Retail and you; a modern cannabis tale
In these series of weekly blogs I’ll explain why now, more than ever, it’s important to have an educated and caring staff at your dispensary. A Certified Dispensary Technician’s influences are heavy, and the spotlight is bright.
Prologue
Modern day cannabis buying experience; it’s much more than the back-alley dealings and late-night door knocks of its shadowy past. It has come out of the dark(web) and black market and will continue to enter retail social norms as state after state passes (dare I say, nation) prohibition busting legislation shining a light on retail brighter than a display case at Tiffany’s. It’s showtime and the eyes of a nation are on the industry, your dispensary, and employees.
One of the most important things you need to learn, and need to incorporate into your day-to-day work, is how to best relate to the person across the counter from you: your customer. The ability to relate, to make that all-important connection with those who come into the dispensary and to understand their needs is an imperative skill to becoming successful in the role of a Certified Dispensary Technician (CDT). That connection and understanding between you and your customer can often determine the consumer’s experience at the dispensary and can directly affect whether they continue to return and/or refer the dispensary to others.
Given its newness and the lack of familiarity with cannabis for the majority of consumers, the cannabis industry relies more than most business sectors on word-of-mouth referrals.
‘People Influence People’
Statistics compiled by Hubspot.com found that 90% of consumers believe brand recommendations from their friends, while 70% believe the experiences of other consumers; meaning that most people are more likely to trust their friends – and even strangers – over advertisements. And according to a 2013 international survey of consumers by Nielsen, 77% of global respondents said word-of-mouth advice from friends and family “is the most persuasive source of new product information.”
As Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg once said, “People influence people. A trusted referral influences people more than the best broadcast message. A trusted referral is the Holy Grail of advertising.”
You need to be able to create a memorable and enjoyable guest experience for your customer to the point that your customer not only plans to return but also wants to refer you and your dispensary to others.
The Importance of a Good Guest Experience
How a dispensary’s guests interact with the business and the staff is important to both you and your company. Creating a superior experience for every consumer should be a priority to you.
If your guest feels welcome, it will help you establish a relationship with them. When your customer feels you are trustworthy, they will become repeat customers.
There are several very big challenges you need to be aware of as you work with dispensary guests. Here are several of the larger issues:
Every person is different. There’s no such thing as an “average” customer or patient. Everyone has their own personality, their own history, and their own personal needs. You need to customize your behavior to fit and complement all the people you will end up meeting.
Some people have trouble expressing themselves. Even though the customer or patient has come to the dispensary, not everyone will be forthcoming when it comes to expressing themselves and their needs. It’s up to you to customize your interactions with people, to learn how to engage them and ask the right questions, especially with people who don’t share information well, or who might even feel concern or embarrassment about coming into a dispensary. You need to have patience in these cases. You must also learn to ask open-ended, leading questions that will help draw out the necessary information needed to best assist your customer.
Language is important. You must be ready to adapt your language, including your body language, to extract information from people who don’t know exactly what they want from a dispensary, who are at first uncomfortable with the dispensary experience, or who are at first unable to express their wishes properly. Again, asking the right questions cannot only elicit the information needed for a successful transaction but it can also create a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere that allows the customer to feel at home.
Engaging the guest. A big part of your job includes “reading” your patients and customers and understanding not only what they want but how they might feel at that moment. Some people might prefer banter and humor from you while others are no-nonsense; people who simply want to make their purchases and to be back on their way.
Every store is unique. Just like every customer is different, you will find that each store you work in can have its own distinct energy and culture. There may be certain similarities to other dispensaries, but there will also be changes due to a store’s location, as well as the demographics of the area, the customers they serve, and other individual factors.
You need to come into work ready to take those unique factors into account. You must also be prepared to engage your consumers in a meaningful way, to help them become aware of the products available, to understand their needs, and to avoid “playing the doctor”. And above all, you should anticipate that every guest is unique, with their own unique set of reasons for being in the dispensary.
In next week’s Blunt Talk we’ll cover “Defining the Guest Experience”