For 17 years, Mark Rauchbach ran his own archery business, Deichpfeil, and for 17 years he was a BEARPAW dealer. Now he heads sales and partner support at BEARPAW. In conversation with our CEO Tim Beier, he talks about what he brings from his years as a dealer, what you can expect from him, and where our partner program is heading.
Dear BEARPAW Partners,
over the past few years, we have invested a lot in our own online shop. We know this has raised questions for some of you: Does BEARPAW still need specialist retailers? Is “our” BEARPAW still around?
Our answer is a person. With Mark Rauchbach, our dealer relationships are now led by someone who spent years on your side of the counter. He knows full warehouses, sleepless nights before the season and waiting for a manufacturer to get back to you, all from his own experience. Get to know him here before he contacts you personally over the coming weeks.
Who is Mark Rauchbach?
Mark took a detour into archery as a profession. He trained as a nurse, studied education and most recently worked as a quality manager at a hospital, where he headed the department for training and professional development. He had a bow in his hands as a boy. He belongs to the generation that still built their own bows. He got truly hooked later, when a friend recommended archery as a form of balance training. The training turned into a passion.
In 2009 he turned that passion into his profession and founded Deichpfeil in Heidelberg. Over 17 years, it grew into a business with three pillars:
- A retail store with personal advice and archery lessons, from one-on-one coaching to group sessions
- An online shop serving customers across Germany
- A mobile events division for corporate events and incentives with up to 100 participants, organized for more than 100 companies including Porsche, Würth, John Deere and SAP, with a team of around 15 freelancers
BEARPAW was part of it from day one. At times, our products made up more than 80 percent of his range. His bestsellers were leather goods, carbon arrows and shafts, and the BLS system, which was still called Mohawk back then. “The quality was right, the demand was there, and the return rate was extremely low,” says Mark. “From a dealer’s perspective, that’s worth its weight in gold.” And something else stayed with him: “Even as a small start-up, I always felt that BEARPAW took me seriously as a dealer.”
Now he is closing the Deichpfeil chapter and switching sides. At BEARPAW, he is responsible for sales and support for our trade partners as Teamlead Customer.
Interview: “Revenue comes from specialization”
Tim: Mark, who are you in three sentences?
Mark: I’m a very genuine person. I stand by what I say and what I think. I’m disciplined, both professionally and in sports. And I’m a family man, that’s part of who I am.
Tim: As a dealer, would you have wanted someone like that on the other side?
Mark: I always try to work the way I’d want others to work with me. As a dealer, I advised my customers the way I would have liked to be advised. Now I support dealers, and the standard stays the same. And at BEARPAW, by the way, that’s very often exactly what I experienced.
Tim: Many dealers felt that BEARPAW was only focusing on its own shop. How did you see it?
Mark: At first, it’s not easy when a manufacturer sells directly to end customers. I heard that from many colleagues too, and I understand the concerns. But I also saw it as an incentive. When a brand becomes better known through direct sales, its trade partners benefit as well. The expansion had no negative impact on my own partnership with BEARPAW. I continued to feel supported the way I wanted to be as a dealer.
Tim: What’s different today compared to when you started?
Mark: Ten, fifteen years ago, it was enough to have a few items in the store and order the rest. Those days are over. Customers expect the goods to be in stock. At the same time, working with strong brands has become more important. I always had the BEARPAW logo on my website. Today, you should deliberately build your own brand identity and use the reach of a brand like BEARPAW along the way.
Tim: Brick-and-mortar retail is under pressure. Why does archery still need specialist dealers?
Mark: Because there’s a lot an online shop can’t do. I see empty storefronts in Heidelberg too. But specialized shops that fill their niche professionally are still going strong. For us, that means, for example: if you offer really good arrow tuning, you’ll bring customers into your store, maybe even at a cheaper location. I’m also a passionate cyclist, and you see the same thing there. Traditional retailers are closing, but workshops with good service are doing as well as ever. Revenue comes from specialization, not from the glove that’s five euros cheaper online.
Tim: What do you say to a partner who’s having doubts about their business right now?
Mark: There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. But we can look at their situation together: How are they set up, where are they particularly strong, where is there a realistic opportunity? I’m convinced that good work pays off. And archery is growing. The trend is toward the outdoors, away from screens. We have to make the most of that trend together.
Tim: How will manufacturers and specialist retailers work together in the future instead of against each other?
Mark: Customers who buy exclusively from one dealer are becoming fewer. New archers look more to brands and social media. A dealer can combine both: find their own niche while being the partner of an established brand. Then the customer isn’t just buying from Dealer XY, but from BEARPAW with Dealer XY. That gives people something to hold on to in a fast-moving market. Many small brands come and go. An arm guard like our Dynamic, on the other hand, has been established for years and gets recommended from archer to archer. That saves me a lot of trial and error, and I don’t have 1,000 units of a private label sitting in my basement.
Interview: “Knowing that someone is taking care of it”
Tim: As a partner, were there things at BEARPAW that annoyed you and that you now want to change?
Mark: Absolutely. For a while, reachability was an issue. Many other dealers also experienced the attempt to solve that with a call center as a failure. We’re all in agreement internally now: we won’t do that again. We’re significantly expanding how you can reach us, by phone and through our ticket system. And where something isn’t possible, we’ll say so openly.
