SZ Wholesale Products Knowledge Training Guide PDF

Products Knowledge Training Guide SZ WHOLESALE  Training Overview Module 1 : Products and Services Overview Module 2 : Premium Cigars 101 Module 3 : Mass Market Cigars/RYO and Pipe Tobacco/Chewing Tobacco/Wraps Module 1: Products and Services Overview What to ex...

Products Knowledge Training Guide SZ WHOLESALE  Training Overview Module 1 : Products and Services Overview Module 2 : Premium Cigars 101 Module 3 : Mass Market Cigars/RYO and Pipe Tobacco/Chewing Tobacco/Wraps Module 1: Products and Services Overview What to expect from this module…. Products we offer Services we provide Expectations for Customer Service At the end of this module, you should be able to… Identify the products and services we offer. Have a good sense of the company mission and direction as it pertains to customer service.  What Products Do We Offer? Premium Cigars Mass Market Cigars Pipe Tobacco Roll Your Own Tobacco Wraps Smoking Accessories Cigar Accessories  Premium Cigars A premium cigar is a handmade luxury tobacco product made from aged tobacco leaves that is smoked by a consumer. Cigars come in all different shapes, sizes, flavors, colors, prices, and packaging (boxes and bundles.) Cigars are usually purchased for… Life Events Celebrations Relaxation Collecting General Enjoyment Mass Market/Domestic Cigars Domestic cigars are smaller machine-made products that use pieces of tobacco which are usually artificially flavored. People buy domestic cigars for… Quick Smokes Affordable Smokes Bulk Purchasing Exotic Flavors Pipe and Roll Your Own Tobacco Pipe and Roll Your Own tobacco are very fine pieces of tobacco leaves used for different purposes such as pipe smoking or rolling cigarettes. These tobaccos can be flavored or non-flavored and come in a variety of blends, prices, and packages. Wraps Wraps are tobacco, hemp, or plant fiber products that are used for smokers to roll their tobacco in. These are much larger than most rolling papers and come in a variety of sizes and flavors. Smoking Accessories Smoking accessories are anything that smokers may use to enhance their experience using tobacco products such as… Rolling Papers Rolling Trays Rolling Machines Cigarette Tubes Filters Ashtrays Lighters Cigar Accessories Cigar accessories are items that smokers may use to enhance the experience of enjoying a premium cigar such as… Cutters Lighters Humidors Humidification Devices Ashtrays Travel Cases  Why Customers Choose SZ Wholesale Fast and reliable shipping. Low everyday prices. New store fulfillment. Recommendations for new and hot selling products. Recommendations on industry best practices for products (product swaps, sales tactics, storage advice.) Order placement for customers (text, email, video, phone.) Monthly deals and promotions. SZ Wholesale offers great deals by working with manufacturers directly. Customer Interaction Our philosophy on customer service is simple. Offer the best possible service to our customers no matter the situation. Our customer service team should be able to demonstrate the following describers. Positive - Have a friendly and welcoming attitude. Knowledgeable - Be able to answer a wide range of product inquiries as well as service-related questions. Attentive - Listen attentively and process requests efficiently. Detailed - Be extremely aware of the little details and always double check your work. Coachable: Ask questions and never assume! Module 1 Quick Recap Products Offered Premium Cigars, Mass Market Cigars, Pipe Tobacco, Roll Your Own Tobacco, Wraps, Smoking Accessories, Cigar Accessories. Why Choose SZ Wholesale? Fast Fulfillment, Order Placement, Recommendations, Deals and Promotions, Low Everyday Prices, New Store Fulfillment, Pass Down Savings. Customer Interaction Offer The Best Service, Positive, Knowledgeable, Attentive, Detailed, Coachable.  Module 1 Quiz! https://forms.office.com/r/LAyDhuJJpf Click the link to take the Module 1 quiz. Module 2: Premium Cigars 101 What To Expect: Cigar Sizes Cigar Shades Price Tiers Manufacturers Brands Models/Varieties At the end of this module, you should be able to… Have basic knowledge of premium cigars. Identify top selling sizes. Understand cigar prices. Know the difference between manufacturers/brands/models/varieties.  Premium Cigar Sizes Premium cigars come in all different shapes and sizes (vitolas.) Customers can be very particular about the size of cigar they order and may not want an alternative. Cigar sizes are decided by Length and Ring gauge (thickness.) Most sizes have a name but are sometimes referred to by numbers describing their length and ring gauge such as 6x52 or 6x60. The most common sizes of premium cigars are as follows… Corona Robusto Toro Torpedo Belicoso Lancero Churchill Gordo Minis/Petite/Tins There are more sizes that are less common such as… Petite Corona Lonsdale Gordito Double Robusto Double Toro Double Corona Short Robusto Perfecto Figurado Pyramide AND MUCH MORE! Premium Cigar Sizes (Continued) The 4 most popular sizes we sell every day are… Robusto Toro Gordo Churchill Sometimes, manufacturers have cigar sizes with their own unique name. Here are just some examples you may see/hear… Gordo = “Sixty” or “Sixto” or “Grande” or “Magnum” Toro = “Epicure” or “Generoso” Corona = “No. 4” Torpedo = “No. 2” AND MUCH MORE!!!  