TUECOM: Turnkey Ecommerce Websites for Certified Tobacconists

 

TUECOM websites are standalone open-source based ecommerce websites that are strategically created to serve retail tobacconists.  They are designed to be solely owned by retailers, unlike websites that are part of larger ecommerce platforms (ie. Square, Big Commerce, Shopify, or others).  The importance of site ownership in the highly regulated and ‘card not present’ tobacco industry cannot be emphasized enough.  Tobacco retailers have been (and will continue to be) deplatformed and debanked with devastating results and zero legal consequences to the service providers, bankers, and shipping industry.  In addition to these existential challenges, premium tobacco mail order in the US is dominated by vertically integrated cigar/tobacco manufacturers who compete directly with brick-and-mortar retailers. 

Tobacconist University (TU) believes that retail tobacconists are the keystone of the luxury tobacco industry.  To that end, we must develop products and services to empower retailers, helping ensure the preservation and prosperity of our industry for generations to come.  We know that building a healthy mail-order business is essential to brick-and-mortar survival, yet you cannot do it alone.  The TUECOM project brings together decades worth of industry specific ecommerce and retail tobacconist expertise to create a cost-effective solution designed specifically for tobacconists.  TUECOM customers also benefit from avoiding the mistakes and wasted time and money that have brought us to this point.  

THE PROCESS
Your TUECOM website can be launched in as little as four to six weeks and will require minimal initial effort on your part.  Our websites are ‘plug and play’ with all of the bells and whistles necessary to compete in the modern online world: that’s the good news.  Getting started is not that different from registering for a certification.  After half of the payment is made, we need your domain info, logo, address/phone, social links, etc… Then we have a quick onboarding meeting to explain the process and set up expectations.  Approximately four weeks later the second half of payment is made and we have a launch preparation meeting when the design is done: getting you ready to start your online business.

With decades of experience at our backs, we know these are the services you will need to compete in the online world.  Accounts will be opened in your name, under your control, and be charged to you after the first year.  In addition, an @gmail.com email account will be created for you to help you manage it all; and we will be here to advise as you need us.

THE PACKAGE
The package of services we have created is a great beginning to a long-term business endeavor.  Sites like these can easily cost between $15,000 to $50,000 and require hundreds of hours of your time even before they launch!  In order to deliver this to you, we have streamlined the development process to get you up and running as quickly as possible.  After your site is launched, we recommend you spend a few months getting acquainted with the technology (we are here to help), uploading inventory, having your customers test the site and envisioning and implementing your business practices.  After that, there are countless upgrades and enhancements that you can deploy.

IN CLOSING
The online luxury tobacco business is nothing like brick-and-mortar retail.  Your hospitality, store quality/location and face to face customer service are not the primary ingredients to success online.  There are many more challenges and skill sets involved with premium tobacco ecommerce that you will have to learn and work at to be successful.  First, you will have to spend time uploading your products and maintaining your online inventory.  After mastering the learning curve of your website, you will be able to start competing in a marketplace that is driven by pricing, discounts and customer rewards.  To be successful online you must communicate consistently and provide extraordinary value to your customers on a regular basis: simply because all of your competitors are doing the same.  It will take a lot of time and effort to keep the business thriving and pay the estimated $4,000 annual fixed costs we have outlined for you.  And sadly, you will be competing with many of the manufacturers whose brands you are helping to build at the retail level! 

If your clientele consists mainly of people who live within driving distance of your shop, it may not be worth investing in an online business.  On the other hand, certain retailers will have a special competitive advantage in the online space.  If your store gets travelers, tourists and infrequent customers who are just passing through town (like college towns, near sporting centers, commuter/business hubs, tourist traps, etc..), you may have the necessary advantage to build a profitable mail-order business.  The higher the number of ‘out of towners’ that frequent your store(s), the more likely you are to build relationships with them that can continue online.  If you can build in-person relationships that continue online, you have a competitive advantage!

