Threatening your customers: The best way to earn someone’s business.
“We price at the lowest possible price. We will NOT consider any offers lower than our stated price. We will NOT answer email about this subject. It is just as easy for us to block you as it is reply to your message.”
Really? Is it really necessary to threaten your potential customers? I saw that line on a gunbroker auction today and I find it kind of offensive. Sure, I’ve had my share of tire-kickers through the shop, but it’s part of the business plain and simple. There are sooooo many other ways to say this without threatening to block your customers’ emails if they should upset you. I wonder if their shop’s front door has a sign on it reading, “HAGGLERS WILL BE SHOT.”
Actually, this is a pretty good encapsulation of why I started my own gun shop. I couldn’t stand the crusty, mean-spirited attitude that permeates a lot of the local gun shops and gun shows. That “holier-than-thou, you should be so lucky to as even touch my wares,” attitude just burns me. So, with that in mind, I founded Southern Michigan Arms on the basis of good customer service and – hopefully – superior pricing. My hope is to treat all customers fairly and justly – even the tire-kickers.
And now for some other gun-related news. The MG42 is in the care of Bob Naess at Black River Militaria. He’s one of the – if not the - best MG42 guys in the country. If he can’t fix the issues the gun is having, no one can. In which case, I suppose, I have a very elaborate, heavily-regulated paperweight on my hands.
I’m hoping to expand SMA into the world of suppressors here shortly. I’ve never done it simply because FFL dealers are the only people in MI who can possess suppressors. That, of course, wouldn’t leave me with much of a local customer base. But, hopefully we could price competitively enough to move out of state sales. At this point, I’m still researching this idea and how well it’ll play out, so nothing’s certain yet. But, it’s at least a direction I’m seriously considering.
Hope you all have been having a great summer!