Amsoil as a business opportunity

Once I became and Amsoil dealer I really never advertised or talked to anyone about these products. I mainly became a dealer to get Amsoil products at dealer pricing which is 20-30% lower than retail pricing that you will find on the Amsoil Corporate Website.  I could have opted for the Amsoil preferred customer membership that would allowed me the same pricing as the Amsoil Dealers but being the business minded person that I have always been I decided on the Amsoil Dealership instead. Just in case down the road I wanted to look at Amsoil more serious as a business. After becoming a dealer I ordered products for use in my two personal vehicles, a 1997 Toyota Avalon, and 2000 Ford Windstar, and my Toro 6.5 walk behind lawn mower.

While I placed my first order I ordered the Amsoil T1 Certification study guide as well.  A T1 certified dealer is someone that takes the time to learn more about the Amsoil products, policies and procedures, and oil in general through an Amsoil study guide. Upon reading the study guide a test is administered by Amsoil before becoming certified.  Well of course I passed the test and since then (mid 2007? ) have been an Amsoil T1 certified dealer.  Amsoil Link to more info about T1 program.  Note: Movie has been disabled due to changes in the program.

This was really the first step in helping me realize that Amsoil was a business opportunity.  The T1 certification comes with some real benefits for those looking to build the Amsoil business.  T1 certified dealer have the opportunity to work Amsoil sponsored booths at race events, participate in the Amsoil leads program, and some co-op programs with Amsoil. Here is a link to the T1 PDF file

You see during these two or so years that I was an Amsoil dealer that wasn't really active in openly promoting Amsoil I still made sales and got new customers. This was all due to the Amsoil T1 program.  For example if you were to go to the "Find An Amsoil Dealer" and type in my zip code 60188. Most likely I will pop up in the list of dealers. I say most likely because the locator will rotate through the dealers that are certified in a given area. With this tool alone I would get phone calls from people looking to purchase Amsoil and over the years has helped me build a nice little customer base that continues to grow.

I will get into more details later.. it's 6:07 my time and I need to be at the DuPage County Citizens Police Academy by 6:30. Gotta go!

I' m back...

Where was I?  One example of a customer interaction that I had where it opened my eyes was a small order from a customer in Oak Park, IL a town about 45 minutes from here.  This customer called me looking for one quart of gear Amsoil 75W90 Severe Gear Lube for a differential job that he was doing on his vehicle.  What sticks with me the most about this particular customer is that he was willing to travel 45 minutes to my house to get one quart of gear lube.  Maybe he read the "Amsoil Gear Lube Report" got a referral from a friend or did his own research.  The point is.. he HAD (his words) to have this one quart of gear lube and was willing to travel 45 minutes to my house and come get it.  How did he find me?  The "Find Amsoil Dealer" tool on the Amsoil home page.  This one event alone made me look at the Amsoil business in a different light. I mean Amsoil provided all the tools to market the product "Gear Lube Report" website etc.., the Amsoil dealer locator, advertising in magazines, trade shows, and race event sponsorships, and all I did was answer the phone when someone called looking for these products.  What if I were to take the business to the next level and actively promote it, talk to people about these products, and overall treat Amsoil like a business.  What kind of results could I or anyone achieve?  Time will tell.  I can tell you the more people that I talk to about the Amsoil products the more people are interested and the easier it becomes for me to share Amsoil with others.  While I am not a salesperson I will say that I really do not even sell Amsoil.  I provide people with the information to let them make the decision for themselves. Amsoil provides the tools and I just provide the data and specs for people to make the best decision for themselves.