Brownells – Frank Talk About Guns February 2010
Des Moines, Iowa – -(AmmoLand.com)- By The Way, if you noticed the banner running beside this intro this week, it’s our way of letting you know Pete Brownell, our Company President and my second-of-three sons, is running for the NRA Board this year.
He’s the political animal in our family, so if you’re of a mind and eligible to vote for the NRA Board members (and you should have your March issue of your magazine with the ballot enclosed), we’d really appreciate you including him with the other folks for whom you vote.
With a board of 76 members, his vote on issues is 1/76th of the count, but he’s a mighty determined young pup, and very much wants to be a part of the “new generation” of board members who will take the NRA up the rocky road into the middle of the century.
Ah, we can hardly wait for Spring. This winter has been brutal all over the country – and as I write this the east coast is gearing up for yet another major winter storm. This has been one of those years the kids are going to tell their grandkids about – “and I had to walk up hill to school and home again uphill all the way, the snow up to my arm pits and the icicles hanging off’n my eye lashes. . . “
So – when Spring finally does come, it is traditionally the time when people get ready for the Summer Shooting Competitions. What this means is the usual “Clean your Gun” specials and “Come to the Range and Shoot off the Winter Blues” packages you put together for your customers will be popular. It is also the time when Sporting Clays and Trap and Skeet Leagues start to gear up. They need “Practice Days” and of course new shotguns and the latest “newest and totally magic” accessories to help them shoot better this season. You’re going to want to have info on and a source for all of these. (You can always check our web site, brownells.com We specialize in the very latest new products – and we have them in stock!) And, in the back room, you’re going to need to be ready for gun re-fitting, stock adjusting and installing the all-important new and different sights on their pistols, rifles, and shotguns.
Ar-15 Introduction Courses
Some new trends and services you should think about for your customers this spring will be AR-15 introduction/re-introduction courses, and accessorizing these marvelous new shooting platforms. With all the AR-15’s that were bought over the last 18 months and the .223 ammo that has been selling like hot cakes, you can bet that people shooting their AR-15’s are wanting to improve their scores or their accuracy. Your shops and ranges should be prepared with short courses for the non-traditional shooter as well as having a lot of the commonly used accessories ready to sell. These would include slings, adjustable stocks, magazines, scopes, sights, and rails. Some other nifty things for the AR-15 are the lights and lasers that work so well on them. And you’ve got to let your customers know about all these new services and “goodies” you have for them. So a mail campaign, or local radio ads or phone calls or whatever way you best reach your market. It won’t make a whop worth difference to your bottom line if you don’t tell folks about what you can do for them. Now is not the time to hide your abilities and inventory under a 5-gallon bucket!
Concealed Carry Market
The next trend you need to know about, because there is a lot of national press about it and TV shows and the whole works, is personal protection and the concealed carry market. By now there are a huge number of items for this market from concealable holsters, purse-holsters for women, grips, bobbed hammers, cut-down sights, smaller guns – the whole .380 shooters world – all potentially hot sellers for you.
Along with the concealed carry products are the concealed carry classes. We strongly encourage you to become your local training experts in concealed carry training. There are many certification courses out there, some from the NRA, which will prepare you professionally to be the person and the place to go to get this training. Again, remember to tell people about this new project at your shop.
One last thing to do before the spring rush starts. It is also time to clean the shop…with new shooters coming into the market and into your shop, many of them are going to be used to well-merchandised isles and clean un-cluttered displays. Clean, well-lighted areas. Clean, nicely laid-out restrooms. Used to be your shop could look like a hunt camp, but to grow and prosper in today’s changing market, some of you may really need to get ready for the new customers you want to attract and keep. Just don’t “turn a blind eye” to what the shop really looks like… take a real look at your shop and see what needs to be done.
The whole and ultimate goal for this spring is to get people out pulling the trigger. There are a lot of new shooters in the market – and in your area – with a lot of new firearms that they need to learn how to use correctly and safely. Like any new hobby, the more training they can get, the more proficient they can become and the more they can enjoy what they have learned to do – the much greater the chance there is of keeping them in our industry – and your customer.
About:
Brownells is the world’s largest supplier of firearm parts, gunsmithing tools, reloading equipment and accessories. Stocking more than 30,000 items, the company supplies armorers, gunsmiths, and shooters worldwide. All of their products are backed by a 100% satisfaction, unconditional, lifetime guarantee. For more information, or to place an order, call 800-741-0015 or visit Brownells.com
