# who sells more bows?



## EdMchperson (Jan 25, 2009)

who sells more bows. The national pro shooter or the local shooter?


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## carbon_kid (Feb 12, 2006)

*national*

i think national because people locally should no about you already then national they don't wont no you as much because your just starting up.


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## Mrohr1 (Jan 16, 2009)

I think it depends. A national shooter will get more publicity from tv but the local shooter will get more local publicity. Local shooters are probably seen more in newspapers from around their hometown and can more easily gotten ahold of. Therefore, while the National Shooter sports the bow that everyone wants, the local shooter is the go to guy to actually get the said bow. Just my .02.


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## woobenbowhunter (Jun 18, 2008)

I would say the Local shooter. The local shooter is the little known guy that is trying to make his way through the ranks. He is the one that can influence others like him to go with the bow or product he is using. Others will look at him winning or doing well and say I want to shoot what he is shooting. The National Pro Shooter is going to be shooting with other guys like him who have already made up their mind about what they want to shoot. Sure people will look at him and say wow he is doing well with this bow or whatever but it is the little guy that talks to people at shoots or shows that is close to shops that can really sell the product or bows. The kind of people most are. Like me


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## jcmorgan31 (Nov 9, 2005)

Professional archery is hardly televised at all. If you are talking about competition archery that is. That is what I consider a professional shooter. I'm not talking about "professional" hunting celebrities. The majortity of archers in this country are hunters. Few of them have access to or just aren't concerned with professional tournament archers. I believe that the local shop shooter will sell far more bows for a bow company than an pro will.


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## Rolo (Dec 16, 2002)

For the "regular" hunter or target/3-d shooters, I think it is the local guy without hesitation. The more serious archers, may be more influenced by what is being shot on the national level, but are also serious enough to get what works for them.

I have talked to a lot of guys at our local shoots and indoor lanes. Very few of them know who Cuz'n Dave is...or Jeff Hopkins...or Jesse B...Chance...etc. They can however say who the "top" local shooter is, and what make and model of bow they are shooting. This is all general of course...but I have seen guys go into the pro shop and ask for a bow that the guy down the street is shooting...or ask for the bow that the pro shop manager is shooting...never heard one ask for Dave's, or Chance's or Jeff's bow though...

I will add one caveat...I think the national hunting pros have a larger influence than the national target/3-d pros do...


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## rodney482 (Aug 31, 2004)

Local top shooters, cause they interact directly with customers.


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## michihunter (Mar 2, 2003)

Hard to say but I would definitely say a hunter sells more than a target shooter. Get your bow into the hands of hunters and let word of mouth spread your sales like wildfire.:wink:


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## BEAR FOOT (Nov 30, 2007)

*for me its the local guys*

that spread the word and realy sell bows for me all of my staff shooters are members of a local club and shoot 2-3 times weekly and shoot all of our local and national ibo events. Bear Foot Archery.


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## hitman846 (Jan 25, 2003)

Local guys........they are more prevalent and approachable! :thumb:


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## edmcclaskey (Mar 31, 2008)

*sales*

The local guy who hunts and shoots the local shoots and has a lot of friends in the area into archery and the guy who promotes archery and hunting in the local area, with a good personality.

A lot of bows are sold on fishing trips with friends,or at the local events.

The pros do not socialize enough except with other pros who do not buy bows..people buy from people they like and trust.

Parents of national archery in the schools programs

coachs


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## NoSecondBest (Jan 18, 2009)

By far the local shooters and shops promote one brand over another. Very few shooters follow who's winning what championship, etc. I shot competitive pistol, rifle, and shotgun on a national level for several years. I was sponsored by a large powder company. The reality is that 99% of the populace who shoot do so for hunting purposes and have very little interest or knowledge in competitive shooting. This is true not only with firearms but with archery. I once had dinner with four olympic gold medal shooters and five other shooters who are absolutely the best shooters in the world. I bet that I couldn't find one person out of a hundred who would recognize any of them outside of other competitors. Shooting sports aren't "big" in this country and never will be. Hunting is BIG. The National Shooting Sports Foundation spends more money of Olympic Biatholon than on shooting competitions in this country. They, and the manufacturers, recognize that the dollars generated in the industry are from hunters, not competitiors. Your local pro shop will direct more shooters in determining what bow they use, not the "pros".


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## jamesbowman (Jan 29, 2006)

*National or Local*

What ever they are using the most on the Outdoor Channel- So if they are national then thats it. Very few people even know what national archers are using, But I bet most bow hunters know what the Drury boys and Jay Gregory shoot.


