Your idea.s
rossdavey2
Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 979
So I have been putting together a buisness plan for a B+M of my very own. I am looking to open with a year and a half God willing.
Apart from great customer service and a great cigar selection what would you guys think should be in the store?
So I have a few firm ideas, but I would love to hear what you guys would like to see in a B+M.
Apart from great customer service and a great cigar selection what would you guys think should be in the store?
So I have a few firm ideas, but I would love to hear what you guys would like to see in a B+M.
Comments
Nice sitting area with TV and all the normal stuff, another quite sitting area with out TV more for talking and just unwinding, closed off sitting area with TV Xbox and the like that can be rented or used by anyone when not booked, good sized humi with lockers for rent, coffee and snack food stuff.
The future plans are to have out door area and small bar with drinks and micro brew ales and beers. Not trying to get everything done at the start because to much debt won't help.
I like the sampler idea like a grad bag.
If membership got you a locker in the humi, free coffee, a stick or 2 a month and a 10% discount on sticks and 20% on boxes how much would you be willing to pay for that? is $40 a month too much?
As far as membership goes, I'd suggest starting the fees pretty low until your shop builds up a bit of rep. Once you're well established, 30 to 40 bucks a month is good. However, if there's not that many diehard cigar smokers in your area, there's really no point to having a membership to a B&M.
Just try not to end up like those horrible B&M owners that forbid newbies from using the lounge.
Dunno about the locker idea, but the free stick with discounts will be a great idea. I'd also suggest researching location above all else. If you set up shop in a state that will bleed you dry in taxes, it's not worth it *COUGH* New York.
Something to help get newbies into the hobby would also be great, like offering some books that explain cigars, from the growing to the rolling - y'know, kinda have a library of sorts to read about cigars or even non-cigar stuff.
You could also host an events, maybe something where you lay out a whole bunch of 5-pack samplers, a bunch of people come in, and buy, and then trade amongst themselves - so a guy wants to get rid of one or two sticks in it for something another guy bought, and they can trade (after they both buy the 5-pack from you, of course)
This means combatting the snobbery that is so prevalent on so many forums, where people argue over cigars not based on what they taste or what they like, but on which brand is best and they compare how much they pay as a pissing contest (yeah, I'm resentful of the attitudes in my local B&M's/some online forums)
I can't tell you how effing annoyed I get when I'm at a B&M and my eyes have to adjust like crazy either coming in or going out, because I feel like I'm smoking in a freaking cave!
Just don't be a snob to newbies and don't screw your customers - some try a cigar and never get into it, while others try it, love it, and get really into it. You just never know if that one guy you pissed off is gonna turn into a new herfer or not
As a part of your service plan, 2 things: Have an event for new merch. Let your members get a great deal on the new product as soon as it hits the shelf. If they find a favorite, it sells itself. Entice with freebies at purchase amounts. 50$ gets you X, 100 gets you y, 150 gets you Z. Had a buddy that let people pick like 50 gets you ten in merch...people seemed to love it.
Personal suggestion is to start off with people that you really know working for you. A couple bad experiences are going to be hard to overcome. Otherwise that special section for CCom forum members does sound cool.
Later you could expand it into teaching them how to taste cigars, like in Kuzi's profile, for a flat fee, you could line up 2-3 cigars, and each cigar would be the type to have a dominant flavor, and you could have a glass of each dominant flavor so they could compare.
Eg - Say you line up 3 cigars, one of which is Verdadero Organic, which has a dominantly raisin flavor. Upon providing a verdadero to each person, you also provide them a glass of raisins and invite them to smoke the cigar, and taste the raisins, thereby teaching them to recognize the taste of raisins in a cigar.
You could repeat this with the other 1 or two cigars, but instead have those cigars have a dominant taste and provide the people with a sampler of something to compare (eg - another cigar could have a dominant chocolate flavor, so you provide the people with a bar of chocolate to eat along with the cigar so the can compare and learn to recognize the flavor or chocolate.)
You could go on for awhile with this sort of event. Whenever someone new shows up, you can just recycle the old flavors/cigars, and you can use new cigars/new flavors to continue educating older members
Krieg brings up a great point.. all too often people dont feel welcome when they walk into a business, B&M or otherwise. Make it all about the customer, as someone said earlier, you have to give them an experience in order to compete with the online retailers.
Everythings pretty much been said, what I want to emphasize is the above and beyond attitude that I would love to see in a B&M store. The one back home is great, the owner goes out of his way to ask people what they want to try and if enough people agree he will order a few boxes. He lets people know what he's got coming in and any upcoming events that will be held. It's a great B&M and they are always busy.
What makes CCom so great is its amazing customer service, if you can duplicate that in any way and give your customers a great place to come smoke cigars and relax, the customers will keep coming back.
I hope to open a B&M of my own one day, let me know how this goes for you, I'd love any advice you can offer once you get it up and running.
Definitely get a girl in there that looks good, no matter how old or young your crowd is, make sure you get a girl in there. Especially if you are able to serve drinks. I know serving alcohol is tricky and can get expensive for a license, but liquor is a good money maker.
Make your customers feel welcome, bottom line. You need them more then they need you. I've ran and am running 2 business right now and thats the #1 thing, customer service.
Oh, when you are ready, I can hook you up with a credit card terminal or POS system for you business. We have the lowest rates offered nationwide. PM me if you have any questions about the business or any terminals. Hopefully I can contact ccom and give them a visit and show them I can save em hundreds, if not thousands a month on fees.
Best of luck!!!
Ashton paid for the out door smoking area at the B&M in my home town. The concrete is poured and dyed to look like Ashtons cigars and they put up a huge Ashton Terrace sign. It's beautiful!!!
The people at Ashton are awesome guys, at leasst the ones I talked with.