Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Why You as a Firearm Owner, Should Never Shop at Dick's Again

Why Dick’s Has Lost Gun Owner’s Support

I have only written a few of articles like this in my entire life.

 I also feel that it is a shame that I must do so.
My most recent came after under armour chose to abandon hunters and legal hunting by taking the side of anti-hunters against lawful hunting practices.
 This article now comes after Dicks sporting goods comes out against the Second Amendment and states that not only will they not sell what they incorrectly categorized as "assault style" weapons (a false and misleading name), but they will no longer carry any "high capacity”(open to “interpretation”) magazines,  and will no longer sell firearms to anybody under the age of 21.

 Dicks, like under armour and their foolish decision to abandon a large number of their base, has every right to do these things as they are a private business entity and dictate what they can and will sell in their stores.
 That doesn't mean that I have to buy anything from them ever again – nor does it mean that I have to accept what they are doing as right and not spread the word to my entire network and all gun owners in the country that what Dicks has actually done is leap over a very large "line in the sand."

 Many people against the Second Amendment use excuses to violate people’s rights.
The way you determine a violation is easy.
There is a very effective litmus test to determine whether something passes constitutional muster. That test is to apply that regulation or restriction against any other constitutional right and see if it would be OK to do so.

For example, would it be OK to require "training" or to require a "license" in order to vote?

Would it be OK if we made someone pass a background test in order to freely practice their own religion?

 What about banning just "certain parts" of religion? Like, what if we said Christianity was OK, but the practice of the Muslim religion or the Jewish religion was not… Would that be OK?
Would that be a violation of someone's rights?

Why is it that we are OK with such blatant violations  of another constitutional right?

 The answer is very simple… Many people in the general public have been "conditioned" by false, misleading, and leading fake news and fake journalism - up to and including the most recent re-categorization of a firearm as a "full semi automatic."
There are those in power that wish to see all of us in this country under their “rule.”
They speak of “fair” and “equitable” and what is right and just for “the majority.”
…But that isn’t what our country and constitution is about.
We are and have always been about the rights of the INDIVIDUAL over those of the MAJORITY.
Equal OPPORTUNITY- not equal OUTCOMES.

Ace Luciano believes that the best way to keep kids safe from gun violence is to educate ALL youth on the safety and hazards of firearms.
This book solves a lot of today's gun violence problems
 A much more effective solution to the problem of school shootings is to use the principles found in the book "Guns the Right Way" – the definitive guide to introducing youth and children to firearms (and, not coincidentally, written by YOURS TRULY) – and  to take seriously things like bullying, isolated individuals, and people that have been reported to the police and the FBI on numerous occasions that have been ignored - and should be ignored no longer. To learn more about kids, guns and Ace, you can visit my website. Want a copy of the book?  You can order it on Amazon or HERE.

 I urge each and every one of you that owns a firearm  and believes that the Second Amendment is a God-given right to that shall not be infringed to do several things starting TODAY:

1.  Share and like this post, and others like it, throughout your social networks to demonstrate the unity and numbers we truly have.
2. JOIN THE NRA.   There is one organization that has constantly and consistently been the protector of Second Amendment rights in the United States – it also happens to be the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the entire world. It is the National Rifle Association, and if you aren't a member and own a gun, then shame on you.
3.  Write letters. Write a letter to your congressman. Your members of the Senate. Write a letter to the president. Write a letter to the mayor of the largest city in your area. Write letters to the editors of your local and regional newspapers. Take the time to write two paragraphs. You can then address the same letter to multiple people.
4.  Support the people that support you and your beliefs, and withdraw your support as well as pontificate against supporting those that don't.
Under Armour  Learned the hard way that people that hunt also buy things like baseball, soccer, football, and hockey equipment. They buy running shoes and athletic apparel. Now they just don't buy any of it from under armor. With their profits down almost 80% year-over-year, it's not a coincidence that their downfall coincided with their  Choice to support anti-hunters.

 We are all in this together and, now, more than ever, are in the fight of our lives to maintain our rights and our way of life.
 Don't let a group of politicians that believe they "know what's best for you" as well as large numbers of feeble minded, easily lead individuals that simply scream loudly to decide your fate.

Who is Jerry "Ace" Luciano? 
That depends on whom you ask. 
Ask anyone in the outdoor world, and they'll tell you that Ace is a big game hunter and adventurer that has a great deal of sales knowledge. 
Ask someone in the corporate world and they might tell you that Ace is the guy that smashes and sets sales records that may have stood for decades. 
Hunter. Fisherman. Outdoorsman. Youth Mentor. Writer. Best-selling author. Entrepreneur. Sales Executive. Seminar speaker. Fundraising Professional. These phrases and more have all been used to describe this dynamic outdoor personality and all around "good-guy." A self-described outdoor "generalist" who is a jack of many trades, and a Master of several, Ace is often described as "that guy..." To learn more bout Ace, visit www.aceluciano.com

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Dear Outdoor Companies - Your "Agency" May Be Costing You a LOT of Money...

Dear shooting, hunting and outdoor related companies… Your marketing agency may be costing you money. 

Lots of it. 

 Dear agencies that operate in the shooting hunting and outdoor industry… You are losing a ton of money for you and your clients… 

 You know, just when I think I can't be more surprised about something, something happens that brings me another paradigm shift. 
 
We are several weeks out from the annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade show (the SHOT Show)  where I personally met with hundreds of people representing numerous businesses, agencies, manufacturers, and other related professionals. 
 Many people know that I work as a freelance marketing consultant, but what many are not aware of is that I regularly refer clients to marketing agencies and am often referred to an agency by a prospective client. 