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## tuskbuster (Apr 8, 2006)

The local guy. By far.


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## PMantle (Feb 15, 2004)

I could not name a single national or local shooter, and I've been shooting a bow since I was 6. :lol:


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## pyandbc (Dec 18, 2003)

Local guys, the national already know how to shoot. All the big names like Cousins, Braden, etc can shoot anything they hold in thier hands. Looks better when local pros shoot good scores. See ya at nationals:wink:


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## 19ptWhitetail (May 25, 2007)

Ed,

Archery stands for many different things, depending on the audience and for that matter the continent which you are addressing. In the US, while there is no doubt that Pro Shooters are the figureheads of our sport, they do not represent the mainstream archer. The main stream archer is primarily influenced by hunting shows & personalities on TV, followed closely by their exposure to locally respected archers through 3-D shoots, field shoots and exposure to these individuals at local Pro shops. 

To quantify my reasoning, you can break down bow sales in the US in recent years and easily see that the sales volume is not in the target bows that the Pros shoot, but rather in short A to A, high speed hunting bows. The average archer may have seen a Pro on a web-site or in a magazine, but has likely never been exposed to one in person. In contrast, the average archer is constatly exposed to TV hunting personalities, advertisements, local archers and local Pro shops during critical stages of the decision making and purchase process, which has significant influence on the archer's decision to purchase a given brand or model of bow.


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## rwells (Sep 21, 2007)

Local shooters without a doubt.

Instance, one local shooter who used to shoot one bow, caused most people in the area to switch to what he was using. Now he shoots another brand and guess what 90% of the field is shooting now.


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## anythingoutdoors (Jan 12, 2009)

EdMchperson said:


> who sells more bows. The national pro shooter or the local shooter?


Neither. It's the dealer that sells the bows. 

You can have the best pro-staff and local shooters and if the local dealer wants to sell brand X, guess what he'll be putting in the consumers hands when he walks through the door?

A manufacturer (or the sales rep) is better off establishing a solid working relationship with the dealer. Then, asking the dealers advice on who he or she thinks would best represent their shop to drive customers through the door. Offer the equipment to the dealer and let THEM determine who is going to be the "staff shooter". 

It worked for me and I kept getting "Salesman of the Year" for my manufacturers because of increases in annual volume :wink:


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## alwayslookin (May 28, 2003)

*well*

The Drury's and Michael Waddell sell a LOT of bows.......as do others...mostly Celebrity hunters....not pro archers. But look at Mathews....tons of celeb endorsements, and DEALER ONLY. The big advantage to the "pros" is that they target their audience well, and are great advertisement. Their big downfall is that they can't support the product, or actually sell to the customer.

But a local guy will sell bows for a local DEALER.....and a DEALER will sell more bows if he gets company support.

The best bows in the world need great factory support and great dealers support.......there are some good techs at the marts and box stores.......but the good ol local guy and a good dealer will still out sell them. All the celebs can shoot em, but if an average guy can't get them set up right......they can be better, but the customer won't be happy.

Advertise with the pros and support it at a local level....can't just do 1 or the other.


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## dkoutdoors (Mar 3, 2007)

rodney482 said:


> Local top shooters, cause they interact directly with customers.


well said!


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## Tecumseh (Jan 14, 2007)

I would say the National being they have more visibility to more people therefore resulting in more sales in some sence. ...though neither really influence me. I am a technical person and I usually am my best influencer and my uncle. :wink:


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## hrtlnd164 (Mar 22, 2008)

I'd have to say it's a local shooter who also attends National shoots. Let's face it, the pro's just aren't approachable all the time. At the National events they are consumed with what they are doing either on the course or for their sponsors. I'm not bashing the pros here either, they have obligations. I have had the priveledge to shoot with a few pros at a local event in Bradford Pa. where a local pro shop brought in some Hoyt and Mathews pros for a "friendly" competition at a small outdoor show. After the pros shot then the local "joes" could challenge any one of them to a lifesaver shoot. These guys are alot of fun in this environment and answered alot of questions. The local guy is accessable most of the time and available to help. We may not have all the knowledge of the pros but we are always ready to help. Go to the big events and take in everything you can and bring it home to share with all the "joes".


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## sibowfisher (Jan 8, 2009)

*promotes sport*

In my opinion,(which never really seems to matter), it is the person who loves and supports the sport of archery. Just because a person can nail 59 out of 60 x's, or bring in a 150 class buck every year, that person just MIGHT not be the right person for the job. He or she might be doing it for the wrong reason, (pride, national attention, etc.). I am not saying that all top shooters and hunters are all that way, but I have been shooting long enough and seen enough to know.(45years) But the person who goes out year after year and never gets his buck, or shoots 15 out of 60 x's, and still goes back and loves every minute of it, he is the one who is in it for the love of the game, not for notoriety. This person has my respect over the other more gifted archers. He shoots just to watch the flight of the arrow, or hunts and loves to watch the sunrise. He is the one who can teach everyone else how to enjoy the bow. He is the one who will bring people into the sport. The everyday Joe!


