As some of you may know, I was at the Costa Mesa Gun show this weekend, helping spread the word. To be honest I sucked :'(. This was because I had not sleep since Thursday $$-0, and that I am nowhere near as good as the master Bob 210. In fact, I started to fall asleep. As I slept peacefully. With the thousands of eager practitioners of the second amendment around me. I kept hearing this voice telling me about this great thing called Appleseed. OH BOY did I want to go, it sounded great. It almost sounded to be too good to be true. Then Bob woke me up to go use the bathroom >:( In my semi state of consciousness, I tried to tell people about Appleseed. No one would listen. As hard as I tried, I could not put the passion in the message as I heard it in my dream. So as the day went on I got more and more depressed. Until I was finely put out of my zombie like state, by the closing of the show. I then proceeded to sleep for 12 hours :D As I slowly woke up I started to think about the day before and that voice, and it donned on me that it was BOB'S. Then it hit me we need Bob at all the gun shows across this great nation ???. No that would not work; his wife would want to seem him. Then I started to put my Brain ++) in to it to find a solution. THEN WHAM &) it hit me. We need to put Bob and his elevator pitch on You Tube O0 what do you think?
Hollywood,
are you talking about a real "film/video type production" thing here, or just Bob standing in front of an AS gun show table, doing the "pitch"?
How 'bout we go one better? How about not just on YouTube, but also as a DVD/download that could be played @ -any body's- gun show on a laptop?
For all the "non-California staters" that do not know Bob210, he has honed his "elevator pitch" to a finely tuned lasso, which is used to rope in -any- rifle owning folks to learn more about how to not only shoot their rifle more effectively, but to learn about their heritage as Americans as well......a man very well worth emulating..... @@) ;) 8)
I can see this as being a great tool in a couple of directions....not only the laptop being used as a recruiting tool, but the constant repetition of Bob's pitch will start becoming subconsciously drilled into the folks working the booth......after a day or so, they'll be able to repeat it verbatim, without even thinking about it....... O0 <:)
Doesn't every state want a Bob210?? Or 10??
F-stop, how much production equipment do we need to make this happen? @@)
Hollywood, great idea!! O0
You're tired, I know.....you were pretty trashed out Sat afternoon...... %) $$-0
LLP
Any Bob is better then no Bob ;D and besides the Texans are gone need all the help they can get @)
Let's start with 50 of these disks. When they are done, post here to let Appleseed volunteers who work gun shows know they are available.
This was the biggest turn out at a gun show I have ever seen! Thank you to all the instructors, Hollywoodmarine, Sonoftherepublic, Camljr, Grandson of Liberty, that turned out to help man the buckets. A special thank you to the instructors - to -be, Mario, Webdancer, and Rick, way to get involved while working your way up to a Rifleman score! A consistent presence at the gun shows is going to go a long way for promotions. Every Shoot Boss should be looking at the nearest gun show to their Appleseed and work to set up a show before your shoot!
It was good training for me being there...
It is helping with my fear of speaking to large crowds... (evident in Sacramento)
And Hollywood Marine is right, hearing the passion with which Bob210 promotes Appleseed is infectious, and helped me to hear it over, and over, and over, again..... :o
Amazing what a lot of repetition can do.... @@)
Boy I could use that pitch!
I'm reading the elevator speech, but never having heard Bob, or anybody, give it, I'm going in to the Turlock gun show next week cold.
I hope the first few hundred people that hear me stumble through it "Que Card" style will be forgiving. I expect some **)
Nothing like a little self induced :~ trial under fire to learn how to do this. ++) Keep your fingers crossed.
BaldDragn, don't get caught up in trying to do it like I do it. Think of this way.....you went to an Appleseed and from your post it sounds like you saw value in the program. When I find value in something, I want to share with everyone I know! Tell them about the marksmanship...tell them about the heritage....but above all else, tell them about how it moved you to become involved to try and make a difference! I'm sure you'll do fine.
