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Jul 18, 2024 | 
shootingsportsretailer.com | Mark Kakkuri
Appeared in print as "All About Scout Rifles" Hunting big game with a rifle is generally supposed to be a one shot, one kill endeavor. It may involve some trekking over hill and dale to get to a preferred hunting spot or to go to where the game actually are. So some key characteristics for a big-game hunting rifle likely include accuracy over, say, ammunition capacity, and light weight. Accuracy is critical, of course, but speed of reloading, not so much. It’s possible a hunting rifle might...
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May 15, 2024 | 
shootingsportsretailer.com | Mark Kakkuri
Appeared in print as "Selling Concealed Carry Holsters" “I’m looking for a holster for my concealed carry firearm” is not only an invitation to meet a customer’s needs with the right product but also to introduce him or her to a broader world of self-defense tools and training. Do it well and you’ll sell more holsters while winning long-term customers. Here are four tips for selling concealed carry holsters. And more. Know Your Customers “Know thy customer” is more than merely knowing...
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Feb 20, 2024 | 
shootingsportsretailer.com | Mark Kakkuri
Appeared in print as "High Velocity.
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Jan 22, 2024 | 
americanhandgunner.com | Mark Kakkuri
Ruger says about the new American Pistol: “Anything else would be un-American.” I think it’s more than a clever tagline. With this gun, Ruger clearly has issued an old fashioned American challenge to the police/duty market — and even to we non-sworn types: buy American or stay home. These days, if you’re a gun manufacturer, you don’t enter a key market, establish a reputation and gain market share overnight. You don’t even do it with one gun.
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Jan 17, 2024 | 
tacretailer.com | Mark Kakkuri
Appeared in print as "An Intro to Digital Marketing Tools" Even if you think you’ve got a good handle on the marketing tactics that work best for your hunting customers, it’s a good time to review them — again — and make sure you’ve crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s. After all, while marketing philosophy in general may stay the same, the specific tactics change all the time. Moreover, your target audience is changing, too. Consider: You want to reach, among other demographics, modern...
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Dec 25, 2023 | 
tacretailer.com | Mark Kakkuri
Appeared in print as "Minimal Cleaning Kits and Gear for AR-15s" Recent innovations in the firearms industry have benefited not only the actual firearms themselves, but also the gear that goes with them. The innovation includes creating new tools, rethinking old ones, and generally making much of it more portable and easy to use. Minimal cleaning kits and maintenance gear for AR-15s or modern sporting rifles are an easy cross-sell opportunity. Even if your customers already understand the...
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Oct 29, 2023 | 
tacretailer.com | Mark Kakkuri
Appeared in print as "Why Print Marketing Still Matters" Several years ago, at a well-known national marketing seminar, a marketing expert opined that it wouldn’t be too long before we stopped differentiating between marketing and digital marketing because all marketing would be digital. This expert wasn’t necessarily predicting the extinction of non-digital or print marketing; rather he was predicting, based on current trends, that marketing would be vastly, overtly, and obviously digital....
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Oct 24, 2023 | 
shootingsportsretailer.com | Mark Kakkuri
Appeared in print as "Impress People Online" iStock photo – Tippapatt You want customers entering your store to feel welcome, navigate the space easily, find what they’re looking for and be comfortable enough to make a purchase — all in the same visit. It’s no different if they’re coming through your online door. The best websites seem to have a knack for ‘getting out of the way’ of a customer or user, allowing them to easily navigate and do whatever it is they came there to do, and fluidly...
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Aug 27, 2023 | 
tacretailer.com | Mark Kakkuri
Appeared in print as "4 Tactics for Brilliant Tactical Light Sales" Tactical lights not only provide more light in low-light situations — supplementing a firearm or simply lighting up an area — but can also serve as a means for disorienting or striking an opponent. Long a piece of standard gear for police and military personnel, tactical lights are now also fully in the domain of self-defense-minded civilians. No matter what your customer’s needs, we have seen significant innovation in...
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Aug 15, 2023 | 
grandviewoutdoors.com | Mark Kakkuri
Tactical lights not only provide more light in low-light situations — supplementing a firearm or simply lighting up an area — but can also serve as a means for disorienting or striking an opponent. Long a piece of standard gear for police and military personnel, tactical lights are now also fully in the domain of self-defense-minded civilians. No matter what your needs, we have seen significant innovation in tactical lights since the days of the ubiquitous C- and D-cell MagLites.
