We are happy to share great news about the initiation of cooperation with the network of conceptual author's restaurants !FEST. Recently, an intensive two-day training took place for the employees of the legendary establishment "Lviv Coffee Mining Manufacture". The training, with Mykhailo Sheveliuk as the speaker, was dedicated to guided sales and improving the quality of service.
From Consultant to Coffee Guide
The main goal of the training was to change the approach to work in the sales area: to move from passive dispensing of goods to conscious management of the result and increasing the average check. The philosophy of this approach is based on the understanding that guests are not just sold souvenirs on a shelf. In fact, guests buy a material memory of the Lviv emotion, status, and the resolution of their emotional needs.
Employees learned to distinguish utilitarian requests from the hedonic desires of clients. This understanding is the key to becoming not just a seller for the guest, but a true coffee guide.
Key Tools for Guided Sales
During the training, the team actively practiced new communication techniques. Among the most powerful tools introduced were:
The Comment Method and the Puppy Effect: Participants analyzed that the standard phrase "How can I help you?" often causes a defensive reaction in buyers. Instead, a "sensory bridge" was introduced — a safe start to a dialogue by voicing an interesting fact about the product without any pressure. In addition, employees learned to put the product directly into the client's hands. This technique, known as the "puppy effect," triggers the psychological effect of ownership and can increase conversion by 75%.
The FAB Model (Feature, Advantage, Benefit): The team was taught to translate dry facts about the product into the language of emotions. According to this model, the guest is not just sold 100% Arabica, but the true "aroma of a coffee shop at home".
The "Christmas Tree" Rule: Employees permanently abandoned the question "Anything else?", because the guest's lazy brain automatically responds to it with a refusal. Instead, ecological cross-selling is used. The check is built logically: logical additions (Branches) are affirmatively offered to the main product (Trunk), and the purchase is finalized with the perfect emotion of service at the checkout (Star).
Working with Price and Objections: To confidently present premium products, the "Sandwich" Method was practiced. This technique involves stating the price between two benefits (Value + Price + Benefit). Also, to remove objections regarding the high cost, mathematical price fragmentation was applied. Thanks to this, the total amount of 450 UAH for a pack of coffee is psychologically comfortably transformed into 35 UAH for one cup.
Special attention during the training was paid to the payment stage at the checkout. This is the most emotionally open and vulnerable moment for the guest. The trainer demonstrated how the principle of mutual exchange works: when a gift (for example, bonus drip coffee with the purchase of beans) is sincerely announced to the client, their critical thinking drops, and the cross-selling conversion soars.
The approach to the LOKAL loyalty program was also changed. From now on, asking for a card does not sound like an interrogation, but as a manifestation of care for the guest's wallet and an opportunity to make their next coffee almost free.
We sincerely thank the "Lviv Coffee Mining Manufacture" team for their activity, readiness for change, and desire to create the best service in the city!
