Online "discount" gun dealers

[Panzercat]

Troll is troll. Do not feed the troll.

 

[Teachu2]

The biggest part of selling a product (any product) is educating your customers. "Dumb questions" my eye - that was your opening to teach your customer something of value, which then gives that customer the chance to value your services. Do that, and they'll be back for a $500 gun, and a $1000 one...

Treat every customer like the $100K one, and you'll end up with more sales - and more $100K customers.

 

[CZguy]

One of the reasons that I go to my LGS is that he treat's everyone the same. And I'm one of the good old boy's who buys a lot from him. I cam remember being new to the sport in the 1960s and being made to feel dumb for asking questions. I want to support new people coming into our hobby.

He also has no problem doing transfers for me at a reasonable price.

TITAN308, has a good grasp of the business....take the emotion out of it.

 

[drsfmd]

The biggest part of selling a product (any product) is educating your customers. "Dumb questions" my eye - that was your opening to teach your customer something of value, which then gives that customer the chance to value your services. Do that, and they'll be back for a $500 gun, and a $1000 one...

Treat every customer like the $100K one, and you'll end up with more sales - and more $100K customers.

Of course... hence why I spent 90 minutes with said customer rather than brushing him off after 5 minutes.

 

[TITAN308]

You keep referencing a single customer, but you give off the vibe that this is how you treat every customer who isn't dropping a sack full of money on the counter.

You have not clarified otherwise, so I am just based off the gut feeling.

Based on peoples unending stories about the attitude problems of their local gun stores, I am hesitant to think the consumer is the problem, but rather the business is not used to the increased traffic and they are just, for lack of a better term, ignorant to how businesses operate outside of their clique buyers.

I bet 95% of this forums membership can describe a "horrible" gun shop in their town.

I wonder if you would be so kind as to volunteer the data on the foot traffic of your store in 2011/12 in comparison a few years ago.

 

[drsfmd]

It's not my place to post sales numbers here... I don't own the shop. I'll suffice it to say that they have gone up dramatically over the last 5 years.

 

[357reloading]

Texas state sales tax is about 8%. I dont mind paying the tax if the store price is reasonable.

 

[jcwit]

It's not my place to post sales numbers here...

He didn't ask for sales figures, he asked for foot traffic. Entirely different.

 

[TITAN308]

I did not ask for sales number.

Just estimated foot traffic.

But you answered my inquiry.

My only suggestion would be to hire more staff if you cannot serve the client as much time as they need.

The only person in charge of your reputation is you.

You have no idea if your lack of sales is due to horrible customer service. You may think you are being a good employee when speaking to someone about a $75 gun - but you might not realize your facial expressions that others can pick up on. Or tone.

Classic pitfall for a company. It is everyone elses fault. Wait - that's society as a whole...

Lack of staff? Nope.

Attitude of staff? Nope.

Lack of Inventory? Nope.

Inflated Prices? Nope.

Nope. Nope. Nope. Its all the consumer. Yup!

 

[drsfmd]

He didn't ask for sales figures, he asked for foot traffic. Entirely different.

Fair enough. We deal with several hundred customers every day. At any given time, there is at least a dozen customers in the store.

 

[drsfmd]

My only suggestion would be to hire more staff if you cannot serve the client as much time as they need.

With the amount of time I spent with that fellow (and the countless others like him) we probably LOST money on that gun...

Are you suggesting that if a guy wants to show up as soon as we open the doors and stay there until we lock up at night while dominating the time of a clerk with questions about a $79 gun that it's appropriate to spend the entire day with said customer?

 

[TITAN308]

I'm having a hard time imagining someone spending 90 minutes on one gun.

Are you saying the customers who "hang around" are a problem - or people are talking to you about one single gun for 90 minutes?

If its a loitering issue then put a polite sign up discouraging such activity.

There is a whole industry dedicated to instructing people how to tell others to "**** and ****" in a tactful non-offensive way.

Why am I even having to elaborate on this? This is business 101.

How many staff have you taken on since the spike in the industry?

And if need be hire someone at minimum wage (college kid or something) and have him be your "talk box".

You basically tell the customer, "Pardon me - I have some business attend to, but Joe here will be happy to continue this conversation and answer all your questions."

Joe is simply paid to stand around be your windbag absorber.

 

[jcwit]

Fair enough. We deal with several hundred customers every day. At any given time, there is at least a dozen customers in the store.

Thats only a partial answer, in comparison to a few years ago?

 

[jcwit]

Taking 90 minutes to decide on one firearm? In my 50 years of buying firearms I never taken 90 minuted hemhawing about a firearm.

 

[TITAN308]

I too am getting a sense of exaggeration.

I've worked a lot of retail stores when I was younger and never had anything this bad.

Even if it did happen, no way its as common as being portrayed.

 

[drsfmd]

Thats only a partial answer, in comparison to a few years ago?

Thought I had already answered that in the initial response, but I'll say it more clearly-- foot traffic and revenue have both gone up exponentially.

