Attractive Proposition
Baron Engraving can make an ordinary firearm into something very special.
By Christopher Cogley
It’s no secret that there’s no secret to running a successful business. Anyone who owns a profitable business knows that there are very specific principles and practices you have to consistently apply to be successful. One of those practices is the ability to make your business, and your products, stand out from the competition.
For gun store owners, that’s often easier said than done. After all, almost every gun store across the country is carrying a relatively similar inventory of the most popular firearms on the market. Fortunately, Baron Engraving has a solution that makes standing out from the competition as easy as it is profitable.
“By adding custom engraving to stock firearms, we can make a ‘me-too’ gun into something really special,” says David Miles, president and CEO of Baron Engraving. “And not only does it make that firearm stand out, it also gives retailers higher margins than they get on the stock gun.”
To make this proposition even more attractive, Baron has three different options available to retailers, so they can sell custom engraved firearms in a way that works best for their business—and their customers.
The first—and easiest—option is to order a selection of firearms that are pre-engraved by Baron. “We’ve been in business for more than 40 years, and we’ve developed strong partnerships with all of the major firearms manufacturers,” says Winslow Potter, vice president of sales and marketing for Baron.
These long-term relationships that Baron has forged over decades means that when a manufacturer wants to do a run of custom-engraved firearms all they have to do is send Baron a run of a pre-determined number of firearms. Baron will engrave them with artwork created around a specific theme.
A great example is the Grade III Engraved Colt 1911 Government model that Baron featured at this year’s SHOT Show. “This is a turn-key custom pistol that retailers can get directly from their distributors to make it easy for them to personalize their offering and give their customers something that is truly special,” Potter says. “Basically, these come in as stock guns and they leave with all the glitz and glamour of custom firearms.”
Retailers can get the Grade III Engraved Colt 1911 Government model in either stainless steel or blued versions, both of which come with standard Colt wood grips.
“Guns like this give retailers a way to set themselves apart,” Miles says. “It helps bring people into their stores, and it attracts higher-end customers—especially collectors—who are looking for something more than a stock gun. It’s also a great way to get repeat business because those customers are going to keep coming back to see what other customized firearms you carry.”
To give those customers a prized firearm that’s even more attractive, Baron’s custom shop provides unlimited options for personalizing the custom-engraved 1911 even further by offering specialized engraving on the left and right slide panels of the pistol. With this option, retailers—or even organizations, foundations, and specialty groups—can take a firearm that’s already custom-engraved and turn it into a treasured pistol that customers or members couldn’t get anywhere else. Baron offers these special-order 1911s with a variety of custom grip options, including Turkish walnut with a gold rampant pony, kirnite presentation white grips, and custom diamond walnut or rosewood laminate grips with engraving and text.
For a truly unique option, Baron also has the capability to personalize the 1911, and a wide range of other items, with nearly any design, etching, or wording that your customers are interested in. “Most of our business is guns, but we can apply our technology to almost anything,” Potter says.
And the technology Baron has developed over the past four decades is considerable. “We incorporate all types of engraving into our designs,” Miles says. “Every form of engraving you can think of we have available in-house, and we’re always looking for new technology to bring to the table.”
Miles fully admits, however, that not every custom firearm Baron creates makes it all the way to retailer’s shelves. “It’s been pretty common over the years that I work on a project and then have to have one for my own collection.”
Considering the quality of work Baron turns out, it’s not hard to understand why. (baronengraving.com)