Sales Incentive Trip – Lobster Promotion

A Tennessee mobile home manufacturer inspires sales team with 500 lobster stuffed toys.  This manufacturer recently announced that their 2014 sales reward trip will be at the renowned Samoset Resort in Maine.  The lobster is a well-known symbol for the state of Maine.   These characters will be showing up at team meetings and on desks around the office throughout the year to give team members visual, physical, and emotional reminders of what they will be experiencing at the annual sales conference. 

Destination sales trips are common in almost every industry and market segment from Financial Services to Manufacturing.  Make sure sales team members have strong mental anchors to stay focused on goals. When incentive trip promotions remain in offices or make it home they have a unique way of becoming personal.  Sharing personal achievement stories with friends or family members are extremely easy with this formidable discussion piece.  Why do you have a lobster in your office?  What do I need to do get a Lobster?   

While some incentive trips include children and families; others may not.  Either way when a stuffed toy is used as part of the event promotion everyone can join in the excitement.  

I Love My Honda Bear

An Illinois Honda car dealership  gives out 1,000 teddy bears per year.  Why?  And how? This Honda dealer found that their target market customers have small children which influence how smoothly the purchase happens.  The dealership boasts that they are the Superstore of Honda, with new and used car inventories of about 600 cars.   The 30 member sales team distributes the bears as gifts to qualified buyers who have small children. 

A car purchase is a major financial decision that typically involves the entire family.  A car salesperson faces every kind of emotion imaginable from apprehensive buyers to bored children.  There is nothing that comes close to the smiles and comfort a stuffed toy can bring to the negotiating table.  Imagine receiving your very own stuffed teddy with your car brand’s name on it.  I see many miles in the future for this bear. The bear makes an immediate emotional connection that reminds the buyer how much they are going to love their new car.  It also creates excitement, wonder, and makes paper processing time fly by for the little ones.