Tobacco Business

[ 82 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ JULY / AUGUST | 21 ] Are there any verbal or physical cues tobacconists should look for in customers to determine whether the customer may be open to an upsell? Everyone is open to an upsell. Look at their eyes and where they put their attention. If they look at something for a second longer than another, then teach them something about that product. If they touch something, tell them how great that is or how much your previous customer loved it. If they mention a brand or line extension, continue the conversation by giving them more info about that or related products. Some of our biggest sales come from customers who came in for a single cigar or small purchase, so never assume anything! When should a tobacconist not try to upsell someone? I once saw a man escorted to the x-ray machine at the security line at the airport. He was an emotional mess and seemed to be crying. It was a heartbreaking sight, and I knew something terrible must have happened to him, and I was happy that he was being helped through security and placed ahead of the line. I have never forgotten that moment because terrible things are happening to people all the time, and it is important to keep that in mind when dealing with customers. Sometimes our customers are mean or rude, and we must be able to separate our emotions from the moment. On many occasions, I have had customers come back after they have been less than pleasant and apologize to me. They have let me know that something sad or tragic happened to them on the bad day, and I have been proud to have controlled my own emotions. This is a long answer for a short question with a tangential lesson: I would say that unless something terrible is in the air, we should always be trying to upsell. Upselling is good, not bad. Upselling is not an attempt to separate a customer from their hard-earned money but rather a way to add value and provide more pleasure to their lives. How can store owners encourage upselling among their store’s staff members? I like to listen and reward those employees who make the effort. I use words of affirmation, cigars or money to reward proactive employees because I am truly appreciative of their effort. Also, creating a bonus system at certain sales targets can be very lucrative. This means you can give your employees bonuses for every sale bigger than a specific dollar amount or give a bonus when a certain goal is met, such as selling out a basket of guillotine cutters or the last of a brand your store will not be reordering. Setting goals with time limits and financial rewards is imperative. How might upselling differ between different categories of tobacco products? One unique advantage of being in the pipes and tobacco business is that the customer needs certain accoutrements like tampers, pipe cleaners and ashtrays, among other accessories. A retail tobacconist must have a variety of these on hand in order to sell them—you must be in it to win it! Having ample inventory immediately available to sell will help drive your upselling. Make it a part of your communication culture to tell every customer about what has just arrived and what other customers like them have purchased and enjoyed. Other expensive items, such as lighters and humidors, may take a longer time to sell. This means you can show them to the customer during multiple visits before they choose to make the purchase, but keep in mind that attempting to upsell consistently will yield rewards down the road. While a customer may not have the budget today, they may think about it and become emotionally involved and pull the trigger down the road. What merchandising con- siderations do tobacconists need to have when trying to promote upsells within their stores? Merchandising is the physical and visual language with which our products communicate with the customer. It should be commensurate with the quality of the product and your store. Every retail tobacconist should have a passion for merchandising so your products can speak for themselves when you are not talking. Our code of ethics and standards states that [we should] merchandise all luxury tobacco products with the same care and respect it took to create them. We have written many articles about the power and importance of merchandising, so we won’t get into it all here, but we recommend you look through Tobacconist University’s Service College to refresh and learn more. At the very least, we recommend using your POS area as a staging ground for things you would like to upsell. Customers will have to wait for their products to get rung up and packaged while at the point of sale, so they will naturally get curious and create opportunities for upselling.