THE POST-HEMP EMPLOYEE: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR TEAM TO SELL, EDUCATE & SURVIVE THE NEW ERA

Botanical SalesChad Wade
THE POST-HEMP EMPLOYEE: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR TEAM TO SELL, EDUCATE & SURVIVE THE NEW ERA
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Most smoke shop owners think the hemp ban’s biggest threat is lost revenue.
Wrong.
The real threat is that their employees have never actually had to sell anything.
Hemp did the work for them.
Customers walked in knowing:
  • what they wanted
  • what felt good
  • what worked for them
  • what brand they liked
  • how much they needed
  • how often to buy
Staff could basically ring up the order and say:
“Have a good one!”
That’s over.
And the stores that survive will be the stores with trained, disciplined, educated teams that know how to SELL, GUIDE, EDUCATE, and CLOSE — not the shops that rely on chance or personality.
This blog gives you:
✔ the new hiring criteria
✔ the new training system
✔ the new sales scripts
✔ the new coaching structure
✔ the new staff expectations
✔ the new accountability model
✔ the new leadership mindset
And we’ll tie each part into UNSWholesale.com products and categories — so your staff knows EXACTLY what they’re pushing and why.
Let’s get into it.
1. When Hemp Goes, Your Employees Will Either Save You — or Sink You
Let’s be brutally honest:
If your employees can’t…
  • explain products,
  • run add-ons,
  • guide customers,
  • upsell glass,
  • introduce botanicals,
  • recommend mushrooms,
  • talk about experiences,
  • sell impulse items,
  • explain kratom,
  • clean the store,
  • maintain layout,
  • keep energy high —
…your store WON’T make it without hemp.
Your new reality:
Hemp required 0% skill.
The new categories require 100% skill.
There is NO middle ground.
You either have:
✔ trained sellers
✔ educated guides
✔ professional communicators
…or you have cashiers.
Cashiers will not survive the hemp collapse.
You need sellers.
2. The New Hiring Criteria: What a Post-Hemp Employee MUST Be
Your store needs employees who are:
✔ Coachable
Can learn new categories fast.
✔ Confident
Can guide customers without hesitation.
✔ Communicators
Talk clearly, calmly, professionally.
✔ Curious
Willing to ask questions and recommend products.
✔ Organized
Can handle layout, merchandising, and stocking.
✔ Reliable
Show up, stay focused, stay consistent.
✔ Proud
Care about the store, the customers, and the future.
If they’re lazy, passive, resistant, or slow-learning?
They won’t make it.
You must hire for the NEXT era — not the LAST one.
3. The 3 Roles of a Post-Hemp Employee
Your employees must transform into triple-threat operators:
ROLE 1 — The Educator
They must be able to explain:
✔ Blue Lotus
  • what it does
  • who uses it
  • how it feels
  • why it works
  • how it compares to hemp
✔ Functional Mushrooms
  • focus blends
  • energy blends
  • calm blends
  • gummies vs capsules
✔ Kratom
UNS → https://unswholesale.com/shop
(search: “kratom”)
Shop All
  • strain types
  • capsule vs powder
  • shots
✔ Glass
  • percs
  • joint sizes
  • rig vs pipe
  • bowl fit
✔ Accessories
  • wraps
  • grinders
  • torches
  • lighters
If they can’t explain it, they can’t sell it.
ROLE 2 — The Salesperson
They must:
  • approach customers
  • recommend categories
  • ask the right questions
  • run add-ons
  • guide the interaction
  • close the sale
  • set up the next sale
You must teach them scripts.
(We’ll get to that.)
ROLE 3 — The Store Operator
They must:
  • handle restock
  • maintain the layout
  • keep shelves clean
  • build impulse areas
  • follow merchandising rules
  • organize the back
  • track top sellers
  • report slow movers
The era of “stand behind the counter and scroll” is DEAD.
Your employees must become professionals.
4. The New Employee Training System: 7 Days to Transformation
Here’s your exact training plan.
DAY 1 — Introduction to the New Era
Explain:
  • hemp is leaving
  • revenue models are shifting
  • your store is pivoting
  • THEY are crucial
  • their future depends on this
  • your customers depend on them
  • their income depends on performance
Set the tone.
DAY 2 — Category Deep Dive
Walk them through:
✔ Botanicals
✔ Mushrooms
✔ Kratom
✔ Glass
✔ Accessories
Use UNSWholesale.com to show them links, photos, brands, and benefits.
