Competition: don't let the big boys bully you

Shooting Industry, Dec, 1989 by Tom Rasmussen

COMPETITION Don't Let The Big Boys Bully You

Watching out for the other guy is the kind of good advice which rings true whether you're driving a car, or running a business. On the highway, it may save your life. In business, it may save your livelihood. Think of "watching out for the other guy" as a perfect definition of competition.

Healthy competition means paying attention to what the other guy is doing, while continuing or improving what you are doing. The one who beats the competition is the one who not only gets the customer, but who keeps that customer coming back. And why does that customer keep coming back? Because he prefers to come to your shop over all the others. A person prefers to shop where they are familiar; where they know the people, where they can get around easily, where they know where things are - in logical and related places. Size is not automatically proportionate to good. A small, well planned store can compete quite successfully with the biggest of them. (Notice I did not say BEST of them.)

The Mega Merchandisers

Are Coming

What has been happening to all the other categories of retailers, from home improvement to clothing to groceries, is now happening to the sporting goods and firearms industry. The mega-merchandisers are getting into the business with plans of opening behemoth-sized sporting goods super-stores in neighborhoods all across the country.

There's an irresistible temptation to think of these new, and slick super-stores as the old-style gunslinger trying to move into a western town. Maybe you'll think of yourself as the "dep-pah-dee" (deputy). It's the old story: "Is the town big enough for the both of us?" Are you going to let HIM - a stranger, a new-comer run you out of town (or in this case, out of business)?

Hell no! But how are you going to prevent it? You can't use all of the alternatives they had in the Old West. You can't just get rid of him ("him" being your competition). You have to figure out a way to survive in spite of him. You've got to prove to yourself, to him and to the customers (townspeople) that there's room enough for both of you in the same town, whatever its size.

It's Not Just A

Matter Of Bigness

Competition is not always complicated by unfair advantages. You hear "How can I compete?" and "But they've got the big money behind them. . ." These are legitimate, if over-used excuses, rather than honest explanations of why one retailer is losing business to another. Of course big money creates big opportunities and makes it easier to compete. But it's only [one] advantage. There are as many different types of advantages as there are numbers of retailers. If you know what your particular advantage is, you're a contender, and you should have just as much of a chance to succeed as all the others. The answer then, to the first question: "How can I compete?" is - use your own advantage.

What most people overlook most often as being a tremendous advantage is something they've already got. It's so obvious that few really consider how valuable it is, and how easy it will be to capitalize on it. The one thing you've got that the new kid in town won't have is your store itself. Even if you've been open only a short time ahead of the new guy, you've already got an advantage. But especially for those stores who have been in the same, reliable location for years, the obvious advantages are these:

You're Already Known; people are familiar with you, your location, your staff, your merchandise, your quality and your service. You're already a fixture, a respected (hopefully) member of the community. Remember, the new guy has to establish himself as all of those things, usually from scratch.

You've Already Got Customers; people have been coming to you for awhile. They have established a traffic pattern (which like any habit is very hard to break).

You've Established A Good Reputation; Even if you stock the same merchandise as the competition, your customer may prefer to buy it from you because you stand behind it, and because they know they can depend on you whenever they need to. Buying something a customer is not sure of, from someone they don't necessarily know or trust, is a growing dilemma for the modern shopper. Generally, as a result of that. . .

You've Got Customer Loyalty; if the shop has been doing well for any length of time, it's an indication that your customers are getting what they want, and like it. That's why they come back to you. And they'll keep coming back to you for the same reason.

Keep Your Advantage Up

When you think about it, there's a lot of factors in your favor that you've already got to compete with a new guy - no matter how big they are. But don't let your guard down too soon. From the above list of advantages, if may seem like you can ALWAYS count on your loyal customers to keep coming back. Don't kid yourself. It's not enough that people have gotten used to coming to your store. There is always the risk of losing them as soon as another store opens, if they feel more comfortable trading at that new store. In short, you have to make sure your store is the kind of place your customers (including future ones) would rather be in. How do you insure this? - with IMAGE.