Monkeyleg
Member.
As much as I always promise to be brief, it just never turns out that way. Please skim as fast as you can, and give advice when you can.
Without going into too much boring detail, I started calling shops on my site several weeks ago to re-up their free trial subscriptions. Honestly, I was more than surprised at the number of store owners who paid to renew without hesitation. I was hoping for a 10% renewal rate. It's much higher than that. More like 40% or higher, depending upon how the "call me back next week" calls go.
But there are store owners who don't see any benefit, and they've briefly laid out their reasons: they don't think that they're going to get any new business from gun owners on the internet (wrong); their little nephew Timmy has created a website for their stores (try to find it); or they just don't want to spend any money on advertising.
After over nine months of finessing the site for the search engines, I'm right where I've always known--by prior experience--I would be: on the first page. Search for Texas gun shops, Nebraska gun shops, Kimber pistols, Sako rifles...my site is first-page for just about any search term I've worked on.
Anywho, I've also had a few shop owners cancel on me. Not a big deal, but I don't want to leave holes. My goal for the next year is an average of 20 shops per state.
So, I'm looking to replace those cancelled shops with ones that are equivalent in service, inventory, etc--or better.
Thanks to the input of THR members over the last few months, I've been able to get really great shops on my site. Thank you for indulging my questions.
If any of you have recommendations for shops in the following states, I'd much appreciate it:
Nebraska (Omaha would be good, as would North Platte, or other western parts of the state).
Oregon, especially the areas around Portland and Salem.
Indiana, especially the Indy area. I dropped Don's from my site after he offended gun owners nationwide by endorsing a renewal of the AW ban. He can rot in, well, you get the idea.
Iowa, especially Bettendorf/Davenport area. Surprisingly, there've been few recommendations for the Des Moine area.
Kansas. Surely there are more than two good shops in that state.
Minnesota. I have a half dozen or so shops, but I'm not sure that they're all top-shelf. And I need more.
Mississippi. Need more.
Montana. Low-populace state, but there must be more stores with good inventory and service.
New Hampshire. For cryin' out loud, there's more gun shops in Idaho, from what I can tell!
Ohio. The state with the sixth-largest number of gun owners. What I have now doesn't reflect that proud tradition.
Oklahoma. Four stores that see the value in wide internet exposure. The owner of the Firing Pin, thank God, realized that he needed my service when I couldn't even find his store's site by name in the top 800 search results.
Pennsylvania. One of the top gunowner states. I need to get back to that state and make more calls.
South Dakota. I'm going to lose probably two shops there. No reason, just the owners don't think they need to advertise, or think that $10 a month ($8.33 per month annually) is more advertising than they need.
Tennessee. I've picked up a couple of extremely good shops, and have another to add this week, but may lose Top Brass outside of Memphis.
Texas. I have a fair number of shops on the site, but I have more in California, and that just isn't right.
Virginia. I don't know that I'll lose any, but the state deserves better representation than what I have now.
What I've learned over the past year is that the shops who understand the service/selection/promotion combination of factors don't argue with me. And, frankly, I've run out of patience with those who don't understand.
As my friend here in Milwaukee so bluntly puts it: "Dick, you should send an email to every store owner on your site, with a drawing of a dead, decaying dinosaur. Then ask, 'Is this you?'"
I'm looking for top-quality shops whose owners "get it."
Any suggestions are much appreciated.
Without going into too much boring detail, I started calling shops on my site several weeks ago to re-up their free trial subscriptions. Honestly, I was more than surprised at the number of store owners who paid to renew without hesitation. I was hoping for a 10% renewal rate. It's much higher than that. More like 40% or higher, depending upon how the "call me back next week" calls go.
But there are store owners who don't see any benefit, and they've briefly laid out their reasons: they don't think that they're going to get any new business from gun owners on the internet (wrong); their little nephew Timmy has created a website for their stores (try to find it); or they just don't want to spend any money on advertising.
After over nine months of finessing the site for the search engines, I'm right where I've always known--by prior experience--I would be: on the first page. Search for Texas gun shops, Nebraska gun shops, Kimber pistols, Sako rifles...my site is first-page for just about any search term I've worked on.
Anywho, I've also had a few shop owners cancel on me. Not a big deal, but I don't want to leave holes. My goal for the next year is an average of 20 shops per state.
So, I'm looking to replace those cancelled shops with ones that are equivalent in service, inventory, etc--or better.
Thanks to the input of THR members over the last few months, I've been able to get really great shops on my site. Thank you for indulging my questions.
If any of you have recommendations for shops in the following states, I'd much appreciate it:
Nebraska (Omaha would be good, as would North Platte, or other western parts of the state).
Oregon, especially the areas around Portland and Salem.
Indiana, especially the Indy area. I dropped Don's from my site after he offended gun owners nationwide by endorsing a renewal of the AW ban. He can rot in, well, you get the idea.
Iowa, especially Bettendorf/Davenport area. Surprisingly, there've been few recommendations for the Des Moine area.
Kansas. Surely there are more than two good shops in that state.
Minnesota. I have a half dozen or so shops, but I'm not sure that they're all top-shelf. And I need more.
Mississippi. Need more.
Montana. Low-populace state, but there must be more stores with good inventory and service.
New Hampshire. For cryin' out loud, there's more gun shops in Idaho, from what I can tell!
Ohio. The state with the sixth-largest number of gun owners. What I have now doesn't reflect that proud tradition.
Oklahoma. Four stores that see the value in wide internet exposure. The owner of the Firing Pin, thank God, realized that he needed my service when I couldn't even find his store's site by name in the top 800 search results.
Pennsylvania. One of the top gunowner states. I need to get back to that state and make more calls.
South Dakota. I'm going to lose probably two shops there. No reason, just the owners don't think they need to advertise, or think that $10 a month ($8.33 per month annually) is more advertising than they need.
Tennessee. I've picked up a couple of extremely good shops, and have another to add this week, but may lose Top Brass outside of Memphis.
Texas. I have a fair number of shops on the site, but I have more in California, and that just isn't right.
Virginia. I don't know that I'll lose any, but the state deserves better representation than what I have now.
What I've learned over the past year is that the shops who understand the service/selection/promotion combination of factors don't argue with me. And, frankly, I've run out of patience with those who don't understand.
As my friend here in Milwaukee so bluntly puts it: "Dick, you should send an email to every store owner on your site, with a drawing of a dead, decaying dinosaur. Then ask, 'Is this you?'"
I'm looking for top-quality shops whose owners "get it."
Any suggestions are much appreciated.
