G.I. Joe Motorized Battle Tank
The early 1980’s in the toy business was a vibrant and dynamic time. Toys were just becoming a real part of pop culture with new brands and new concepts capturing the imaginations of kids and generating enormous media attention every year. Toy companies like Hasbro and Mattel competed for public attention each year at Toy Fair with spectacular displays and truly innovative ideas for toys.
As an emerging toy giant, Hasbro lacked an experienced senior salesman. Someone who could teach and guide a young sales force. Through the doors walked a burly seasoned veteran of the toy wars, Lou S.
Lou was brash, bold, and spoke with a thick Scottish brogue. He knew everyone in the toy industry and everyone knew him. Lou taught a young sales force to never take “no” for an answer from any customer. One day on a sales trip to a top retailer, Lou and his young salesman sat in the toy buyer’s office and pulled toy after toy out of their sales bags. Lou demonstrated each toy and carefully described in great detail every feature in his charming Scottish brogue. Lou had a way of making even the lamest toy come to life in his hands.
At the end of his hour-long presentation, the toy buyer leaned back in his chair and said, “Lou, you just spent an hour presenting all these toys to me. Not every one of them is a winner! Be honest, tell me which ones suck!”
Lou looked the buyer straight in the eye and said, “Bill, you’re right. Some of our toys do suck. I left those back in my office!”
Lou wrote the biggest order in company history.
Kirk Bozigian's: Marketing Leads the Way 