Being an expert on a subject doesn’t necessarily mean knowing everything about it. It simply means knowing more than most others about it and having a level of knowledge that he or she can share to help others learn more.

Does that apply to you regarding concealed carry handguns, long-range rifles, range-finding binoculars and many other products you stock in your retail establishment?

By becoming an expert on your products, you can better help your customers meet their needs and maximize profits. I’m not saying it’s easy to become an expert on every product you sell. But since you’re already selling firearms and related equipment, you already have expertise in at least some things. That leaves less of an uphill climb to become an expert in topics in which you don’t currently have a complete understanding.

Here are some ways to use your expertise — and gain more expertise — to serve your customers better.

Expert or Pretender?

One way to use your expertise is to sell things you know. In other words, concentrate on selling products that you already have extensive knowledge of and can share that knowledge with your customers. 

That doesn’t mean limiting your selection of products to just those about which you have a high level of expertise. Concentrating heavily on those things will make you more successful at sales and make your customers feel like they had a better purchasing experience. 

Also, learn about the products you sell. Few things are more frustrating to customers than shopping for guns or gear and realizing they know far more about both than the salesperson. Anyone who has ever purchased guns or equipment at Walmart fully understands this concept.

Fortunately, you don’t have to know everything about all the products you stock. That’s why you have carefully selected employees working with you on your sales effort.

Utilizing key employees fully is another way to build your expertise without studying specific topics yourself. You don’t have to be an expert on everything as long as you have employees working with or for you who know pertinent topics.

This requires managers to let their employees concentrate their sales efforts on things they are passionate about and understand well. It might even mean adding new salespeople so current ones can become somewhat more specialized. Either way, it is easier than a shop owner or manager trying to learn all the ins and outs of every product on every shelf.

The same can be said when hiring sales employees for your business. A good manager knows where his weak points lie and sets out to find employees who are strong in those areas, even if they lack knowledge in some other facets of equipment. 

For example, if you know everything in the world about the AR-15 platform but have limited knowledge of EDC knives, their specifications and usage, hiring a salesperson who knows ARs but doesn’t have knowledge of knives doesn’t build your business’s expertise level. But by seeking out an employee who loves nothing more than “talking knives” with anyone who will listen, your business will gain much-needed expertise in an area previously absent.

Demonstrating Knowledge

Traditional media outlets provide another way to draw customers by demonstrating and sharing your expertise. Reporters, be they print, broadcast or online, are always hungry for good sources and story ideas. If you can provide both you’re well on your way to establishing yourself as a local expert. 

Odds are you pick up on trends in the shooting sports world before your local newspaper. They might be interested in knowing you’re seeing a notable uptick in handgun sales, that enrollment in gun safety courses has risen significantly, or just in having an expert explain to their audience the practical differences between automatic and semi-automatic firearms. 

As more people learn of your expertise, you’ll likely get calls from reporters who need to interview an expert on a particular topic for their journalistic endeavors. You’re not directly selling anything in these cases, but you’re providing insight and perspective with the local community, and that makes you a resource. Capitalize on this newfound expert status by making yourself available to all who could benefit your business. 

Taking advantage of your website and social media opportunities also lends credibility to you and your business and increases the number of people who see you as an expert in your field. Writing a regular blog for your website lets you communicate directly with customers and let them know about the topics in which you have lots of expertise. Posting those blogs on social media channels like Facebook helps the word spread quickly and expands your audience over and above those who just visit your website occasionally.

Facebook promotions like equipment giveaways draw lots of interest and are often shared with customers’ friends who might have never heard of your business. Word can travel quickly via social media, so hours after a new promotion, the number of potential customers who know about your retail outlet and recognize your expertise can increase dramatically.

Another method of gaining expertise to boost sales is learning about and taking advantage of educational opportunities that might be available. These might include seminars by gunmakers that they offer to their retailers (whether in person or via video), programs by optics representatives to fill you in on the latest information or even classes at local gun ranges that focus on some aspect of shooting where you lack direct knowledge. 

More Expert Strategies

With limited time, resources and employees, focusing more on the important stuff when honing your expertise is wise. For example, if you make 50% of your income selling modern sporting rifles and 5% on knives, concentrating on becoming an expert on MSRs before doing so on knives just makes good business sense.  

It’s wise to take a little time to write down what categories represent different amounts of your store’s income on paper. Then, on the same paper, note which categories you or a current store employee already know enough about to be considered an expert. Such a list will help you better utilize your skills and the skills of your sales personnel while also giving clues about the kinds of employees you might need to hire to fill any perceived gaps in knowledge.

Another way to utilize your expertise positively that could lead to increased sales in the future is to focus on newcomers to guns and shooting. Far too often, beginners visit a shop only to experience rudeness and what they take as disdain from salespeople. Trust me, they won’t purchase anything at a shop where they are treated like that, and they sure won’t recommend it to friends. (In fact, they’re likely to tell everyone they know about their experience, even all their friends on social media.)

By having a beginner’s day activity, you can non-threateningly invite potential customers into your shop and share your expertise. Even a simple seminar on what they need to take to the range for a shooting session and how to act there will show them that you are both an expert and care about their participation.  

As a shooting sports retailer, you likely cater to quite a few competitive shooters who buy your products for use in various types of matches. Shooting matches with these competitors will let you learn more about the equipment you sell, and your customers learn more about you.

Shooting a few USPSA matches with your customers will let you know about the kinds of equipment they prefer and the challenges they face. That can make you a more empathetic salesperson and give you ideas on what types of equipment you should be carrying that are not currently in your inventory. At the same time, customers who see you out on the range competing know that you are “their kind of people” and are more likely to buy their equipment from you than some faceless online retail outlet.

Don’t limit yourself to USPSA matches, however. You likely have customers who participate in competitive venues like IDPA, 3-Gun and others. Long-range shooters and the competitions they compete in are another avenue of opportunity.

Lastly, one of the hardest things for most people to do is use negative feedback constructively. However, by exploring negative feedback, those in the retail business can learn what subjects they need to get smarter on to better please customers. 

Admittedly, that’s not an easy thing to do for anyone with an ounce of pride in their work. But as the old saying goes, the customer is always right.