The Certified Medallion: Leveraging TU

We tell all TU Apprentices and Certified Tobacconists that getting Certified and passing the final exam is just the beginning of the process, albeit the hardest.  Ultimately, Certification must be leveraged by wearing the Certified Pin and using the Certified Medallion, on business cards, store signage, and your website.  After all, if you get Certified and never mention it to your customers, co-workers, vendors, and the community around you, then the benefits will never materialize.  While TU is no magic bullet for what ails our industry, the ability to leverage it is a massive competitive advantage.

PS: every CRT store can get a framed diploma with their logo, store signage stickers, and the right to use the Certified Medallion as long as they maintain one CRT.  Individual CRT can receive the Certified Pin, a personal diploma, mouse pad, and more…

The Tobacconist Handbook Proof

The Tobacconist Handbook Proof has arrived.  And, it is indeed proof of our credibility and professionalism.   These 205 pages, 120+ custom images/graphics, and 41,000+ words took almost fifteen years to create and then another 2,000 hours to distill into a handbook.   I could not be more excited to preview it here for you.  Thank you to all of the well-wishers and inquirers; it will be available in September 2009 and you will definitely be hearing more about it in the months to come.  Please sign up for our email list to get the latest and greatest news!

 

 

National Media Honors Certified Tobacconists

Certified Tobacconists from across the country received national media recognition for their accomplishments in a news report today:

 

Gaining positive media attention is a rare thing indeed these days, and important to projecting and preserving the honor and credibility of the luxury tobacco industry.  Congratulations to everyone who has been certified and was mentioned in the article.  Thank you for your support and enthusiasm.  And thanks to all our apprentices.  We look forward to certifying all of you and watching this list grow!

Advertising That Works

Rene' Gerard Sr.  CMT Academic Contribution

Certified Master Tobacconist #1751

Advertising That Works

I have owned my shop for 24 years and I learned that consistant Talk Radio works for me. I have had a yearly contract with my local talk radio station and with that contract I had them carry The Cigar Dave Show live every Saturday Morning for the last 10 years. This has worked very well for me. I can change my radio spots with in 2 days and use it to promote in store events, specials and if nothing is going on I have 3 or 4 generic spots that we can run. I have gotten to know my radio rep very well and she cuts my spots with me so my customers get to here me talk about the new stuff or personally invite them to the shop. when we cut a new spot they e-mail it to me and I keep it for future use if needed. Hope this helps.