Don't forget the sharpeners!

Shooting Industry, Sept, 2008 by Carolee Anita Boyles

You 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.

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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."