Helping customers select a cannabis product can feel like being a tour guide through a diverse menu. The best budtenders don't simply list strains, THC percentages, and effects—they take guests on a journey.

"In a way, customers embark on a sensory journey when they step into a dispensary. You want to ensure the end destination is a pleasant purchasing experience with the perfect product in hand."

Embarking on a Journey: How to Become a Better Sensory Guide
Budtender: Hi! How are you today?
Guest: Oh, pretty good!
Budtender: What are you in the mood for?
Guest: I’m not sure. What do you recommend?

A version of this interaction plays out daily in dispensaries across the land—and it’s a golden opportunity to engage with guests. Whether dealing with a brand new or a returning customer, this initial exchange is a chance to either draw the person in or make them want to turn and run.

In many dispensaries, the budtender must at once be the welcoming committee, company advocate, product expert, and skilled listener who can read people to gauge understanding and meet them where they are. In a way, customers embark on a sensory journey when they step into a dispensary. You want to ensure the end destination is a pleasant purchasing experience with the perfect product in hand.

Here are some ways to help guide that journey by connecting with customers, asking thoughtful questions, and building your sensory lexicon.
Crafting the Perfect Purchase
Although consumers are increasingly cannabis savvy, each dispensary is like a unique space with its own set of products and experiences.

When asking customers what they like, it’s best not to assume:

That everyone wants an exhaustive tour of the menu.
That people will automatically like what you like or what is most popular.
That they even understand what they’re ordering.
Most customers walk into your dispensary with the same goal: they want something that matches their preferences—and it’s your job to help them find that. A few ways to help customers figure out what they want are:

1. Give guests a lay of the land. A quick overview of your menu can help customers simplify their options. Once you know what category they are interested in—indica, sativa, hybrid, edibles, tinctures—you can offer more specific choices and descriptions.

2. Step away from your own preferences. It doesn’t matter that you think a specific strain is the best or that nothing equals a particular edible's effects. Your customer may have different preferences. Even if they ask, “What’s your favorite?” bring it back around with, “What do you usually enjoy?”

3. Practice objective descriptions. As a sensory guide, think about taking customers on a flavor and effect journey. When they ask, “What does X strain feel like?” move towards more straightforward descriptors. “This indica strain has a relaxing effect with earthy and pine flavors,” or “This sativa offers an uplifting, energetic high with citrus and floral notes.”

Train Your Senses
Part of giving customers products that match their expectations is having a good grasp of sensory descriptors. There are many ways budtenders can become more confident in their sensory skills and more competent at guiding customers.

1. Set up strain samplings. Understanding different cannabis strains is practical knowledge for budtenders. You can incorporate a simplified version of professional tasting protocols to help build your sensory lexicon.

Set up a table with various strains and challenge yourself—and your fellow budtenders—to correctly identify them, encouraging discussion along the way. This exercise can help you learn to recognize the qualities of each strain and prepare to talk with customers.

2. Seek sensory opportunities. Smell and taste everything! You should be familiar with all the products on your menu and how they are consumed. Consider tasting edibles, oils, and tinctures so you can focus on the differences between each—is the flavor profile of a chocolate edible the same as a fruit-flavored one, for example. Aroma kits can also be great learning tools.

3. Triangulation samplings. Set up three samples of cannabis, where two are the same and one is different. This is more challenging than it seems, and the more similar the strains, the tougher the exercise.

4. Be a lifelong learner. An academic approach to cannabis helps promote continual learning and professionalism. Our industry is constantly evolving, especially when it comes to sensory topics. Read trade publications and books on cannabis. You could even start a book club and discuss ideas with your coworkers! There are also helpful online resources, including apps and how-to videos.

Finally, keep the sensory realm accessible and encouraging for everyone. Things always taste and feel better when people enjoy the experience!.