Marijuana Business Magazine

move up the ladder quickly without staying in the job for long. Finding someone with hosting experience in the restaurant industry or other hospitality trades such as hotels is a good place to start. Other retail business owners have had good luck with elderly people who enjoy interacting with customers. In short, you want someone who can keep smiling and be helpful when a crowd of customers rushes through the door. WHAT TO LOOK FOR For Jennifer Dresbach, operations manager of Monarch Wellness dis- pensary in Scottsdale, Arizona, the top quality is friendliness. “They definitely have to be a warm, friendly, welcoming kind of person,” Dresbach said. She also looks for good grooming EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Hiring the right receptionist for your dispensary or rec shop should be done carefully. The person sitting at the entrance is the first point of contact for customers and presents the face of your company. When staffing the front desk: • Hire from the service industry – someone with experience as a host or hostess at a restaurant would be a good fit, for example. • Find a person who can multitask – the front desk can get busy. • Train your receptionist to understand the products you offer – people will call with questions. • Make sure your receptionist understands the importance of compliance – ID checks are mandatory. • Avoid people who merely see the role as a stepping-stone – otherwise you might encounter high turnover. The reception area of Simply Pure, a recreational marijuana shop in Denver. Photo courtesy of Simply Pure habits – in other words, the person is showered and clean, hair is neat, nails are trimmed, etc. “That’s the first impression that any customer is going to get,” Dres- bach noted. The ability to multitask comes in handy, too. “There’s definitely those moments where the phone’s ringing,” Dresbach said. ”You have two patients standing in front of you, and the UPS guy just showed up.” Grace under pressure is another key quality. “They definitely can’t be the type to slow down and get frazzled when things get piled on,” Dresbach noted. “You’ve got to be able to effectively kick it into high gear and keep a smile.” Dresbach also seeks out someone who can handle different software 150 • Marijuana Business Magazine • November / December 2017