TU PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
I have spent more than a decade and more money than I can count trying to create the TUECOM program.  Sadly, I don’t know that I will ever get my money back, and surely not my time.  In fact, I wouldn’t do it all over again.  But with a little luck, lots of failures and a ton of hard work, we have persevered.  In the process I have learned that the cost of running an online business is absurdly expensive and the big companies like it that way.  It actually pains me to think that ecommerce is cost prohibitive to most premium tobacco retailers.  I mean, you have to pay $2,000 a year just to the privilege of being able to process credit cards. It’s an absolute racket and robbery!  But we cannot just sit back and let the big boys reap all of the rewards and decimate the local tobacconist. 

TUECOM will empower many tobacconists to take their business to the next level and keep their customers before they are captured by the megalithic online retailers.  These sites will allow many to extend the reach of their stores and businesses, allowing them to thrive well into the future.  It pains me to know that the costs will be too high for many mom-and-pops, but I also know that this is the simplest and most cost-effective way to empower retail tobacconists online.  And the irony of trying to preserve brick-and-mortar retailers by empowering them to compete online is not lost on me.  It’s just a fact of life, like unfair and inconsistent state OTP taxes, smoking bans, vertically integrated manufacturers dominating mail-order, etc…

Lastly, we are only making these sites available to TU Certified Tobacconists, with priority given to CRT before CCST.  We are limited to the number of sites we can put out per month so allocation is on a first come first serve basis.  If you are a TU Certified Tobacconist and are seriously interested, please email jorge@tobacconistuniversity.org or call 609.651.2311

 

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

 

______________________________

Jorge Armenteros, CMT
President/Founder

 

Inspired By Authenticity

Here's a blast from the past... In 2003 we acted as technical advisors to the McCarter Theater and Broadway productions of Anna in the Tropics which was set in an Ybor City cigar factory in the early 20th Century. Depicting the manufacturing and smoking of cigars on stage with authenticity was a great honor.  We can proudly say that nobody lit a cigar backwards or put the lit end in their mouths unintentionally.  The entire cast took their cigar smoking training very seriously and great attention was placed on making the cigar factory processes authentic and accurate. In theater and movies you often see obvious faux pas like bad cutting or smoking cigars backwards or incomplete lighting or awkward cigar holding so getting it right was important and gratifying! 

While Tobacconist University (TU) started in 1996 as a proprietary education and certification program for a 'small-town' retail tobacconist in Princeton, New Jersey, working on the Anna in the Tropics theater production was part of the inspiration to make our curriculum and value available to the entire industry.  The quickly emerging internet was and continues to host tons of bad information and there was no place for professional tobacconists to get proper training.  

While the wine and spirits industries had plenty of professional education opportunities, the cigar industry had a bunch of advertising-biased magazines but no serious or formal training available.  Tobacconists deserved better and participating in the production of Anna in the Tropics was part of the inspiration to make TU a public service and resource.  It would take another five years of development to go live, but in retrospect, getting it right on stage and screen was part of the impetus to make TU what it is today: currently 3,000+ certified tobacconists and apprentices around the world contributing to an industry that is far more substantive today than it was 20 years ago!   

Leveraging Your Certification

TRUE STORY

My father went to a cigar store recently and was greeted by a person who proudly proclaimed they were a "certified tobacconist".  After they helped him select his cigars he told the clerk that his son was the founder of Tobacconist University and he looked forward to telling me about the interaction.  He thought it was a great idea to start the customer interaction by establishing their professional credibility.  The clerk's face immediately became somber and they revealed to him that they were not actually certified, but they were looking forward to becoming a certified tobacconist in the future.  

I, and many others, have seen cigar/pipe retailers claim on their websites and on social media that they are certified tobacconists when they are NOT!  And I've heard countless people claim to be wine and cigar "sommeliers" when they have NO certification.  I can't even begin to imagine the lies and exaggerations people tell their friends and customers!  

