In this SHOT Show Q&A, we had the opportunity to speak with SHOT Show University presenters Tim Lang and Sarah Parkhurst from Ann Arbor Arms. They will be presenting an education session titled “Unlocking Loyalty in the Membership Era: Strategies for Retaining Memberships in Your Business” where they will delve into the critical strategies for retaining memberships, emphasizing the importance of personalized engagement, value-driven offerings and the pivotal role of staff in building long-term loyalty.
Ann Arbor Arms is a premier shooting range and go-to source for dedicated firearm safety education in southeastern Michigan.
What's the value of attending SHOT Show?
I think this will be our fifth SHOT Show this year, and I think one of the biggest key takeaways that we weren't expecting even in our first year is just the networking and the people that we met, the relationships that were developed that have truly helped us get to where we are today.
Yeah, it's definitely the networking for me. We're able to see an impact throughout the year from the relationships we make and meet. We've found SHOT Show to be less of a buying event. It's more of seeing where the industry is and meeting like-minded people within that industry, and just putting a handshake and a face to a name goes a long way in any relationship, but it just really adds that personal element that we're looking for.
What are you looking forward to at the 2025 SHOT Show?
I'm quite excited about some of the educational sessions, and I can't wait to attend. On top of really just getting that pulse, I think it helps us every year when we're there to get a pulse on the industry truly helps us set up our business for success for the remainder of the year based on a lot of the things that we see while we're at SHOT Show.
Tell us about your SHOT University presentation,
Like many others, we are really focused on continuing to grow our membership base here at A3. Tim and I have both learned over these last few years it is not it's hard to sell new memberships; we feel like we've really worked hard to master that part, and it was the retention part that when you think of a membership program that's the last thing that you tend to think of. So these last few years of that switch for us, that thought process of knowing that where we are long-term gaining members is truly by retaining them and not by just selling new memberships. We are so excited just to be able to share the things that have worked for us throughout retention and things that haven't worked for us, either.
The other thing I'll add is that I think there's a progression that you go through when your membership focused. I think that progression is sell, sell, sell in the beginning, and you're really focused on, man, we added 10 new members this week, or 20 new members this weekend, or you're just super pumped about adding a member. As you get into it and further down the road, it starts becoming, well, we're having 15 drop off this week and we only sold 20, so it's a net gain of five. You start to say, what are we doing wrong? Why are we losing all these members? There's some attrition there with moving and we're in a college town, so a lot of people are graduating and moving into a career and a lot of times that takes them out of Ann Arbor, and so that's some of it. Still, there's also another element, an engagement element, so your focus starts to shift in a couple of years into the membership process, and we've always sold memberships. Still, we've definitely focused on it heavily for the last four years. So we've been able to see some trends, and people just starting out are gonna be focused on sales, but the deeper you get into it for the sustainability, you're gonna really have to start focusing on the retention.
How can SHOT Show attendees sign up for this SHOT University session?
On the SHOT Show website, the SHOT University link should have everything loaded. The performance group presentation is going to be on Tuesday morning, and our membership presentation is on Wednesday afternoon.
Enroll in this and other educational opportunities during the SHOT Show® registration process, or add sessions anytime to your registration. Seats will be limited. Enroll early to get your spot!
Enrollment Fees Per Session: $40 NSSF Members | $75 Non-Members. Learn more about NSSF Membership here.
What is a P20 Group and how did Ann Arbor Arms get involved in one?
Our P20 group consists currently of four different ranges throughout the country. We are here in Michigan. We have a range out in New Hampshire, one in North Carolina and one in Texas. The conversation began through a combination of some of the people we've met by coming to SHOT Show. We made these connections who knew that this P20 group was looking for a new member and thought that we would maybe be a value add for it and it has been an absolute need that we didn't know that we needed. We have learned so much. We have been able to bring things back that directly have affected our bottom line and so it's something that we continue to look forward to as well as adding new numbers to it.
I think for us, it's that we're confident in what we do, but we're also eager to learn from those within our industry. We don't think we know it all; we're confident in the things that we do, but we're also very eager to pick up tidbits here and there. If you can work collectively as a group, whatever that group is, it could be a local business group where you're focused on similar things. It really helps because the firearms industry has many very specific things that affect it.
So, being in a performance group has really validated some of our thoughts. It's also been able to dispel many things that we were focused on that have become myths. It prevents you from making mistakes by having more educated information. Somebody else out there has tried the same things that you might be focused on, thinking that's your answer, but collectively, you can come to some agreements and really save each other a lot of headaches.
Consider joining a P20 Group
Enroll in this and other educational opportunities during the SHOT Show® registration process, or add sessions anytime to your registration. Seats will be limited. Enroll early to get your spot!
Enrollment Fees Per Session: $40 NSSF Members | $75 Non-Members. Learn more about NSSF Membership here.
Attend SHOT University
SHOT University™ is where you learn the most innovative ways to attract new shooters, manage inventory and volume more efficiently, build traffic in slower seasons, and maximize your margins and employees’ performance. A la carte training courses are available to help retailers hone their management skills to meet the demands of today’s highly regulated and competitive marketplace. Learn more.