Tim: What does good communication mean to you: fast or consistent?
Mark: Both, but with the emphasis on consistent. It’s not always about getting an immediate answer. It’s about knowing that someone is taking care of your issue. And communication has a purpose: in the end, there has to be a result that both sides can work with.
Tim: Trust builds slowly and is gone in a second. A ticket sits unanswered for two days, and a partnership of many years is at stake. That’s why we’d rather set an honest expectation and then meet it Monday through Friday, rain or shine.
Mark: I see it exactly the same way. A dealer has to be able to rely on tickets being answered promptly and problems being solved reliably.
Tim: Apart from product availability, what should a dealer expect from a manufacturer?
Mark: Availability is just one part of it. It also takes know-how, new product ideas and support on social media, where a big manufacturer simply has more reach. We’re especially happy to support new dealers with our expertise. For me, good products, a strong brand and know-how are the basic requirements.
Tim: And the other way around: How do you recognize a good archery dealer?
Mark: Our dealers are closer to the customer than we are. I’d really appreciate product feedback, something like: “This riser is selling really well right now, you’re seeing it more and more at tournaments.” We can look into tips like that and then support the trade with the right products. It’s a genuine give and take.
Tim: What was your biggest mistake as an entrepreneur?
Mark: Wanting to do everything myself for far too long. For years I struggled to hand over even the bookkeeping, and it felt like I spent two days a week on it instead of selling. You have to do what you do best and hand off the rest. And sometimes you have to be able to say no. If someone wants 38-inch carbon horse bow arrows with top-tier straightness, sometimes you have to tell them: this won’t get either of us anywhere.
The new partner program: performance should pay off
Mark’s arrival comes with a new partner and pricing program. It is currently being developed together with him, and you’ll hear all the details from him personally. But the direction is clear: those who do more volume with BEARPAW should get better terms, and new dealers should still find a fair way in.
Tim: Minimum order volumes are a hot topic. What’s your take?
Mark: There’s a big difference between someone who’s a full-time dealer and pays their insurance, taxes and family expenses from it, and someone who sells on the side. I think it’s justified that someone who works on this every day and generates a lot of revenue gets better terms from us. Growth should be rewarded, and the best motivation is a higher margin. It’s also easier for us to pack 120 shafts into one box than to send twelve small parcels of ten. But I haven’t forgotten how I started out in 2009. Nobody does 30,000 euros in revenue with BEARPAW right out of the gate. There has to be a helping hand at the start.
Tim: We feel the same gratitude for 10,000 euros in revenue as for 100,000 euros. There’s always a life’s work behind it. But personal support also has to make economic sense. That’s why we’re working on tiers that reflect both. Where would you set the entry threshold?
Mark: At around 3,000 euros in annual revenue. That should be clearly distinct from what a private customer buys. A 30-euro business registration on its own doesn’t make you a dealer. And of course, we don’t expect every dealer to buy only from us.
Tim: Our ambitious goal is for a very good partner to be able to double their purchase price, plus VAT. That corresponds to a 50 percent margin on the net selling price. Is that enough for an archery dealer?
Mark: Definitely. I had times and product lines where I was well below that. If you run your business sensibly, you can do well with that. I often wished I’d had a margin like that as a dealer.
Key principles of the new program at a glance:
- A fair entry point for new commercial dealers
- Performance-based tiers: more volume and growth mean better terms
- Target: in the top tier, very good partners should be able to double their purchase price
- Personal walk-through: Mark will present the program to every partner in a one-on-one conversation
What’s next: Mark will be in touch
Tim: What can partners expect from you starting now?
Mark: The first step is direct communication. I’ll call all our partners, and we’ll get to know each other where we haven’t already. I still know some of you from my previous life. If anything is a village, it’s the archery scene, and I’m glad I get to keep living in this village. In these conversations, I want to identify potential, take note of current problems and give impulses for growth. After that, we’ll also be actively reaching out to new dealers.
Tim: What’s missing from the BEARPAW range for you?
Mark: There are a few ideas we’re still discussing internally. At Deichpfeil, for example, I kept seeing enormous demand for ILF bows in the traditional segment, especially for 3D courses and 3D tournaments. The system is simply easier to adapt to your own shooting style. We can do more there.
Tim: Your message to our partners?
Mark: I’m looking forward to working with you. Here, I have the chance to keep making my passion for archery my profession. And I hope that my experience from the other side of the counter can create real value for you.
Why Mark Rauchbach: a word from Tim
Earlier this year, a major distributor with whom we have an almost family-like relationship said something that stayed with us for a long time: archery can’t be scaled like just any process. You have to know it. That’s exactly why we wanted someone leading our dealer support who has personally lived through the great moments, the sleepless nights and the hard grind of building a business of their own.
I firmly believe that people need people. You should know who’s there for you at BEARPAW, who you can call, and who is working with you on your terms.
Our industry often runs on rumors. We want to offer something different: continuity, reliability and people you know and can reach. Mark has walked in your shoes. That’s rare in our industry, and we’re glad we found him.
Over the coming weeks, Mark will call you personally. If you don’t want to wait, you can reach him directly at partner@bearpaw-products.com or +49 9565 616 880.