Premium Cigar Shades Premium Cigars are covered in something called a wrapper leaf. This leaf is associated with its color (shade) or type which helps customers identify the cigar in most cases when ordering. Sometimes manufacturers combine two shades or types into one which can be confusing. Examples: Connecticut Shade, Colorado Claro, Sungrown Natural, Connecticut Broadleaf. There is a wide variety of wrapper shades/types you may come across. The following are the most common you may see/hear… Shade Connecticut Broadleaf Sungrown Natural Oscuro Maduro Candela Cameroon Habano Claro Colorado Premium Cigar Price Tiers Premium cigars come in a variety of prices to make them accessible for most consumers. The price tiers are as follows… Affordable: $1 to $5 a stick. Middle: $6 to $12 a stick High End: $13 to $19 a stick Luxury: $20+ a stick Customers will order cigars based on their customer base and what they can afford. It also depends on what type of customer you are dealing with (Chain Tobacco Shop/Vape Shop, Convenience Store, High End Lounge, Cigar Shop.) If suggestions are needed, keep in mind the type of customer you are servicing. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA  Premium Cigar Product Breakdown Premium cigar companies/entities consist of layers. Customers may refer to one of these layers and expect you to know what they are. The layers to these companies consist of… Manufacturers – the company that makes the cigars. Brands – the specific brand names that are recognizable. Models – the cigars the brand offers. Varieties – the specific sizes/shades in each line. NOTE: Sometimes a manufacturer and brand will have the same name (examples: AJ Fernandez/Oliva/Perdomo/Plasencia/etc…) ITEM EXAMPLE: “Montecristo White No.2 Unit (27) “ Manufacturer = Altadis Brand = Montecristo Model = White Series Variety = Size: N0.2 Quantity: Box of 27  Module 2 Quick Recap Premium cigars come in all shapes and sizes. Customers may be specific on size. Size names can be confusing and brand specific. Most popular sizes are Robusto, Toro, Gordo, Churchill. Premium cigars come in various wrapper shades/types. Some brands may combine two wrapper types into one. Customers can use wrapper shades/types to identify a cigar they are looking for. Premium cigar companies have various layers to be aware of. Manufacturers Brands Models Varieties  Module 2 Quiz! Please click the link and complete the quiz! https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=sSwX6pKr_Ui _sKlgAFOEpKpVQKDcHypJifNoSUH_yCVUOEs1RlFQSlpJUDFYNzZIU1hF MFNVVEs3US4u Module 3: Mass Market Cigars/RYO and Pipe Tobacco/Chewing Tobacco/Wraps What to expect from this module… Packaging/Price differences. Case/Unit sales. Manufactures/Brands/Models/Varieties. At the end of this module, you should be able to… Identify the differences between types of Mass Market Cigars, RYO, Pipe, Wraps, and Chewing Tobacco packaging. Understand our breakdown of cases and units. Have a basic understanding of how the manufacturers, brands, models, and varieties work for these items. Packaging and Price – Mass Market Cigars/Wraps Some, but not all mass market cigars and wraps have a price on the packaging (example: 2/$1.29 or 3/$.99) and usually come in boxes. These are known as Priced Products. These priced products have a set price that retailers can use based on the state they are selling in for tax and profit margin purposes. Some packaging will have no price advertised. These are known as Non-Priced Products (NPP.) These products can be sold at the cost the retailer decides for their customer base. When a customer places an order for mass market cigars or wraps, it is important to know which priced item they are ordering. Each priced or non-priced item has its own price, inventory, and restrictions. RYO/Pipe/Chewing RYO (Roll Your Own) and Pipe tobacco have very simple but unique packaging. Tobacco Packaging These types of tobaccos come in 3 major types of packaging: Cans, Pouches, and Bags. They all have their own weight, quantity, and specific packaging. When taking a customer’s order, it is important to get the customer to specify which size of packaged tobacco product they are looking for to avoid confusion (Example: A can of RYO is much different than a 6-pack of pouches.)  Mostly all tobacco products/wraps/accessories that SZ Wholesale distributes can be sold by cases and units. A case is made up of individual units. It is important to make the distinction between Cases and whether a customer wants 5 units or 5 cases of a particular product. Units In most instances, wholesalers order cases and retailers order units but this is not always the case. Sometimes customers can get a better price if they buy a case compared to individual units. Manufacturers/Brands/Models/Varieties All these products use the same format as the other items we sell which is Manufacturer/Brand/Model/Variety. For example, the item 2/$1.29 Game Green Unit would be classified as follows… Manufacturer: Swedish Match Brand: Game Model: 2/$1.29 Variety: Green Module 3 Recap Mass Market Cigars and Wraps can come in many varieties and price points which can be defined as Priced and Non-Priced Products (NPP.) RYO and Pipe tobacco have a variety of packaging options which customers should specify when ordering. This refers to bags, cans, pouches, and weight. Most Mass Market Cigars, Wraps, Pipe Tobacco, RYO, and Chewing Tobacco can be sold as a case or unit. Cases are generally sold to wholesalers and units being sold to retailers. These products are defined and follow the same format as other products we carry which is Manufacturer, Brand, Model, and Variety.  Module 3 Quiz ! https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=sSwX6pKr_Ui _sKlgAFOEpKpVQKDcHypJifNoSUH_yCVUM083R1pYTzJNQVhEM0Y5Vl pTVVNBVDNQTC4u