To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. logistics involved in managing the program and keeping up with it.’ We listened and made it as easy as possible. The people here say, ‘Once we got going, got into a rhythm of keeping up with our sales, it really wasn’t a big deal,’” Taylor said. Eddie Essa was one of the dealers who delayed registering for the promotion. “We didn’t jump right in, but the more we thought about it, it was a no-brainer. So we ran with it,” Essa said, who along with his wife, Roulla, took in many of Maui’s sights, including a hike into the island’s rainforest. Ingrao also delayed committing to the promotion. “I hesitated signing up for the program at first because of the paperwork,” Ingrao said. “But I signed up and they called me quarterly and said, ‘You’re doing a great job. Keep it up.’ The second quarter it was like, ‘Hey, this is going pretty good. You’ve got a shot at this Hawaii thing.’ So that really motivated me to press on and talk to the employees, and they did a good job.” Involving the dealer’s sales staff was key to the success of the program, according to Taylor. “We have 55 people (plus guests) here in Hawaii who were rewarded with this trip, but there’s hundreds of people who were rewarded in other ways. We were amazed at the number of people who were able to earn multiple guns by selling Smith & Wesson product,” Taylor said. Those extra benefits were only part of the reason for pushing the promotion, according to Romanoff. “It was great winning the trip, but it was even more important that we were able to sell the number of firearms we did and make a very nice profit on the S m i t h & We s s o n s , ” Romanoff said. “Also, our employees benefited by each getting an M&P pistol. Actually, some of them got two and three. So, it was a total store effort and everybody was happy.” Neil Atkinson of Degoff’s Firearms, Mechanicsville, Va., who enjoyed relaxing in Hawaii with his wife, Judy, said the vacation was not his major reason for joining the promotion. “I didn’t look into the Hawaii part of the promotion that much. I was more into selling enough guns so we could get free guns. The Hawaii trip was a bonus,” Atkinson said. “The dealers I talked to said their whole sales staffs were involved in Shooting for Hawaii and helped with the tracking. I think (Smith and Wesson) did a good job of keeping everybody involved, from the small gun shop on up. It was pretty good foresight to include everybody,” Van Brocklin said. While the promotion had a number of objectives, the primary goal, according to Nichols, was to establish a lasting continuity with dealers. “Our intent, of course, was to reward our partners, but also to stimulate their activities as to where they focused within their store. We did focus around a few key products that were launched throughout the year, but at the end of the day, our retailer and distribution partners were rewarded for every firearm that was transferred to a Second Amendment supporter in the U.S. It was really our desire to create a long-term continuity program, one that helps us communicate our direction within the industry,” Nichols said. Earning The Rewards S mith & Wesson established firm guidelines for the Shooting for Hawaii promotion, including five qualification periods, minimum purchasing requirements and confirmation of sales (copies of Form 4473) of new S&W or Walther firearms. Thirty of the dealers rewarded with the Hawaiian vacation were the top sellers during the 14-month promotion. The other 20 were drawn from all the dealers who met the promotion’s qualification requirements. “We were so concerned about doing this right, we videotaped the drawing, which was overseen by our legal department and representatives from the National Shooting Sports Foundation,” Taylor said. Dealer sales employees earned a $5 credit for Smith & Wesson Web site merchandise for each firearm sold. With the sale of the 50th firearm, the employee could exchange the credits for a free M&P pistol, and continue to earn $5 credits with the sale of each additional S&W or Walther firearm. “What really helped stimulate sales was the spiff Leland Nichols (right), president S&W Firearms, and Tom Taylor (left), vice president the employees got for selling x-number of guns,” of marketing, are pleased with the success of Shooting for Hawaii. Romanoff said. “Plus, we did have two promotions during that period. Those two things, the promotions and it being a positive spiff for the employees, drove sales.” the Smith & Wesson product, giving them top billing over At Four Seasons Firearms, Ingrao increased his promotion of some of the other companies,” Ingrao said. “Also there was Smith & Wesson firearms. the incentive. I kept reminding all my employees of their “I promoted it more on my Web site and in my direct marincentive, as well.” keting advertising — sending out e-mails and always featuring Distributors also helped dealers achieve their goals SHOT SHOW SUPER ISSUE 2008 • www.shootingindustry.com 65