In some defense classes they tell you that, contrary to popular myth, you don't rise to the occasion but that you fall back on your training. In action you will only be half as good as your best day on the range, etc.
Its the same with pitching at a Gun Show. I only started going to gun shows last year to pitch AS. At first I was upset at how rude people are. But then I thought about my own past behavior in malls etc where someone comes up and starts pitching at you and you're in a hurry to get somewhere or something. So first, don't take the brush offs and rejections personally.
Second, you start with your "Hi, have you heard of Project Appleseed?" for the umpteemth time and they say "no tell me about it." and you go. "oh, eh, its ehm, a ehm thing we do at weekends...."
So the elevator speech is something you have down pat so you can start talking and draw the person in. Don't try and give the whole thing in one breath without getting feedback. After the 20th time of giving the whole thing only to have them say "No thanks" and turn away you learn to stop for a little feedback here and there. Are they perking up on the distance, the calibers, the equipment, the history, the saving the country. Adapt and redirect and follow their lead.
Bob's elevator has all the main points in it. But you should adapt, re-order, come up with your own that reflects what you think is important. Your passion and enthusiasm will attract people to ask questions and find out more. The idea of learning one is that you have this "trained" automatic fall back for when someone surprises you and actually asks for more info.
The banner I had done reflects the mission statement of Funfaler's. Appleseed is an American Heritage and History program wrapped around an Outstanding Rifle marksmanship course. Under each heading it has some bullet points, for those that know it tells you what its about, for those who don't it provides some clues but you'll have to ask about them to get the full picture.
Last, we have to be proactive. At gun shows most vendors just sit behind the table and wait till someone picks something up and say "how much" or "have you got..." etc. If we do that people will just ask "How much for the 10/22?" So "Opening Gambits" I've seen used and which I try,
"Hi, have you heard of Project Appleseed" don't wait for the answer "Well let me take a few seconds here to tell you about it so you can see if its something you might be interested in" "We are a Nationwide all volunteer non-profit that teaches ....."
Thats Bob's harpoon...
"Hi, would you be interested in a Free Rifle Marksmanship course" Thats Webdancers pitch to the women and kids with the guy who's hurrying them by you trying not to make eye contact with you in case you try and sell him something. I shamelessly sell that one to kids who wander by. "Now run along and find your dad and tell him to come over here to get your course."
"Hi, nice rifle. Can I tell you about a great place where you can shoot that..." to the guy wandering by with a rifle or rifle case or rifle ammo...
Don't try and be selective. These people walking up don't look "the type" to be interested. Oh, this guy looks likely. Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't select individuals. Be like the Sham Wow! guy, as two or three groups and some individuals walk by, just address the crowd, "hey folks, let me take a few seconds of your time to tell you about this Appleseed project thats just arrived in this area...."
"Folks" is a very inclusive and disarming term which works better than "Hey guys" or "Hey People" etc.
Don't get discouraged. Don't expect a single appearance at a single gun show to produce hundreds of people at the next appleseed in a town. What I'm seeing in Ventura is that after 3 or 4 consecutive appearances I see the same faces who brushed me off in the first show now stopping to talk. Remember, you get all sorts of vendors at a gunshow, anyone can buy a table for a one off scam, so people are suspicious. But when the "brand" gets seen at the show multiple times people start to take notice, hey this might really be something. You start to form relationships with the other vendors. Don't forget to ask the guys selling rifles, if you can leave a stack of fliers with them, ask them to mention Appleseed to anyone who buys a rifle, etc.
Main thing is just go out and enjoy yourself, the Appleseed mantra.
Cheers
Phil
Quote from: bob 210 on February 01, 2009, 10:34:58 AM
BaldDragn, don't get caught up in trying to do it like I do it. Think of this way.....you went to an Appleseed and from your post it sounds like you saw value in the program. When I find value in something, I want to share with everyone I know! Tell them about the marksmanship...tell them about the heritage....but above all else, tell them about how it moved you to become involved to try and make a difference! I'm sure you'll do fine.