Of Internals, Aged Port, and Fine Cigars

$100 snifters of port.

$60 cigars.

Fond memories of 57 E. 57th Street.

To the well healed wholesaler traveler this address can only mean The Four Seasons NYC.

And to me and my internals, circa 1992-1998, it meant one of the best bonding experiences known to distribution-kind.

Our dedicated server at The Bar was Kim, and thru her good graces we slipped past any velvet rope straight to a ‘Reserved’ table.

My internals then, not unlike many internals today, had not yet had the opportunity to experience this slice of the good life.

And the fact that we shared the experience had two distinct benefits.

1. As they wanted to become externals, this gave them a financial taste of what was to come.

2. There’s just something about great atmosphere, rare libations and, in that day, a killer Arturo Fuente cigar that made the bonding process effortless.

These internals went on to become some of the most successful externals in the business and, today, leaders in our industry.

What sort of relationship are you forging with your internal wholesaler?

This post originally appeared in our Sunday Night Email series – delivered every Sunday Night at 8:15 PM ET.

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