Selling all things hunting: maximize the industry's money-making season with accessories hunters must have!

Shooting Industry, August, 2004 by Russ Thurman

Across the industry, there is a collective sigh of relief--the summer doldrums are ending and the industry's money-making season is about to begin. It is time to sell hunting products!

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For most gun dealers, the fall and winter months are the make-or-break season of their businesses. While not all gun dealers depend upon hunting to keep them in the black, the majority do, and maximizing this season is vital for profitability and survival.

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That means stocking, promoting and selling hunting products. Yes, you have set some heavy goals to sell a lot of firearms in the next few months, but a lion share of your profits during this time of the year is likely to be in selling all things hunting. And while you have sold a few hunting accessories already this year, the selling gets serious now--and there are customers ready to spend their money.

In 2001, hunters generated more than $67 billion in sales, according to the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. More than 13 million Americans, ages 16 and older, hunted in 2001.

"On average, each hunter spends $1,896 per year on hunting, which is 5.5 percent of the typical wage-earner's annual income," reports the association.

That is a lot of hunting products flowing through the industry's pipeline!

Don't Lose That Sale!

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How critical is it for a gun shop to carry a wide variety of hunting accessories in today's marketplace?

"We consider it to be pretty important. It's our forte," said Pat Hopkins, general manager of Green Top Sporting Goods, an independent dealer located six miles north of Richmond, Va. "What we've created here since opening in 1947 is a reputation: One Stop--Green Top."

Green Top's best-selling hunting accessories begin with scopes, mounts and scope accessories.

"Black powder accessories are also big in our area, because of the extra hunting season available to hunters," said Hopkins. "There is money in scents and calls, but it's important to know that customers don't want to go into a gun shop and only see two types of scents. We carry 60 to 70 different brands of scents and lures. In game calls we carry 12 to 14 brands and more than 300 SKUs. This is a very important category."

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Hunting clothes and gear is also essential for solid sales at Green Top.

"In clothing, a lot of customers go to a big box and find one style, one brand: and once they've sold out of larges and extra larges, the customer has to go elsewhere," Hopkins said. "We ensure we don't lose that sale."

A major sale-booster for Green Top is combos.

"We capitalize and promote very heavily our long-gun combos," said Hopkins. "We're up to 183 in combo SKUs. We mostly focus on a rifle with a scope; however, we also have shotguns with scopes for deer hunters in this area."

The combo program has had a dramatic impact on Green Top's hunting sales, Hopkins added.

"We have been doing it for the past seven or eight years, but we really started working and focusing on it during the past four years," Hopkins said. "It has increased our long-gun sales, and the accessories that go with the combo, by 15 to 20 percent. It's a big part of our long-gun and accessory business."

Scouting For The Right Accessories

With hundreds of hunting accessories available, which ones do you select for your shop? Number one, scout your marketplace. You already know what type of game your customers hunt, and what type of hunting accessories they are buying elsewhere. Find out if they would buy those products from you.

"Customers are pretty free with their comments," Hopkins said. "A lot of times I'll have a guy call me and say, 'I want to buy from you, but so and so has such a price. Can you get it for me at that price?' I'll do everything, within reason, to get that sale."

Such interaction has always been part of the sales process, but it is especially evident today, because of big box stores and Internet sales. So, it is reasonable for you to ask your customers a series of question about what hunting accessories you should carry.

Ask, "What hunting accessories are you buying this year? Where are you purchasing them? If I carried those products, would you buy them from me?"

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"You won't insult anyone with that, and you can always learn something from your customers," Hopkins said.

Building A Profitable Hunting Accessory Mix

Once you have determined the best categories of hunting accessories to carry, it is time to select the right brands for you and your customers. You likely discovered in your survey that many of your customers are partial to particular brands. For other categories, consider what other successful dealers carry.

At Green Top, Hopkins stocks a number of calls and decoy brands, including those from Duck Commander, Johnny Stewart, Lohman, Primos, Quaker Boy, Carry-Lite, Feather Flex and Roto Duck. He stocks gun cases from Brauer Brothers, Browning and Uncle Mikes, and optics from Burris, Leupold, Nikon, Swarovski and Zeiss.