DISCOVER
FIND WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL BE LOOKING FOR
Set Your Sights ...
The future of hunting has a direct effect on the health and longevity of many independently owned businesses in the outdoor industry — especially your...
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Light ’Em Up
Although you can still find cheap plastic lights, most of today’s lights are high intensity, high-tech accessories more at home in the gun store than the...
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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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Rebuilding A Brand
Colt Senior VP of Commercial Sales Paul Spitale came to the storied manufacturer in 2015, the year they filed bankruptcy and were struggling with damage...
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Taking Control...
Like the Goodrich dealer, the firearms dealer also has an identity problem. The anti-gun politicians have been screaming “Guns are bad” for so long,...
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The Time Is Now...
Inside the July issue, we provided the annual state of the firearms industry update. One of the key takeaways was despite the slowdown in firearms...
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When You Buy A...
Every customer who purchases a gun has the potential to purchase gun-care and cleaning supplies and equipment. As the song says, they “go together like a...
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5 Event...
At the time of this writing, with all the complexity of dealing with COVID-19, states were in the initial stages of lifting lockdown restrictions.
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Training In An...
With the addition of potentially tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of first-time gun owners in the first half of 2020 alone, the need for training and...
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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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Understanding...
Over the past few years, Southwick Associates and NSSF have been learning more about the unique groups, or segments, that make up the U.S. firearms market.
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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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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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When They...
You’ve seen the signs, maybe you carry them in your shop — “The average response time for a 911 call is 23 minutes. Response time for a 9mm is 1,350...
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U.S. Firearms...
In the early days of the pandemic, dealers reported robust activity from customers — wiping out entire in-store firearms inventories in many cases.
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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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Raising The Bar...
The atrocity of September 11 galvanized our nation. It was a wake-up call to thousands of American citizens to finally pull their heads out of the sand and...
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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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Range Games
It’s safe to assume every one of your potential customers knows you sell guns. They also know you sell ammo and a wide range of accessories to go with them.
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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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3 Negative...
Typical sales and marketing philosophies recommend your communications include a lot of positivity, hype and other forms of promotional words and imagery....
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Serving A Niche...
It’s a burden only about 10% of the population is able to bear: left handedness. Fumbling with right-hand gadgets, appliances, desks — even scissors and...
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Ammunition &...
Winds of change are blowing through the shooting sports industry. As everyone well knows, outside events can radically impact business....
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Unique Concealed...
Navigating through a catalog of concealed-carry holsters is like going into a department store and looking for a pair of women’s shoes — the choices are...
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In Times Of...
Editor’s Note: Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the U.S. firearms industry, we asked Massad Ayoob to contribute an article on...
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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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Your Female...
Each year, The Well Armed Woman (TWAW) issues surveys to gather data on women. The 2019 survey was sent to women who are both new to gun ownership and those...
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2020 Vision:...
When the calendar year rolled over to 2020, many cleverly connected it to the idea of having 20/20 vision — not so much related to eyesight but more so in...
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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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Are You Part Of...
Most people are familiar with the phrase used in the title of this article, which I thought ended with “or are you part of the problem?”
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Taking Control
We as an industry and community, have come a long way from the initial influx of female firearm owners over the past decade.
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The DC Project...
For folks who make their living in the shooting industry, the efforts of the DC Project are especially important.
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The New...
A trip to the SHOT Show makes one thing very clear: We have many more women in the industry than we had 30 years ago. At the 1990 show, you could look...
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In Times Of...
Editor’s Note: Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the U.S. firearms industry, we asked Massad Ayoob to contribute an article on...
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Familiar...
While stocking fresh products geared toward women represents a more than capable approach to bring in this burgeoning group of customers, there’s also...
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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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Best Bets For...
SHOT Show, among other things, is a good place to see what’s trending according to the manufacturers’ market analysts. Here are some products sure to...
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Marketing In The...
The shooting industry exists for reasons far exceeding self-defense and the preservation of life; but for not less than those. To be sure, we love our...
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Use Colors To ...
“People make up their minds within 90 seconds of their initial interactions with either people or products. About 62–90% of the assessment is based on...
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Niche Marketing:...
There’s a human interest story behind every gun shop, and in each, one or more useful lessons for others in the firearms retailing business. This is...
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New Products...
The number of women joining the shooting sports continues to grow each year, and as we enter a new decade, industry manufacturers have made significant...
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Communications...
I graduated from college in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in organizational communications. My studies included the standard array of courses including...
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Turkey Time
Like many retail businesses, the holiday season is one of the busiest for gun retailers in part because it also coincides with big-game hunting season, and...
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Handling Unusual...
Anyone in the business of selling anything knows the customer I’m about to describe. This buyer knows exactly what he or she wants, and “no one has made...
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