Since 2016, Joey Brabo has worked his way up in the cannabis industry. Kicking off his career cannabis weed as a medically certified marijuana consultant, Brabo worked tirelessly to earn respect as a budtender first, marijuana marketer second, and cannabis content creator third. After exhausting all possible routes in those areas of the cannabis industry, his next opportunity was as a cannabis sales rep for Oregon-based Buddies Brand.
Introduced to Buddies by Anton Stetner from Keller Williams in Marysville, WA, Joey was taught proven sales tactics in order to stay ahead of the curve. A fire was lit inside him back in 2017 and the goal became to always outwork the competition.
He describes a neverending desire to help as many people as possible win and has demonstrated that consistency and creative hustle can really help set yourself up for success. What follows is his process from square one on how to become a successfull cannabis sales rep in the legal weed industry.
Identify Your Accounts + Call Everyone
The first step in cannabis sales is to gather your leads and call everyone. “I call all of my accounts first thing Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday morning to make sure I have updated contact info to send stuff to the right people. This includes emails and phone numbers for buyers, managers, and owners if needed” Joey said.
It is important you communicate with the stores and find out the manager and/or buyer’s name along with their best contact info. It is equally important to ask and see if they can let you know when the buyer is physically in the shop so you can come drop off a menu. There is a fine balance between being pushy and politely proactive.
Send Emails & Call Twice A Week
After you gather intel, you can begin sending personal emails to the buyer in attempts to set up a meeting. Email all of your stores twice a week or so, but no more than that. The best days and times to contact would be Sunday and/or Monday morning, as well as Wednesday or Friday.
Generally you want to reach out Sunday evenings after 5pm to show how you hustle late into the weekend, or you can go with early on a Monday morning to show them that you’re a go-getter. The second email blast should almost always fall on a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday morning so that the decision maker can have a second opportunity to go over details or get you on a call.
Provide updated menus and personal messages in each email. It may be worth it to call each store after emailing in the mornings just to check in and let them know you’re emailing and to possibly catch the buyer. If you’re trying to increase your cannabis sales, you’ve got to combine in-person touches with over-the-phone conversations as well.
Get Creative With Your Outreach Touches
“My mentor said that it takes 20-27 touches a month to get the first sale,” Joey said. “So you’re going need to get creative sometimes. Send DMs on social media, repost dispensary content, tag the brand and show them love, plus support them in the comments.
You can even take it one step further and drive friends or family to the dispensaries and request your product here and there. I might even suggest you do it one day a week. You can also have someone call and request the product authentically. To be a successful cannabis sales rep, you really need to be relentless in your efforts to get that first meeting. This is super key to being a successful weed salesperson.
Start Creating Content
Another great way to get the attention of a dispensary or delivery that you’re trying to gain shelf space at is to start reviewing their products on camera. Upload 3-5 long minute reviews of cannabis products to YouTube and distribute snippets of the review to your social media channels (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn).
Examples of reviews are available on the Respect My Region Youtube here. Tag the brands, the dispensary, and any of the people that work there if you can dig them up (try LinkedIn.)
Fridays are a great day in the week to create content, network on social media, take random meetings, and maybe buy lunch for one of your big accounts.
Call, Email, & Visit Stores Every Day
In addition to calling and emailing twice each week, you need to carve out a day to go personally visit existing and potential accounts. Visit 3-5 shops a day Monday-Friday before 3pm. “You want to frontload the beginning of the week with meetings with new accounts so you can be servicing your current accounts at the end of the week,” Joey said.
Plan a route and stick to it. Dispensaries typically close between 9-10pm. Bringing another sales rep friend along might be helpful to build new relationships too. Try to land some meetings using each other’s networks and then maybe even show up together too. Being different and also being real can definitely set you apart.
Proper Store Etiquette For Cannabis Sales Reps
When visiting potential new accounts, enter the store and introduce yourself as extremely polite and friendly as possible. NOT FAKE, but real.
If you’re not feeling the energy to go in and represent your brand at a high level, DON’T GO IN.
When it’s your turn to speak to the check in staff, simply say “Hello, my name is ____ and I work with ______. I’ve been emailing and I haven’t gotten a response yet and was hoping you might have info that could help me get a meeting with them?”
If they’re not around or busy, ask “is there a more convenient way to get a hold of them? Can I leave my business card, a menu, and a note?” It’s very important to leave a handwritten note at each account you’re trying to land.
Once You Get The Big Meeting
Once you finally score a meeting with the buyer you’ve got to show up early, on time, and be 100% prepared. Describe why it makes sense for them to carry an item based on ROI and profits, as well as how it services a niche audience at their store. Show that you understand where your products fit into their existing menu and what value you’re bringing to the table. If you know where you fit in with them, you’ll have a better chance of aligning and being successful with their brand.
If you take all of these tips into account and execute them consisistantly, you may become a successful sales rep in the cannabis industry.
