WARNING - Boring industry related post...

I tried to raise a little dust on PaintBallNation (PBN) a few days back . Have you ever heard the expression “The silence was deafening”?

There is an event that comes around the first of the year for paintball field and store owners. The promoter does a great job of bringing the industry together in one place where we can learn and express and share. I attended last year and sat through a dozen different classes on a dozen different topics put on by paintball manufacturers and suppliers and providers. The classes ranged from field safety to gun maintenance to “what’s new”, insurance and business management and I enjoyed them all. I left each class feeling I was better prepared to go forth and help my business and the industry grow.

The classes were free.

This year there is a fee. Some rather substantial, ranging from $10 to as high as $500.

Now, here is where the raising of dust comes in. If you run a business that depends on the success or your salesmen and the satisfaction of the customer does it make sense to nickel and dime the salesmen or would it be better to provide them with as many tools and as much product knowledge as possible?

If a company wants me to sell their paintball gun shouldn’t they be anxious to teach me, their salesman, how to maintain the gun and provide me with technical information so I can keep THEIR end customer happy? How about a company that sells loaders?

Should I have to pay to learn how to attach a company’s after market parts? Should I have to pay a Scenario Game promoter to promote scenario games?

It's like paying someone to listen to their comercial.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Industry wants profit....................Customer wants quality/service
---------------------> Field/Store owner <-------------------------

Why do we let the industry put us in the middle without holding them responsible for arming us with the knowledge and ability to keep the customer happy?

Shouldn’t it look more like this?

Industry wants profit...................Customer GETS quality/service
---------------------> Field/Store owner ----------------------->

I brought this subject up in the Field and Store Owner forum and no one batted an eye. Want to bet me the class fees will be even larger next year?