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## bwhntr4168 (Mar 15, 2005)

local!!!


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## wirenut583 (Nov 4, 2007)

sibowfisher said:


> In my opinion,(which never really seems to matter), it is the person who loves and supports the sport of archery. Just because a person can nail 59 out of 60 x's, or bring in a 150 class buck every year, that person just MIGHT not be the right person for the job. He or she might be doing it for the wrong reason, (pride, national attention, etc.). I am not saying that all top shooters and hunters are all that way, but I have been shooting long enough and seen enough to know.(45years) But the person who goes out year after year and never gets his buck, or shoots 15 out of 60 x's, and still goes back and loves every minute of it, he is the one who is in it for the love of the game, not for notoriety. This person has my respect over the other more gifted archers. He shoots just to watch the flight of the arrow, or hunts and loves to watch the sunrise. He is the one who can teach everyone else how to enjoy the bow. He is the one who will bring people into the sport. The everyday Joe!


 I agree that these people deserve our respect but, Do they sell bows? The people that are loyal to their brand and will promote the brand they are loyal to, that is who I think sells bows. The Pros, people know that they get payed to shoot the brand they are shooting. The local people who shoot the brand they choose will sell more bows. PSE has more shooters in our area and they seem like they are selling some just being at ever shoot in all there shirts and gear. I mean at a shoot of 50 people there maybe 12 in PSE shirts. and they do try and sell you on their stuff. But probably nobody has a clue who or if any pros that shoot for PSE of Hoyt or Mathews for that matter even if they win more compitions than all other brands combined. Bopw buyers know who is accepting the tropies at last weeks 3d or the leader of the Indoor league every season. no matter what class.


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## dkoutdoors (Mar 3, 2007)

*I think if your a national shooter, local shooter, Pro shooter, or Shop shooter, If your serious about the sport and your equipment you should be promoting it and letting everyone know about it, keeping the archery world alive.*


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## TcArchery08 (Dec 19, 2008)

think of it this way how many bows have you bought or wanted to buy based on what somebody (friend or trusted buddy on here) told you about or showed you them selfs. LOCAL SHOOTERS all the way reading about a bow and seeing pics in an advertisement doesnt compare to picking it up and shooting it your self


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## DFArcher (Mar 15, 2006)

Local shooters. Most, especially the youngsters only know or care about who they see at the shoots they go too. My kid knows who the top locals are, he watches and imulates them and talkes to them about equipment.


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## NARLEYHORNS (Jul 7, 2007)

*Local Shooter ....*



EdMchperson said:


> who sells more bows. The national pro shooter or the local shooter?


I know when I had my ProShop open .... my local shooters, the one shooting next to other shooters in the indoor lanes and out on the 3D range influienced sales for me a great deal more than national shooters did. "NOBODY" came in and said: I want the bow Burly Hall is shooting. Burly was a great HCA shooter at that time. I was a HCA dealer with 100+ HCA bows on the rack in the shop. I had some very salty shooter in and out of this shop. The bulk of them shot HCA equipment. These guys that they could watch, touch, and relate to commanded more direct respect than any of the Pro Shooters did out on the circut. Im sure a National reconized Pro at home in his local shop got the attention ... but again key word ... local.

Just FYI .... If you were to support your local archery shops and there attempts to bring Shop Staff Shooter on board shooting your product. It would be good money spent well.


I dont have a Chevy in the driveway because Dale Earnheart Jr. has one in his ... the guy down the road had one ... and I liked it.



.


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## trapper dan (Sep 10, 2007)

I think it is the local shooter, he is the guy that others in the area can trust because he hunts and shoots with that equipment. If you go into our local shop these guys know hunting celebrity's but have no idea who a pro comp shooter is. They look to the guys that are harvesting deer, they trust that guy and listen to him for arrow's, bows, broad heads etc. These guys are the ones that get maybe one chance at a good deer a year and want it all to be right when it comes together.I do know when I go into different shops I don't see that many target bows they are just about all ( if not all )hunting bows. I am just outside of Gainesville, Fla. You would think I would see more target bows, instead its all hunting. When they come to shoot in Gainesville they bring there bows.

