General Geoff
Member
Cosmoline, would you say that firearms are as ubiquitous as cell phones up there?
How A Sale To A Female Customer Should Proceed
- Thread starter Cosmoline
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NMGonzo
Member
Just sell them what they want.
Show them the next best thing just in case;"I would not be doing my job if I did not show you this two other options ... may I?"
blackwalnut
Member
I spent 12 years in retail sales and sometimes it is refreshing to have a customer ask for a specific thing. We dont necessarily have to ask why. Of course if your curious you could ask why a certain model but then the prospect may ask you what your reason is for asking. Do you want to tell her you dont trust her judgment? We use to have a place called The Gunshop in the next suburb and over the years they developed a reputation for insulting prospects by ridiculing and picking apart their choices in firearms.
No matter what you asked for it seemed you were subjected to their opinions about your choice or even your questions. They are out of business and to this day if you want to share war stories about rude and obnoxious salespersons in a gun shop they are the ones that almost everyone seems to bring up. So smile , show the prospect the item, answer any questions with facts,fil out the paperwork , ask for related sale items, do the NICS, collect the money, and say "Thank You-Come Again". You have done your job.
No matter what you asked for it seemed you were subjected to their opinions about your choice or even your questions. They are out of business and to this day if you want to share war stories about rude and obnoxious salespersons in a gun shop they are the ones that almost everyone seems to bring up. So smile , show the prospect the item, answer any questions with facts,fil out the paperwork , ask for related sale items, do the NICS, collect the money, and say "Thank You-Come Again". You have done your job.
well i dont want to be rude but mygod thats a narrowminded way to be.
so lets say ur going into a store and wanting to buy a new tv or a media enteraiment system.
and u find urself a VHS player and ur set on ur mind.
the clerk says are u sure u dont want a dvd player. u loose ur mind and storm out because the clerk said there is no reason to buy a outdated peace of machinery that will be useless and u wont be able to buy new movies in vhs anytime soon.
well i guess its better to loose a crappy customer then to have a lifelong crappy customer.
i got one question for u guys that says its non of ur busines whats she buys.
is it fun to go to a shooting range filled with. Gangstas,internet thoguh boys old pop's and nanna's and other people that dont know how to properly handle a weapon. (and then ur moaning about Range officers being strict about range rules!?)
im all for people owning guns. but i dont want people with not skill or training to own a dangerous firearm.
its like cars u just dont start driving them without proper education. there are rules,laws and guidelines to follow. how are u supposed to follow them if u dont even know what they are?
is it fun to go to a shooting range filled with. Gangstas,internet thoguh boys old pop's and nanna's and other people that dont know how to properly handle a weapon. (and then ur moaning about Range officers being strict about range rules!?)
im all for people owning guns. but i dont want people with not skill or training to own a dangerous firearm.
its like cars u just dont start driving them without proper education. there are rules,laws and guidelines to follow. how are u supposed to follow them if u dont even know what they are?
Officers'Wife
Member
Do that to me and you better pray to God and all the Saints the weapon doesn't have the firing pin.
Officers'Wife
Member
And the clerk doesn't know or care that your wedding and your child's first steps are recorded on VHS tape.
danez71
Member
Regardless of male or female, I consider it good customer service to show them what they want and ask/say things like:
How does that feel in your hands?..... trigger reach ok? Have you made up your mind already or would you like to see some other guns too? Do you have any questions about this gun that I may be able to help with?.
Questions/customer service like that I believe brings buyers back. It helps them.
They may say that they are buying it for a SO of which case the seller pretty much knows asking more questions is probably useless.
Asking questions like " you women or scrawny men are weak... dont you think its too heavy for you ? " is a bad idea.
It not always about being tacticool.... some time its just about tact.
Tact
How does that feel in your hands?..... trigger reach ok? Have you made up your mind already or would you like to see some other guns too? Do you have any questions about this gun that I may be able to help with?.
Questions/customer service like that I believe brings buyers back. It helps them.
They may say that they are buying it for a SO of which case the seller pretty much knows asking more questions is probably useless.
Asking questions like " you women or scrawny men are weak... dont you think its too heavy for you ? " is a bad idea.
It not always about being tacticool.... some time its just about tact.