Another serious issue I see is people sharing wrong and/or stupid information online.  And I don't have the desire to be the internet police or a troll to correct misinformation whenever I see it, so the lies fester long enough and start to seem real.  That makes me sad and angry.  But I can't battle the whole internet.  All I can do is make sure we are doing the right things through TU, our curriculum and certifications.  

The real battle for truth and integrity in the luxury tobacco business must be fought by certified tobacconists, the special forces of our industry.  You must proactively promote yourselves and project your substance.   

Here are some recommendations ...   

- Let your customers know "I am a Certified Tobacconist" - combat the imposters and liars with proactive honesty! 

- Put the TU Certified Seal sticker on your door, by your POS, on your humidor window, etc...

- Put the TU Certified Seal on your business cards, website, social media, etc... Every impression you make on a customer adds value and adds up to a greater rate of return.  

- Conversationally mentioning your certification distinguishes you from the competition and is another positive impression you give a customer.  Positive impressions build trust and loyalty which increase sales: fact.

- Send out a press release and social media post every time someone gets certified or find an excuse to mention your certification: it certainly makes you look better than the competition!

From an organizational perspective, there are myriad reasons to get your employees and invested parties certified.  Below are just a few...

Certifiying employees establishes a standard of knowledge, creating a stronger culture and bond.

Certifying employees is an investment in their development and professionalism.

Certifiying employees shows the market that you are serious and knowledgeable.

Certifying employees shows your customers that you are above the competition, more committed and dedicated to excellence.

Build an army of brand ambassadors by certifying them as Certified Cigar Sommelier Tobacconists (CCST) - become a CCST Maestro!

Do you have any recommendations?  Leave your thoughts in the comments below....

PS: I totally forgot the first and most fundamental leveraging tool ever created for TU Certified Tobacconists.... the TU Lapel Pin pictured above.... Wear Your Lapel Pin!!!  Available for just $10 in our Campus Store: the price hasn't changed in 20 years!  

PSS: We are looking for a partner to help us develop TU branded merchandise.  Let us know if you have any suggestions...

  

 

Body vs Strength

 

The misuse of terms like "Body" and "Strength" are two of the most common and confounding mistakes made by luxury tobacco lovers at all levels.  Words have meaning and it is important to understand them and use them properly.  So, let's define both Body and Strength along with the coterie of other words we will need to know in order to understand the relationship between luxury tobacco and our senses. 

Body: the breadth and depth (spectrum) of flavor of a tobacco.  Body is also referred to as richness and fullness and is commonly perceived as mouthfeel. 

Flavor is the combination of taste and aroma perceived by our human senses.

Mouthfeel is the sensation in the mouth created by the Body (richness, fullness, or thinness) of the smoke.  The fullness of Body will also impact the Finish (lingering flavor) of a tobacco; where a lighter bodied tobacco will have a lighter/shorter finish and a fuller bodied tobacco will have a heavier/richer/longer finish.  A good analogy is the difference between chicken and steak, where chicken has a lighter bodied flavor and steak is fuller bodied.

Common range descriptors for Body include light, medium and full.  It can get confusing when an adjective like "Mild" is used to describe Body since it is better suited and more accurately used to describe [Nicotine] Strength, or in conjunction with another descriptor like Spice.  Spice is the physical sensation, that varies from tingling to stinging in the mouth, back of the throat, palate and throughout our nasal passages and nose.  If you must use the term "Mild" to describe Body, it should be linked and used in conjunction:  mild-body.

Strength is the intensity of the nicotine in the cigar or pipe tobacco.  Read more about Nicotine & Strength here... 

The use of "Mild" and "Strong" is often misapplied to Body.  As tobacconists we must often read 'between the lines' when listening to customer's descriptions and preferences.  We should also choose our words carefully to accurately convey facts, perceptions and opinions.  Now that you know the difference, the misuse of these terms will become evident and prevalent on mail order websites, among internet 'influencers' and in just about every corner of the luxury tobacco world.  Let this be a red flag that exposes those who really know and separates them from those who pretend to know.