 Last year those referrals from me were worth somewhere in the $200,000-$300,000 range. 

 I don't know about you, but to me that's a fair amount of money. 

 Imagine my surprise, then, when emails and messages to multiple agencies have not been returned despite numerous attempts to contact. 

 I also find that the "crossover" agencies ( The ones that are mainly in the "green" space but cross over to "hook and bullet") are often the biggest violators to this protocol.  
 Now, the particular agency in this example is not one of those types, and is one that I have known and that certainly knows me. 
 I never intentionally try and get anybody into trouble, but there comes a point where my due diligence in contacting you has been done. 

 I'll always do my best to never waste anyone's time- therefore, I expect the same in return. 

My last message to agencies that don't answer several contacts are similar to, "I reached out to you several times as a professional courtesy. If this is not the proper protocol, I can go back to dealing direct with XYZ company."

 Another huge mistake agencies make is being threatened by anyone or anything that comes to speak with their clients. 
In the few situations where I work as a marketing consultant with a company or I work with a private client, I owe it to them to perform due diligence on any opportunities they have to make money. I have a rule of thumb – I never, ever recommend to stop doing something that makes money or to not to do something that will make money. 

That is regardless of whether I another entity provides it. 

That's keeping my clients best interests always in mind. 
 
I recently, at the request of the client, sent some information to an agency regarding some newsletter and blog products that I represent.  I also copied the client so that he knew I had done as asked.  
Now, even I get ahead of myself sometimes and make errors – and in this case switched two numbers around- Page views, and unique viewers. (and in my defense, I was simply repeating what I was told over the phone but it is ultimately my responsibility.) 

 This marketing agency representative replied to me within 15 minutes with an email basically "calling me out" on my numbers – asking for validity because he couldn't find that kind of traffic and that the actual traffic was XXX… And he also copied the client. 

I guess we both know he considers me a threat, even though I'm not. 

Now, being in the marketing and advertising world, everybody knows that it is extremely simple to check the estimated traffic numbers on any website- therefore, we all use the actual numbers. The numbers for this product or actually quite impressive. 
 
I responded to this representative that he was correct, I had mixed the numbers, and that the portion that we were speaking of was "bonus" traffic, anyway, as we did not price nor calculate our cost per thousand based on the blogs. 
 I received no response to that message that day. 


Nor did I receive a response the next day. 
Or the day after that – or to the message I just sent today, one week later, to ask if something had perhaps happened to him. 

Now, it's obvious that this person is either 1. Threatened by me speaking with his client (and if that's the case, then he probably should be.) or, 2.  Doesn't like to make money.

You see, and I have no problem paying referral fees for people that bring me business. That's just smart business. 
 I have another situation that also sounds fairly ridiculous when it's brought into the open. I met a company that the try and Buy show prior to SHOT Show that wanted to set up a meeting with me  to discuss some of the content marketing options I have. 
 As a courtesy, I reached out to their agency via email with an introduction and let them know that I had met with one of their clients and that I wanted to get on the phone with them because I work with numerous agencies in referring them business. 
 I actually sent two emails – one to each founding partner of the company. 
 Three days later I made a phone call and left a message for each of them. 
 
Nothing but crickets since then. 

 In the meantime, there are potentially thousands of dollars waiting for them and their clients to just go and get because they simply want to pick up the phone or return a courteous message. 

I learned long ago from several different business mentors that simply picking up my phone, returning phone calls, and replying to emails even if I didn't think I needed what was offered for my or my client's business was an easy path to success. 


What do you think about the protocol of "response in kind?"

Do you always return phone calls and emails? 
 
Are you open to new ways for your clients to make money, even if it doesn't always benefit you directly? 

 I do, and I am, and it has always served me well. 

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

If You've Ever Wanted to Join An Optics Pro Staff, Now is the Time...

RITON Optics Opens Application Window For Pro Staff, Influencer Team Members

Ace Luciano believes in quality and value, and RITON is the complete package. If you are looking for the best quality optics at every price point compared to what is out there TODAY, you need to check out RITON.
RITON Offers some of the highest Quality Optics at the BEST value in the industry
2-6-2018
Tucson AZ  USA

RITON Optics, A US Based, Military and Law-enforcement, Veteran-Owned Company, is seeking pro staff and influencer team members NATIONWIDE.
Interested Parties can learn about and apply at the RITON Optics Media Website. 


What does it mean to be a RITON "Pro Staff" member?

To RITON, it means you're a "member of the family"

The RITON team is a close-knit group. They know that whatever they do and wherever they go, their deeds and actions reflect upon not only the company, but each one of the employees and members of the pro team.

RITON Pro Staff Members need to be PASSIONATE about what they do.
They are MOTIVATED.
They are DRIVEN to design, build and sell what they truly believe to be the best optics on the planet.

If you want to join the RITON team, you need to believe that, too.

Who are the RITON Pro Staff?

They're shooters. Hunters. Outdoorsmen and Women. They are normal folks just like you. They are Moms, Dads, Brothers and Sisters. Some are first responders. Some are military and former military. They are writers and authors, hosts of YouTube channels and radio shows, "good-ole-boys" and girls and red-white-and-blue-blooded AMERICANS that believe we live in the greatest country on earth, are proud of our heroes in uniform and non, and believe that great optics don't have to cost an arm and a leg.

Most importantly, the RITON Pro Staff are the face of the company to dealers, customers, and to millions of people on television, radio, digital, and social media and need to be and perform at the highest level of professionalism.

If you want to join one of the best, fastest- growing companies in the optics space, click HERE to drop them a line and let them know WHY!