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    Tag: how to get customers

    Gun Shows

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    Laura Siegert December 6, 2021
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    Forum Description

    You've been working hard honing your skills, have several display guns perfected, and you're ready to offer your services to a large audience: the local gun show. Gun shows are a great way to reach your target audience in a matter of hours/days. We wanted to share a few tips we've learned along the way to help you wow your potential customers.

    We typically do gun shows once a month or once every other month, depending on what is going on in the shop. Our intent for setting up our display at a gun show is not to sell anything, but to sell ourselves. There are plenty of guns already for sale, so we don't feel the need to compete.

    LOOK PROFESSIONAL

    Projecting confidence in your product and ability goes a long way. When people ask you questions (and they will!) if you don't know an answer, be honest. Let them know you can find that answer for them! Work on your approach to customers. You'll have those who are stoic, hover, and just want to see what you have. You'll also have people who are excited about what you have on display and will start talking before you even have a chance to open your mouth. Both these types of people are your potential customers.

    One thing we do is request to be at the least busy part of the showroom floor, preferably at the end of an aisle. When you are pigeonholed into a busy aisle space, people feel rushed and won't be able to really absorb what you have to offer. They will feel less inclined to talk with you because of people crowding the aisle. You want people to hang out at

    We rent anywhere from 7-10 tables; however, first starting out we had two. You don't want to have so many tables that you look like you don't have a lot of display guns, but you certainly don't want to overcrowd your tables, either. You want people to be able to stand and look at your gun without being distracted by the sheer amount of stuff crowded on your table.

    We have fitted, polyester table covers that we put over our tables. Some of our covers are printed with our company information, others are blank. We found our blank table covers for only $10 online! We also have a 15' tall feather flag. You can see that flag all the way across the hall and it sticks up above everyone else's banners. For our guns, we have custom displays that allow our guns to "stand up"...we do not lay any guns on the table, they are all on displays. An inexpensive display option is 3-D printed display stands.

    When you are working on your setup for a gun show, keep in mind that you need a variety of guns. You want to showcase as many different patterns and techniques as you can. Make sure you have plenty of business cards laying out for people to take with them. Be sure that you have all of your contact information on those business cards, including how to find you on social media.

    Another idea we've added to our tables...a television! We bought a clearance smart television, created a slide show of projects and videos of our crew working on projects, and put it on a loop at the gun show. People love seeing the video and will stand there watching. These people will gain trust in you because of your transparency and can see much more of your work than what you have on display.

    Although we don't go with the intention of selling our guns, we have in the past been offered enough that we sold that gun! So be prepared and take along Form 4473s with you.

    TALKING POINTS

    One thing we ask people when they are looking quietly is, "Do you know anything about Cerakote?" It's a simple question and you'll be surprised at the number of people who have either heard of it but know nothing or have never even heard of it. This is a great opportunity to give a few facts and start a conversation. One ice breaker we use is, "Cerakote is a ceramic-based firearm's finish that is 100X more abrasion resistant than blueing." Here's the link for you to show you abrasion comparisons: https://www.cerakote.com/resources/testing

    As I said earlier, we do have that ice breaker conversation with customers but what else do you want your customers to know? Well, the simple answer is to know your product and the conversation will flow. The Cerakote website has all kinds of testing data that you can use to explain Cerakote's durabilty. You can discuss the different series Cerakote offers, application thickness, corrosion resistance, and the number of colors Cerakote offers.

    If you have any talking points that seem to draw in customers, leave them in the comments below!

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