Sales Pitch 101: Outdoor companies teach classes to attract new customers

Lori Mordaunt probably seems like prime prey to the many outdoor gear and clothing companies sprinkled across the Denver area and northern Colorado.

She moved to rural Larimer County in September from St. Paul, Minn., where she worked as an arborist. She and her husband took their son on his first backpacking trip in the White River National Forest when he was five (he carried a Mickey Mouse backpack). She saw many bears growing up; belonged to a club with members who learned how to track river otters, coyote and deer; and, at 63, is retired and hikes as often as she can. Sure enough, she’s a 30-year-member of REI.

___________________

SPONSORED CONTENT

Business Cares: April 2024

In Colorado, 1 in 3 women, 1 in 3 men and 1 in 2 transgender individuals will experience an attempted or completed sexual assault in their lifetime. During April, we recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month with the hopes of increasing conversations about this very important issue.

Where to go for classes

Scheels — www.scheels.com

REI — www.rei.com

Jax — www.jaxgoods.com

___________________

But as Mordaunt was searching in Jax’s ranch store in Fort Collins for medication for her 14-year-old yellow labrador, she stumbled across a notice for a class on the wildlife in the foothills that surround Fort Collins and Loveland.

“I liked it,” Mordaunt said after the class on a Tuesday night. “I wanted to get an idea how it’s different from home. It was very interesting.”

The class attracted a half-dozen to Jax’s outdoor retail store, a number that won’t break sales records, but the classes are one of many ways outdoor gear companies are attempting to separate themselves from the pack. Jax’s outdoor store offers an impressive selection of Smartwool socks, backpacks and hiking poles, in addition to gear to support just about any other activity you can think of (and some you probably can’t, as there’s a huge wall full of flying discs for golf).

Jax, in fact, fully embraced the philosophy in May last year, when the company hired Alex Jeffers and others like her to run events and class programming in its stores across the area. Jeffers handles both Fort Collins stores. Most of the classes are free.

“It’s definitely a priority now,” Jeffers said. “It’s really about engagement and giving back to the community.”

It’s also about attracting customers, something Jeffers admits with a touch of prodding, and keeping them there once they walk in. The store may even strategically pair its classes with a marketing campaign, such as one on snowshoes, a practice other stores such as REI uses as well.

Jeffers also considers it another level of service, as all stores can recommend gear, but Jax can show them how to use it in a variety of opportunities through the classes.

“We want to give them a quality education in addition to the gear they purchase,” Jeffers said. “But mainly it’s just getting people through the door.”

It does seem to be working. It’s difficult to say it’s made a huge difference, but it does appear the classes are increasing sales and foot traffic, according to the metrics Jax uses, Jeffers said. Both are valuable when Jax is not only competing with REI and other giants but online stores and even places such as Amazon and eBay.

Other stores, such as Scheels, also offer a selection of classes, and even local stores are using the classes as a way to compete with the bigger boxes. Garretson’s, Greeley’s longtime local store that offers ski rentals and outdoor gear in addition to firearms and hunting equipment, offered a concealed-carry class that allowed customers to get a permit. Those classes were always in high demand during Obama’s administration, said Todd Garretson, the owner, but they have tailed off somewhat after Trump was elected because the fear of losing their guns is no longer there. Garretson said he offered the class as a business decision. The store doesn’t have any classes right now but should have them in the future.

“If you do get someone in a class, they will need a pistol,” he said, “and you’re hoping they will buy the gun from you. Probably eight out of 10 will buy one from you. We definitely generate more sales when we have them. It’s our way of advertising in an indirect way.”

That’s the same reason Garretson’s offers a ski rental service: It’s another way to get people in the door. The rentals are sold out every week, so it appears to be working as well. That’s also why Garretson’s doesn’t offer ski classes. The rental program is enough.

“We could offer fly fishing and skiing, but that’s harder to do without taking people out,” he said, “and I doubt we’d make the money needed to cover those expenses.”

Colorado certainly offers opportunities for businesses to connect with the outdoors, as much or probably more than just about any other state, with its population of health-conscious, fitness-driven residents who spend their weekends playing outside.

“Even those participating in an entry-level class usually have some other kind of activity they do,” said Eddy Kim, who is the marketing director for REI’s outdoor program out of the Denver flagship store but also acts as a field instructor. “You’ll get someone in a map and compass class, for instance, who will say they’ve been mountain biking for 20 years. That’s very different than the experiences I’ve had in other markets.”

That’s why even the retail outdoor giant REI offers a wide variety of classes and programs in many stores, including Fort Collins and the Denver flagship, and the chain has a whole outdoor division that offers both indoor and outdoor classes, presentations and travel adventures around the world. Engaging people in the outdoors obviously has business benefits, Kim said, but it also overcomes a big hurdle for those learning a new sport.

“The hurdles are basically equipment and knowledge,” Kim said. “If you’re going out with your friends, and all of them ski but you don’t, that’s not conducive to learning a new sport. But at the classroom, you’ll be with a lot of people at the same level, and that’s much less intimidating.”

REI gears its classes to fit Colorado’s populations, just like the chain does for other states, and generally it’s up to the stores to determine what fits the local population they serve the best. The most popular class, by far, is the beginner’s class on how to climb a 14er, Kim said. Other classes that REI offers in Colorado that it wouldn’t in other states include multi-pitch rock climbing or an advanced skills mountain biking course. Most of the courses are intro-level, and there is a fee for most of them, although the presentations and some indoor classes are free.

Mordaunt is not a big shopper anymore — her storage space is full of outdoor gear — but the classes at Jax did do their job, even if she will also remain loyal to REI.

“I think I’ll back to Jax at some point,” she said.