By Steven Feldman
Fueled by the overwhelming success of Armstrong’s “What’s the Big Deal?” promotion, which concluded last November with more than 7,500 participants, the company on April 1 will kick off Son of “What’s the Big Deal?”, or, as Armstrong is officially calling it, the “What’s the Big Deal Spring 2009 Retail Salesperson Stimulus Package.”

Nearly $40,000 in cash awards will be on the line during the three-month, Armstrong-funded contest—marketed exclusively through FCNews—not to mention an array of prizes that include a five-night Caribbean cruise, Apple iMac computer, iPod Touch and Taylor Made golf clubs. Retail salespeople will actually have a choice of more than three million prizes ranging from tickets to concerts and sporting events to jewelry to apparel to electronics.

Designed to recognize individual sales professionals who sell Armstrong hardwood, laminate and sheet vinyl, “What’s the Big Deal?” is being wheeled right back based on retailer feedback.

“Whether I attended a retail group convention or Surfaces, it was remarkable the number of people who stopped me and said “What’s the Big Deal?” was the best incentive program they’d ever been involved in,” said Paul Murfin, vice president, sales and distribution. “They kept asking if we were planning to do it again.” An Armstrong survey revealed 93% of respondents would participate in another “What’s the Big Deal?” promotion.

Throughout last year’s contest, Murfin said Armstrong learned “What’s the Big Deal?” served to get retail salespeople fired up and engaged. “So it wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when we were going to do it again.”

Despite handing out $130,000 in cash and a plethora of prizes, Armstrong as a company greatly benefited from “What’s the Big Deal?” “You never really know if it’s the promotion that drives the sale or the products that drive the promotion,” Murfin said. “In this case, I think it was a little of both. We had hot products in Grand Illusions and Park Avenue laminate floors. Those products drove the promotion and created interest, and as a result many other products in the Armstrong family did well.” More than 81% of respondents to the aforementioned survey said the contest influenced them to suggest more Arm-strong products to their customers.

The promotion also helped to create interest in other programs such as product training and surveys. “We offered points for both programs,” Murfin said. “And the number of responses we received were very encouraging. So, the level of engagement we got as a result of this promotion was tremendous.” Equally important was the development of direct relationships and communication with the retail salesperson that was, in the past, non-existent.

All retail salespeople are eligible to participate in “What’s the Big Deal?” by registering at armstrongrewards.com. Players earn points by selling eligible Arm-strong wood, laminate and sheet vinyl products during the contest. Monthly $1,000 cash prizes are awarded throughout the competition and three $10,000 grand prizes will be awarded to the top sellers in the wood, laminate and hardwood categories.

“The biggest news is we have greatly increased the number of sheet, laminate and wood products that are included in the contest,” Murfin said. Included in the spring promotion are StrataMax sheet vinyl; new Armstrong Laminate collections, including Coastal Living and Rustics Premium; and Reserve Premium from Bruce. Top-selling hardwood lines include Bruce Dundee and Kennedale plank, as well as Armstrong’s acrylic-infused Premier Performance and Global Exotics hardwoods.

Signup will continue throughout the competition. Participants can log on to retailerchallenge.com for details, including how to play, eligible products, various prizes that can be earned, and rules and regulations.

Justin Young, Advance Carpet One, St. Louis, won $20,000 as the top hardwood salesperson last year. He credited “What’s the Big Deal?” for some “record months. Once the contest started, I found myself gravitating toward the Armstrong display a little more,” he said. “I made sure my customers didn’t leave the store without showing them some sort of Armstrong product.”

At the same time, he noted Armstrong often sells itself. “First, it has strong brand recognition. There’s a comfort factor people have with the name. Because they know the name they know it’s quality and going to perform.”