Tact
rscalzo
Member
Or someone told them that's what they should buy. I've seen it happen quite often. A good salesman will be able to ascertain the competence of the customer fairly quickly. Someone with a decent knowledge of firearms is going to insist on testing any purchase for fit, etc.
UpTheIrons
Member
And you know she didn't have any training how?
And you know that she wasn't buying to take a shooting class how?
For "The High Road", there is an awful lot if implied prejudice against "them people" that may not be as knowledgeable as "us" in this tread. :banghead:
Lighten up, and give thanks that this wasn't another "I tried to get my sister/cousin/niece to buy a firearm for her safety but she hates the idea of guns" thread.
pacerdude
Member
I guess some people wouldn't believe that my 5'1" petite mother could accurately shoot a .44 magnum revolver, the look on their faces would be the same as her boyfriend at the time ....
Looks can be deceiving guys, I guess if someone walked in and asked for a particular gun, then showing them that gun and similar guns would be a safe plan.
....Looks can be deceiving guys, I guess if someone walked in and asked for a particular gun, then showing them that gun and similar guns would be a safe plan.
CoRoMo
Member
The infamous statement that tells us more about you than we need to know.
No surprise either, that you went on to equate a God-given right with the privilege of driving a motor vehicle.
Radium said:
To me, it sounds like you're saying "I'm all for people owning guns as long as I personally approve of them."
Why should anyone else's rights be subject to what's fun or comfortable for you?
It doesn't matter whether people look like "gangsta's" or whatever other group you may prefer to avoid. All that matters is that they have the same inalienable rights that you do. Your rights are tied to theirs and vice versa.
Right now there are politicians trying to come up with ways to only allow us to exercise the rights they think we should have. You'd be wise to remember that.
DammitBoy
Member
We have a constitutional right to carry, you don't have a constitutional right to drive a vehicle.
CoRoMo
Member
The truth is, Ragnar Danneskjold's signature line was worth reading twice.
Keauxbi
Member
I'm in automotive repairs and when dealing with customers I've found that there are those that ask your opinion and those that tell you what they want, regardless of gender.
If I were in firearm sales and a woman asked for a Ruger SP 101, that's what I'd hand her. If she ask what gun is right for her, I'd fit one to her hand, ask her what caliber she wants and make the sale. No different than selling to a man.
If I were in firearm sales and a woman asked for a Ruger SP 101, that's what I'd hand her. If she ask what gun is right for her, I'd fit one to her hand, ask her what caliber she wants and make the sale. No different than selling to a man.
Anybody ever heard of Il Ling New? She's a 5' 4" 120 lbs instructor at Gunsite, teaching defensive handgun, rifle and shotgun courses, as well as hunting rifle and wingshooting. I watched her rip six shots out of an M29 .44 Mag on PDTV. She can handle a 14" barreled 870 shotgun firing slugs, too. Kinda blows the whole straw purchase ballyhoo out of the water.
She and Tom Gresham were talking about women and little guns on PDTV last year. Best advice I've ever heard on the subject: start out on a medium frame handgun firing a medium caliber, medium energy round. Those little guns take a lot of practice to get good with because they are so small (Tom cut himself while demonstrating a midget Smith, which kinda got the ball rolling). They don't offer much purchase for the paws, don't offer much mass to dampen recoil, and fire the same round as a bigger pistol or revolver. A larger pistol has the mass to cut recoil and the size to offer ample grip for better control. If given the choice between starting off with an LCR, an Airweight, or a GP-100, I'll take the GP every time simply because it weighs three times more.
I can see why the "little girl, little gun" idea got started, but it needs to be done away with. Today you can buy a revolver firing the hottest .357 Mag ammo around that weighs less than a can of Spaghetti-Os. To me that is an outstanding recipe for an injury, or even worse, permanently souring someone on the idea of shooting.
As for the original post, I'd say that went exactly as it should. A customer walked in, knew what she wanted, bought it, and left. Sounds like a perfectly good sale to me.
