Optics Smart
By Boyles, Carolee Anita
Focus On Education And Generate Sales! In optics sales, what you don’t know will hurt your business. Optics have a high mystery factor. What makes one model work better than another? Which reticle is best? What is phase-correction? Can you explain parallax? Why the often drastic difference in selling prices?
“If the sales person behind the counter doesn’t really understand the optics category, he has a tendency to grab for the least expensive item first,” said Sven Harms, vice president of sales and marketing for Steiner Binoculars. “That really keeps revenue dollars out of the dealer’s cash register that he could have gotten.”
Tim Faust, national sales manager for Carson Optical, says optics often look alike on the outside, but they can be really different on the inside, whether the difference is coating, magnification or objective lens size. Add all the different ways outdoorsmen use optics and it becomes even more complicated.
“For example, in the Northeast where I live, a lot of us hunt with Sx binoculars because we’re not looking great distances,” Faust said. “However, if you’re out in Wyoming or Montana, you may be using 1Ox or even 12x binoculars because you’re hunting over very long distances.”
And, customers expect you to be an expert.
“It’s important that you really know what you’re talking about so you can meet the needs of the consumer,” said Frank Devlin, national sales manager for Steiner.
Meeting that need is profitable.
“Margins on optics generally range from the 15-percent range up to around the 22-percent range,” Devlin said. “At Steiner we target our margins up in the 30-percent range.”
Optics knowledge also gives a dealer an edge, regardless of the economics of a market area.
“Even a small dealer can draw in affluent customers if he has expertise,” Harms said. “Once a retailer is educated about optics, and the word gets out – that’s what brings people through the door.”
The 2007 Steiner Peregrine XP, offered in 8×44 and 10×44, features a new high-pressure, die-cast, lightweight Magnesium chassis.
Leupold Celebrates 100 Years
This year, Leupold & Stevens celebrates its 100th anniversary.
“Ultimately, we could not have reached this centennial without the entire Leupold family – the employees who provide the inspiration and dedication to building what many consider the best sporting optics in the world,” said Tom Fruechtel, Leupold president and CEO. “I know the founders would be pleased with the success we have worked so hard to achieve.”
To celebrate its 100th year, Leupold has introduced Gold Ring Binoculars, with Switch/Power Technology; VX-7 Riflescopes, with Xtended Twilight Lens System and SpeeDial adjustments; and Boone and Crockett Edition Rangefinders and Binoculars.
Happy anniversary, Leupold! Visit www.leupold.com.
Optics Education On The Web
Many optics companies provide valuable training and assistance to help dealers increase sales. In addition, they offer excellent – and immediate – educational materials on their Web sites.
If you want to increase your optics sales today, sign onto the Web sites of the optics companies whose products you carry. Examine – study – the information, and print it for distribution to your sales forces. You and your team will gain confidence and, more important, sales.
Here is a sampling of Internet sites where you can gain an Optics PhD.
Alpen Outdoor Corp: www.alpefloutdoor.com – On home page, click “Terminology.”
Barska: www.barska.com – On home page, click “Support” for downloadable resources, including a terminology dictionary.
Burris Co: www.burriscompany.com – On home page, click “Ballistic Plex, Ballistic Mil-Dot and Lighted Reticles” for an explanation of how the reticles work. Or, scroll down and click “Dealers Resources” for a password-protected section with information for dealers.
Bushnell: www.bushnell.com – On each product page, click the ‘Tech Talk” tab.
Carson Optical: www.carsonoptical.com – On home page, click “FAQs.” Also, click “Binocular Report Results from Independent Laboratory Test.”
CenterPoint Precision Optics: www.centerpointoptics.com – On home page, click ‘Terminology.”
Horus Vision: www.horusvision.com – On home page, click “Demos” or “Manuals.”
Kahles North America: www.kahlesoptik.com – On home page, click “EnglishNorthAmerica,” then “Support.”
Kowa Optimed: www.kowa-usa.com – On home page, scroll down and click “Document Download Center.”
Leica Sport Optics: www.leicacamera.com – On home page, click “English,”"USA,” then “Downloads.”
Leupold & Stevens: www.leupold.com – On home page, scroll to the bottom and click “Resources.”
Meopta USA: www.meopta.com On home page, scroll to the bottom and click “Downloads.”
Minox USA: www.minox.com – On home page, click “Hunting Optics,” then a product category.
Nikon: www.nikonsportoptics.com On home page, scroll down and click “Optics from A to Z.”
Redfield Optics: www.redfieldoptics.com – On home page, click ‘Technology.”
Sightron: www.sightron.com – On home page, click “ExacTrack.” Also click on “Subscribe to our Newsletters.”
Simmons Outdoor Corp.: www.simmon-soptics.com – On home page, click “Simmons Master Series Video Interactive.”
Steiner: www.steiner-binoculars.com – On home page, click a product category, scroll to bottom of page, click “Downloads.”
Swarovski Optik North America: www.swarovskioptik.com – On home page, click “Glossary.”
Tasco: www.tasco.com – On home page, click optics category, then “Basics” panel.
Trijicon: www.trijicon.com – On home page, place cursor over “Applications,”"Products” or “Specialty Pages.”
U.S. Optics: www.usoptics.com – On home page, click ‘Tech.”
