The advent of the Internet literally eliminated geograph-
ical boundaries for marketers of products.
Nowhere is that more true than for AMSOIL Dealers.
The AMSOIL Corporate Website went online in 1996.
"From the beginning the Internet generated 100 leads a
month," said AMSOIL Advertising Coordinator Ed
Newman.
The AMSOIL website went live, offering online ordering,
in the summer of 1999. "They started buying online right
away," said Newman. "It was exciting. We have many
technologically savvy Dealers who were eager to see us
do more."
Since that time, online sales growth for Dealers aver-
ages more than 10 percent a year.
Hundreds of AMSOIL Dealers conduct business on
the Internet, and it has become one of the fastest grow-
ing segments of sales for independent AMSOIL Dealers.
"The Internet is changing the way many people do
business," Newman said. "It's
almost as expected you'll have
a website as having a business
card used to be."
Even Dealers who don't own
computers have the ability
through AMSOIL to have a
presence on the World Wide
Web. AMSOIL designs and
hosts websites for Dealers that
bring income to the Dealer
through his or her ZO number every time a customer
makes a purchase on that website.
Newman mentions a particular case in which a Dealer
with a website hosted by AMSOIL found out quickly how
effective that website could be.
"One Dealer gave 12 people his web address and
somebody bought $300 in product that first week,"
Newman said. "You have to promote it, put your address
out there."
He said many Dealers put their web address on their
business cards.
Since the AMSOIL website hit the Information Highway
in 1996, policies regulating its use have been developed.
"The policies are to create a fair and level playing field
for all of our Dealers, yet are as unrestrictive as possible,"
Newman said. "AMSOIL needs to have some control, but
we always encourage the entrepreneurial efforts of our
Dealers."
The AMSOIL marketing strategy for the website always
has been to get as many Dealers online as possible.
"We wanted to help generate business for them by
having a quality site," Newman said. "The AMSOIL web-
site is filled with content that leads to the generation of
business."
Website design and marketing tips are available to
Dealers through AMSOIL web staff.
"There's a learning curve for everything," Newman
said. "Our Internet staff has been available practically
from the beginning. People who get there fast are the
ones with the most technical information and savvy."
Today, there are more than 3,000 pages of informa-
tion on the AMSOIL website. Visitors to the site can
easily "click" to find such things as a complete listing of
products, accounts of racing activities, company history,
testimonials, articles, business information, data bul-
letins, all of the forms needed to run a Dealership, sign
up for or work a Dealership, Action News articles and
much more. It's organized for easy "click-through" to the
Online Store where customers find information about
products and ordering is easy.
The Dealer's Zone on the AMSOIL website is specif-
ically designed to meet Dealers' needs. Newman said
that's where Dealers can find the "What's New" page,
which carries information about everything new at the
company. He recommends
Dealers visit the page every
week to keep up with the
newest developments in the
company.
"The Action News comes
out once a month, but `What's
New' comes out every day
that it's new," Newman said.
Dealers' websites typically
include a direct link to the
AMSOIL Online Store, which brings customers to the site
and each Dealer receives credit for purchases made from
that link through their ZO numbers.
"There are Dealers who are extremely successful
online," Newman said. "Many new Dealers operate
mostly online."
Regency Gold Direct Jobber Tom Shalin, in Texas,
said Internet sales represent a "significant" amount of his
business.
"As with any business, you need to be there," Shalin
said. "If you want Internet business, then you need to be
available or have a process to handle incoming new
customer inquiries. Otherwise, most of the time they are
gone."
Shalin said a large Internet business requires a "killer"
site and a good advertising plan.
"One without the other is a waste of money," he said.
"For example, if you spend thousands of dollars for a
great site and no one can find it, you are wasting your
money. If you spend a lot of money marketing a non-
competitive, inadequate site, people will simply click
through it to another one. You want surfers to stay on
your site once they find it.
"The Internet is a good venue, however, as with any
other business strategy, it needs to be planned, devel-
12
"The Internet is changing the way many
people do business. It's almost as expected
you'll have a website as having a
business card used to be."
Advertising Coordinator Ed Newman
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