Build Good Customer
Relations In 10 Minutes

After a long practice session at her local indoor range, Katherine Lagrand was about to put away her S&W Model 65LS when the range attendant, Bill, asked if he could examine it. Katherine willingly handed it over, assuming he wanted to admire her LadySmith.

“You’ve got a great gun there,” Bill said, handing it back. “It sure could use a good cleaning though.”

Katherine sheepishly ducked her head and said, “I know. It just takes so much time and it’s such a mess. I can’t bring myself to do it as often as I should.”

Bill smiled, “I can show you how to get this thing into shape in about 10 minutes.”

Katherine eyed him doubtfully, but stated, “If all it takes is 10 minutes, I’ll do it.”

Getting your customers to purchase a gun-cleaning system isn’t the hard part. Getting them to actually use what they purchase is the real challenge.

This little scenario could happen in your shop every day. How often have customers brought their gun in with some complaint that could be remedied with a good cleaning? And how many times have you noticed customers carrying guns that desperately need a little TLC?

Every time you sell a firearm, you should also sell a gun-cleaning system.

This could be a great promotion. Something like, “Buy this gun and we’ll throw in a gun-cleaning kit — Free!”

You’ll engender the good will of your customers as well as do them a service. Getting your customers to purchase a gun-cleaning system isn’t the hard part. Getting them to actually use what they purchase is the real challenge.

The two most common excuses are: “I don’t know what to do” and “It takes too long.” You can eliminate these concerns by teaching your customers a quick 10-minute gun cleaning routine the day they purchase the gun.

Equipment

Starter gun-cleaning kits are available from Hoppe’s, Kleen-Bore, Birchwood Casey, Breakthrough, Otis, Real Avid and more.
These usually contain the essentials: cleaning rod, patches, bore brush, cotton swabs, solvent, lubricant and protector.

Dealers may notice a certain amount of reluctance to buy more goodies after a woman has just spent part of her paycheck on a new firearm. Explain to her that many gun-cleaning items, are also household staples such as an old toothbrush, cotton swabs, rags and so on, not requiring an extra purchase.

Get her set up with the basics and then physically show her how to clean her gun.

Clean In 10 Minutes

We’re not talking about the major gunsmithing operation most of you can perform with ease, rather our goal is a fast, uncomplicated clean. Most of you probably have your own method of gun cleaning developed from years of experience.

If you already have a quick and easy method to teach your customers, then you’re right on track. But if showing others how to clean their guns always seems to take longer than it should, consider trying the method outlined below. Feel free to throw in your own special tips, just remember to keep it quick and simple.

Gun cleaning is basically a three-step process: bore cleaning, lubricating and protecting. Bore cleaning gets the gunk out, lubricating keeps the parts operating smoothly and protecting keeps rust away. If you can outline the following steps for your customer on the day she purchases her gun, you’ll ensure her firearm is in good working order on the day she really needs it.

Most important, let your customer do the job. Demonstrate how, then let her do the work. Learning is doing.

Bore Cleaning

First and foremost, show your customer how to make sure the gun is unloaded. This may seem obvious to you, but it’s an essential step that can never be taken for granted. Then, have your customer take the gun down to its component parts. Have her begin by wiping down the entire gun with a clean, dry cloth to get off as much dirt and crud as possible. She should moisten — not drench — the bore brush with a small amount of bore cleaner/solvent and make 15 to 20 passes through the bore and, with a revolver, through each chamber.

Next, using a tooth brush moistened with a little solvent, show her how to go after all the grime in the nooks and crannies of the gun. Then have her run patches over the gun, replacing them frequently until they come out clean. She should look into the bore to make sure all the fouling has been removed. It will show up as dark patches in the bore. As the final cleaning step, advise her to once again wipe down the gun with a clean, dry cloth.

Lubrication

Have your customer place a clean patch, that has been lightly dampened with oil on the cleaning rod, and run it through the bore and chambers. If your customer plans to keep her pistol or revolver loaded, tell her not to oil the chambers because it will eventually deactivate bullet primers. Also advise your customer at this point to never use WD-40 on her gun. It’s a great product for household lubrication, but it was not designed for use on firearms and it also deactivates primers. She should never simply squirt oil into the works of a revolver.

On semi-autos, be sure to have her use a cotton swab to lightly oil any areas that need lubrication to function. Explain to your customer that it is better to under lubricate than to over lubricate.

Protection

As the last step in a good cleaning, have your customer make a final wipe with a silicon rag that has a couple of drops of oil on it. This removes moisture from metal pores and helps protect firearms from rust. Many companies manufacture solutions that provide additional protection to firearms. This is an additional step your customer may want to consider if she lives in a very damp climate.

That’s it. You’ll notice I did not go into the details of taking apart either a revolver or pistol. Most women who are occasional shooters don’t need to take their guns apart every time they clean them. In fact, this is an intimidating part of the gun-cleaning process.

As a customer service and an extra means of revenue, you may want to offer your customers a once-a-year, full-service gun cleaning for a reasonable fee.

It’s similar to the concept of auto-detailing. Your customer could do it herself, but a yearly detail clean is a messy business she would rather have done by someone else.

Taking the time to teach your customers simple gun cleaning is a valuable service they’ll remember you for. It helps boost today’s sales and could increase your future profits.