Selling optics can end up being a more difficult task than you’d think. Often, customers want what you have, but a brand you don’t, or something similar. Getting conversions on sales of the optics you have in the case is the number one goal.
How can you make that happen?
GOOD-BETTER-BEST
The way your assortment is structured is going to be the most important factor in how the customer perceives the shopping experience. I’m a big fan of presenting a good-better-best assortment that offers flexibility in features as well as budgets.
In some instances, you can do this with one line. Brands like Riton and Leupold do a great job of delineating their lines with designators that clearly convey the level of the product. Customers can know that going from a 1 Primal Riton scope, to a 3 or 5 Primal Riton scope keeps them in the hunting family, but takes them up a tier in build quality, features, and, of course, price.
3 Primal Optic from Riton is a Good Middle of the Road for Value verse Performance. It’s a solid performer at an affordable price point!
Similarly, there are differences between brands. Adding a premium brand for those discerning shoppers, and an entry-level brand for those on a budget, help you create a well-rounded, complete optics offering, and that’s the first step to selling more optics.
LESS IS MORE
Keeping that assortment manageable can seem like a chore, but your employees have to be able to answer questions about the product.
Confidence sells product. If you invest in bringing inventory in, but your employees can’t answer questions about the product, sales will suffer. Finding the balance between having enough product to offer a complete assortment, and having so much that they can’t speak intelligently about the product is important.
Take the time to try to set up a training with a rep or someone from the brand. Ask about training opportunities or resources. Most brands have far more available than you think, and are happy to share them. They know the more your employees know about the product, the more they will sell.
KEY FEATURES
Every product has a hook. It can be anything. Sometimes it’s the price, or the brand, or a special reticle or design element.
Make sure your employees know the key features and use those to help differentiate from the other products in the case.
A perfect example is the Riton Promise Warranty. Did you know that Riton offers an unlimited lifetime warranty, even on red dots? No carve out for those pistol dots that end after two years. That’s a significant upgrade over a lot of other dots in the case, and it’s important for your customers to be conveying things like that to customers who may not know.
Maybe its conveyed with signage in the case, even as a reminder to store staff, but whatever the hook is that got you to bring that product in, you need to make sure it is communicated all the way down to every employee. Their communication of that fact may be the difference between those products moving or collecting dust.
Offering customers a product with a Lifetime Warranty helps to insure their purchase will last forever. This 3 Tactix MPRD 3 from Riton is a one time investment for under $350.
BUNDLE IT UP
A lot of shops miss the opportunity to sell more products by not just installing it for display purposes. Customers like to mess with a product that is ready to go. They like the easy button.
Put two pistols in a case. One, straight out of the box. The other, with a Riton 3 Tactix MPRD pistol dot and Streamlight TLX-1 installed.
See which one people ask to see. Include a concealed carry holster. Build a bundle, put some sharp pricing on it, and watch it move.
It’s no secret that the real margin is in accessories right now, but it’s too easy when it isn’t already ready to go for a customer to say they will take care of that later. When you make it easy for them, have everything mounted and ready to go, maybe even boresighted, it’s a lot harder to say no.
Not only do you increase the overall size of the cart going out the door, but you also help boost your accessory sales. It’s a great plan all the way around!
LET THEM LOOK
Selling optics out of a case is really difficult. Picking up a scope and looking through it while holding it, isn’t much better. Nothing looks as good as it should. It’s absolutely worth investing in a couple stocks with snap-in rings that you can drop a scope into and let customers compare. Trying to hold a scope to your eye, unsupported, standing, will NOT give you a good idea of the optical clarity of the scope. There are too many axes moving at the same time to maintain a proper eye box, eye relief, or sight picture.
If, however, you can put a scope into a dummy stock and view from a supported position with the stock on the shoulder, everything looks better. The customer gets a better impression of the product, are happier with what they see, and is more likely to make a purchase.
It seems like such a small thing, and maybe even and inconvenience, but I’ve never talked to a shop that really felt like they were selling as many optics as they thought they could. Often, the missed sales are in the margins. Little things like a stable platform to compare optics can be the difference between “I’ll take it,” and “Let me think about it.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think a lot of shops think of optics as something that sells itself. To some extent, that may be true, but there’s also a lot you can do to put the cards in your favor when it comes to selling optics, and we covered a lot of them here.
The last thing I would mention is don’t be afraid to reach out to brand partners to ask them about solutions and ideas. Brands talk to dealers of all kinds in all sorts of areas. If there is something that is working, they are probably hearing about it. If you’re having issues with something, you probably aren’t the only one.
Don’t be afraid to reach out for training, support, or ideas to your brand partners. Nobody wants your business to succeed more than the brands that supply the products you are selling.
Let them be a resource for your shop so you can maximize sales in all categories.
To locate an Optics dealer near you, visit www.lipseys.com/dealerfinder