Recall that in “What Promo? What a Shame! (1)” I told you that I can vouch for the fact that sales promo contests are indeed real, or at least those that I have personally taken part in and won. Well, here’s the next story where I won a prize; 3rd prize to be exact.

I received a SMS informing me that I had won the 3rd prize in a contest. I duly phoned back and received the instructions on the day and time to collect my prize from the Store. You bet I was elated and looked forward to the appointment for the collection of the prize.

Come the day and there I was at the Store entrance to meet the staff who was supposed to give me the prize. I half-expected some sort of simple reception and maybe a photograph to be taken for the Store’s promotional use. With such a crowd at the Store, I thought that Management would take the opportunity to hand me the prize in full view of the shopping crowd so that people will know that the contest was real (don’t we all have doubts?). Instead, a staff approached me and after introduicng himself, he asked me to follow him to the Store’s office to collect the prize. Hmm…that was a bit disappointing, but never mind, let’s go get the prize!

The staff mumbeld a soft apologetic comment that we had to walk through the basement carpark to get to the Office. Oh never mind, let’s go! We walked quite a distance all across the basement carpark to the opposite end and then walked up four flights of stairs to the office! No-one else was there. No photographer. No happy greeting nor congratulations from any other staff or management. Sign here in a register to indicate that you have collected your prize (I saw that the first two prize winners had also signed in the register) and here you are…a carton with a number of items inside to make up the 3rd prize. And of course, I had to carry the carton down the four flights of stairs to put the prize in my car.

So here are the Management questions:

1. Why bother having a Sales Promo if you don’t capitalise on it to excite all the other shoppers to show them that the contest is real and here’s a real-life winner to prove it?

2. Why turn a happy occassion for a lucky winner into a dull, uneventful and inconvenient exercise?

3. Hey…where is the Marketeer or Store Manager?

The Management Learning Experience…..don’t let your Sales Promo end without any mileage and oomph!

Ever experienced a similar situation? Tell us about it!