Shooting Industry’s “Woman’s Issue” Highlights Ways To Welcome Women
“If the majority of women can shed the invisibility cloak when they walk through your door, then you’re not only boosting the bottom line, but also helping ensure the Second Amendment is safe for untold future generations of Americans, regardless of gender,” proposes Tiffany Johnson in Shooting Industry’s fourth annual Woman’s Issue presented in the March edition. The issue’s 11 features and columns center on one objective for dealers: Don’t dismiss 50% of your customers.
In her feature, “The Invisible Woman,” Johnson shares an anecdote many — if not all — women have experienced in a gun store: standing at the counter to make a purchase and being ignored by associates. She offers five tips for retailers and trainers to rid their facilities of “invisible woman” syndrome.
Women make up nearly half of new gun owners today, and according to Ava Flanell, it takes more than “including free tampons in the bathroom or setting chocolates out on the counter” to make them feel welcome.
“The face of gun owners is changing,” asserts Flanell in “8 Ways To Retain Women & Encourage Growth.” “Expand employment, including your instructors, to younger generations, women and different ethnicities. This opens the opportunity for customers to relate to their instructor or salesperson more.”
Additional feature content includes Mia Anstine’s insights on why stores should endeavor to understand the psychology of a woman to attract her attention, earn her trust and her purchasing power in “Understanding Her Mindset.” FMG Publications’ Video Producer Shari LeGate encourages a “Full-Circle Approach” to appeal to more customers through multi-generational marketing. And Carolee Anita Boyles introduces three women who share their journey to finding success as instructors and dealers in “Forging Her Own Path.”
Rounding out the issue, Shoot Like A Girl Founder Karen Butler explains in order for new shooters to become safe, responsible gun owners, they need more than a gun in the Arms & The Woman column. When Mom gets involved in the shooting sports, it can quickly become a “family affair.” Robyn Sandoval, co-owner of A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League, highlights the merits of time spent together on the range in the Best Practices installment. Massad Ayoob outlines how technology is improving handgun handling and effectiveness — a traditional barrier to entry to armed self-defense for those with physical limitations — in Personal Defense Market.
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