retailers much prefer to see and feel the items before they commit to an order Packers pro shop

for a number of reasons. First, it allows us to totally control the quality and delivery of our products. Second, it enables us to work with customers of all sizes, including those who can;t wait eight months for a delivery and don;t need or want a container load of, say, bow cases. If someone required just a few hundred cases, customized with their logo and built exactly to their specifications, we can efficiently do that right here. Keeping most things here also allows us to better support the American economy, the American people and our valued employees. No company as large as ours can operate without skilled, caring people and we;re fortunate to have an outstanding group Brandon Jackson Jersey, including our Shipping Manager Christi Larson, our Production Manager Ryan Nielsen, our Office Manager Allison Bowers, our Product Designer Alex Morales, our Accountant Vince Tilby and many others." Any company that has managed to grow and thrive over 21 years, as Sportsman;s Outdoor Items has done, has probably amassed a wealth of practical business experience. The best of them are often willing to share that experience. 

In our very first year we pulled together what money we had and exhibited at the archery industry;s big, annual trade show," says John Tilby. "It was in Louisville that year and we drove halfway across the country to get there, but it proved well worth it for us. We felt then, and still do now, that the archery-industry trade show put us in front of a whole lot of archery dealers. We actually split a 10-foot booth with an outfitter that first year. He tried to sell hunts and we sold a surprising number of Tarantula silencers, armguards, wrist slings and a few packs. For us it was great. "But quite possibly the biggest value of the archery trade show is that you learn so much about our industry, you see the trends, the direction things are going and you also meet the players. After 21 years of such trade shows, Ed and I can;t walk down an aisle without bumping into someone we know and have probably worked with in one way or another, including retailers, distributors, sales reps, other manufacturers, outdoor writers and more." "Designing and building good products isn;t quite enough these days," adds Ed Brewer. "You;ve got to market those products, effectively getting the word out in a world already flooded with messages. 

The truth is that marketing decisions are increasingly difficult today, largely because you;ll be pulled in so many directions-print ads, TV sponsorship, websites, Facebook and more. We;ve tried it all, and to be honest we;ve had the most success with print ads in magazines. It seems to us that TV is great for branding and for getting your name established, but we don;t see TV prompting people to get up off the couch and go log onto your website and maybe buy a product. TV viewers today ignore product messages and often simply fast-forward through recorded programs to see only what they want to see, which is never the commercials." "We;ve also had the best sales results with well-managed independent sales rep groups," explains John. "We have tried in-house telephone sales efforts, but have found that with our type of products, retailers much prefer to see and feel the items before they commit to an order Packers pro shop. And the best way to accomplish that is with an energetic sales representative that visits their place of business to demonstrate and explain our products, to slip our packs onto their back, to physically show why our bow cases are better sellers. You can;t get that from telemarketing. Face-to-face relationships are extremely important in the people-oriented outdoor industry. We currently use four independent sales rep groups to cover the country and develop and maintain those crucial sales relationships." "In a very similar vein," adds Ed, "we;ve developed strong pro-staff and outfitter-staff programs. From those programs we derive two key benefits. First, the programs enable us to obtain firsthand input from enthusiasts on our products. It;s very important to listen to what users say. And second, the programs allow us to spread the word about our many products through even more face-to-face contact." Partnerships in business often become