Say Wha' by Holly Gaylor from SSM #Issue8

​Imagine yourself with $1000 in your pocket and you want to buy a gun. Maybe this is your first.  Maybe it’s your seventh. Either way, you are ready to drop some money and you need someone to show you some merchandise.  

Enter the “difference maker”—the sales guy that can make this a great experience or someone that will take you back to the Stone Age. You’re shaking your head right now, right?  You know where I am going. We’ve all been there. Let’s face it, we all have stories that range from mildly disparaging to completely ridiculous. This is so common we could keep adding to this list weekly with new content.

We are part of a movement. More and more women are not only buying guns, but we are doing it ourselves.  We don’t need escorts to the gun store anymore. Because of our training, we are walking in the store knowing what we like and what we need. Stores can either get on board, or lose our business. Luckily, more and more shops are training employees consultative selling: Listen more. Talk less.

I asked a few Sure Shots about their previous experiences when buying a firearm: “What were some of the comments or scenarios that made you roll your eyes?”  If you are a gun store owner, consider this training material, and never assume your staff won’t “go there”.

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​"Hey there little lady.” I kid you not. This was said.

“You don’t want to shoot that. That’s too much gun for you.”

“This is your first gun? You should get a revolver. It’s easier to manipulate.”

“This is your first gun? You should get a .380.  It has less recoil.”

“Don’t Make Her Mad!” (usually accompanied by a “heh, heh”). We do not consider ourselves loose cannons whipping out our guns when some guy offends us. That’s not what we are about. The first few times we hear this, we laugh it off. About the 100th time we hear it, it gets old. Just assume the woman you are talking with has heard it already. 

Read this entire article by clicking here to explore back issue #8.