To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. during the promotion. “We tried to make it as easy as possible for our dealers, so we were tracking all their Smith & Wessons for them and providing them with e-mail updates as to their progress and their qualifiers,” Van Brocklin said. “I think all the credit belongs to Smith & Wesson,” said Berne Ziomek, vice chairman of Jerry’s Sport Center, one of the five top-selling distributors during the promotion. “They provided the motivation and certainly showed their appreciation to the dealers and the jobbers who support them.” Goal Accomplished Through the promotion, dealers sold “thousands of firearms,” Smith & Wesson announced. While Nichols and Taylor are reluctant to release the actual number of firearms sold, when the number was announced in Hawaii, dealers applauded enthusiastically. Smith & Wesson officials also are not announcing the number of guns given away to dealers and their employees, but the number, as one dealer put it, is “impressive.” Did Smith & Wesson achieve its goals for the promotion? “We’re pleased,” Nichols said. “We did surpass, from a unit sales point, the amount of products we were looking to make sure got transferred to actual retail customers. It was done through a smaller group of dealers than we thought we would accomplish. I think that goes back to the evolution of our organization as to how to properly communicate and encourage programs, versus only selling items.” That will help drive future promotions, Nichols says. “I believe the attendees of this week in Maui will spread the word as to their enjoyment of the trip, and the time they spent with Smith & Wesson leadership. They are going to go back and create a lot of wordof-mouth that will help future Smith & Wesson programs,” Nichols said. That “word-of-mouth” endorsement also has been established with “counter resources,” Nichols believes. “It’s our objective to make sure the person behind the counter knows more about Smith & Wesson than he knows about any other brand or other product within the industry,” Nichols said. “Because of the Shooting for Hawaii incentives, we know a lot more counter resources are wearing an M&P polymer pistol on their hip.” Nichols and Taylor say Smith & Wesson’s relationships with dealers and distributors are stronger because of the promotion. “This week has been all about spending time with these customers. Tom Fimmen, our V.P. of sales, as well as Tom and I, plus our wives, spent every day having lunch and dinner with smaller groups. I met a lot of people I didn’t know in the industry, and made a lot of good, long-term friendships, things that will be important for friends in the future, as well as for developing the business. It’s been a great time. Too bad it’s only seven days,” Nichols said. “It’s exciting for us to be able to have the time to get past that ‘Hi, how you doing?’ conversation, versus really hanging out with somebody for a long period of time and getting true, valuable feedback, ” Taylor said. “My wife, Ann, shared with me that her favorite part of the trip was the lunches and dinners, because she got to know couples and see how family-oriented this industry is. That’s what it’s all about in this industry — listening, learning and building relationships. That’s been terrific.” Editor’s note: • Smith & Wesson has announced the promotion, “Aiming for Alaska.” See page 18. • “Mahalo” means “thank you” in Hawaiian. 9 SHOOTING FOR HAWAII Dealers Ace Sporting Goods, Washington, Pa. AJC Sports Shop, Clute, Texas American Shooters Supply, Las Vegas, Nev. B+S Guns, Garland, Texas Belleville Indoor Shooing Range, Belleville, Ill. Black Sheep Sporting Goods, Coeur D’alene, Idaho Brown Bear Sporting Goods, Chesterfield, Mich. Buckeye Outdoors, Hebron, Ohio Buds, Paris, Ky. Cheaper Than Dirt Outdoor, Fort Worth, Texas Dad’s Super Pawn, Gulfport, Miss. De Goff, Mechanicsville, Va. Duncan’s Outdoor Shop, Bay City, Mich. Florida Gun Exchange, Port Orange, Fla. Four Seasons, Woburn, Mass. Fowler Gun Room, Orange, Calif. Gary’s Gun Shop, Sioux Falls, S.D. Gary’s Pawn & Gun, Columbus, Miss. Goschinski’s Fin, Feather & Fur Outfitters, Ashland, Ohio Green Top Sporting Goods, Glen Allen, Va. Grice Gun Shop, Clearfield, Pa. Guns & Leather, Greenbrier, Tenn. Guns And Ammo, Memphis, Tenn. Guns Unlimited, Omaha, Neb. H&H Range, Oklahoma City, Okla. Hoffman’s Gun Center, Newington, Conn. Jim’s Firearms, Baton Rouge, La. Kentucky Outdoorsman, Corbin, Ky. Kittery Trading Post, Kittery, Maine M+M Plymouth Bay Outfitters, Plymouth, Mass. Mace Sports, Mebane, N.C. Mega Sports, Plainfield, Ill. Murphy’s Gun Shop, Tucson, Ariz. Olde English Outfitters, Tipp City, Ohio Schramm’s Ammo & Weapons, Mesquite, Texas Scottsdale Gun Club, Scottsdale, Ariz. Shooter’s Supply & L.E., Louisville, Ky. Shooters of Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Fla. Specialty Arms II, La Vergne, Tenn. Sports World, Inc., Tulsa, Okla. Sportsman’s Warehouse #117, Phoenix, Ariz. Target Masters West, Milpitas, Calif. Target Sports, Royal Oak, Mich. Target World, Cincinnati, Ohio Turners #01, Signal Hill, Calif. Turners #16, San Marcos, Calif. Turners #9, Fountain Valley, Calif. Turners #03, Orange, Calif. Vance’s Shooters Supplies, Columbus, Ohio Distributors Jerry’s Sport Center, Forest City, Pa. RSR, Winter Park, Fla. Sports South, Shreveport, La. Big Rock Sports, Newport, N.C. Williams Shooters, Quincy, Ill. Everyone is having a grand time at the Shooting for Hawaii Beach Party. 66 www.shootingindustry.com • SHOT SHOW SUPER ISSUE 2008