Because selling weed is awesome
Let’s face it, selling weed for a living is a pretty amazing job. And we have some serious admiration for the #DopeSales pros who are killing quota in the cannabis industry.
We love that our customers find value in Pistil and use our platform daily to get into more dispensary doors, put more products on shelves, displace competitors and drive more business and revenue for their brands.
Say hello to Logan White, Sales Director for Loudpack.
Logan found his way into cannabis sales from a career in finance and he’s never looked back. The excitement and sky-high potential of cannabis and the ability to build a professional career in an emerging industry were irresistible draws for this growth-minded sales pro.
We were lucky to catch Logan in a rare moment in between sales meetings to chat about his cannabis sales career and to learn how he and his team of inside and outside sales professionals use Pistil to build enduring customer relationships.
How did you find your way into cannabis sales?
Logan: I was working in finance and feeling quite burnt out by that industry. I knew I needed something better for my life and my career and I wanted to be part of an organization that was smaller, more nimble, and offered a startup culture. I had never considered cannabis, but a friend of mine who does some investing in the industry pushed me to interview for a sales role with the brand. After landing the job, I went on to build the Southern California territory for that company from the ground up. That experience led me to Loudpack. They were looking for a sales director, and as an established brand, provided me with huge growth potential. So, I’ve not only had the opportunity to build an inside and outside sales team here, but I’ve also had the opportunity to get my hands into distribution, procurement, logistics, packaging, marketing, and branding.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
Logan: If you can get past the fear of rejection, sales is a fun career to have. There’s a lot of gratification that comes from cold calling, pitching and developing a new account, and cultivating long-term customer relationships. You see the fruits of your labor emerge as the months go by. It’s not a 9-4 job by any means, but it's a career full of rewards if you are willing to put the work in. I like to remind my team that we’re selling weed. It doesn’t get better than that.
This is my first role in sales leadership. I’m now directly responsible for people’s livelihoods and I’m enjoying the opportunity to serve as a resource to them as they grow professionally. Seeing members of my team achieve life goals such as buying their dream car, or putting their kids into their preferred school is very satisfying.
Finally, there’s just the thrill of working in the cannabis industry right now. Growth is exploding and in my opinion, it is one of the most exciting industries out there right now. The talk about ‘cannabis years’ is 100% true. The pace of change is pretty exhilarating and it feels like we’re still just at the bottom of the mountain with a lot to come.
What’s the hardest part of cannabis sales?
Logan: The regulation and yellow tape that is on every part of the business is tough for retailers and sales pros to navigate. That and current off-putting taxation policies make it overly complicated to deliver a product and to manifest a good experience. I feel if a retailer is bringing in 300-500 people a day they should be able to make money. And yet many are struggling to get by and make ends meet. It is frustrating they can’t succeed more easily.
As a brand, we’re constantly putting out regulatory-related fires. We need to constantly review our packaging and systems. On the sales side, we are managing our accounts receivables and monitoring how goods perform within the store, which is directly related to the success of that store. Retailers have huge tax bills, often have to deal with break-ins, and over the last year here in California, they’ve also had to navigate a pandemic, riots, and catastrophic fires. We want to be a partner to our retailers in good times and bad, so it can fall on us to help those retailers out during challenging times.
What is your #1 sales pro tip? (the secret to your success)
Logan: Anyone can process a sale or take an order. But the very best salespeople cultivate real relationships with their customers. They do it naturally and they love it.
The last thing I want on my team is an order taker. I want my people to build relationships that go beyond the transactional relationship of exchanging goods for cash. So I encourage my team members to collaborate - share their strategies and brainstorm ways to go above and beyond in building customer trust and loyalty. This might mean sending handwritten notes; wishing their customer a happy birthday, or acknowledging and giving a customer a little gift when something major that happens in their lives. Not every relationship will turn into a friendship where you go skiing or fishing together on the weekend, but it is still important that sales pros take an active interest in their customers - especially when they are responsible for your livelihood.
How does Pistil help you and your team?
Logan: Loudpack is an established brand with a large catalog of products that is constantly changing. Things come on and off the menu due to the availability of strain of flower and so forth. The ability to use Pistil as a window into a retailer’s world and see what has sold out or come off the menu is very helpful for identifying restock and Winback opportunities. We can also closely monitor price changes on the menu. With the industry lowering prices across the board we want to make sure that value is being passed along to the customer. These are very important pieces of data that drive our sales philosophy within the store. Our outside team, who is charged with opening up new territories and accounts and strengthening customer relationships also uses Pistil to understand the competitive landscape and where we fit and where we don’t. For instance, in Pistil, they can see when other brands are out of stock or when a retailer has dropped a brand. That represents a good opportunity to potentially displace a competitor on a store shelf.
