Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. Lisa Parsons-Wraith Woman Gun Dealer Shares Secrets To Women’s Market S uccessful customer relations are the cornerstones of a good business plan. You need to know your customer base and their shooting needs. Once a business establishes these parameters, the focus should be on customer service and client retention. Especially in the women’s market, customer service is the gun dealer’s most powerful tool, and a reputation for womenfriendly staff can really increase your female customer base. Stonewall Gun Shop and Pistol Range in Broadview Heights, Ohio, has the inside track on the women’s market, as it’s presided over by a woman. President and managing agent Diane Donnett has been at the helm of Stonewall for 13 years and says business is great. “I’m doubling and tripling my business,” Donnett said. “We’re having a phenomenal year.” Stonewall specializes in self-defense and target shooting firearms. “The indoor range really brings people in. It’s phenomenal,” Donnett said. Because of the indoor range, Stonewall is able to offer a wide variety of classes including NRA courses and hunter safety courses. When women come to Donnett looking for a gun, she always recommends they take a basic handgun class. She said the classes are attended, predominantly, by women and this makes the ladies feel more comfortable. Revolvers in .38 are big sellers at Stonewall Gun Shop — especially the Taurus Model 85 series. “It’s important for women to attend a class,” Donnett said. “You can’t explain recoil. Until they shoot, they can’t understand it.” Donnett also stressed that classes give women a chance to try different guns to get a feel for what works for them. “Women come to us for recommendations and I always tell them to take lessons and get educated so they know what they like. If everybody had the same taste, we’d all be driving Chevy trucks,” Donnett said. Even after women take a basic handgun class, buying a firearm is still a big decision. Gun dealers and their staff need to draw on their expertise to determine a woman’s needs and how she wants to use the gun. “A lot of women don’t know what questions to ask,” Donnett said. “You have to read between the lines. Is it for home defense? Are there children at home? Other adults? You almost have to pick out what they want. You really need to listen.” Once the word gets out that your store is responsive to women’s needs, ladies will send their friends to you. Donnett said most of Stonewall’s women customers hear about them through word-of-mouth. Self-Defense Sells T he number one self-defense gun sold to women at Stonewall Gun Shop is the .38 revolver. “The revolver is tried and true,” Donnett said. “You can shoot a revolver through a purse if you have to.” Stonewall’s bestselling model is the Taurus Model 85 series. Donnett said this is a great starter gun for most women because of its ease of operation and low price-point. She also noted many women start with a .38 and then, as they get into shooting, move up to a 1911-style .45. When it comes to buying holsters, Donnett said women have a different consumer style than men. “Ladies research before they buy. They want to be educated before buying,” she said. “They’re not impulse shoppers. Men will buy a bunch of different holsters. Women make up their mind, buy it and use it.” Stonewall stocks a wide range of holsters, including purse holsters from Roma Leather. Donnett said the Roma purse holster line is popular because they sell at an affordable pricepoint, she’s able to stock three or four different styles, and the purses stand up well over time. “Women are looking at how much they’re going to use it. Not many women can afford a high-end $600 purse. You sell FEBRUARY 2008 maybe one a month, but $20 purses really sell,” Donnett said. She notices about 5 percent of her customers go for high-end purse holsters. Fanny packs are also very popular holster options. “Fanny packs Its price-point and durability make the sell better than Roma Leather purse holster popular anything else,” with women. Donnett said. Popular brands include BlackHawk, Galco and DeSantis. The Dual Carry from DeSantis is an on-the-body holster and is a bestseller at Stonewall. Donnett said her customers really like the in- or outof-the-pants versatility of this belt holster. WWW.SHOOTINGINDUSTRY.COM 20