I'm having a hard time imagining someone spending 90 minutes on one gun.

Are you saying the customers who "hang around" are a problem - or people are talking to you about one single gun for 90 minutes?

I am of course using an extreme example to illustrate my point. I'm not talking about "hang arounds"... our shop is generally too busy for that, so they go down the road to the guy who puts out free coffee and donuts and sells less guns in two weeks than we do in a day.

 

[TenRingGuns.com]

The biggest part of selling a product (any product) is educating your customers. "Dumb questions" my eye - that was your opening to teach your customer something of value, which then gives that customer the chance to value your services. Do that, and they'll be back for a $500 gun, and a $1000 one...

Treat every customer like the $100K one, and you'll end up with more sales - and more $100K customers.

Well said Teach, that's precisely what I do.

For example, Bud's sells for cheap but wheres the service? These are a sampling of recent posts from their Facebook page by customers:

Hey Buds! My order, 382360 is on it's seventh day. Will it ship today?

order # 386296 been over 7 days still processing. Just wondering if it is going to ship soon? Thanks

A friend of mine purchased a Ruger LCP W/CrimsonTrace laser this past Sat. the evelation screw is missing . He works out of town wants to know should he return it to buds or send to Crimson Trace

Order #380134 been over 10 days since I ordered, got a long letter saying things were back ordered. Was the item sold when u had one in stock? Let me know a timeline please, I am used to buds being speedy an efficient.

Order #379032 I am tired of waiting. Can I cancel the order and get my money back?

Is there a shipping update for #386976? This item was moved very quickly to the shipping department on Monday after payment had cleared, but hasn't shipped yet. Thanks

 

[jcwit]

Thought I had already answered that in the initial response, but I'll say it more clearly-- foot traffic and revenue have both gone up exponentially.

Things must be pretty slow today tho, right?

 

[TITAN308]

I am of course using an extreme example to illustrate my point.

Well how can you base yourself on an extreme example?

Or are you saying you feel the same way when its just 20 minutes spent and the customer does not buy is just as bad?

I'm not sure this conversation is even going anywhere.

You seem to display agitation when you are not rewarded with the instant gratification of a sale and don't show any concern or knowledge in rapport having a bigger pay off.

You guys sound like you are getting so much traffic and sales at this point you are not really concerned with addressing anything. Pound sand. Don't pound sand. Don't care, either way we have enough to be happy.

My final suggestion, as mentioned before - hire more staff, even if its just min. wage to help distract the people you don't really deal with.

You don't have to like a customer. You do have to pretend to like them.

I'm outtie.

 

[drsfmd]

Things must be pretty slow today tho, right?

Not there today, but thanks for playing

 

[jcwit]

OK, that explains it.

 

[TenRingGuns.com]

No, Titan is exactly right.

I've lost count of the feedback I've received by my new customers who had a bad experience at a local gun shop. They describe them as unhelpful, arrogant, or rude.

This is sad. Not only do shops like these not know how to run a business, (e.g. a customer who has money to spend is a customer plain and simple, it doesn't matter who they are, what they look like, or what they know or don't know) but it's a refusal on the shops part to take responsibility for their actions and offer decent service. It's like the customer has to prove something to the guys behind the counter before they'll even be acknowledged with a friendly "Hello."

Selling guns requires knowledge and the staff needs to be able to answer questions. For example, I know things because I was a cop that the average gun owner doesn't but I pass my knowledge on to my customers and learn something new. But I also learn from them too.

Rude shops like these won't be around for long, I guarantee you that.

 

[GCMkc]

It's like the customer has to prove something to the guys behind the counter before they'll even be acknowledged with a friendly "Hello."

I feel like this every time I walk into a gun store. It might be because I'm young (24) and it seems like they have this perception that I cannot afford guns or don't know diddly about them but it seems like the people at my local gun stores just aren't friendly. The people at Cabela's and Bass Pro have been way more friendly than any local gun shop. This is mainly why I shop for guns online and the fact that local store prices are jacked (Yes, I know they have to pay overhead to run a storefront).

 

[Teachu2]

I am of course using an extreme example to illustrate my point.

The danger in that is that others read it and may then consider you an extremist, or at least extremely irritable.

I used to manage a small locally-owned consumer electronics store. When I started there, sales were hovering around $1m a year. Eighteen months later, we finished my first full calendar year at just over $4m - while Circuit City and Good Guys were battling it out. I understand the frustrations of retail sales - it's not an easy job, usually.

I had a lookiloo who spent over two years "shopping" for a TV. I think I was the only guy in town who'd still talk to him, but eventually I sold him a TV. His wife wanted to kiss me - turns out he'd started shopping when their only TV had died....

You get all kinds, and you never know what surprises they'll pull...

 

[TenRingGuns.com]

I feel your pain GCM. I sell lots of guns to college students in my area and hear the same stories. Regardless, I still provide them with the best service that I can and treat them no differently than my LEO customers.

Anyhow, if there's anything you need, let me know.