowd and feel "included":
I bring my own small cans of wine in my bag (I always have way too big of a bag) and give them to the bartender or honestly, I ask for a glass and pour it myself.
You may think that this might be a bit rude, but if you are not going to carry anything except for 1 NA Beer (I have a Gluten allergy so, I cannot drink that) and you are not going to carry even ONE of the AMAZING Zero-proof Spirits out there, then I am going to bring my own.
I give HUGE PROPS to the Hotels, Restaurants, and Bars that have joined the Zero-Proof Movement. It is not going away; it is ONLY GETTING STARTED!
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