PROBLEM:
APW Wyott, a 60-year-old foodservice equipment company based in Dallas, Texas, had an excess of refrigerated countertop dispensers it needed to clear from its inventory. With the summer selling season quickly approaching, and health department inspectors “red-tagging” unsanitary ice tray displays at convenience stores nationwide, the company hired MarketGarden to devise a sales plan to clear the inventory, while building the APW Wyott brand.
SOLUTION:
MarketGarden recommended a two-pronged approach. First, a demonstration mailer was created and sent directly to 18,000 convenience store operators nationwide. The piece was sized to the exact countertop footprint of the dispenser, so the recipients could immediately determine how the equipment would stack inside their C-stores. Second, a “Cold Cash for Hot Sales” contest was established to incentivize the dealer network toward pushing the refrigerated dispensers. The benefits of refrigerated equipment versus ice trays were highlighted, and sales took off.
In all of the previous 12 months combined, APW Wyott sold a little more than 80 refrigerated dispensers nationwide. During the three months of MarketGarden’s promotion, the company sold more than 300 units, creating a backlog of demand for the equipment and gaining loyalty among the dealer network. The return on marketing investment was estimated at more than 1,500 percent. The sales team still uses the promotional mailer as a support piece.