Classic Tobacconist Anecdote
My own father is obsessed with "Mild" cigars.  He constantly tells me how much he loves all the "Mild" cigars I give him while he is actually smoking fuller bodied, medium strength cigars.  I don't even keep mild cigars around the house!  He perceives the lack of ammonia, good aging, tempered spice and well-rounded Body of the cigars I give him as "Mild".  This has been going on for my 30 year career as a tobacconist and I can't get him to use the proper descriptors, no matter how hard I try to enhance his vocabulary and knowledge.  While he loves every cigar I give him, he just doesn't care enough to change his vocabulary or way of communicating.  The truth is, he is more like the common consumer than not.  Sadly, most people who sell cigars are regurgitating the same "mild, smooth and sweet" nonsense instead of actually adding value.  With regard to my father, no matter how much I want to correct his descriptive ability, he doesn't give a f*ck.  He just wants "Mild Mild Mild"!  The fact is, many (if not most) of our customers are like this too, so we must 'read between the lines' and ask the right questions to truly understand what our customers are telling us.  In this way you will be able to enhance your customer's pleasure while broadening their options, appreciation and range of experiences.  This is what TOBACCONISTS do!    

Visit Taste College to get a proper education!

Tobacconist University Glossary

TU: The Unredacted Story

The PCA Interview: Looking Back At 29 Years Of Tobacconist Education

When was your organization founded/launched?

Tobacconist University (TU) was founded in 1996 as a proprietary educational program for a two-store chain of luxury, full-service retail tobacconists in ivy league and tourist towns.  It also provided educational seminars for consumer events and certifications.  In the 1990s, the release of Cigar Aficionado magazine facilitated a cigar boom which elevated consumer knowledge and sophistication, creating a need and opportunity for highly trained professionals.  By the early 2000s it was clear that the emerging internet was also providing a huge amount of information, both good and bad, so TU evolved into a publicly available educational resource.  By 2008 the professional Certified Retail Tobacconist (CRT) program was available online at www.tobacconistuniversity.org and TU became the official educational curriculum of the RTDA-IPCPR-PCA, providing free education and low-cost certification to brick and mortar retail tobacconists, as well as consumers.

Tell us about your educational program. What can people get from going through it?

The majority of our academic curriculum is available for free, online in the TU CAMPUS.  It includes Tobacco, Accoutrements, Taste and Service Colleges, as well as a Tobacconist FAQs and the largest online and multi-media/hyper-linked glossary of tobacco/tobacconist related terms anywhere in the world.   We start with the definition that a Tobacconist is an expert in tobacco and all the related accoutrements and provide all of the history, science, agricultural, manufacturing, business-specific and practical knowledge that is necessary to achieve that minimal goal. 

An equally important fundamental premise in the TU Academic Curriculum is that “Taste” is subjective, so there is no objective right or wrong with regard to human preferences, likes or dislikes.  This perspective allows us to remain brand neutral and focused on un-biased education.  Above all, we focus on teaching strong fundamentals when science and facts apply and empowering individuals to develop their own perspective and opinions when artistry and taste is required.

What makes your organization’s approach to education different from its competitors?

Firstly, TU is the first and only organization to educate and certify tobacconists.  Recent years have seen 'influencers' attempting to sell education but we don't consider that competition.  

The TU Academic Curriculum was thoroughly researched and documented for more than a decade (1996-2008) before being released as a freely available public resource.  It is not hidden behind a paywall, but rather on display for all to learn, scrutinize and contribute to.  We are committed to triple sourcing our facts rather than parroting marketing jargon, subjective or editorialized opinion and biased or inaccurate information.  We start with the premise that ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ and refuse to repeat information just because someone of repute ‘says so’.  Our RESOURCES section is available for public scrutiny on our website and it includes more than one hundred books (both current and out-of-print), scientific studies and professional interviews on every topic we cover.  In addition, all of our colleges, with a particular emphasis on Service College, have contributions from industry leading tobacconists as well as agricultural, pre-industrial and cigar making experts.    

