Every shop has one. If you don’t know who the Alpha Dog is in your shop…it’s probably not you…yet. 

They are not the loudest. They are not the ones who control the TV remote.  They are not even the ones with a top-row locker.

They are the person that every cigar sales rep tries to identify and, in some cases, will be much more influential about what sells in a shop than the owner.

They sit in the same seat. They arrive at the same time. They have the same quiet nod when they walk in…it’s not exactly a “Hey Norm” kind of situation.

If someone is in their chair, there is a brief moment where both people know how this ends. The chair gets opened up.

That is your Alpha Dog.

It Might Not Be Who You Think It Is

As I said, most people assume it is the loudest guy in the room. It’s not.

I have sat next to plenty of loud guys in a cigar lounge. They are super energetic about a cigar they read about online or someone they met in Mexico who had a brother who had a close friend working at a factory.

That is not influence.

The Alpha Dog is steady. Shows up, lights something, and lets the room come to them. I have watched this play out more times than I can count. Within minutes, someone leans over and asks what they are smoking…

…and THAT is what makes the Alpha Dog and why so many people want to know who it is.

Once you see it, you cannot unsee it.

I have watched a Alpha Dog light a cigar and, within 20 minutes, three other people are smoking the same thing…no discussion, no sales pitch, no brand rep in sight.

I have also seen the grinding influencer (more on them in a min) light up a cigar and no-one in the room cares what they are smoking.

That should tell you everything.

The Grinding Influencer

The Alpha Dog should not be confused with the Grinding Influencer.

The Grinding Influencer is the person that is posting everything they smoke. Tagging people. Name dropping whenever possible. The most likely have this glass.

They do have some influence, but it is really situational…not lasting.

The Alpha Dog is an ‘Accidental Influencer’…and that is why it works.

They are moving product with a torch lighter and zero intentions. He (or she) is not trying to influence anyone.

That is exactly why it works.

Signs You Might Be The Alpha Dog

At this point, you probably think it is not you. That is usually the tell.

A few things I have noticed:

• Staff asks what you are smoking before they recommend anything else
• Someone buys based on something you said in passing
• You dismiss a cigar, and it quietly disappears from the rotation
• Newer guys watch what you cut and how you light
• You hear, “I’ll try one of those,” more than once a night

If a couple of those feel familiar, you are not just hanging out. You are setting the tone.

Where It Goes Wrong

The problem starts when someone realizes they are the Alpha Dog.

I have watched this happen too. A guy figures out he has some pull and suddenly becomes very intentional about it. Now every cigar has a speech. Every opinion has weight behind it. The flexes become forced.

The status falls apart and the Alpha Dog trophy gets handed to someone else in the lounge.

The Alpha Dog only works because it is unplanned.

One Last Thing

If you have ever had someone point at you and say, “I’ll try whatever [your name here] is having,” and they meant it…

You might be the Alpha Dog.

Try not to mess it up.