Fargo, ND as a sales incentive trip? In the WINTER? You betcha. Well, not really — more of a “disincentive trip.” MSNBC reported that the company that makes Hot Tamales candy “offered its sales team an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii if it met its annual goals, and a trip to the nation’s arctic tundra if it didn’t.”The team did have a good year — increasing sales by 2%, but fell short of the targeted 4% goal.
When you sell Peeps, Mike and Ike, Peanut Chews and Teenie Beanie, what do you do for fun in Fargo? According to MSNBC, “visit two North Dakota wineries and enjoy a winter extravaganza with a sleigh ride, tobogganing and hot toddies around a fireplace inside a chalet.” And, you hand out Peeps, Mike and Ike, Peanut Chews and Teenie Beanie candies to help make friends with the locals.
One team member explained the benefit of even a “disincentive” trip: “As a team, this is something we will never forget…Twenty to 30 years down the road, when we see each other, we’re going to say, ‘Remember Fargo?'”
True enough! As a fan of working hard and playing hard, I loved this story and hope it resonates with you, too!