Our Academic Curriculum includes hundreds of videos, photographs and graphics that are proprietary to TU, gathered through countless self-funded educational expeditions to factories and farms in Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, Costa Rica, the USA and the Dominican Republic.  All of this effort is made to avoid bias, misinformation and to not be beholden to corporate or marketer influences.  Furthermore, it is necessary to create a substantive educational curriculum that dispels and corrects the erroneous information that is so commonly available and disseminated on the internet, in print and through marketing channels. 

How did you go about designing your educational program to be easy to navigate and consume?

Structuring an educational curriculum for an industry and products that are so diverse and profound was one of the most challenging aspects of creating and organizing TU, especially since no other organization has ever existed to educate and certify tobacconists.   In addition, our industry battles social stigmatization, extreme regulation and excessive taxation like no other.  Consequently, our educational curriculum must also serve as an ambassador of credibility and substance to the greater culture: the curriculum must be rooted in integrity.  The TU motto is Puro Integritas, a play on words and language that guides every facet of our vision and mission.

The layout and sequencing of the online curriculum must also be logical and linear.  For example, Tobacco College starts with ancient history as well as cultural, business and political context.  Then we define and study what is Nicotiana Tabacum.  Only after this foundation can we start to learn about Geography, Climate, Cigar Regions, Seeds & Plants, Growing, Nurturing, Harvesting, Curing, Fermentation, Cigar Rolling, Packaging, Aging, Shipping, Cigar Shapes & Sizes and the Marketing of Cigars.  Tobacco College rounds out the journey with Pipe Tobaccos and Cigarette education: providing a comprehensive perspective on the entire world of tobacco.  All of our Colleges are structured in a linear way, so that you hit the ”Next” button to ‘turn the page’ and continue studying:  it’s like reading a giant multi-media book, at your own pace and empowering you to come and go and revisit topics at your own discretion.

At the heart of the curriculum is substance, science and an extreme belief that words matter.  Words must be properly defined and used.  Therefore, our Glossary and curriculum webpages are hot-linked together: if you are studying inside a college and come across an important word, it will be linked to our Glossary or another curriculum webpage with expanded information.  The TU Glossary also hot-links words back into the curriculum for an enhanced learning experience.   This is an educational matrix designed for profound learning.  We believe our industry is plagued with the misuse and misunderstanding of simple terms and words that are bastardized every day by most people.  Words like “strength”, “taste”, “body”, “curing” and more, are misused by advertisers, so-called “experts” and online “educators” in print and on the internet every day.  But, if you are a Certified Tobacconist or passionate consumer who uses our Glossary and website, you should know exactly what those words mean in the proper context.  

You will find that our custom designed academic curriculum is very different from the Learning Management Systems (LMS) commonly found on the internet.  These contemporary websites/programs are used to teach things like food sanitation, boat safety  any consumer level course (e.g. Learn how to juggle, buy real estate, day trade, etc… ), and a plethora of for-profit educational enterprises for people and organizations who want to sell ‘courses’.  You can learn almost anything through today’s LMS products, but we found them restrictive to our goals and needs.  In many ways, LMS products are designed to guide you through a ‘module’ of content and quiz you at the end of that section: they are essentially teaching you how to pass the quiz.  It is important to note here that we do offer our CIGARS 101 course through an LMS and it provides an excellent, efficient and cost-effective fundamental learning experience for consumers.   

The TU Academic Curriculum is designed as a vast digital and multi-media library that is an easily accessible resource and library for lovers of luxury tobacco.  And we expect you to know everything necessary to pass our online exams.  Those who get certified by TU are expected to pass a 50 or 100 question multiple choice exam when they are ready to earn their consumer or professional certification.  And we expect you to retain and own the knowledge you seek. 

Our Vision is to build and project the credibility of the luxury tobacco industry in order to support cultural acceptance around the world – preserving luxury tobacco for generations to come.   Our Mission is to research, learn and teach in order to educate, certify and promote the most knowledgeable and honorable tobacconists and consumers.  In that process we provide resources for tobacconists to leverage for their customers and businesses - build credibility, culture and community for tobacconists and consumers - are the epicenter of cigar, pipe and tobacco education.  In short, we educate with a broad, serious and strategic purpose.