Good Luck Mike


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## FIG (Sep 23, 2008)

*shooting*

it is the local people that sells the bows a lot of bows have been sold at local shoots if i shot your bows i would let people shoot mine. i think that is the best way to get your bows out there. your bows look real nice.


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## MOPARLVR4406 (Apr 5, 2006)

I would say local shooters
pros don't necessarily shoot what they like...they have the skill to shoot anything...they shoot and advertise for who pays them the most.


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## IL CSS Shooter (Jan 12, 2007)

It would depend Ed. If the National shooter is doing their job as far as promoting the companies products that they are sponsored by or not. Most local shooters look at what the top dogs in the area are shooting and using. This is MHO. But I do know there are a lot of very good local shooters that help the shop they shoot at sell product. Some of the best shots out there never travel and help the shop sell alot of product.


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## Double S (Mar 30, 2008)

My Vote goes for the local top Shooters. The locals know them. If they shoot great then the fans want to be like them. And being that they come from the same neighborhood or farmlands, they can relate to them. Just my 2 cents.


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## heelsfan413 (Feb 2, 2009)

Local archers for sure. People on TV have no loyalty except to who pays their sponsorship. The average guy that shoots his first great buck with a bow will tell everyone how great it was. Look at your major TV shows, they switch every couple of years..


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## Big Eazy (Mar 12, 2007)

MOPARLVR4406 said:


> I would say local shooters
> pros don't necessarily shoot what they like...they have the skill to shoot anything...they shoot and advertise for who pays them the most.


:amen: Locals


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## centershot (Sep 13, 2002)

I have to believe that the Vegas win and numbers of Vantage Elites that were in the shootoff will sell big numbers for Hoyt. - That would be a vote for national shooters. It also seems hard to watch a bowhunting show on TV that is not sponsored by Mathews - I know they sell lots of bows because Mr Nationa Shooter is shooting a Mathews.


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## z34mann (Feb 4, 2007)

*advertiseing*

i am not the best shooter in my area but I am one of the top shooters. top what im not sure. lol but I have been a proud pearson staff shooter for 2 years. and if you ask me those layouts in every big hunting mag, is what sells bows. people like advertising. there are alot of great bows out there.


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## deadx (Aug 6, 2002)

Every pro shooter I know came from a local area and everybody in that area knows who he is and what he shoots unless they are noobies to the sport. Most local shooters don`t go to the big shoots where the pros compete on a regular basis so they may not get to rub shoulders with them but everybody knows what bow they shoot and their set-up for the most part. Local shooters generally aspire to be a pro someday and pros are always the ones that are approached for the ultimate in knowledge in any sport. No, pros don`t drive around the country with a car full of bows to sell for their sponsors but they "sell' them in ways the local shooter can`t and sponsors know this. That is why pros get sponsorships for products. It is advertising on steroids and it works or the sponsors would not waste their hard earned money on a bad business decision to support pros when it doesn`t create more business for them. Archery needs the local shooters AND the pros. This has been working well since day one.


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## rocketsprockets (Mar 28, 2007)

*just an observation*

local shooters by an overwhelming majority (in my travels anyway). heres an example -- elite archery. i shoot the spm class in the ibo and other money type shoots throughout the year, so i frequently see the big dogs of archery. i dont know of a single one that shoots an elite - yet they are selling like wildfire. that didnt happen from the pros advertising, that came from the local shooters talking, traveling, and letting other archers shoot their bows. im sure thats the case with other bows too, i just notice elites cause thats what i shoot.


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## JohnnyRazorhead (May 13, 2003)

*locals*

I couldn't tell you what more than 5 or 6 pros shoot but I can tell you what
all of my buddies are shooting.


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## balljoy (Mar 1, 2007)

*Pros vs Joes*

I think you have a very interesting post here Ed. I believe that both sell bows, depends on the part of the country and who you are trying to sell too. The bowhunter is the guy who watches a few hunting shows, sees Michael shooting his Hoyt, sees Lee and Tiffany shooting their Mathews and might make a decision off of something they advertise. The majority of bowhunters, I believe, go to the local clubs, pro shops and see who and what is being shot. The pro, (promotional, professional) archers sell bows, but not near the masses of the local shop owner you talk to and trust, or the local archery leauge shooter who you BS with every league night. If I were trying to target the average Joe archer, I would focus most on the up and comers in local big hunting areas. Talk with local Pro Shops and Clubs. If the product is great, they will be the ones to get it out there!


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## GVDocHoliday (Jan 20, 2003)

I'd have to say that target archery makes up less than 5% of the total archery market. You may get some crossover but for the most part the main target archery organizations aren't exactly forgiving to the average joe hunter coming in off the street with his hunting rig. 

