Soft drinks are an American staple. With carbonated soda comes familiarity and preferences. Most consumers already have a loyalty to certain soft drink brands before even walking out of their door to go out to dinner or to the grocery store.

Making the most of soft drinks entails showing the consumer that the soft drink business consists of more then their typical cola. Providing your customers with different choices than they are used to can expand your business and their buying habits. Consider the following when choosing your soda inventory:

1. The soft drink industry produces an endless number of flavored carbonated beverages.

2. The packaging of carbonated soft drinks can be as much of a factor as what is inside.

3. Allowing customers to sample soft drinks may increase the likelihood that they will make a purchase.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Think outside of the box and provide uniquely flavored soft drinks

Typically, people think of carbonated soda as either lemon-lime or original cola flavor. These flavors, though, are just the tip of the iceberg of what soft drink companies manufacture. Offering your customers unusual soda flavors may be just what you need to set you apart from the restaurant or grocery store down the street.

I recommend: Grapette International offers every soda flavor, from apple to coconut. Briar's Premium Soft Drinks produces sarsaparilla and lemon cream. Find reviews on diet sodas -- unique and otherwise -- at Diet Soda Reviews to get an idea of what the public likes and dislikes.

Offer soda in interesting cans and bottles

Sometimes just a change in packaging can be enough to catch your customer's eye. Choosing to offer soda products that are in unique cans or bottles or that have a particularly eye-catching label may be enough to entice them to try something new.

I recommend: Sprecher Brewery has a soda line that is all made to look like beer bottles. Soda Pop Stop even has a Black Lemonade flavored soda that has a skull on the front of the bottle. ShelfImpact! discusses how even the material that the packaging is made of can make a difference in a consumer's preference.

Allow customers to sample soft drinks to entice them to purchase something new

Offering samples or a free new soft drink with the purchase of another may help urge your customers to try something new without the risk. Customers may be wary about trying a soda that they have never had before in case they don't like it or it wasn't what they were expecting. A sampling program will allow them to try a carbonated beverage before buying it and hopefully bring them back to purchase the product again.

I recommend: MarketingProfs explains some of the benefits of a sampling program. Marketing College discusses Costco's sampling opportunities and gives insight into how this may contribute to consumers' purchases.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider ordering or selling unusual soft drinks in smaller quantities for your customers. This, too, may encourage your customers to take a small risk to buy something new. Then, hopefully, the next time they will buy the regular size of that soda.

Whether you are starting a new business or looking to increase profits and sales, an examination of the soft drinks you sell is a good starting point. It is not difficult to sell cold drinks as the temperatures heat up in the summer, but choosing the right soft drink brands and varieties helps to maximize your sales.

Knowing your customers and their buying habits is important to successful selection of product for your soft drink business. It is also important to stay current on the soft drink industry, so you can monitor sale trends and know what soft drink brands are selling best nationwide. When choosing carbonated beverages and other drinks for sale in your business, consider the following:

1. Your customer profile and the types of products they purchase.

2. Statistical sales dates from the various soft drink manufacturers.

3. Product availability from soft drink distributors.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Check with soft drink distributors to find out what is available

Your local distributors of soft drinks are a good place to find out about new products on the market, as well as local sales statistics of existing products. Your distributor is typically an accurate source of information because his future sales to you depend on the success of your sales.

I recommend: Sysco Central Warehouse has distributors nationwide and they offer a wide variety of beverages at wholesale prices. Contact The Coca Cola Company and Pepsi about selling their products. Consider the suppliers and distributors listed at BevNET.com.

Sell natural soft drinks, soda and carbonated beverages

Adding a line of healthier alternatives to the traditional cola will be a hit with many customers.

I recommend: Tommy's Naked Soda contains no caffeine, no artificial colors or flavors, and no preservatives. Become a distributor of the 100% natural soft drinks by Vivi Beverages.

Carry a variety of flavored carbonated soda

A variety of flavors gives your customers more options.

I recommend: Review the selection of soft drink brands at National Beverage Corp and Double-Cola Co.-USA for more selection than the average soda flavors.

Add energy drinks to your soda selection

People turn to the boost of energy drinks when they need more kick from their carbonated beverages.

I recommend: The Monarch Beverage Company carries many energy drinks for you to sell. Consider top selling brands like Red Bull and XS Energy Drink to please your customers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Pay attention to product expiration dates, when purchasing beverages for re-sale. Diet soft drinks and some juices have short shelf lives.

Become an expert on what you're serving with soft drinks education and training. Being able to provide nutritional and processing information to your customers can develop trust among loyal clientele. Many business owners don't know much about carbonated beverages other than how to purchase them from soft drink distributors, so your increased awareness can set you apart from the rest. In addition, the knowledge you gain from earning extra soft drinks education and training can assist you in making the most beneficial negotiations for your establishment.

You can use your soda education to not only provide additional information to your customers, but also to help you make purchasing decisions for your establishment. Network with soft drink manufacturers and others in the soft drink industry to expand your cola knowledge.

Many educational resources are available to those in the soft drink business:

1. Soft drink manufacturers are good sources of information about their soft drink brands.

2. Numerous online magazines and articles are available for you to increase your soft drinks education and training.

3. Trade shows and conferences are a good way to find an abundance of information about soft drinks in one place.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Ask to tag along at a soft drink manufacturer's facility for a day

If you are a hands-on learner, you may want to spend a day, or more, in a soft drink production facility. Seeing first-hand what goes into the products that you purchase and exactly how they are processed may help you to become an authority on soft drinks. Also, seek out a variety of different manufacturing plants as this will diversify your knowledge and make you an overall expert on soft drinks information.

I recommend: How Products Are Made describes the manufacturing process of soft drinks and what you will see in a manufacturing plant. Millipore breaks down the specific devices used in soft drink production.

Explore magazines and articles about the soft drink industry

In order to stay abreast of the latest information about the soft drinks you are serving in your establishment, read magazines and other published information about soft drink companies and their products. This way of expanding your soft drink education and training is less time consuming and can be done at your own pace. Also, be sure to subscribe to any publications of interest to keep your knowledge steadily growing at the same pace as the industry.

I recommend: Prepared Foods provides access to numerous articles, webinars, and podcasts on soft drinks. FoodProcessing.com is another extensive resource for soft drink information.

Attend beverage trade shows to get more soft drink education and training

Trade shows are a great, interactive way to learn more about soft drinks. These events are also a way to connect with other members of the food and beverage industry. Vendors and business owners alike attend these shows. You will benefit from the networking and educational opportunities at these events as well as be able to sample new products.

I recommend: Americas Food and Beverage Show has many exhibitors and seminars to further your soft drink knowledge. InterBev is a bi-annual, all-beverage trade show.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Set aside a specified time each week - or month - to further your soft drink education and training. The soft drink industry is constantly developing and expanding, so it is important to stay informed about the innovations.