DAY 3 — Customer Scripts
You teach them:
  • experience-based selling
  • guided selling
  • add-on scripts
  • problem-solving questions
  • alternative suggestions
DAY 4 — Merchandising & Layout
Teach them:
  • shelf levels
  • signage
  • lighting
  • organization
  • category grouping
DAY 5 — Sales Practice
Role play:
  • approaches
  • recommendations
  • transitions
  • closers
  • pivots
DAY 6 — Cash Flow Understanding
Explain:
  • margins
  • replenishment
  • reorder cycles
  • dead stock prevention
DAY 7 — Assessment
If they can’t:
  • sell,
  • explain,
  • guide,
  • talk confidently,
…you replace them NOW — not later.
5. The 7 Mandatory Staff Scripts (Post-Hemp)
These scripts will save your store.
SCRIPT #1 — The Hemp Transition Script
“Since hemp is being phased out, we’ve brought in some new legal alternatives people are loving — want me to show you what’s popular?”
Boom.
Confidence.
Leadership.
Transition handled.
SCRIPT #2 — The Experience Question
“Are you looking for something to help with calm, energy, focus, or sleep?”
This tells staff EXACTLY what bucket to guide the customer into.
SCRIPT #3 — The Botanical Recommendation
“If you liked Delta products for relaxation, most customers are switching to Blue Lotus — it’s a legal herb that’s great for calm and sleep.”
Moves customers directly into UNS’s botanical categories.
SCRIPT #4 — The Functional Mushroom Recommendation
“If you want something for daytime focus or energy, we’ve got mushroom blends that work great — no THC, just legal wellness.”
Perfect transition into UNS mushroom products.
SCRIPT #5 — The Kratom Recommendation
“If you’re looking for something more consistent, kratom is what a lot of regular customers use weekly.”
Directs customers toward UNS kratom options.
SCRIPT #6 — The Add-On Close
“Before you go, do you need wraps, a new lighter, or a grinder?”
SCRIPT #7 — The Return Setup
“Try that out and let me know how it works for you. I’ll show you more options next time.”
This creates repeat customers.
6. The Employee Accountability System
You must track:
✔ daily sales
✔ add-on percentage
✔ average ticket
✔ category penetration
✔ conversion rate
✔ customer feedback
✔ merchandising compliance
Employees who hit:
  • high ticket
  • high add-on
  • high confidence
  • high conversions
…get more hours, more trust, more opportunities.
Employees who:
  • hide
  • resist
  • drag their feet
  • avoid learning
  • fear selling
…get cut.
This is survival — not babysitting.
7. How to Build a Winning Team Culture (Post-Hemp Edition)
A strong team culture will outperform ANY market condition.
Here’s how you build it.
✔ Have Daily Huddles
5 minutes.
Communicate updates, goals, categories you want to push.
✔ Celebrate Wins
Every botanical sale? Praise it.
Every mushroom upsell? Highlight it.
Every glass upgrade? Celebrate it.
✔ Set Weekly Challenges
  • highest add-ons
  • most botanical sales
  • most mushroom education conversations
✔ Reward Performance
  • free products
  • bonus cash
  • first pick of hours
  • merch
  • recognition
✔ Remove Weak Links
Culture grows when negativity leaves.
8. How UNSWholesale.com Helps Train Your Team
Your staff needs REAL products to learn from.
UNS gives you:
✔ Botanical SKUs
✔ Mushroom SKUs
✔ Glass
✔ Accessories
Use these categories to:
  • teach differences
  • show packaging
  • compare SKUs
  • explain benefits
  • demonstrate upsells
Your team can’t learn from theory.
They must learn from PRODUCT.
**9. Need Me to Train Your Staff Personally?
I Do That for Shops Every Week.**
Inside ChadWadeTV Consulting, I:
✔ train teams
✔ write scripts
✔ teach sales
✔ teach upsells
✔ teach layout flow
✔ teach botanical talking points
✔ teach how to present mushrooms
✔ teach how to sell glass
✔ teach confidence
✔ teach customer flow
Your team will NOT survive this shift without training.
I can train them for you.
✔ Book your consultation
ChadWadeTV → Contact / Coaching
URL: https://chadwadetv.com/pages/contact
Clean Link:
Train My Team
10. Final Word: Your Employees Will Decide Your Fate — Choose Carefully
Products don’t sell themselves anymore.
Your staff must:
✔ sell
✔ educate
✔ lead
✔ adapt
✔ pivot
✔ upsell
✔ close
✔ inspire
✔ reassure customers
✔ represent your store’s future
Hemp was easy. This era is earned. The stores with trained, confident, educated employees will dominate 2025. The stores with “cashiers” will die. Pick which one you want to be. Train your people — or lose your business. Let’s build a team that can survive anything.
Your team will make or break your future. Train them now.
👉 Stock training-ready products at UNSWholesale.com
👉 Book staff training at ChadWadeTV.com/Contact
Lead the team that survives — not the one that collapses.
Tags: Botanical sales, Chad wade tv, Employee development, Hemp ban, Sales training, Smoke shop training, Uns wholesale

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