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TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
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usual jobs come in and talk to people about their life,
like a fighter pilot, or people who worked in foreign gov-
ernment. It makes people excited to come in.”
Some events, such as the “100-Box Challenge,” are
annual. The store announces a date and offers a dis-
count to hit a sales goal of 100 boxes in a day. “We give
a discount, and people from all over are calling in, and
we can get as many as 160 boxes sold in a day,” explains
Kane, who says the store also recently ran a “Build a
Box” event. “We give a discount if customers select 24
cigars, and we have special boxes for them and they put
them together. That’s an amazing day.”
Held on Christmas Eve, the “Customer Appreciation
Party” is the shop’s second biggest day of the year. The
store stays open until 4 p.m., puts out a big spread and
gives each customer a free cigar. “We give out 650 cigars
every Christmas,” says Kane. “People bring their fami-
lies. It’s become sort of a tradition.”
“We do many things to make our customers under-
stand and see that we care about them. We have to re-
mind them, because I think sometimes in business if you
don’t tell them that you’re giving them something, they
don’t get it because they just expect it.”
Part of caring for customers involves being inventive.
Like many cigar shops, Lake Country Cigars offers pri-
vate memberships that come with a locker, discounts,
members-only events and special access to certain offer-
ings. But its members also enjoy a reciprocal program
with other lounges across the nation.
Lake Country Cigars also offers beer in the store lounge
and on its patio when the weather is nice, says Kane.
“We’re in a ʼburb right outside of Milwaukee, and they
only allow us a beer license. We have a tap from the local
brewery and then the rest is all microbrew and craft beers
that are changing all the time. We don’t make a lot of mon-
ey on our beer, but it keeps people here buying cigars.”
STAFFING SUCCESSES
The Kanes believe that training and motivating employ-
ees on strong service is critical to helping the store convert
new customers into regulars. “They’re very well trained
and well compensated—that, I think, is very key,” says
Kane, who says the shop’s incentive and profit sharing
programs help motivate employees to upsell customers
and remind them about upcoming events. “Employees
who make money will help you make money. You can pay
your employees less and think you’re making more, but
neither my husband nor I agree with that philosophy.”
The store’s Ladder of Satisfaction employee program
helps its staffers understand how to build relationships
with their customers. “The lowest rung is just walk-ins
who may or may not ever come back,” explains Kane.
“We show our employees how to move those up to the
next rung, and the next, and the top one, of course, is
they have a customer who will not only recommend us,
but will not go anywhere else.
We do many
things to make
our custom-
ers under-
stand and see
that we care
about them.
We have to
remind them,
because I think
sometimes in
business if you
don’t tell them
that you’re
giving them
something,
they don’t get
it because they
just expect it.
WORKING THE
WOMEN’S MARKET
One of the ways Mary Lynn has made a
name for herself in the cigar industry is
through her outreach to women cigar smok-
ers. She was a founder of Cigar Babes, a
group that does fundraising work to sup-
port women working in the industry in plac-
es like Nicaragua and Honduras, and she's
also a founder of the International Women’s
Cigar Society, which encourages the indus-
try to take the women’s market seriously.
Her passion for recognition and equality
is reflected in the shop: “One of the things
that women don’t like is when they’re treated
differently. They want to be treated just like
a regular cigar smoker. They’re not asking
for a cigar made for them, they don’t want
a pink label. They just want to be accepted.
They enjoy cigars just like guys do, and for
the same reasons.
“In order to be a cigar smoker as a wom-
an, you have to be confident because you
would be embarrassed if you weren’t con-
fident,” she notes, adding that it’s import-
ant to create an atmosphere where women
feel welcome. “It’s a big thing to put in your
mouth and still look ladylike. There are a
lot of guys that hang out together at these
shops and, if a woman walks in, they’re
going to say the wrong thing. I’m sure you
know what I mean.”