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From the NSSF
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New Year's ResolutionTechnology: Ignore it at your peril! By Scott Bestul With another business year drawing quickly to a close, I took a minute to browse through the FYIs that ran in the 2011 issues of SHOT Business. Often such reflection is little more than a time marker, a nostalgic review of another 12 months that passed too quickly. But in some years, a common theme emerges, and this season I was struck by an unmistakable thread: In virtually every FYI column for the season, retailers and experts I interviewed offered their take on some aspect of technology that could help us all conduct business better or more efficiently. This can be tough medicine to swallow for those of us with balding pates and graying temples. I was dragged kicking and screaming into the computer age, and even now--nearly 20 years after buying my first IBM "word processor"--when my machine crashes, I can spew venom that would earn a swat from the back of my mother's hand. But gosh darn it, when a computer works, it's a thing to behold, and I'd be a fool if I said it wasn't a time-saver and a money-maker. And, of course, technology seems to make quantum leaps each year, and in 2011 it was foremost on the minds of the retailers I interviewed. In case you've forgotten, here's a quick review. Dan Abbott, the savvy and gregarious owner of Oregon Firearms Academy, extolled the virtues of Facebook, that supposedly cutesy "social networking" site that made its inventor a billionaire and got thousands of folks--from partying college kids to straying spouses--into all kinds of trouble. Well, guess what? Facebook has all kinds of applications for the modern firearms retailer. "Done right, Facebook is just another opportunity for 'branding' your business," Abbott told us. "I view it as a free website, one that a lot of people use." Abbott is correct. Shortly after our interview (and following instruction from my 12-year-old twins), I created a Facebook page and immediately saw the site as a gold mine of free advertising and networking opportunities for any business. Let's face facts, gentlemen: The Yellow Pages may be far from dead, and websites are undoubtedly slick, but these days millions of potential customers visit Facebook every day. If you're a presence there, you've got a shot at drawing them in to your shop. Miles Hall, owner of H&H Gun Range and a constant presence in this magazine because of his business acumen, highlighted his thoughts on store security in a twopart interview recently. And guess what? High-tech surveillance devices played a huge role in our discussion. Using everything from mini-cameras to hidden microphones that plug into computer-based security networks, Hall trusts the multi-million-dollar inventory at H&H to machines that belong to a world powered by technology unavailable--or at least unaffordable--only a few years ago. We also covered online training seminars when we turned to Joel VanderHoek, co-owner of Dave's Sports Shop in Linden, Washington. VanderHoek noted the efficiency of having employees staying up-to-date on various product lines by completing computer-generated training courses that not only keep staff informed of new products, but offers instruction on the best methods for selling them. Even better, the cyber-training provides financial incentives for achieving mastery--all at zero cost to the shop owner struggling with low margins and searching for bonuses to reward good employees. These columns--all written with no prompting to retailers or forethought by this magazine--painted a clear picture: The groundswell of technological offerings available to the modern gun shop or range owner/operator is too comprehensive and alluring to ignore. As we flip the calendar to a new business year, let's all make a resolution to embrace the hardware, software, and electronic gizmos that can not only make our lives easier, but pad that bottom line.
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