Swing to Sports, The (1946)

[Music] how do you do ladies and gentlemen this is bill stern with up-to-date news on the National picture in the world of sports today and ever growing enthusiasm for sports in general is reaching an all-time high surveys show that more than ever before people are playing tennis and golf going horseback riding trap and skeet shooting swimming playing badminton flying hunting skating in fact participating in all of the recreational sports of course the surveys also point to the many very definite reasons for this tremendous national swing toward the enjoyment of the outdoor sport first and most important people just like to get outdoors where they can relax and have fun now with the days shorter working hours they can do it in fact the committee for economic development points out that the seventy nine percent of the country's population employed in commerce and industry will now have at least two and possibly three days a week to devote to recreation then to the added millions of Americans who are expertly trained by the armed forces and taught the proper use of firearms were given an entirely new appreciation of the value of outdoor recreation the federal and state governments are promoting additional state and national parks wildlife restoration projects camping grounds playgrounds and beaches not only to help combat juvenile delinquency but to build the physical and mental health of the nation and to through the efforts of the nation's sportsmen coordinated under the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Program and state conservation departments the supply of Fish & Game has been greatly increased both the automotive and transportation industry are spending millions of dollars promoting travel to America's outdoor playground some coast to coast they too are getting in on a national swing the sports naturally the sports enthusiasts are looking to the retailer's of their community not only for sports equipment but and this is equally important they're looking for expert in the selection of that equipment the demand for competent experienced guidance and buying sporting goods has literally created a brand new profession for athletes and sports lovers in every city and town in the country these men are both good salesman and good sportsmen this new type of sporting goods salesmen is usually an authority on at least two or three sports and has had some experience in almost all of them he's able to speak the language of the customer the modern hardware merchants are hiring these young sportsmen training them in the fundamentals of salesmanship and merchandising then putting them in charge of the sports department of the store and the results they're more than satisfactory because this salesman inspires confidence in his customers he's not a novice he's an experienced sportsman and he knows what he's talking about for example listen so you're going fishing with your dad yep yeah it's gonna show me how to get the big ones I figure it's time for him to learn fine you're in for a lot of fun I was out over the weekend and the big ones were shooting the surface states oh boy all day no that was just nearly morning and late evening during the day I had better luck trolling there done that way all right now here's a rod this balance just about right for a boy not too light yet light enough to get a thrill whenever the little ones strike this feels just about right oh you can be really proud of that run got a safe and comfortable grip nurse not be whipped to that real is the anti backlash level winding type you can cast without all day and your arm won't get tired sounds swell to me okay dad okay now here's a smooth easy casting I'll online you'll need all right and now some plugs yes sir that's the way it goes the selling sportsman this new type of salesman inspires buying confidence in the novice as well as the old-timers he not only speaks the language but he speaks it with authority and shows genuine interest and that as far as the tumors are concerned is even more important than price that's why they keep coming back the salesman whose star material who wants to be up with the champs keeps on his toes and up to date he gets plenty of dope from the literature prepared especially to help retail salesman by the manufacturers of sports equipment so he can properly explain and demonstrate all the specific features in the merchandise he sells he always has the latest news on the Fish and Game regulations in his as well as the surrounding areas and he knows the best hunting and fishing spots too he's always up to date on any changes in the National rules of all the sports he's not just a Salesman when it comes to sporting goods and sports he's really a sports specialist and what's more his boss the hardware dealer himself sees to it that the sports department is Paul was amply stocked with a well assorted line of sporting goods to meet the varying demands of every sporting season his selection of merchandise is geared to meet the needs of his particular local community in other words if his community has the natural facilities for winter sports water sports golf hunting or what have you he has plenty of stock on hand to supply these particular sportsman with what they want when they want it but wait a minute we've been talking about a well-rounded stock of all sporting goods look at that flock of guns and ammunition how about it young fella is there an exceptional number of hunters in your town why no bill not at all although I'll admit we had more hunters this year than we ever had before but that's true all over the country I guess we're just about average then why all the guns did the boss just go overboard on his supply of guns and ammunition gosh no this dock is just about right it's a complete line 22 centerfire rifles and shotguns and plenty of ammunition to fit them all no we're not overboard we've just got the works people are funny when it comes to buying guns they have a pretty good idea of what they want before they even come in the boss and I found out that if we were going to gain any ground in the sporting goods business it meant first of all a complete line of guns and ammunition what do you mean first of all for a very definite reason for instance our job our salesmen and I were talking about a chart on that same subject it appeared in the retail merchandises Club bulletin here it is these figures are for total volume sold golf goods almost thirteen percent baseball about five percent but guns and ammunition thirty-nine percent of the total volume and with another thirteen percent for fishing equipment that leaves about thirty percent for all the rest you see there's never been a