Question

Topic: Other

Internal Launch Parties - Successful Or Not?

Posted by Anonymous on 7/2/2004 at 2:57 PM ET 250 Points
We are preparing to launch a new product line within our company and to date have not done this well. By this I mean our upper management in sales is aware of the new product line, but others in sales (let alone the rest of the company) typically do not find out about these new products for weeks or months to follow.

We're looking into throwing a fun launch party in our parking lot for the entire company - with sales required to attend. There will be a short presentation portion where sales will receive a full blown launch kit which includes all the specs & details you could ever want about this new line. Lunch, entertainment, games/quizzes, spiff announcements, etc. to make the event enjoyable.

Is this typically successful? Are there other ways to let the entire sales force know about the new product line and better yet be excited to sell it?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 7/2/2004 at 3:25 PM Member
    At the Fortune 500 I worked for, even when Sales was required to attend, it was hard to get them to go. A good sales person is one who is always focused on the customer. They view stuff like this as a waste of their time.

    The way we found that would get most of them was to hold offsite sales meetings at a resort. Had to be a nice place with activities they would like to do (golf!). We would make it a few day thing - a half day or so of sales things (review numbers, give awards, etc.), a half day of play, and a day (or two if needed) for a new product launch training. This type of thing would usually draw about 90% of the sales people (always a few that can't afford to take the time due to where they are in the sales cycle for some big sale).

    The sales meeting would be scheduled well in advance (usually just after the clsoe of the fiscal year), sop you have to work your product launch schedules to match them.

    On the rest of the company, we held trainings at the office for the ones who needed to know about the products. And brown bag lunches with lesser details which were open in general for those who don't have a need to know about the product for their day to day job, but wanted to know.

    All of this was supported by a launch package, containing the new literaure, press release, samples, etc.

    These are costly, but actually costs can be kept down with some thjought. Going to resoprts off the high season, choosing a place like Las Vegas midweek, getting group rates due to quantities, etc. all keep costs down.
  • Posted by telemoxie on 7/2/2004 at 6:45 PM Member
    Are your salespeople inside or outside salespeople? If inside sales, it might be ok, schedule it at lunchtime, and let them take off early after the event...

    But if they are professional and skilled outside salespeople, it would be hard to think of a way to irritate them more than to force them to cancel customer meetings to attend a "fun event in the parking lot".
  • Posted by SRyan ;] on 7/3/2004 at 2:33 PM Accepted
    Why don't you ask your top three sales people this same question? Get THEIR input.

    In fact, maybe getting those alpha dogs genuinely involved from the start would help the whole event be a bigger success. Ask THEM to invite the rest of the sales force, and make sure the invitation has teasers about the revenue-generating magnetism of the new product...

    Shelley
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