Sales Training
Crisis In Confidence
There’s no debate: Salesmanship is a perishable skill. The ability to engage with a customer and close a profitable sale is something that must be learned...
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500 Range Visits...
For this special Range Issue, I thought a rundown of some “best practices” I’ve picked up in 500+ onsite visits to individual ranges around the...
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Don’t Sweat It.
The beginning of summer often marks a slowdown in firearms sales depending, of course, on a store’s inventory mix and the demographics of its customer base.
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High-End Appeal
Eddy Rodriguez remembers the days when customers would walk through the front door of his former shop, Pistol Parlour, and make a beeline for a particular...
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First Impressions
According to a 2018 Concealed Carry Consumer Study Report by NSSF,1 during the course of a 12-month timespan, women spent significantly more money on...
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The Invisible Woman
It was summer 2018. In my usual unassuming sweatpants and T-shirt, I strolled into the impressive pro shop of a well-stocked, well-staffed, modern, indoor...
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Measure Up
With a record number of gun sales in 2020, you indeed had to adjust your shop’s priorities. Keeping the shelves stocked has been pretty high on the list...
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Priority Number...
If you’re a one-man or woman shop, your store’s persona (i.e., how it’s perceived by others) is going to be based on your character and personality....
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Be Your Own Customer
You’ll be able to make customers enjoy your shooting merchandise retail store more — and make them return more often — if you fully understand their
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Get Them Selling...
Surely one of the easiest ways to sell anything is to let the product or service do its own selling. In an election year, a popular phrase is “let’s...
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Membership Drive
On your website are you actively trying to sell memberships, rather than just merely offering them?
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After The...
It became nationwide — even worldwide — news: In the first few weeks of COVID-19’s spread throughout the U.S., people who had never thought they’d...
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DIY Events:...
A special “Do It Yourself” (DIY) event is a wonderful tactic that delivers multiple dividends for any retail store.
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Summer Fun
Full disclosure: This article was written in late March, just one week after the novel coronavirus was declared a global pandemic. If we all did our part...
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Archery Trends...
The market for archery equipment, including gear used in competition, recreational shooting and bowhunting, has been holding its own in recent years with...
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Selling...
No dealer reading this needs me to tell them a sales staff who ignores female customers isn’t going to sell much to that market. Ditto to a salesperson...
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Don’t Miss Out...
If there are any silver linings to be gleaned from the onset of COVID-19 it’s the unprecedented number of new customers joining the ranks of firearms...
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Women & the...
The NASCAR concept in advertising made its way into the firearms industry in the 1980s and ’90s. As a result, the shooting sports received unprecedented...
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6 Out-of-the-Box...
Whether offered monthly or weekly, ladies’ nights (or days) have become a commonplace offering at gun ranges throughout the country. So much so women have...
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Keep It Real
If reaching out to women is not an integral part of your marketing strategy, it should be.
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Welcoming Women...
There are an increasing number of women taking up self-defense, shooting sports and hunting — which adds sales for gun retailers.
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4 Ways To Reach...
The easiest customer to reach is the one nearest you — that is, the one who already loves firearms, shooting, hunting or the associated gear. As you...
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Decisions, Decisions
Another SHOT show is in the books. Now comes the daunting task of figuring out what to make of all the new firearms and accessories announced during (or...
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Satisfying The...
Long-range shooting, whether for fun, competition or hunting has been on a steady upswing in recent years. How are retailers going the distance when it...
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Knife Profits
It’s a dilemma every retailer faces, especially when SHOT Show rolls around and hot new products are tempting their buying taste buds at every turn.
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THE SILVER BULLET
Competing with the likes of Amazon and other online retailers, your store has to “get it right” while meeting the immediate needs of customers today.
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Selling High-End...
The increasing popularity of long-range shooting has spurred more than sales of just firearms and ammunition. As shooters have reached for longer and longer...
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