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. Knowledge Is Power I ncreasing your optic sales goes beyond good displays. Selling optics effectively also means qualifying your customer and going through the sales process. “The first thing I ask every customer is what kind of money he wants to put into his purchase,” Wright said. He also makes sure his frontliners are educated. “Education is a big thing in optics,” Wright said. “My whole crew knows what they’re selling, and are very familiar with the details of the products.” Abraham agrees that education is vital. “Good training of salespeople is just as important as good displays,” Abraham said. “This not only will improve sales on sport optics, it also gives the customer better service because the salesperson can analyze what the customer is going to use the item for and can sell him the right product. The customer will enjoy the product much more because it perfectly fits his needs.” Being sure frontliners are well trained is not only in the retailer’s interest, Abraham said, but in the manufacturer’s interest as well; as a result, many manufacturers provide information and training for retailers. “Education is huge,” Mundy said. “Our sales reps are excellent at educating retail- Among a variety of in-store displays offered by Minox to its dealers, the tall, vertical display is the most popular. ers, and as a company we back that up with training initiatives. We have someone who provides training to retail sales force people, and he also provides training to our sales reps to help them do a better job. All of that allows the sales force at the point of purchase to be better informed, and to do a better job of separating features and benefits between brands and between lines within a brand.” Knowledge is power, Mundy said. “That’s never more true than at the point of sale, no matter what you’re selling,” Mundy said. “The more the salesperson knows, the better job he or she will be able to do explaining the product to the customer, and making customers feel more comfortable.” Wright makes a point of letting his customers handle optics, and encourages them to take optics outside and see how they perform in “real-light” situations. “It’s hard to look through binoculars or a scope inside the store and see how they’re going to perform,” he said. Wright always goes outside with the customer and takes that opportunity to discuss the features and benefits of the particular item the customer is holding. Don’t Forget Add-Ons f you’re selling optics, you also need to stock all the bases, mounts and rings that go with them. “Dealers should take every opportunity to sell add-on products, such as mounts for riflescopes and products such as cleaning accessories for optics,” Abraham said. Wright makes sure he has whatever the customer needs when he purchases a gun/ scope combination. “I have every mount for every rifle,” I Wright said. “I have probably $7,000 to $8,000 just in mounts on display.” Mundy agrees that a good selection of these smaller items is important. “There are myriad firearms out there and often one firearm can take a number of rings and bases,” Mundy said. “Knowing the best application of mounts and rings for the caliber and the type of firearm, and for the type of shooting the person is doing, is just as important as picking the right type of scope.” You can take this concept a little further, Mundy said, and include other scope accessories, such as flip-up covers to protect lenses, retractable ballistics charts that can be attached to the tube of the scope and lenscleaning equipment. “And mounting tools are really great for the guy who wants to mount his own scope,” Mundy said. Leupold’s display presents its riflescopes in an inviting manner. 26 JUNE 2008 www.shootingindustry.com