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Outdoor Products How To Sell Article Finder

In Category(s): Retail College :: How To Sell Classroom

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At SNEWS® want to make life easier for our outdoor specialty retail friends, so we've developed this handy article-finder chart for our numerous Outdoor How To Sell guides. With a quick glance, you can scan the chart to find the subject matter that fits your immediate training need. Also, you can read a summary to make sure that the article provides the info you need for the job at hand. Simply click on the article headline link to access any article.

SNEWS How To Sell Guides -- Outdoor Products
APPAREL / TECHNICAL APPAREL / OUTERWEAR
How to sell: layering systems The key to ensuring your customers are properly prepared to layer effectively is to help them select an arsenal of garments that they can put on or take off as weather conditions dictate so that the body's core temperature remains essentially constant. Layering begins with the base layer -- the clothing directly against the skin. The next layers, as many as needed (within reason), are the insulation layers. And finally, the outermost layer is the protective layer, the barrier against moisture and wind.
How to sell: waterproof/breathable shells Grams per meter squared over a 24-hour period may be a scientific way to describe breathability, but your customer’s eyes will glaze over if you try to explain the complex theory of waterproof/breathable fabrics this way. As in most purchases from an outdoor specialty retailer, your customer is most interested in his or her comfort, convenience, and safety when shopping for a W/B shell. Leave the scientific stuff for the staff debates in the stockroom or lunchroom.
How to sell: soft shell There is no such thing as a soft shell. Soft shell is not one thing. Soft shell is a range of performance criteria of windproofness, water resistance, breathability, stretch and insulation. Soft shell is a range of fabrics, from light, airy, stretchy, sweater-feeling knits to stiffer, laminated, dense, waterproof wovens. The key word in understanding soft shell garments is “range.” There are no rules, no boxes to fit into. To sell soft shells, you gotta know the territory and place your waypoints. And there is a lot of territory to know.
A Backpacker Magazine Skills Video -- Dressing for Winter Camping / Hiking Those of us in the biz often assume that everyone knows what the simple concept of "layering" is, right? Wrong. This video breaks it down from the skin out, and more importantly, it emphasizes that a good layering system is not static, but an often-changing combination of layers designed to keep the body temperature stable and the skin dry.

