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. Carolee Anita Boyles Don’t Forget The Sharpeners! ou sell lots of great knives to your customers, but how often do they sharpen those knives? If they’re like most folks, it’s probably not often — or ever. Only a few people sharpen their knives regularly, and of those who do, most of them don’t do a very good job. This means you have a vast opportunity for add-on sales when you sell knives — and even when you don’t. Keeping a variety of knife sharpening tools in your store and showing your customers how to use them means dollars in your pocket. “Gun dealers are selling to a lot of hunters and outdoors people,” said Ralph Johnson, vice president of Eze-Lap. “Knives are tools that they regularly use and a sharpener is a logical add-on sale for them.” Carrying sharpening equipment also allows you to be a complete supplier of knife products. “They’re a great up-sell and they’re profitable,” said Mark Brandon, president of DMT. “Margins are going to vary, but they’re competitive with knives themselves.” Furthermore, carrying knife sharpeners may increase your overall knife profits. “You may be able to sell higher-quality knives because your customers know they can maintain them,” Brandon said. “A customer is more likely to buy a better knife, rather than one he’s going to use until it’s dull and then throw away.” Y The “Try Me” POP display gives customers a chance to testdrive a Lansky sharpener. The DVD offers tips. Train Your Customers he most important part of selling knife-sharpening equipment, Johnson said, is education. Customers don’t always know how to make the best use of knife-sharpening equipment, so it’s up to you to teach them. “No matter how good the sharpening tool is, if the customer doesn’t know how to use it, he’s not going to get a good result with it,” Johnson said. “And if he doesn’t get a good result with it, the gun dealer isn’t going to get repeat sales out of it. So education is crucial for this category of products.” Manufacturers of sharpening equipment have all kinds of tools available to help you teach your customers how to use knife sharpeners correctly. At the SHOT Show this year, Lansky Sharpeners displayed a million dollars at their booth to emphasize how retailers can increase their profits by selling the proper accessories. “The million dollars is a way of getting dealers to look at what we can do for them,” said Arthur Lansky LeVine, president of Lansky Sharpeners. “We want dealers to know they can make a lot of money selling our sharpeners. They get the best sharpeners on the market, and we can show them how to make sales.” Lansky Sharpeners has introduced a “Try Me” point-of-purchase, countertop-demonstration display, as well as a seven-minute instructional DVD showing how to use their sharpeners. The centerpiece of the POP is a Lansky sharpener attached to a 9" x 11" acrylic-enclosed poster, with easy sharpening in- T structions for the customer to follow. Your customers can give the sharpener a test-drive right at your counter. Be prepared, of course, with an inventory of Lansky sharpeners. Once customers give the sharpener a try, they’ll want one — or two. The Lansky video, “Sharpening Systems Instructional Video,” is available free to The Model D5F Diamond Sharpener from dealers — and con- Eze-Lap Diamond Products features fine (600) sumers. The video grit diamond crystals for sharpening a dull presents three easy knife in seconds. steps to developing precision edges with Lansky’s controlled-angle Sharpening System kits. The video also is presented on Lansky’s Web site. 22 SEPTEMBER 2008 www.shootingindustry.com