84 TOBACCO BUSINESS | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER | 22 exactly what cigar they want to buy. Others may come in with an idea of what they want; they may have read about a product online or seen something posted about it on social media. Others may have no idea at all what they’re looking for. That’s where the education is essential. The employee that understands the different types of cigars, different flavor profiles and what type of product certain manufacturers make can handle any type of customer and ultimately get the right cigar in their hand. “The key goes back to what we talked about earlier—it’s the people. That’s what makes you successful. You train those people, and they can handle all questions really well,” Higgins explains. When it comes to promoting his business, Higgins has seen the biggest results coming from his focus on people. He uses more traditional forms of marketing for Spring Street Cigars, such as radio spots and social media, but says that the best form of promotion is word of mouth. Customers that experience the culture Higgins and his staff have been able to build and foster over the years become fans of Spring Street Cigars and their experiences and will then go out into their social circles and speak highly of the business. Word of mouth isn’t something that can be bought, Mo Daher, Spring Street Cigars’ general manager says. It comes from providing a great experience for the customer and ends up paying dividends over time. A Cigar for Everyone Without strong brands and products, Spring Street Cigars would not be able to be successful to the point of expanding tomultiple locations. TheTupelo store’s humidor is 900 square feet and hostswhat Higgins describes as being a phenomenal selection of cigars. Other smaller Spring Street Cigars have humidors that are 500 square feet but are similar to the Tupelo store in that they each house a great selection of cigar brands. Variety is important at Spring Street Cigars, thus the humidor has a mix of major, mid-level and boutique cigar brands. Some of Spring Street Cigars’ product selection comes from the close partnerships it has built over the years. It is a Davidoff White Label account; it is also a Drew Diplomat retailer and a designated Opus X retailer with Fuente. Spring Street Cigars is also a member of the Tobacconists Association of America (TAA), giving it access to some very exclusive products. The store also offers cigar enthusiasts a wide range of products from other manufacturers that may be viewed as more boutique, including Tatuaje Cigars, Caldwell Cigars and Miami Cigars. The key to building out the humidor’s selection is to give cigar enthusiasts an eclectic selection and flavor profile and price point for every smoker. Customers come in with many questions about the products available at Spring Street Cigars, but the most common question that also leads to the biggest sales opportunity is, “Have you smoked this?” “People want to know what your experience is with this cigar,” Higgins explains. “That’s where, once again, the education of the staff comes in. Knowing has to do with providing them these details about the cigar’s makeup and its blending but also making sure that they’ve actually smoked the cigar so that when somebody asks, ‘Have you smoked this?’ you can say, ‘Yes. It’s got this particular profile, this particular flavor—this is what I find that you would like.’ We might even give suggestions on pairings. We want to offer that type of support to the customers to give them as much information as we can.” Spring Street Cigars has different levels of customers in terms of the knowledge they have of cigars. Some are more casual in their smoking of cigars while others have a deep enthusiasm and passion for cigars and tobacco. As general manager of Spring Street Cigars, Daher has seen this at play in the stores where some customers simply want to know if a cigar is good or not. Other customers may seek out more information, including the cigar’s blend breakdown
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