I know a lot of hunters who'll go through a stroll on a 3d course after work with their buddies...but they're not keeping score. 

Now when I compete at IBO, ASA, NFAA, NAA etc, everyone and their uncles are shooting staff for someone. Only problem is, there's really no new blood there for them to show a bow off to. It's the same people attending those shoots every week so chances are they're not going to be swayed one way or the other. 

As mentioned in the previous post, shop owners are the ones that push a brand. You also have channels like the Sporstmans Channel, Pursuit Channel, Outdoor Channel...that get nearly 20million viewers combined. That's going to sell more bows.


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## badbow148 (Dec 5, 2006)

A local shooter gets the nod from me because the Pro Shooters spend more time with there own and have there nose stuck up in the air to the rest. Most locals are there to help newbies and all better then the few Pros.


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## MoNofletch (Jul 28, 2003)

Jersey Ray He sells more! LOL!


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## Maine Woods (May 17, 2007)

Local shooters.


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## centershot (Sep 13, 2002)

Local Joe 'pro' shoots what National Joe 'pro' shoots -So top of the pyramid is National Shooters, then Local Pro shooters. While the Local shooter influences a smallish group of locals, the national shooters influences the local pros........does that make any sense?


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## balljoy (Mar 1, 2007)

*Come on deadx!*



deadx said:


> Local shooters generally aspire to be a pro someday and pros are always the ones that are approached for the ultimate in knowledge in any sport. No, pros don`t drive around the country with a car full of bows to sell for their sponsors but they "sell' them in ways the local shooter can`t and sponsors know this. That is why pros get sponsorships for products. It is advertising on steroids and it works or the sponsors would not waste their hard earned money on a bad business decision to support pros when it doesn`t create more business for them. QUOTE]
> 
> I know that pro's have spent their time and pimp their talents, but come on. The majority of shooter's are your basic bowhunter, not guys going to shoots and trying to make a name for themselves. Yes, there are a lot of guys who know they are above the average bowhunter and want to put in what it takes to hit a higher level of satisfaction, but the majority of shooters of bows at my club could not name a single Pro shooter. Let alone the bow they shoot. Pro's have a place on the national magazine and commercial level, but come on. The bow that every one in a particular area shoots is the bow that the local top dog/pro shop shooter is telling them to shoot. I am by no means saying I am not influenced by a pro. In fact the few that actual set up their own equiptment make a huge impact on what I will try. The fact is that local word of mouth beats national lies. I know that might sound harsh, but we all know that the manipulation of truth in archery is alive. Certain manufacturers stack the outcome at events to get the results the need for advertisement. They can also, somehow, lie about the actual median of results they get from IBO test results. I don't think taking the highest results from a particular bow that manufacture's submitt for testing at IBO specs and saying the results were that FPS is right. That might be off the subject, but the fact remains that the masses don't take the word from a pro over a person who they look up to and someone they know they can trust. I will be a professional one day, not just a promotional shooter. Joe public really doesn't know the difference between the two, but I do. Both are important, but they are totally different. The promotional shooter is the one that still shoots local tournaments and leagues and talks with the other Joe's, and most Professionals only hit one or two local tournaments and concentrates the rest on the IBO's and ASA's and sometimes forgets about talking to the public. Lets face it, archer's are only celebrities and icons to the few that make them that. The majority just want someone to look up to, that they can BS with about archery and find out what they can try, company specific or not.


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## balljoy (Mar 1, 2007)

*sorry we should all think for ourselves*



centershot said:


> Local Joe 'pro' shoots what National Joe 'pro' shoots -So top of the pyramid is National Shooters, then Local Pro shooters. While the Local shooter influences a smallish group of locals, the national shooters influences the local pros........does that make any sense?


I don't know the shooters in your area, but NO. The best local pro shop in my area does not look to the pro's for his set up. He knows more than most pro's and manufactures's. He can call the manufactuerer changes a year or two before they make them. I might be lucky to have such a guy in my area, but he has taught me to question everything, shoot everything and finds out what works for you. Which is exactly what I recommend. I am constantly asking him why and actually arguing with him. He 99.5% of the time makes the point, but it helps me understand. National shooters influence the limited amount that they reach that believe in what they are saying. The local top dogs and pro shops explain why they back that product......does that make any sense?


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## Mutonian (Jan 18, 2009)

Try to sign up some pretty women that can shoot.

It will at least bring a lot of attention to your product.

Thousands of hits on AT on any thread that even mentions one of your female staff shooters.

It's worked for Martin for years....................


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