time when so many people have been acquainted with firearms there's a tremendous interest in guns and ammunition then two guns have a swell attention-getting value the sale of a gun is usually the forerunner of the sale of several other items their bill does that answer your question on why the boss wants us to carry a complete line of guns and ammunition it sure does and thanks gifts there's a lot to it you have to know about advertising window display store promotion and even where to put the sports department in the store of course that's the part of the business I'm still learning the boss is the real expert on that stuff he was in the hardware business before I was born how about it mr. hardware merchant will you give us some of the angles on layout and display from your standpoint well I'll tell you mr. Stan I've been in this business a good many years there are a lot of principles and facts that I've had to learn the hard way then much of what I know I've learned from my contacts with the representatives of the retail hybrid Association reading the trade publications salesman and even my competitors now you mentioned the subject of display as far as I'm concerned display begins with the store itself the impression it creates I'm even considering a new storefront as modern is this then if I want people to come in and keep coming back because that means profit for me the store has to be attractive as a unit so I try to keep it well lighted and have the fixtures modern then I try to make it easy for customers to shop around so my departments are located and the displays set up according to demand and fast selling items I tried to get the fullest use of my floor space with lots of shopping islands yet there's plenty of aisle space too but i'm forgetting your special interest is in our sports department well seems like most everybody's is these days that's why i decided to have the best a leading sports department in town it's a traffic builder and what's more I've got it right up front well exposed to all the store traffic when people come in my store they not only see the sports department they're in it and that's exactly what we want nowadays with everybody spending more and more money for recreation well naturally I want to make it easy for them to spend it in my store right every other retail merchant ID a long time ago that attractive displays can account for over fifty percent of the store sales as you can see my fixtures and shopping islands are the latest types they get to merchandise out in the open where it can be seen these five by ten islands were especially recommended by my association representative I think they're ideal for displaying seasonal items and they sell the merchandise with a minimum of handling that goes for mass display and feature displays too I tried to keep up to date on everything especially on displays and latest fixtures the kind that encouraged people to sell themselves because they can both see and handle the goods that open rack for guns is a swell example of what I mean it's not only good looking but it's an attractive display too however the main thing is it lets the shooters know that i carry a full line of every popular type it says here's the place to buy your guns and ammunition say I'd better go to work looks like we're getting busy over there there are some very logical reasons for the steady increase in the sports department business and one of the most important reasons is the new type sporting goods salesmen we've been talking about this man realizes that the success of the department means money in his pocket naturally then he's always on his toes taking advantage of every opportunity to build business and profits in his department every idea to promote sales and bring in customers he's really enthusiastic about selling sports equipment other ideas of his include the time payment plan the layaway club ideas that help sell some of the higher priced items then to to help raise his batting average he even builds a prospect list of future customers by keeping tabs on the items in which customers have shown interest in addition to this whenever possible he gets a record of the sportsmen to whom hunting and fishing licenses have been issued in his area this gives him a sales promotion mailing list that just can't be topped in any league and like many others in this new selling field of his he makes arrangements to sell hunting and fishing licenses right in the store the business advantages in this extra service are obvious speaking of extra service as a goodwill as well as traffic builder in the store the sportsman's bulletin board is really a champ the bulletin board is another little extra service that means a lot to the sportsmen who come in the store it carries the latest information on the state and federal game regulations as well as announcements concerning local sporting events there are many smart merchandising activities that the livewire sporting goods salesmen can develop an order to better ask or do a more effective job yes today we in the world of sport welcome these new types salesman not only because they are sports lovers but because of theirs feel in their knowledge they're doing so much to aid and advance the national swing towards outdoor life to do their share in the task of building the mental and physical health of the nation so best of luck to the selling sportsman the merchant professional in the new age of sport and now a man you know and a man who knows you mr. rivers Peterson managing director of the national retail hardware Association I have watched the shooting of this motion picture with a great deal of interest it shows a merchandiser arrangement that is pretty close to ideal for the successful operation of a sports department in a retail hardware store perhaps all of you cannot have such an ideal arrangement nevertheless each can keep his sights high and aim for this I a deal that is the course which assures the best results people buy with confidence from someone they consider an authority therefore it is good business to have a young enthusiastic sportsman in charge of your sports department if necessary hire and train such a man people will go out of their way to buy from the person who knows the product he is selling and how to use it it is important to maintain an ample well-rounded stock after all if you don't have the merchandize you can't sell it and then display that merchandise attractively as has been done in the picture you've seen and promote its sale in every possible way in the days that are ahead to ensure success you must keep your sights high and whatever you do aim to do it better than anyone has done it in your town before [Music]