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 of your daily “to-do’s.” However, while you’re writing POs and invoices, make sure you’re working toward add-on transactions and happy customers.

We’ve seen the ups and downs of gun-buying before. Once you’ve ridden this wave, will you still have add-on sales and long-term clients who keep coming back to the counter?

Lady Customers

You probably don’t need to be reminded of this fact, but NSSF’s research estimates first-time gun owners made up 40% of the purchasers in 2020, while women constituted 40% of the first-time gun owner group.

These aren’t the only “40s” that come along with the female segment of your customer base. According to Forbes, “Women are the sole source of income in 40% of U.S. households.” With women buying in record numbers, your shop needs to pay great attention to the demographic.

Female gun buyers are decision-makers and ones you need to earn as loyal customers.

Learning Curve

As we look at the numbers above, we must understand the variety of women who will be or who’ve already been at your counter. As with any customer’s gender, race or other qualities, you must teach sales associates how to learn about the patron to distinguish their needs.

When the lady shopper walks in the door, she wants to be greeted, but not bombarded. First, say hello, then ask her how you can help.

Listen to her response. Ask additional questions if you’re not yet clear on her needs. For example, if she’s hesitant and unsure, you may want to ask about her background with firearms and even if it’s her first time purchasing a gun.

“As you serve the customer, don’t tell her what you think she needs, instead find the gun that will fit her and her needs.”

If she’s an experienced gun handler, don’t treat her as a newbie, and if she’s new to guns, take the extra time to help her with every aspect of her purchase. As you serve the customer, don’t tell her what you think she needs; instead, find the gun that will fit her and her needs.

After you have an idea about what she’s looking for, show her some options and if her needs weren’t specific, explain why you’ve decided on what you laid out. Ask additional questions as she examines a gun you’ve presented; do more listening. Learn to assess her knowledge and comfort level with the firearm.

As I share these primary tips with you, I’m recounting numerous experiences in gun shops. Immediately, the negative experiences come to mind. The stores where unfavorable events occurred are locations I’ve either never returned or revisit only as a last resort.

No Assumptions In Sales

I’ve been shooting guns since I was 5. I first learned how to shoot a .22 Ruger Bearcat, then a .30-06. After that — if you can believe it — at around 8 years old, I shot an Uzi. I’ve handled many other guns over the years. I teach others how to shoot and hunt. In other words, I know a thing or two (and then some) about firearms.

The point of me sharing this is not to insinuate I know it all. It’s an effort to make you think about your next customer.

What’s your first impression when you see a beautiful, 5’2″ Latina wearing designer jeans and a sport coat walk up to the counter? Think about it. What are your assumptions, really?

Will you presume she’s a firearms instructor, big-game hunting outfitter or coach? Or will you consider her naive, knowing nothing and in need of the smallest gun in the case?

If you want to earn her business, you have to take the time to go through the learning curve and then find the gun that fits her.
Larry Feland, owner of Feland’s Gunsmithing, customizes gun stocks. I asked him for a good starting point for dealers.

“Factory guns are now a better fit than ever. It starts with the gun matched to the handler. When dealers are selling a gun, they need to match the barrel length to the customer’s intended use and find a well-balanced gun,” he advised.

Gun Fitting Options For Add-On Sales

Not all factory guns fit all shooters. A poor gun fit will result in missed shots, sore shoulders, bruised cheeks and a disillusioned user. Your shop has the opportunity to make additional revenue by offering gun-fitting options. Consider simple items such as mounting scopes and changing out grips on handguns, and if your shop is up to it, add custom-fit stock options.

“Female gun buyers are decision-makers and ones you need to earn as loyal customers.”

3. Stance And Form: Feland contends sales associates should evaluate the gun handler’s mount and work with them to fix anything incorrect. (“If you don’t have a good gun mount and then you intend to work with that person and cut their gun off, you’re making a huge mistake,” he said.)

Women sometimes find it challenging to get a proper cheek mount on their guns. Elizabeth Lanier Fennell, co-owner and instructor at Fennell Shooting School, indicated, “To get a proper cheek weld on the gun, it helps if she extends her neck like a turtle sticking its head out of its shell.”

After they have their cheek on the stock, make sure the buttpad is in the pocket of their shoulder. To help women understand where their shoulder pocket is, Julie Clark, owner of the Austin Gun Club, suggests raising the muzzle to a 40- to 60-degree angle and then lowering the butt into the pocket.

4. Build Ups: I have cheek wraps for most of my rifles, which help get my eye high enough to acquire a proper sight picture in the scope. Stock wraps are simple add-on sales for your shop. If you want to customize, there are other steps you can work into the process.

Clark proposed, “After they’ve learned to mount their gun, they may mount the gun and only see the back of the rib. Build the stock up with layers of mole or lambskin to see what cheek height they need. Have them go shoot it like that and then come back for a final fitting.”

5. Build Relationships: With the massive increase in gun buyers, your shop must build relationships with customers and make them happy. With the increase in traffic, however, you may not have the time to work on fitting guns. Clark referred me to Feland who shared, “Word of mouth is the best way to find a good gun fitter.”

It takes time to become one who everyone recommends. If you have the time, building a custom shop may be the way to go. Otherwise, look to build relationships with reputable gunsmiths.

Feland’s been in the custom business since 1981, and has learned how to do a proper evaluation for custom gun fitting. He takes the factory stock and carves and builds onto it to make it fit the handler perfectly.

Together with retailers in his area, he’s built relationships, and combined they both have happy customers. You certainly can, too. It’s all about finding solutions for your customers.

Mia Anstine is an outdoor writer, licensed outfitter, hunting guide, life coach, keynote speaker, as well as a range safety officer, firearms instructor and archery instructor.

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