Yukon Advanced Optics: www.yukonamericas.com – On home page, scroll down to “Support,” click “User Manuals.”
Zeiss Sports Optics: www.zeiss.com/sports – Click “Optics School” in the left column. Click “ABCs of Optics” for an encyclopedia of optics.
Seeing Is Believing
At Carson, Faust says one of the big factors in helping customers choose the right optics is light transmission.
“That’s where coatings are important,” he said. Improved light transmission means better color, better contrast and brighter images, particularly before sunrise and after sundown. This is true of binoculars, riflescopes, scopes for handguns and spotting scopes.
Dealers who visited the Carson booth at the SHOT Show in Orlando this year had an opportunity to see the importance of light transmission. Gamma Scientific, an independent testing laboratory, used its test equipment to provide retailers a look at how different brands of binoculars compare in the light transmission category.
“I think the retailers who saw the demonstration learned a lot,” Faust said. “I think it underscored the importance of light transmission in any optic.”
You’re not likely to set up a demonstration like Gamma Scientific’s in your store, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use the information to educate your customers. Last year, Carson had Gamma Scientific test its XM-HD 8x42mm model against 10 competitive models, all 8x42s. The result? Carson’s XM-HD 8x42s outperformed top brands in light transmission.
“We send out a chart that illustrates the results of the test to help the dealer learn about binoculars with that coating,” Faust said. “It comes in a packet the dealer gets when he buys our product.”
In addition, Carson’s sales reps are available to help dealers with hands-on training.
“We also spend a lot of time with retailers on the phone,” Faust said. “We walk them through all our products and then they can take their time with their customers. We’re also working on a new Web site that will have a lot of information available to the dealer.”
Visit www.carson-optical.com to view the results of the Gamma Scientific test.
At SHOT Show 2007, Rich Cameron (left), Carson Optical president, and Frank Vachlin of Gamma Scientific, use light-measuring equipment (right) to validate the company’s performance claims.
It’s About Education And Training
At Steiner, Harms said the company prefers to send sales trainers to stores for personal, hands-on education.
“We’re very proactive about training,” Devlin said. “We have a number of trainers around the country who make themselves available to dealers and to their staffs for however many hours they need help.”
This includes working in a store’s optics department alongside frontliners.
“If one of our trainers is in the store and a customers comes in and asks about optics, the trainer won’t necessarily hand them a Steiner,” Harms said. “It’s not about selling more of our brand; it’s about education and training.”
Although Steiner focuses on personal, individualized training, the company hasn’t overlooked the value of the Internet to dealers.
“We put a lot into our Web site,” Devlin said. “It’s an important education tool for the dealer and it gives the dealer a lot of information. For instance, there’s a tutorial where they can go back and check on anything they might be confused about,”
The flexibility of the Steiner Web site allows the company to make changes in tutorials or on information pages daily, so everything is up to date. Visit www.steiner-binoculars.com.
In addition to personalized training and the Web site, Steiner also offers pointof-purchase display options for dealers that include room for educational information for customers.
“We work with retailers on how to display optics,” Devlin said. “We even go into things like lighting. One big mistake retailers make is putting optics into a ‘dark hole’ in their store. Optics need to be in an area with good light and visual warmth. We have lighting and display solutions for dealers to help them sell optics well.” Steiner offers extensive information on its Web site, www.steiner-binoculars.com, including downloadable manuals and product highlights.
The Right Optic
It all comes down to learning as much as you can about how optics work – and how to sell them – so you can match the right product with every customer.
“If you can put the right optic in the person’s hands for what they’re doing and where they’re located, the customer will be more satisfied and will come back – and send his friends. It’s all about customer satisfaction and all about finding the right optic for the customer’s need,” Faust said.
OPTICS SALES
ADCO ………………….. 252
Aimpoint …………………253
Alpen Outdoors Corp. …………254
Barska …………………. 255
Brunton ………………….256
BSA Optics Inc. …………….257
B-Square Co. ………………258
Burris Co. ………………..259
Bushnell Outdoor Products ……..260
Butler Creek Corp. …………..261
Canon USA ……………….262
Carson Optical ……………..263
CenterPoint Precision Optics …….264
Conetrol …………………265
Dynamit Nobel RWS ………….266
Elcan Optical Technologies ……..267
Fujinon Inc. ……………….268
Horus Vision ………………269
Kahles N.A. ……………….270
Kowa Optimed ……………..271
Leica USA ………………..272
Leopold & Stevens …………..273
Meopta Sports Optics …………274
Meprolight ……………….275
Millett Sights………………276
Minox USA ……………….277
Nikon Inc. ………………..278
Pentax Corp. ………………279
Quake Industries ……………280
Redfield Optics …………….281
Schmidt & Bender …………..282
Sightron …………………283
Simmons Outdoor……………284
Smith Abrasives…………….285
Springfield Armory …………..286
Steiner ………………….287
Swarovski Optlk …………….288
Swift Instruments Inc. …………289
Tasco …………………..290
Thompson/Center Arms………..291
Trijicon Inc. ……………….292
U.S. Optics ……………….293
Warne Manufacturing …………294
Weaver………………….295
Winchester Optics …………..296
Yukon Advanced Optics ………..297
Zeiss Sports Optics…………..298
Copyright Publishers Development Corporation Jun 2007
(c) 2007 Shooting Industry, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.