Upselling Without Feeling Slimy: The Art of Adding Genuine Value

Let's get something straight right out of the gate. The word "upsell" has a bad reputation, and honestly? That reputation is earned — but only when it's done wrong.

Done wrong, upselling is a cashier pushing a product you don't need, reading from a script, checking a box so their manager doesn't breathe down their neck. It feels transactional. It feels hollow. And the customer walks out the door knowing they just got played.

Done right? Upselling is one of the most powerful acts of genuine customer service you can perform. It's the difference between a customer who comes back twice a year and a customer who becomes a regular — someone who asks for you by name, someone who brings their friends, someone who trusts you enough to say, "I don't know what I want today. What do you think?"

That's the energy we're building toward. That's the game.

You Are Not a Cashier. You Are an Educator.

Here's the mindset shift that changes everything: stop thinking of yourself as someone who rings up transactions and start thinking of yourself as the most knowledgeable person your customer has access to on this subject.

Your customers walk into your store with questions they don't always know how to ask. They're curious. They're maybe a little nervous. They want to enjoy their experience, get real value for their money, and walk out feeling good about what they bought. Your job — your actual job — is to make that happen.

When you approach upselling from a place of genuine expertise and customer care, it stops being upselling. It becomes recommendation. It becomes guidance. It becomes the reason someone tells their coworker, "You have to go to that dispensary on Fifth Street and ask for Jamie."

That's the reputation you're building with every single interaction.

Know What You're Selling — All of It

You cannot add genuine value to a customer's purchase if you don't deeply understand what you're offering. This isn't optional. This is the foundation.

Know your flower. Know which strains are high in myrcene versus limonene and what that means experientially. Know which products are trending and why. Know the difference between a live resin concentrate and a cured resin, and be able to explain it in plain language to someone who has never heard either term.

But also know your paraphernalia. Know which pipes are easy to clean and which ones look incredible on a shelf. Know which rolling papers burn slower. Know which grinders actually hold up over time versus which ones feel cheap after two months. Know your bongs — the borosilicate glass versus the acrylic, the difference between a diffused downstem and a standard one, which pieces are best for a first-time glass buyer versus a seasoned collector.

When you know this stuff cold, recommendations feel natural. Because they are natural. You're not selling. You're sharing what you know.

The Loyalty Points Conversation: Your Secret Weapon

Here's one of the most underused tools in a budtender's arsenal: your store's loyalty rewards program. Most customers are sitting on points they haven't thought about in weeks. That's money on the table — for them.

Make it a habit. Not an afterthought, not a legal disclaimer mumbled at the end of a transaction — an actual, deliberate part of your conversation.

"Hey, before we wrap up — do you know how many points you have right now?"

Let them check. Let them feel the weight of that number. Then do the work for them.

"You've got enough to knock about 25% off a pipe I think you'd actually love. Want me to show you a couple options?"

That's not pushy. That's not slimy. That is you doing your job at the highest level. You just showed a customer that their loyalty to your store has real, tangible value. You turned a mundane loyalty program into a moment of genuine delight. And now they're looking at a pipe they wouldn't have considered five minutes ago — and they're excited about it.

Washington state law requires that discounts and promotions comply with WSLCB regulations, so always make sure your loyalty program and any point redemption structures are operating within your store's approved guidelines. Your manager can clarify what's permitted. The principle here isn't about the mechanics — it's about the conversation. Make the value visible and let the customer make the choice.

The Upgrade Conversation: Bigger Isn't Just More, It's Better Value

One of the most natural upsell moments in cannabis retail is the quantity conversation. A customer comes in for an eighth. Cool. But do they know what a quarter costs relative to two eighths? Do they know what they could save by upgrading their purchase — and what they could do with that savings?

Here's how this conversation sounds when it's done right:

"You're grabbing an eighth of this one — great choice, it's really popular. Just so you know, if you bump up to a quarter, the per-gram cost drops pretty significantly. And if you've got points to use, you could bring the price down even further — we're talking up to 30% off with your rewards balance. That savings could basically cover a backup piece or let you grab a second strain you've been curious about."

You just gave that customer a math lesson that benefits them. You framed a larger purchase not as "spend more money" but as "get more value per dollar." Those are completely different conversations.

This only works if it's true, though. Don't manufacture value that isn't there. If the numbers don't pencil out for a specific customer's situation, don't push it. Your long game is trust. Short-term transaction wins that damage trust are not wins — they're losses with a delayed receipt.

Paraphernalia as an Experience Upgrade

A lot of budtenders treat paraphernalia as an afterthought — something sitting in a case by the door that gets mentioned if someone asks. That's a missed opportunity, and here's why: the right piece doesn't just change how someone consumes cannabis. It changes how much they enjoy it.

Someone buying a top-shelf flower and smoking it through a dirty, low-quality pipe is having a diminished experience. You can fix that. And they'll thank you for it.

"You're getting the Blue Dream today — that's a good call. If you're smoking flower, can I ask what you're using to smoke it? Because this strain has some really nice terpene notes that actually come through better in glass. We've got a really solid borosilicate piece right now that would make a difference."

You just connected product knowledge to an accessory recommendation in a way that makes complete sense. The customer doesn't feel sold to — they feel advised.

Rolling papers work the same way. If someone's a regular roller, ask them what they're using. There's a meaningful difference between different paper thicknesses, burn rates, and materials. A customer who's never tried unbleached hemp papers might become a convert — because you mentioned it.

These small moments compound. Every time you improve someone's experience through a thoughtful recommendation, you build equity with that customer that no marketing campaign can buy.

Read the Room — Always

None of this works if you don't read the person in front of you. Some customers come in knowing exactly what they want, and what they need from you is speed and accuracy. Respect that. Don't slow them down with a five-minute upsell conversation when their body language is saying "I'm on my lunch break."

Other customers are explorers. They want to talk. They want to learn. They came in partly for the experience of being in your store and talking to someone who knows their stuff. Those customers are your opportunity to go deep — to explore their preferences, to walk them through new options, to build the kind of relationship that turns into a regular.

Know the difference. Adjust accordingly.

And always, always follow Washington state guidelines on responsible sales. The WSLCB has clear regulations around cannabis retail, including rules about what can and cannot be said about products, how sales must be conducted, and the importance of responsible consumption. You are not a medical provider. You cannot make health claims. Stay in your lane — which is deep product knowledge and genuine customer service — and you'll never go wrong.

The Mindset That Ties It All Together

Here's the truth about the best salespeople in any industry: they don't think about sales. They think about people. They're genuinely curious about what the customer needs, genuinely invested in finding the right solution, and genuinely happy when that customer walks out satisfied.

That's the energy you bring to work every day.

When you're curious about your customer — their preferences, their experience level, what they're trying to get out of their visit — upselling happens organically. It's not a technique layered on top of your job. It is your job.

Ask good questions. Listen to the answers. Share what you know. Use every tool available to you — loyalty points, quantity pricing, your knowledge of product pairings — to make sure that customer gets more value than they expected when they walked in.

Do that consistently, and you won't just be good at upselling. You'll be irreplaceable.

And that, more than any sales tactic or loyalty program or quarterly promotion, is how you build a career in this industry.

By Greg.

WA States Advertising Disclaimer. Just In Case.

1. "This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming.";
2. "cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug.";
3. "There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product."; and
4. "For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children."