Bayard’s annual road show has proven to be a highly effective way to get up close and personal with top customers in a very casual environment. In addition to coffee, doughnuts, sandwiches, and soft drinks, the RVs are stocked with sample product lines -- including vinyl and ceramic tiles, wood, Congoleum resilient flooring, carpet, padding, and adhesives, among others. For every $1,000 in merchandise a retailer purchases, that merchant is entitled to one chance in a Bayard-sponsored raffle for a free “Holiday Trip to Aruba.”
When the Road Rally was first started in 1990, it ran for six weeks and generated $1 million in sales. The goal of this year’s 10-day event, during which the Bayard sales force is expected to visit as many as 700 of the company’s 1,000 active dealer customers, is $5 million in new business. An all-day phone blitz took place on Feb. 23 to prime the marketplace and schedule appointments.