Maximize your time at SHOT Show 2004

Shooting Industry, Jan, 2004 by Karl Lee

It's SHOT Show time! Are you ready for the 26th annual trade show, to be held in Las Vegas next month?

Before you start walking the convention center's show floor, there are a few things you should do to make the 2004 show the best one you've ever attended.

"Some retailers plan for their trip to the SHOT Show but, unfortunately, many don't," said Steve Fifer, director of sales, coastal division, at Henry's. "It's been my observation over the years that the better-run businesses all come prepared to one degree or another."

Retailers go to the SHOT Show for different reasons. Regardless of why you go, keep your purpose clearly in mind.

"The most basic thing is to have a plan of attack," Fifer said. "If you're looking for new products, then your thought processes and your actions need to be geared that way. If you're looking for the best deal on a specific category, that's different from looking for new product. If you say, 'I want to do everything,' you're going to run out of time and spin your wheels. You need to have a plan and stay focused."

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Once you know what you want to accomplish, grab your copy of December's Shooting Industry magazine. It, along with this issue, has a lot of information about what's going on at this year's SHOT Show. In this issue, there's also the invaluable foldout Floor Map and Exhibitor's Guide.

Now you can begin planning on who you're going to see, and when. Ask your employees what products they hear customers talking about. Listen to your front-liners. They hear your customers talk, compliment and complain, and they know what your customers want.

After you've gone over your sales numbers, inventory, product mix and customer input, and reviewed information about new products and trends, you have the data you need to develop your strategy.

"I start out by making an A, B, and C list," said Carl Ingrao, owner of Four Seasons Gun Shop in Woburn, Mass. "I have a list of vendors I absolutely must see, which is my 'A' list. My 'B' list are vendors I really should go and see. Then my 'C' list is people I'll check out if I have time."

Working on a spreadsheet program, Ingrao combines information from the floor map with his lists to create a working schedule. Ingrao said he sets up his plan on the computer, but he's seen other retailers use different methods. It's not the method, but the outcome that's important.

"I don't zigzag all over the place," Ingrao said. "I set it up so I see everyone I need to see in the 500 aisle, for instance, then in the 600 aisle, then in the 700 aisle, until I'm done with my 'A' list."

Once he's seen everyone on his "A list," Ingrao said, he moves to his "B list" and starts the process all over again.

"I just don't want to miss anything I need to do," he said. "It's really easy to get sidetracked if you don't have a list to work from."

There are two schools of thought about setting up appointments; some retailers set appointments, others don't. Keep in mind that some vendors only work by appointment.

"I tried setting appointments in the past, and found that it just doesn't work for me," Ingrao said. "I'd make one appointment at 11 a.m. and another one at noon. Then the first one would go longer than I expected, and the next thing I'd know things would run over. I'd get rushed and wouldn't be able to see all the things I wanted to see, and all my other appointments would be backed up."

Fifer has a different perspective.

"I think it's important to set appointments," he said. "If a factory has manufacturers' reps, make an appointment with the rep who calls on you. I would definitely recommend appointments with the factories who have big, comprehensive lines that are an important part of your business, or the ones that you know will be crowded all the time."

If you decide to make appointments, start calling now. Calendars fill up well in advance of the show dates, so call your major vendors to make an appointment.

If you take employees with you to the SHOT Show, or if you're a two-owner store and you both attend, divide up the appointments by product category, floor location, or some other method. Each evening sit down and discuss what happened during the day, and make needed adjustments to your strategy.

After you've kept your pre-set appointments or taken care of your catch-as-catch-can vendor visits, see those vendors whose product lines have shown potential for your store or who have expressed an interest in working with you on pricing, product mix terms or shipping dates.