A Tip for Paintball Pro Shop Success

As a longtime paintballer, I have seen the sport go from professionals and extreme sport enthusiasts only to reaching everyday people looking for enjoyable recreational opportunities. Paintball is following trends set by snowboarding, bungee jumping, and other extreme sports that are easily available to the public today.

Unfortunately, many paintball pro shops have failed to upgrade their interpersonal skills to keep up with the increased interest in their sport. Though paintball pro shops once serviced only the highly invested enthusiast, there are more and more people of all ages and backgrounds eager to get in on the fun.

Owners and employees of paintball pro shops need to show greater sensitivity to the up and coming amateurs of the sport if they hope to make repeat clients out of them. There are countless times that I have been inside a paintball pro shop and observed an obvious newcomer walk in and be blatantly ignored by sales staff; be treated rudely or disrespectfully when they asked questions about paintball markers, accessories, or tournaments; and generally be looked down on for not having a thorough knowledge of paintball in general before walking through the doors of the paintball pro shop in question.

The paintball pro shops that I have seen grow and enjoy financial success are those that are willing to take the time to talk to and interact with the newcomers to paintball as a sport. Most paintball pro shop employees already have a thorough knowledge of the sport, so it shouldn't take much effort to be able to know the answer to some of the most frequently asked amateur questions.

Newcomers to paintball as a sport generally want to know how much it will cost them to get started, a brief history of paintball, whether or not there have been any serious injuries or deaths associated with paintball, how old you should be to play, and where the best local indoor and outdoor fields are located.

If you want to enjoy success as a paintball pro shop owner or employee, take the time to polish your customer service skills. Be open with, friendly toward, and generally interested in every customer who walks through the door. Chances are that with excellent customer service skill you will turn what might have been a "walk away" or one-time sale only into a repeat customer who will generate hundreds to thousands of dollars worth of business for your company.