Recently, I wrote about a Honda promotion that I received not once, but twice to come to the dealership to collect a “prize” that I’d won.
Of course, I didn’t win one of the big prizes, $5,000 or a plasma screen TV, but I did win a “gold,” “collectible” coin. The first time I won a President Andrew Jackson $1 coin and the second time I won a James Madison $1 presidential coin.
Last week, I received a similar offer from Nissan. Only this time, the prizes were bigger: a 2010 Nissan Cube, $10,000, or three gold coins.
The promotion piece featured a key taped on it, making it a more expensive mailing than those I’d received before.
To receive your prize, you had to call a number and register your prize number. And you had to go to the dealership during a three-day period to get it.
I headed to the Nissan dealership. As I waited for my turn to get my “prize,” a saleswoman tried to sell me a Cube, saying she is known at the dealership as the “Cube Queen.”
When my turn came, sure enough, I won three gold-colored coins. The coins actually are made from pure copper with a manganese brass outer clad.
After I returned home, I sorted my mail and noticed I had another “win-a-prize” promotion for Honda.
It, too, had a key taped to it. The prizes were a 2010 Honda Civic LX, a big screen TV, $100 cash, or, guess what, a collectible gold coin.
I headed back to the Honda dealership. They actually had a lock to put the key in. Not surprisingly, my key didn’t open the lock.
And I didn’t get my gold-colored coin. They were out.
The Honda salesman said that 400 people came in to get their “prize.” He said I could come back Wednesday and pick up my $1.
It’s amazing dealerships are paying people to come to their showrooms. I hope the next offers are for $5.
It may be an additional cost, but that could potentially be a very rewarding move. More consumers going to showrooms could only mean a higher number of potential sales.