JLIN26
Posts: 12
Joined: 5/22/2006
From: USA, USA
Status: offline
|
Rick,
What is the name of your LHS?
Some things to also remember when becoming a business owner in this industry:
1. Keep up with the times i.e. maintaining a website, selling popular new & older more reliable merchandise.
2. I like what several other people have mentioned about a friendly, helpful & knowledgeable staff.
3. Make sure to merchandise your products frequently; especially in your store front windows & endcaps & if you decide to branch out from R/C cars to air as well getting in on the arts & craft side of hobbies. This is very effective. When a consumer drives past your shop one week & you are featuring a new rc car or truck, then a couple of days later you have a couple of airplanes hanging in the windows or an arts & crafts display; consumers will drive by & will be like "I didn't know they carried that stuff" and then they go in & refer your shop to their friends. This is something an employee can do every few days or week.
4. Advertise, advertise, advertise. You don't want to go overboard on this & end up paying a ton of money, but you have to do it. Some distributors have programs for saving you money on advertising based on your purchases. You need to check into that. A cut-out coupon or flyer in your local newspaper in Sunday's edition can go a long way & get people in your shop. Many hobby shop owners don't think like owners & expect the products to fly off of the shelves & not have to do anything to sell it, but you & several other people who have responded to your thread seem to have a good business sense.
5. Get invloved in your community. Take a new plane or radio out to the flying field. You being there showing off your new products will get people asking you questions & in turn will come to your shop & refer others. Get involved in schools. They especially like to do projects like rockets, science kits, arts & crafts. They more your get involved in your community, the more you'll be recognized, which will in turn, turn you a profit.
These are just a few helpful hints that not a lot of hobby shop owners do, that can make you more successful than them.
JLIN26
|
Printable Version
All Forums >> Radios, Batteries, Clubhouse and more >> Off Topic Forum - Planes/Helis >> RE: Purchasing a Local Hobby Shop 
RE: Purchasing a Local Hobby Shop - 
and if its still bad in there then i'll say something...I dont really wanna be a jerk of a customer or anything like that, I just dont wanna be ignored and told my stuff sucks or something like that. I also dont wanna be told that Nitro is the way to go, because I dont like nitro! 
