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How To Obtain A Career in the Outdoor/Firearm/Hunting/Fishing Industry
Feb 23, 2022
Or, the answer to the questions, "How do I take my skills in (sales, marketing, graphic design, etc) and merge them into my passion for (insert area of interest here-hunting, fishing, guns, etc.)
I certainly don't know how other people did it, and, with my experiences with some, even WHY they are still here.
I will never forget my first serious attempts to "get in" to the outdoor, hunting, and firearms world.
I had been the victim of the massive layoffs that hammered the pharmaceutical industry back in the early 2000's and was located in a rural area with not many other options. I had met several traveling "reps" that sold things like hunting gear, fishing rods, etc. and thought that as long as I was going to sell something, why couldn't I sell something that I really liked?
As with most things that I do, I jumped in not only with both feet, but with a "Ready, Fire, Aim" mentality and MASSIVE action-taking including flying out to Las Vegas on my own dime and attending my very first SHOT Show.
I spent a TON of money (in the realm of several thousand dollars) on drinks, dinners, and taxis-and made a large number of contacts.
I got some very good leads, chased down every single one of them, and basically went "one for 30."
The one?
A position as a "pro staffer" for a large rep group in the industry.
Things were a little different then as companies all paid pro staff a significant daily rate plus expenses and, usually, some gear as a "bonus." Because of this, they had high expectations and expected sales from their people.
I went after it with zeal and enthusiasm as well as implementing numerous different sales processes and skills.
I developed an inventory tracking sheet and customer questionnaire that is still being used in a revised for almost a decade later.
I thought that this would be a great "entry point" to being further along in the industry.
I was wrong.
Most of what I found was more opportunities to work events as a "pro staffer." No full time gigs.
So... I build a business around prostaffing- and it went from there.
By the time I decided to "go it alone" and build my own "niche" in the outdoor business, I had interviewed with approximately a dozen different companies while submitting my resume to sixty or seventy.
For the right opportunity, I will still entertain a conversation and I have even interviewed several times again over the past several years.
Several of those interviews stand out clearly in my mind if only for their unbelievable attitude towards experience and value.
Needless to say, it wasn't what I expected.
The first was for a sales position with a rather large retailer of apparel that crosses several markets in the outdoor and sporting goods industry.
I made it to the "final" interview only to lose to what turned out to be a much less experienced person that had worked in a retail store and then sold for a small rep group for several years.
I reached out to the hiring manager who was very amicable and asked him why they had chosen the other candidate and what I could do to further my chances for the next time.
His answer was rather shocking.
He said simply that "while we were impressed with your sales skills, your sales accomplishments, awards, and your personality and affect, you didn't have any experience selling apparel."
Oops.
Big mistake, and probably for the best for me, anyway.
At this time, I had worked for three different Fortune 10 to Fortune 50-level companies, winning numerous presidents club and other incentive awards, selling everything from marketing and advertising (and coming into that position with zero experience and going to the number one representative out over 1300+) to life saving medications to advanced external defibrillators and resuscitation medical devices – pieces of equipment that, literally, were used to stop and start peoples heartbeats after heart failure and/or cardiovascular surgical procedures.
I think I might have been able to figure out how to sell some jackets, shirts, and pants to retail store owners and management, don't you?
Never one to sit idle, over the past two decades I have also partnered with and received training from leading marketing experts and speakers like Dan Kennedy, Les Brown, Tony Robbins, and Steve Sipress, attained a "Mastery Certification" from SSS Marketing University, and built a network in the Hunting and Firearms industry numbering in the tens of thousands. Finally, in the last several years I have written two Amazon best-sellers in their category.
I advise that if you are looking for opportunities of any kind, you do the same.
Certification courses are readily available, online, full of useful skills, and will help you to attain an "expert level proficiency" in numerous things in a reasonably short time.
That being said...
A few years ago, I had another experience with an employer that did what seems to have become a typical thing in the outdoor world...
They hired for "cheap" rather than "value."
What do I mean by that?
The company was clearly interested in working with me as they proactively reached out, contacted, recruited, interviewed, and maintained their interest over the course of 8 or ten weeks. They then brought up a discussion regarding compensation and, specifically what I thought the job should be worth. .
This is always a touchy one.
