It always amazes me when companies "don't get" the internet

posted @ Wednesday, January 16, 2008

I recently started selling emergency vehicle lighting products on my website, as you can see from the navigation links. I am currently offering products from Juluen, Tomar, Carson and FoxFury. I contacted ShowMe / Able2 Products here in Missouri to inquire about selling their products as well. I do not have a showroom or a storefront. To keep costs and overhead low, I sell only through the internet and at local and regional shows. Thus far, I have been very successful and business has been very, very good. Especially since I don't spend on advertising. Other than a listing with firehouse.com, my marketing strategy has been visibility through search engine optimization and the results have been very rewarding.

So it seems that Able2 is not interested in working with a company that does not have a brick and mortar facility. Why, you ask? I have no idea. The owner of the company is obviously stuck in the past. I assume that Jerry Watley is the owner since he is listed as the President of the company. Maybe time stands still in the backwoods of the Ozark mountains. I can only assume that he's thinking "the internets? It's just a series of tubes... what the heck good can come of that?" But then again, after browsing through their website, it's not surprising that this company is loath to embrace the net.

Now here's the real kicker, ShowMe is one of the sponsors of Project Responder. They provided two "lights by the inch" leds as well as a couple of led flashers. They make good products. They are not cutting edge in any way, but they are very good for the price. Of course, keep in mind that the gen3 leds they offer are actually just Juluen's or Nova's products repackaged under their name, such as the LA-X 4 Light or the MicroDash Light. So even if I were granted a dealership for ShowMe, there are several of their products I would not carry due to this fact.

So anyway, I was just completely dumbfounded when I was informed of their decision. Considering how brisk sales have been up to this point, that's a lot of potential business lost. And it's precisely this kind of arrogance or ignorance that really blows my mind. Jerry, if you're ever actually surfing the net and find this, let me know. I would love introduce you to the "new" way of doing business.

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