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. Expanding Sales Without Expanding Space continued from page 28 B “There was another factor, too. A great many of Dad’s regular male customers hadn’t been as successful as they wished in getting the women in their lives interested in guns. Bringing them in here, they found those ladies related well to a woman who ran a gun shop. The result has been a lot more women getting into shooting around here, and a lot more female customers for the shop,” Ashley said. egun as a hobby, the Sand Burr Gun Ranch is a small and unpretentious facility. Ashley considered physical expansion as business grew, but decided to take other routes to increase sales. Internet Sales. “Dad’s not a computer kind of guy, but like most people my age, I grew up with a computer,” Ashley said. “I was comfortable exploring Internet sales. Dad’s kind of a Smith & Wesson guru and has a strong reputation with the collectors who like partic- ular S&Ws. He knows where to get the really good stuff and the really rare stuff. With Internet sales, we can sell much more quickly in the more limited and more specific markets for rare and unusual guns.” Catalog Sales. “I make it known that we will sell a customer any new gun for 10 percent above our cost, and I’ve found that a pile of catalogs takes up a lot less space than a pile of guns. This has let us sell a lot more firearms without having to create inventory space for them,” Ashley said. Bulk Ammo Sales. “We have a Wal-Mart less than 10 minutes away, and we can’t compete with them on prices for Winchester white box 9mm,” Ashley said. “Instead, we’ve brought in the American Ammunition line, which performs the same function for plinking and practice ammo needs and allows us to pretty much equal WalMart pricing, with an atmosphere that’s much more attractive to gun people than a big-box store.” “A pile of catalogs takes up a lot less space than a pile of guns.” With Millett Precision Hunting Optics and Mounting System Millett windage adjustable scope mount systems are the most significant improvement to the traditional Weaver-Style mount in many years. All components are made of heat treated nickel steel for rock solid durability. When compared to others, 3 - 12 X 44 AO Millett scopes & scope mounts can’t be beat! Turn-In Mounts Millett New Generation Side Focus Scope Series Angle-Loc Mounts 4 - 16 X 56 Side Focus Available in three reticles 1 (800) 645-5388 16131 Gothard Street • Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 842-5575 • FAX (714) 843-5707 • www.millettsights.com CIRCLE NO. 261 ON INQUIRY CARD Ancillary Sales. “Dad’s philosophy was always to sell the customer a quality gun at a good price,” Ashley said. “Mine is to do that, and also show the customer what else he needs to get the most use and the most fun out of his gun. “When a guy came in wanting a .44 Magnum, Dad would sell him a Smith Model 629. When the same guy comes in now, I’ll sell him a Model 629, at least one holster, speedloaders and a speedloader carrier, aftermarket grips, some .44 Special ammo for plinking, some full-power .44 Magnum practice ammo, some hot hunting loads and some homedefense ammunition.” Tie-In Sales. Notes Ashely, “Dad will sell an all-day pass to the range for $20, with a special package rate for families and groups. The setting lends itself to picnics and makes it an attractive all-day destination trip. People end up walking over to the gun shop to buy more targets and more ammo, and a lot of them make impulse purchases of guns that are easier to shoot in high volume for long periods of time. The range and the gun shop, as you might imagine, complement one another very well.” Ashley Reichard’s revitalization of an already-successful retail firearms store has lessons for everyone in the business. 9 30 SHOT SHOW EXTRA SUPER ISSUE 2008 • www.shootingindustry.com