You see, I am of the opinion that, regardless of your business (and your hunting equipment) you should always go with the best that you can possibly afford, plus some- because something so very important is usually not glaringly apparent until you really, really need it.
Think of a lower priced rifle scope with a "lifetime guarantee" and "free replacement" that fails on top of a mountain during the sheep hunt or even on a deer hunt in your back 40 where you can't see the big buck you've been waiting all season for as he steps out for 15 seconds at last light...
Yes it was less "expensive."
Yes, you will get another scope for free- but that isn't worth anything to you sitting on the side of the mountain trying to pick off a rocky mountain bighorn that, in many places, is a "once in a lifetime" tag.
This company was seeking over a million dollars worth of sales responsibility from me- but they only wanted to pay for $250,000.00 worth (and, by the way, if you ever want to absolutely GUARANTEE your salespeople won't sell anything, then don't pay them a lot of money or, worse, "cap" their earnings)
Suffice it to say, we were a significant amount of money apart in what we thought the position was worth and they were not open to a "performance based model"- so they wound up hiring the "other guy."
Then, when he burned out, they hired "another guy."
And, less than a year later, they hired "another guy," Who also became noticeably absent from company communications and emails less than one year later.
Did that company "save money?"
What do you suppose it cost them to interview and hire three new people in less than two years?
What do you suppose the business cost is having those relationships that are so hard to build "interrupted" three times in less than three years?
What do you suppose the difference might've been with a high-level professional that is used to closing deals in the 6-to-7-figure levels in that position instead of someone who had sold " outdoor related products" for a pittance?
They, and we, will now never know.
Finally, and one that really surprised me, was the company that had churned through several of my acquaintances in 18 months whose contracted recruiter called me and asked if I would be interested in the position for, not only a pay cut from my current compensation but SIGNIFICANTLY less money than either of them had made over the last 3 years!
Another HUGE "OOPS" by a company that should definitely have known better.
The lesson to take away is that getting "in the door" in the outdoor industry is not easy, and you need not only a plan of action, but a standard that you are willing to accept to get there.
Now-
How often does this come up every day in your life or business?
Do you buy the "cheap option," when a proven, high-quality option is available for not that much more in your gear? Your employees? Your business?
Do you "spray and pray" with your marketing and advertising, hoping that some of it works the way you want it to because you want to "do it yourself?"
It's a hard lesson on both sides of the equation sometimes- One that it pays to learn early.
This year's SHOT Show was another excellently produced and executed show by both show management and vendors, but there was still some room for improvement.
Buying a car should be an exciting experience. Unfortunately, thanks to a host of sleazy sales tactics from poor salespeople with a "take advantage of the customer" attitude, most people walk away not as happy as they could be.
PR Can be Tricky, but with some discipline it doesn't have to be tedious or expensive.
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From "The Daily Beast".. Full article can be seen HERE. In a majority opinion authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court has cleared the way for even looser gun laws as the nation continues to reel from near-daily mass shootings that have claimed 312 lives in 2022 alone. Thomas, a President George H. W. Bush nominee, wrote in the 6-3 decision that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to carry a gun outside the home. The court struck down New York’s “proper-cause” requirement to obtain a concealed-carry license, saying it “violates the Fourteenth Amendment by preventing law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms in public for self-defense.” In concurring, Justice Samuel Alito wrote, “The police cannot disarm every person who acquires a gun for use in criminal activity; nor can they provide bodyguard protection for the State’s nearly 20 million residents or the 8.8 million people who live in New York City. Some of these people live in high-crime neighborhoods. Some must traverse dark and dangerous streets in order to reach their homes after work or other evening activities. Some are members of groups whose members feel especially vulnerable. And some of these people reasonably believe that unless they can brandish or, if necessary, use a handgun in the case of attack, they may be murdered, raped, or suffer some other serious injury.” Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented. “Consider, too, interactions with police officers,” Breyer wrote. “The presence of a gun in the hands of a civilian poses a risk to both officers and civilians.” Breyer pointed out that laws regulating “the public carriage of weapons” in England date back to the 13th century, and existed in North America since “before the founding.” “Similar laws remained on the books through the ratifications of the Second and Fourteenth Amendments through to the present day,” Breyer wrote. “Many of those historical regulations imposed significantly stricter restrictions on public carriage than New York’s licensing requirements do today.” Speaking to reporters after the ruling was handed down, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed to hold the line on gun safety. “We are not powerless to respond to this,” she said. Constitutional lawyer Jeff Lewis told The Daily Beast the decision does more than simply strike down state concealed-carry laws. “The court today establishes a very high bar for all gun restrictions,” he said. “Unless a legislature or court can establish that the regulation existed or was consistent with a regulation that existed at the time the Second Amendment was enacted, a gun restriction will no longer survive a Second Amendment challenge. Very few state gun laws will be able to survive such a high standard.” Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, said he was “appalled” but “not surprised” by the ruling. “This was expected from the Court’s conservative supermajority who have long sought to define the Second Amendment expansively,” he said in an emailed statement. “Their decision was not constitutional, but purely political. Just as the nation grieves children and others who needlessly die from firearm violence, the nation’s highest court is making it much harder to protect the vulnerable.” At the same time, the Legal Aid Society said in its own statement that the decision “may be an affirmative step toward ending arbitrary licensing standards that have inhibited lawful Black and Brown gun ownership in New York.” The ruling, which stems from a Dec. 2020 challenge by the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association (NYSRPA), is set to upend the ability of individual states to require concealed carry applicants show “proper cause” for being allowed to leave home armed. The plaintiffs, Robert Nash and Brandon Koch, from Upstate New York, were denied carry permits in 2016 and 2018 by county authorities because they did not “face any special or unique danger” to their lives. After instead being granted permits for hunting and target shooting, the two sued—under the umbrella of the NYSRPA, the NRA’s New York affiliate—George P. Beach II, the then-superintendent of the New York State Police, and New York State Supreme Court Justice and Rensselaer County Licensing Officer Richard J. McNally, Jr. “Up until now, the court’s been pretty clear that somebody has the right to have a gun in their own home,” Lewis told The Daily Beast ahead of the ruling. “But what the high court has never weighed in on is…do you have the right outside of your house to have a gun? … The people that challenged this law said, ‘No, the Second Amendment’s absolute—the presumption should be [that] we have the right to a concealed weapon, and should be up to the government to take it away from us on a case-by-case basis, not establishing the right to weaponry on a case- by- case basis.’”
For more information, contact Pete Muller at (803) 637-7698 or pmuller@nwtf.net NWTF Announces Funding for New Wild Turkey Research Projects More than $360,000 will help fund seven projects in six states. ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The National Wild Turkey Federation announced more than $360,000 in funding for seven new research projects in six states addressing the needs of wild turkey populations. The announcement comes during the 12th National Wild Turkey Symposium, a gathering of state and federal wildlife agencies, wild turkey researchers, land managers and enthusiasts focused on wild turkey habitat and population restoration. “Supporting research is a key element to the future of the wild turkey and the NWTF,” NWTF Co-CEO Kurt Dyroff said. “We are excited to support these critical projects made possible through the generous support of Mossy Oak, the NWTF Foundation, various NWTF donors and the NWTF’s Help the Yelp Project.” Dedicated funding will be leveraged multiple times resulting in more $2.5 million worth of research to benefit the wild turkey. In addition to the most recent allocation of more than $360,000 in funding, the NWTF has dedicated $8.3 million to research during its nearly 50-year history. Wild turkey researchers submitted project proposals through NWTF’s Wild Turkey Research Request for Proposals, a program that facilitates and makes large investments in support of priority wild turkey research. This year NWTF invited proposals that investigate the dynamics and drivers of the “post-restoration era.” Applicants must address one or more of the following research priorities: disease, habitat, hunter influence/relationship, population estimates and survival. The proposals were scored and ranked by NWTF staff and the NWTF Technical Committee on the applicability of the projects, scientific rigor, partner engagement and secured matching funds. The projects approved for funding are: “Estimating Survival and Productivity of Translocated Turkeys in North Dakota” studies survival and reproduction of translocated nuisance turkeys compared to control birds in western North Dakota. Nesting activities, mortality causes and infection and exposure rates will be explored. “Impacts of Woody Understory Vegetation and Invasive Species on Roosting Habitat Potential for Wild Turkey” will complement a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department priority to examine changing roost site habitat in the Rolling Plains region of Texas. The study will classify vegetation and non-native, invasive species