She and Tom Gresham were talking about women and little guns on PDTV last year. Best advice I've ever heard on the subject: start out on a medium frame handgun firing a medium caliber, medium energy round. Those little guns take a lot of practice to get good with because they are so small (Tom cut himself while demonstrating a midget Smith, which kinda got the ball rolling). They don't offer much purchase for the paws, don't offer much mass to dampen recoil, and fire the same round as a bigger pistol or revolver. A larger pistol has the mass to cut recoil and the size to offer ample grip for better control. If given the choice between starting off with an LCR, an Airweight, or a GP-100, I'll take the GP every time simply because it weighs three times more.
I can see why the "little girl, little gun" idea got started, but it needs to be done away with. Today you can buy a revolver firing the hottest .357 Mag ammo around that weighs less than a can of Spaghetti-Os. To me that is an outstanding recipe for an injury, or even worse, permanently souring someone on the idea of shooting.
As for the original post, I'd say that went exactly as it should. A customer walked in, knew what she wanted, bought it, and left. Sounds like a perfectly good sale to me.
KodiakBeer
member
An SP101 is the Ruger small frame. It shoots both .38 Special and .357 Mag. It's less expensive than a S&W. It's slightly larger and heavier than a Smith J frame (LadySmith), but smaller than a Smith K frame. Various aftermarket grips are available to fit any hand.
All in all, I can't think of a better choice for anybody (small hands or not) who wants a general purpose firearm for whatever purpose - carry, nightstand, plinking, whatever.
Why would I question her choice?
MachIVshooter
Member
If a person, male or female, comes in and says they want to buy a particular firearm, I sell it to them (or get it ordered) no questions asked. That's a no brainer, and an easy sale.
However.....
The overwhelming majority of female customers who come in only have a notion of what they may want, based on recommendations or having tried a handful of guns. If I think the one they seek is a sound option, I reinforce the decision and hand them the 4473. But if i believe the recommendation was a poor one (and it often is), I proceed accordingly. Find out what their experience level is, hand strength and reach, weight and dimension requirements, etc. and go from there. You'd be amazed how many women are unable to confidently rack the slide on that G26/27 or officer's size 1911 that they were recommended to buy. Once they discover that the manual of arms of the gun they initially sought is something they may not be able to deal with, they're more open to suggestions. I sell alot of 442's and 642's to our female customers when they figure out that authoritively racking the slide on a sub-compact autoloader requires a fair amount of hand strength.
Likewise, there is the recoil factor, especially with defensive autoloaders. My sister is an accomplished shooter, fit (5'7, 135#) and pretty strong in the hands/wrists for a girl. She shoots a Witness Match 10mm competetively. Yet she was unable to control either my Taurus PT145 or my S&W CS45 one-handed well enough to ensure reliability (limp-wrist jams), a crucial requirement for a defensive gun.
However.....
The overwhelming majority of female customers who come in only have a notion of what they may want, based on recommendations or having tried a handful of guns. If I think the one they seek is a sound option, I reinforce the decision and hand them the 4473. But if i believe the recommendation was a poor one (and it often is), I proceed accordingly. Find out what their experience level is, hand strength and reach, weight and dimension requirements, etc. and go from there. You'd be amazed how many women are unable to confidently rack the slide on that G26/27 or officer's size 1911 that they were recommended to buy. Once they discover that the manual of arms of the gun they initially sought is something they may not be able to deal with, they're more open to suggestions. I sell alot of 442's and 642's to our female customers when they figure out that authoritively racking the slide on a sub-compact autoloader requires a fair amount of hand strength.
Likewise, there is the recoil factor, especially with defensive autoloaders. My sister is an accomplished shooter, fit (5'7, 135#) and pretty strong in the hands/wrists for a girl. She shoots a Witness Match 10mm competetively. Yet she was unable to control either my Taurus PT145 or my S&W CS45 one-handed well enough to ensure reliability (limp-wrist jams), a crucial requirement for a defensive gun.
And loan officers should have a long talk with their black customers about budgeting before giving them a loan because you just know that otherwise they're likely to bite off more than they can chew and end up defaulting.
See how ignorant that sounds?
Let every customer stand on their own merits and get everyone to fully inspect a gun before selling it.
blakeci
Member
+1 ^
how will people learn to do their homework before making a purchase, it they are never allowed to make a poor choice?
how will people learn to do their homework before making a purchase, it they are never allowed to make a poor choice?
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