 
CLIMBING
How to sell: climbing helmets Quite simply, a climbing helmet is designed to protect your skull from impact from above. They are a necessary piece of safety gear for trad climbers, mountaineers, ski mountaineers, rand racers and others who risk injury from falling debris and other impacts. Read on for our tutorial on How to sell: climbing helmets...
How to sell: climbing harnesses The Basics • Know your customer and sell to their needs • Comfort is king • Women want women-specific product • Ensure the proper fit before they leave the store • Start selling with high-end features and move down
FABRICS & INSULATIONS
How to sell: the science of warmth No doubt, most of us are at least familiar with the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. After trial and error, she finds a porridge that is neither too hot nor too cold, but just right. Ditto for the comfy bed. Yet, while the outdoor industry has reams of knowledge to share on layering, numerous insulation types, and even temperature ratings for sleeping bags, more often than not, helping a customer find the right combination of garments or the right sleeping bag to stay warm comes down to trial and error. But it doesn't have to. There is a science to keeping warm.
FIRST AID & HEALTH
How to sell: water-treatment systems When selling water-treatment systems, keep in mind that these are fairly technical products and most consumers know little about their details. Be careful to not overwhelm them with tech talk.
How to sell: first-aid kits A first-aid kit should sit at the top of any "10 Essentials" list for outdoor travel. One of the recent trends in first-aid products is manufacturers are making preassembled kits, as well as modular packets that serve specific circumstances as add-in items to existing kits. In any case, first-aid kits have never been more consumer-friendly. By asking a few questions, you can quickly steer a shopper to the right product. Of course, there was a time when people compiled their own first-aid kits from supplies off store shelves, and that option still exists for those with more experience and training in first aid.
FOOTWEAR
How to sell: footwear If a shoe doesn't fit, you will have one very unhappy customer -- one that may or may not return to your store to let you know of their pain. Footwear requires service, expert sales know-how, and solid fit expertise.
How to sell: trail running shoes Let's face it, gang – trail running isn't new. Folks have been running on dirt for eons, likely before shoes were even invented, and definitely before pavement and concrete covered perfectly good dirt. Nevertheless, given that most modern folks find running with shod feet is decidedly more enjoyable than barefoot, your job will be to make sure your customers' feet remain just as happy in the shoes on the dirt as they did on the carpet of your store.
How to sell: footwear care and feeding Footwear aftercare products are not just a way to increase "units per transaction" for your store. Properly used, aftercare solutions will mean you end up with a much happier and satisfied customer.
TRAVEL
How to sell: travel comfort No one likes to travel in discomfort, and frankly, being airplane and airport experts ourselves, you can trust the SNEWS® team when we tell you, selling travel comfort items might be the most important travel item sale you'll make. Why? Because airlines and more are cutting back on the frill and comfort items they used to provide -- need a pillow? Good luck. Want a blanket? Only in first class. Want happy customers? Sell them comfort items to make their trip more pleasurable!
How to sell: packing solutions Just because you've sold your customer the ideal piece of luggage or the perfect travel pack does not mean your job is done by any stretch of the imagination! Unless your customer is just planning on dumping travel items into an open compartment like you toss clothing into a laundry hamper, a bit of compartmentalization is in order.
How to sell: wheeled luggage If travel packs are for Third World adventurers and global vagabonds, then wheeled luggage is for the urban wanderer and business traveler. Though not as ideally suited for adventure travel as a travel pack in one respect (hard to tote and carry wheeled luggage long distances and forget about using wheels on a muddy road), today's wheeled luggage will more than outperform a travel pack in any urban environment worldwide. They hold up in almost any travel situation where the roads are paved (even with cobblestones), sidewalks are hard surfaced not sandy or muddy, stairways are relatively negotiable and not too numerous, and distances for toting the luggage not too extreme.
How to sell: travel packs If your customer is off to New Zealand, the Ardennes Mountains or Europe and they're going to be gone for a while, chances are they are an ideal candidate for a versatile travel pack, rather than wheeled luggage or a duffel with straps. Check out these handy tips to get 'em on the road right.
How to sell: travel Adventure travel seekers and a large percentage of travel customers in general need what a specialty outdoor store can offer. Specialty outdoor stores are in the business of outfitting. Travel stores and luggage specialty stores are only in the business of selling luggage. If your store begins to think in terms of travel outfitting, which it should, then your customer and your store will be best served and most happy.
PACKS / TENTS / SLEEPING BAGS
How to sell: internal frame packs Most of your customers will be familiar with the advantages of an internal frame pack: better fit, flexible frame, lighter weight, adjustable load transfer, and better load distribution. However, unless they already own an internal frame pack, they will likely be daunted by the complexity of the fit process. So the best place to start with a first-time internal frame pack customer is to take the fear away from the fit process. Do not show your customers the pack hangtag -- often times they look like a VCR operating instruction manual. Extol the benefits of the result of a well fit pack, not the multiple stages necessary to achieve it. Sell comfort, not complexity.
How to sell: women's packs Building on our "How to Sell an Internal Frame Pack" article, we provide additional tips and suggestions to sell packs specifically to women. Pack sales comes down to a matter of fit and comfort and women deserve nothing less than being fit in a pack designed specifically for their build.
A Backpacker Magazine Skills Video -- Backpack selection shopping tips Top-loader or panel-loader? Fixed suspension or adjustable? Pockets galore or alpine style packbag? This quick tutorial will help you better work with your customers to decide among the many features found on today's multiday packs, whether they're a first time pack-buyer or a seasoned veteran. This is the perfect companion to our How to Sell pack guides.
A Backpacker Magazine Skills Video -- Measuring a customer's torso for accurate pack fitting Before you begin any pack-fitting adventure, be sure you know your customer's torso length. It's easy as pie, and takes less than five minutes. This quick primer shows you exactly how to do it--where to begin and end the measurements and what tools to use. And remember--looks can be deceiving! Two people of the exact same height can have very different torso lengths!
 A Backpacker Magazine Skills Video -- Things to know when helping a customer try on the packs in your store   Now that you know your customer's torso length, you're on your way to helping them choose the perfect pack. Here, we show you the next steps: how to try packs on in the store (with weight), how to navigate and adjust the many straps, and how to shift weight around, which ensures all day comfort when it really counts--on the trail.
How to sell: sleeping bags Amid the all the piles of sleeping bags in your store, there is likely an ideal one for nearly every customer. Matching up your customer to the perfect bag really isn't that hard if you get to know your customer's needs, and then match those up with what you know about sleeping bags. Begin with what kind of insulation, then what temperature range, and finally what size. Get the bags down and, along with a sleeping pad on the floor, encourage your customers to get in and conduct trial slumbers. The following are a few details to be sure you cover with your customer to ensure they have the best sleeping experience in the bag you're planning on selling them...
 A Backpacker Magazine Skills Video -- Sleeping bag selection guide On the outside, many sleeping bags look the same, which can make the buying process a bit daunting, especially for newbies who just want one thing: to stay warm. This video breaks down the pros and cons of different types of insulation, features, shapes, and constructions.
 A Backpacker Magazine Skills Video -- Choose the right size when it comes to sleeping bags Don't just grab a fluffy one off the rack to hand to a customer--sleeping bags are not one-size-fits all. We'll show you the basics of how to find the perfect size for your customer to ensure maximum thermal efficiency and comfort.

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