09-29-2010, 08:47 AM
Not to put any pressure on you here, young gun, but you must understand that this is your first opportunity to function as a "missionary!"
I used this same tactic when I managed the hobby shop back in the '70's, and fairly successfully.
Always ... be friendly, outgoing, supportive. Admire their work. In passing, ask what they do with their models when they are completed. (The "seed" ... it starts them thinking ... subconsciously.) Agree that the models will look nice on a shelf. Ask who dusts them. (The water ... soon the seed might germinate.)
Now mention that when you have finished you model, you put it on a larger model, the building of which teaches basic carpentry, basic electricity, some geography, a little history, give you a place to exercise a bunch of imagination and a little fantasy tossed in just for fun. And you actually get to use your model when it’s finished. Talk about how from one model, a real hobby can grow that you can enjoy for the rest of your life until you are too old to feed yourself … then laugh. (The sunshine ... keep your positive attitude and occasionally talk about how this model that you are building will be integrated into the larger model - the layout - and how it will be used.)
In time, your "Model Building Club" just might give birth to a “Model Railroad Club” ... hey, as the sale of plastic model cars and airplanes and tanks declined in my hobby shop among the 8 to 12 year old clientele, the number of Athearn and MDC kits increased exponentially! It got to where these kids were requesting "how-to" clinics, which I obliged and scheduled on Saturday mornings - they were well-attended … a great success! It's called "Creative Marketing" ... a good skill to learn at any age!
My point here is, this is your chance to be an ambassador and help grow the hobby ... use it you your advantage!
I used this same tactic when I managed the hobby shop back in the '70's, and fairly successfully.
Always ... be friendly, outgoing, supportive. Admire their work. In passing, ask what they do with their models when they are completed. (The "seed" ... it starts them thinking ... subconsciously.) Agree that the models will look nice on a shelf. Ask who dusts them. (The water ... soon the seed might germinate.)
Now mention that when you have finished you model, you put it on a larger model, the building of which teaches basic carpentry, basic electricity, some geography, a little history, give you a place to exercise a bunch of imagination and a little fantasy tossed in just for fun. And you actually get to use your model when it’s finished. Talk about how from one model, a real hobby can grow that you can enjoy for the rest of your life until you are too old to feed yourself … then laugh. (The sunshine ... keep your positive attitude and occasionally talk about how this model that you are building will be integrated into the larger model - the layout - and how it will be used.)
In time, your "Model Building Club" just might give birth to a “Model Railroad Club” ... hey, as the sale of plastic model cars and airplanes and tanks declined in my hobby shop among the 8 to 12 year old clientele, the number of Athearn and MDC kits increased exponentially! It got to where these kids were requesting "how-to" clinics, which I obliged and scheduled on Saturday mornings - they were well-attended … a great success! It's called "Creative Marketing" ... a good skill to learn at any age!
My point here is, this is your chance to be an ambassador and help grow the hobby ... use it you your advantage!
biL
Lehigh Susquehanna & Western
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." ~~Abraham Lincoln
Lehigh Susquehanna & Western
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." ~~Abraham Lincoln