Photo by Pat Beggan/patbeggan.com. Courtesy Trail Blazin’ Productions.
Danielle Rosellison
Co-owner
Trail Blazin’ Productions
Bellingham, WA
The last quarter of the year is always the toughest. Retailers stop buying product for a variety of reasons, the sun-grown harvest creates a glut in the marketplace and revenue streams decrease. And it’s the same. Every. Single. Year.
Over the last five years, I’ve tried to plan for it. We will make more money. We will save more money. We will grow exponentially, so it’s not a problem. But the bottom line is that the fourth quarter never gets any easier.
So this year, my entire goal is learning to accept it, including how to accept being financially uncomfortable (I mean more so than normal). And honestly, I don’t have any ideas. More Zumba? More meditation? More comfort food?
Ultimately, we’ve decided to throw ourselves into sales. The brand ambassadors are out there doing their thing, but our strategies and execution have been tightened. I’m also going out myself, as it seems that meeting the owner of the company really means something to many budtenders. But the secret is that when I go out, the focus is not selling product; it’s education.
Budtender education is probably one of the main places we could better the industry. Budtenders are hungry for knowledge and, having owned and operated Trail Blazin’ for five years now and starting my third term as president of The Cannabis Alliance, I have a great deal of knowledge that can be shared.
“Do you know that adult-use cannabis isn’t pesticide tested?” “Do you know what this DOH ‘General Compliant’ symbol means?” “Edibles appealing to children have always been banned, however the Liquor and Cannabis Board approved them and that’s what needs to be addressed. What are some of the stories you’ve heard? What are your concerns?” “Enforcement standardization is a huge problem, what have you seen?” “Would you like to see homegrows legalized? Me too! May I show you how to get involved?”
These are the types of questions and answers that my sales strategy focused on in the fourth quarter. Mainly because education is important, but also (between you and me) to keep my mind off the fourth quarter slump.