Why should people take the time to complete your educational program?

TU has developed the following certifications to meet the needs of consumers and professional tobacconists over the last 29 years - each serves a distinct need and purpose.  All current 3000+ TU Certified Tobacconists and apprentices are listed on the TU website under their company and/or individual name.  Every TU Certified Tobacconist must accept their specific Code of Ethics & Standards and pass the final exam with a 90% or better.  We encourage you to visit the GET CERTIFIED section of our website to see which certification will suit your goals and needs.  All of our programs are self-study at your own pace, include online final exams, website listings and the ability to print your diploma when you graduate.

CCT – Certified Consumer Tobacconist: a non-professional certification designed for avid consumer enthusiasts who are not employed within the luxury tobacco industry.  This is indubitably the most challenging and comprehensive curriculum for any consumer enthusiast.  The curriculum in our CAMPUS is the same that CRT and CST study for their professional certifications.  The final exam is 50 questions derived from the professional exams.  

CCST – Certified Cigar Sommelier Tobacconist: our first and most important fundamental professional degree for those working with premium cigars.  The CCST degree is designed to serve cigar retailers, fine dining establishments, lounges, bars, event promoters, influencers and anyone seeking strong fundamentals and professional credentials around the world.  It is both time and cost efficient by concentrating the cigar curriculum into videos and succinct lessons that focus on Retail School, Cigar Fundamentals and Pairing School.  Our CCST Schools can be structured for individuals, stand alone or multi-location retailers, salesforces and/or any other organizational types. The final exam is 50 questions which includes specialized questions on “tasting” and “pairing”.    

CRT – Certified Retail Tobacconist: our most comprehensive and profound professional degree for full-service brick and mortar tobacconists.  This degree tests on Tobacco, Accoutrements, Taste and Service College as well as our Tobacconist FAQ and the TU Glossary.  The unparallelled education creates the world’s most prestigious and highly credentialled professional tobacconists.  Apprentices must work for an existing retail tobacconist for at least six months before taking the final exam – ensuring enough experience to earn the CRT designation.  When CRT leave a retail store/company their listing can be ‘moved’ to another retail store or they will be re-listed as a CCT if they do not return to the industry. 

CST – Certified Salesforce Tobacconist:  the counterpart to our CRT degree.  The CST degree is for employees of cigar distributors/brands/companies or other non-retail organizations. 

CCST Maestro – Certified Cigar Sommelier Tobacconist Maestro: any CRT or CST who also has a CCST degree is eligible to curate and run their own CCST School and certify others under their own brand - which makes them a CCST Maestro.  A CCST Maestro can purchase ‘wholesale’ CCST certifications and use them as they please: they can be used for employees, sold for profit, to create brand ambassadors, given away as promotions and/or any combination thereof.   CCST Maestros can also upload their own content into their schools and use the course materials if they want to teach and certify through live events.

CMT – Certified Master Tobacconist: the highest professional level one can achieve as a TU Certified Tobacconist.  Only CRT and CST are eligible for this advanced degree.  Candidates must apprentice and prove hundreds of apprenticeship hours with cigar/pipe makers and TU Certified Retailers as well as making a substantive educational contribution to the TU Academic Curriculum.

My 3 Biggest Mistakes As A Retail Tobacconist

After nearly thirty years as a retail tobacconist, operating multiple stores in different states, I am still haunted by regrets and mistakes I made.  I left a lot of money on the table by not being smart enough or wise enough.  

Control Your Real Estate
My first great mistake was not controlling or owning my own real estate.  Being beholden to a landlord and paying rent means you will never build an asset and get the benefits of appreciating real estate down the road.  I knew this in the early 2000s yet I chose to fund Tobacconist University (TU) instead of buying the building(s) my stores occupied.  I can forgive myself for this because my dream of helping other retail tobacconists and elevating the luxury tobacco industry became my real passion.   My next two mistakes are the ones that really haunt me.

