| Five Hundred Stihl Dealers criss-crossed Australasia during the company’s Autumn conference series. Two groups (NSW & WA and Qld & SA) of two hundred travelled to picturesque Queenstown in New Zealand while a third group of Dealers from Victoria and Tasmania traversed the continent in the opposite direction to Perth.
“New Frontiers”, indeed as the conferences were themed.
“Because Stihl exclusively distributes through its Specialist Dealers we have a strong commitment (and vested interest) in ensuring that they remain competitive, viable and profitable,” Stihl MD Dr Walter Roso said at the events. “To achieve these goals we, at Stihl, have accepted that the need to create ‘New Frontiers’ to ‘drought proof’ our Specialist Dealers’ future is paramount.”
Marketing Manager Rob Ross outlined this season’s chainsaw program that sees a change with “call-to-action” bi-monthly promotions to stimulate consumer/commercial purchasing with bonus and value-add style promotions.
“This will allow us to tailor our marketing to suit the situation at any given time,” he said saying that Stihl will continue its innovative “Stihl Life” aspirational-consumer branding program along with the promotion of the “Specialist Dealer Network” as the real point of difference for distribution.
|
New products released at the conference included the new professional MS 441 (low emissions, vibration & filtration for pros users) and the MS 280I (with “Intelligent Motor Management” making it the first saw computer-controlled carburettor self-tuning).
The conferences were not all work, however. Friday morning’s Stihl Regatta was a highlight in Perth. The Dealers were spilt into six groups of about a dozen, each of which sailed one yacht on the Swan River. It certainly brought out the competitive spirit in everyone! The victorious “Grey” team were presented with “Gold Medals” after the event.
Across the Tasman, things were just as hectic, a the program included action packed activities like Jet Boat rides and scenic boat tours plus, for the bravest, bungy-jumping and down-hill sledding! All were made all the more exciting by Queenstown’s spectacular South Island location. All Conferences concluded with Galah awards dinners.
Which leads to the question: What are they going to do next year?
|