and then conduct a change assessment across the Edwards Plateau to determine impact. “Vital Rates and Population Growth of Merriam’s Turkeys in South-Central South Dakota” will estimate annual survival and reproductive probabilities for adult and yearling age-classes of wild turkeys. Data will estimate population rates with results being compared to mid-1980s conditions. “Novel Approaches to Estimating Wild Turkey Population Parameters” will use non-invasive techniques to gather DNA specimens from eight sites throughout Mississippi. Part of the study areas will work in conjunction with wildlife management areas in an ongoing experiment investigating the influence of a delayed and reduced spring season framework on turkey populations and harvest. “Rio Grande Wild Turkey Habitat and Genetic Connectivity, Disease Prevalence and Survival in the Texas Edwards Plateau Ecoregion” will explore turkey abundance against a decreased number of hunters and turkeys harvested in recent years. Environmental factors such as flooding, unmanaged grazing and damage to vegetation are some study areas. The impact of parasites and disease also will be reviewed. “Development and Application of Diagnostic Techniques to Better Understand Impacts of Tumor-Causing Viruses (LPDV and RV) in Wild Turkeys” will look at where and to what extent diseases are distributed throughout the body of infected wild turkeys. “Ecology of an Unhunted Wild Turkey Population” provides research on an unhunted population of wild turkeys across a large study site in South Carolina. Collected data will analyze wild turkey behavior in the absence of hunting activity, hunting pressure and harvest of males. Data will be compared to other populations in the Southeast and beyond. “The projects that we are supporting demonstrate the partnerships and collaboration that is needed to understand what is impacting wild turkeys across the country,” said Mark Hatfield, NWTF national director of conservations services. “I have confidence that the network of researchers and managers from around the country are going to utilize the same ingenuity that helped restore wild turkeys in North America to understand what is driving the health of the wild turkey population.” The 12th National Wild Turkey Symposium is co-hosted by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and National Wild Turkey Federation, through June 10, in Asheville, North Carolina. About the National Wild Turkey Federation When the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded in 1973, there were about 1.3 million wild turkeys in North America. After decades of work, that number hit a historic high of almost 7 million turkeys. To succeed, the NWTF stood behind science-based conservation and hunters' rights. Today, the NWTF is focused on the future of hunting and conservation through its Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative. Since 2012, this 10-year initiative has already eclipsed goals of conserving or enhancing more than 4 million acres of essential wildlife habitat, recruiting or retaining more than 1.5 million hunters and opening access to more than 500,000 acres for hunting and other recreation opportunities. This critical work will continue to impact wildlife habitat and our great outdoors in the final years of the initiative. National Wild Turkey Federation PO Box 530 Edgefield South Carolina 29824 United States
Wildlife Research Center® introduces the new and improved Scent Killer® Gold® Bar Soap in an updated ultra- premium, odor fighting formula. The New Scent Killer® Gold® Bar Soap has a special unscented, anti-odor formula that goes after human odor at its source. This deep cleaning Anti-Odor™ formula is formulated with special moisturizers and Aloe. This high-quality odor fighting bar soap is just what you need to prepare for the hunt and is great for use all year long. It is The Gold Standard®. For best results, take advantage of the entire Scent Killer® System. Every step you can take to eliminate human odor will improve your odds of success and help get you closer to that trophy buck. Wildlife Research Center® is known for its innovative products in Scents and Scent Elimination. This is Wildlife’s 40 th year in business: it’s their extreme passion and superior quality that has propelled them to be the leader in the category. “Helping Hunters Fill Tags for 40 Years!” The products are 100% Money-Back Guaranteed – direct by Wildlife Research Center®. For more information on the entire line of scent elimination products and hunting lures from Wildlife Research Center, inc. visit www.wildlife.com .
Many folks bemoan the death of the trade show. Not only are Trade shows NOT dead- there are a LOT of them- and every one is a chance for you to take money from your competitors that don't show up, or ones that "show up," but don't engage.
There are several steps that you should take to prepare for the tumultuous economy ahead. It looks like we will be headed for recession and massive inflation. Prepare yourself by having a plan to make more money. Ace Luciano and the professionals at Ace Outdoor PR can help.
Regardless of how good your marketing and sales are, you can always sell more and make more. If you're selling out, raise prices. If you are seeing success from one marketing area, start another. If your advertising is working, buy another or put that one in more places. Regardless of how well your business is doing, Ace Luciano and Ace PR & Marketing can help you to do more.
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