Evolution Of Pulse Induction Marketing

[Rob Allison]

Hi Guys,

   Ya, that was me in the GP Extreme ad, boy have I aged since then .... LOL   I found some of my best, large gold, with the GP Extreme.  I think it had to do with the first GP detector that had a bit better sensitivity and depth over the prior SD detectors.  

That all being said, I still remember the first SD2000 and just had to get my hands on one.  A good friend, long passed was killing it with the new Minelab SD2000, handful of slugs.  I rounded up all I could, $3750 and purchased one of the first ones to arrive.  I never looked back after that .... Great times.  

Rob

[Gerry in Idaho]

14 hours ago, mn90403 said:

Gerry,

How many detectors have you sold?  You can break it into new and used if you like or just ballpark them together.

Oh man it's really hard to tell as I'm an old school guy.  All receipts to customers are handwritten and I'm not spart enough to file that stuff onto spread sheets or some kind of tracking file.  

I know my 1st few years in business was not Banger Banner years, as I was chasing the big names back then in Minelab (Chris Gholson & Kellyco).  After a few years though I found my Nitch and started moving many detectors.

Fisher was the 1st manufacture I started selling and the GB-2 had just come out.  Once I learned to find gold and how to fine tune a manual GB detector, I was selling more than most.  Back then, if you purchased a detector from me, I actually took you into the gold fields of Oregon, Idaho or Nevada and trained you how to find gold.  It was part of the sale of the detector.  Boy was I not very business savvy. 

My highlight with Minelab sales year was fiscal 2009-2010.  At the Awards Ceremony only 2 USA dealers earned this $$$ maker for Minelab, "The Million Dollar Club" and it was Stu Auerbach of Kellyco and me Gerry's Metal Detectors.  Each of us purchased over $1,000,000.00 of Minelab detectors that year and in return, we were awarded this piece of glass with our names on it. 

 

I tell you what, that thing has to be valuable, I hope.  We and a few others (Rob, Doc, Steve, Chris, to name a few) were routinely recognized and had our share of dinners with some of Minelab Bigs....Donald McGurk, Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director, Executive Director and Peter Charlesworth, Executive General Manager - Minelab and Codan Defense.  I enjoyed chatting it up with those two as they always wanted to know how a guy from Idaho with barley a million people in the whole state could sell that many detectors?  It's easy as I don't sell just a metal detector, I sell a lifestyle of adventure with a metal detector.  Anyone who walks into my shop will see hundreds of photos sharing Customers Success with a variety of Treasures/Smiles.

My favorite contest win was a Big Screen TV.  I'm not 100% sure, but think it had to do with sales in a month? It was a long time ago, about a Minelab contest for most units sold in a month.  I didn't come in 1st place but 2nd with like 40 units.  The 1st place prize was a $3000 TV and 2nd was an all-inclusive trip for 2 to Hawaii.  I just remember the winner wanted the trip to Hawaii, which was great, as I had been there a few times digging my share of loot.  I wanted the Big Screen TV, so Minelab accommodated us both.

Back to number of detectors sold, heck I would guess around 4000-6000 units in my 30 yrs. 

Those were the good old days of past.  Since Minelab USA management has changed and my friends who worked there have all went to greener pastures, I have kind of done the same as the times have changed.  Many customers don't even know what customer service is.  Heck, they purchase a detector online and don't even speak with a genuine dealer who uses the product, they just go off what they read/hear on FB and social media.  It'd totally fine though, as each new person coming in at Minelab has their own ideas they want to try.  Let's just hope they keep providing us with new cost efficient, fun, exciting and top performance detectors.

 

 

[Gerry in Idaho]

I have tested a few different detectors for manufactures, White's, Tesoro, Fisher, Garrett, Minelab, Makro.  Even though I made finds with them all, not each was always in a magazine.

Below is for White's and their Prizm series.

 

Then was the White's 24K, (currently sold by Garrett) and still one of my favorite Gold Only VLF type detectors.

 

The Fisher Gold Strike (a detector before it's time).  I was training a customer in Oregon when I dug this vine of golden grapes.

 

Our good buddy Steve in the Fisher World Treasure News.

 

How about blast from the past names back before most of us, with the very popular White's GM series.?  

 

Here's an interesting one for you, Miss M-Scope.

 

My brother got in on the Garrett and White's Ads.

 

Our testing the Beach Hunter PI in Carribean.  Yes he kicked my butt for best ring, below.

 

 

[Ridge Runner]

I remember when Minelab came out with the SDC 2300 and I was telling everyone on the forum’s at that time about this new waterproof detector that Minelab had. The trouble nobody believe what I was saying about it .They went so far to say I didn’t know what I was talking about.

 What they didn’t know I got my Lost Treasure Mag a month in advance and Minelab had their ad telling about this new waterproof SDC 2300 .

 My first nugget detector was the Extreme and found my first gold nugget with it . It was the first nugget detector that I owned but others came later .

 Chuck