Sell Your Own Brands
I spent most of my time and energy building other people's brands instead of my own.  I took great pride in procuring and selling popular and hard-to-get cigar brands that my customers wanted but neglected consistently building my own brand(s).  I should have dedicated 20% of my shelf space and focus to private label and house brands.  That would have greatly increased my profitability and given me a portfolio of dedicated and happy customers that I could keep forever.  They could continue to be customers beyond brick and mortar and be an asset and income stream indefinitely into the future.  

Embrace E-Commerce
Lastly, I failed to see the future and value of the internet in the 1990s when I opened my first store.  I was always focused on the physical environment and community of retail without seeing the power of permanently tethering my customers to my store with an ecommerce website.  If I had better foresight, I could still have proactive and enriching relationships with thousands of customers who were just 'passing through' town and loved my stores.  It makes me sick just to think of the lost potential.  And it is all my fault.

SOLUTIONS & STRATEGIES FOR YOU

On the bright side, my failures represent new opportunities for TU Certified Tobacconists.  I am trying to make up for my failures by creating solutions and resources for TU Certified Tobacconists.  Our TUECOM and TU Private Label programs exist so you won't make the same mistakes I did.  Above all, TU seeks to help retail tobacconists succeed because they are the keystone which makes the luxury tobacco industry so special!

Turnkey mail order websites for Certified Retail Tobacconists.  Our goal is to make it as cheap and easy as possible for retailers to operate their own mail order websites. 

We have partnered with extraordinary cigar makers to give TU Certified Tobacconists exclusive access to highly profitable cigars.  Having started with our R&D Cigars and moving forward with our private label cigars, we are shepherding products to market with an educational component.  In fact, we have created the only cigars in the world which require you to be certified to sell: a bona fide competitive advantage!

In Closing ...

I want to emphasize the key to capitalizing on these resources is to start early and take the long-term approach!  It takes time to reap the rewards and build the business so you must be consistent about investing in these programs now so you can benefit in the future.  There is no easy path or magic trick to success.  But by committing yourself now you will certainly be more successful in the future.  

Email info@tobacconsituniversity.org or call 609.651.2311 if you have any questions.

     

CIGAR LOUNGE SERVICE From The SOTL Perspective: by Lefty Karropoulos, CMT

 

Below are 10 things that are very important to women that visit lounges and that lounge owners could use to bring their service up a level.  All are from interviews and conversations with hundreds of aficionadas from multiple areas and countries.

SOTL Cigar Lounge Service Points

1.      Warm Welcome

·   Greet her warmly with a smile and welcome her to the lounge. "Good evening, welcome to [Lounge Name]! How can I make your experience enjoyable today?"

2.      Comfortable Seating

·  Offer her a choice of comfortable seating options. "Would you prefer a seat by the window or in a more private area?"

3.      Personalized Service

·  Ask about her cigar preferences and suggest options based on her tastes. "Are there any particular cigars you enjoy, or would you like some recommendations?"

4.      Offer Pairing Options

·  Suggest drinks that pair well with her cigar choice. "We have a selection of wines and spirits that complement this cigar perfectly. Would you like to hear about them?"

5.      Respectful Interaction

·  Maintain professionalism and respect her personal space. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to let me know. I'm here to help."

6.      Educational Opportunities

·  Provide information about the cigars and their origins if she shows interest. "This cigar is from a renowned region and has a unique flavor profile. Would you like to learn more about it?"

7.      Event Invitations

·  Inform her about upcoming events or tastings. "We have a cigar tasting event next week. It would be great to see you there."

8.      Prompt and Attentive Service

·  Ensure that she receives prompt attention throughout her visit. "Is there anything else I can get for you? Your comfort is our priority."

9.      Encourage Relaxation

·  Create a relaxing atmosphere where she can enjoy her time. "Please make yourself comfortable and enjoy your cigar."

10.     Express Gratitude