Crimson Trace President and CEO Lane Tobiassen points dealers toward valuable laser sight sales support materials and information available for free to help optimize FFL businesses.
FFL Unleashed: A dealer sells a new shooter/gun owner a semi-automatic pistol. What’s the pitch to get that buyer to consider adding a Crimson Trace Laser to the gun? How does a laser sight most benefit the beginning shooter?
Tobiassen: Depending on the person’s level of experience, a laser sight offers many benefits. For example, nothing diagnoses trigger press issues as well as a laser sight – the shooter can actually see the dot move when the trigger isn’t pulled smoothly. Also, lasers help confirm proper sight alignment by showing the dot sitting on top of the front sight post of a properly sighted handgun. But perhaps the greatest benefit for a person buying a self-defense pistol is the added confidence a beginner will have knowing that where he or she points the laser, that is where the shot will hit the target.
FFL Unleashed: The Crimson Trace line is renowned for premium quality, but is also known to be more expensive than a lot of other brands. How can dealers best encourage customers to step up to Crimson Trace from other brands they may be considering because of the lower price points?
Tobiassen: Crimson Trace products can cost more than other brands, and some dealers may not understand the reasons why. Here are a few: Superior reliability. Precision engineering and product testing. 100% Made In USA manufacturing. Instinctive activation and ergonomic designs. Exceptional customer care. Extensive retail merchandising and support programs. Compelling consumer advertising and demand creation initiatives. The list goes on. In short, Crimson Trace makes the best laser sights on the market, does more than any other brand to help dealers sell them, and backs them up with the exceptional customer service.
FFL Unleashed: What kind of tools/data does Crimson Trace offer dealers to help them provide the facts about lasers to customers?
Tobiassen: Our catalog and website are full of information about why a laser should be standard equipment on all personal defense firearms, as well as the specifics of our products. Another great source of information is our 3Point5.com training module, which is a question-and-answer online education system for retail employees that covers the basics of lasers. We have fit guides, holster compatibility charts, blue training guns equipped with lasers, and a host of other merchandising materials for dealers. Lastly, our Regional Sales Managers and customer service representatives are also excellent sources of information.
FFL Unleashed: Many of the newest products in the laser sight market offer green beams rather than red. Please explain the difference and the best application for each.
Tobiassen: Green lasers have become more popular over the past several years as green laser diodes … the part that produces the laser beam … have improved. Green diodes cost more, consume batteries faster, and are less stable in high and low temperatures than red lasers. Green lasers appear brighter than red not because they are emitting more light, but because our eyes detect green light better than red. This apparent brightness makes green lasers more suitable for longer-distance applications such as rifles or shotguns, and they are better in bright conditions outside. For low-light or dark conditions, however, red diodes work very well.
FFLU: What lies ahead in laser sighting technology? Can they get any better than Crimson Trace’s current offerings?
Tobiassen: Crimson Trace was built on innovation, which we define as challenging the status quo. Today, that means developing better ways to incorporate lasers and lights into and onto firearms. Our “standard equipment” vision drives us to find ever more creative ways to bring the immediate, decisive advantages of laser sighting systems to more customers than ever. With our OEM firearm manufacturer partners, we will be developing next-generation onboard systems that seamlessly integrate into the firearm frame.
