Strength in Numbers

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

WORDS BY JAMIE SORCHER

With Amazon and Costco based right in a company’s backyard, it can be a competitive marketplace to attract the best employees possible. Bob Oliver, who founded Oliver Marketing, in Auburn, Wash., is on top of it.

“From day one, we offered insurance, company benefits and retirement plans— to really establish careers for people,” he said. “To compete against Amazon as a place to work, employees need to come here every day and feel good about it, so we want to have a lot to offer.”

Those core values are the foundation of Oliver Marketing and what has ultimately made it successful. After spending time as a rep in northern California, Oliver wanted to make a change. Originally from Seattle, he and his wife decided to leave the Bay area and head back to their roots so Oliver could start his own rep firm and they could raise a family.

Today, Oliver Marketing is not only financially stable, but growing, which Oliver credits to his investments into the business. “We bought a 45,000 squarefoot facility three years ago to get bigger in distribution,” he said. “We totally gutted and remodeled it.”

But it goes beyond the external. It’s about the just-do-it mentality that Oliver encourages. “We create more ways to do business,” he said.

One method, Oliver added, is to diversify. “Being diversified means we’ve been able to change with the times, and we’re large so we can cover all kinds of accounts.”

Golden Opportunity

Oliver Marketing has a sister company, Custom Plus Distributing, which offers distribution support for 12-volt and marine categories. Both dealers and retailers, Oliver said, appreciate this alternative because they can “cherry pick” products without the pressure of meeting volume requirements. Vendors gain increased channel exposure and fulfillment options for online sales.

One of the biggest changes for the company came a few years back when Oliver bought out the rep company/distributorship, Cal West Marketing. “It was huge for us,” he said. “It’s a huge territory compared to Seattle, which is also a great market.”

With the owner of Cal West Marketing ready to retire, the timing was right for Oliver to take the next step. “I had been friends with the guy for many years and asked him at one point to let me know if he ever wanted to get out of the business because it would be a good deal for both us,” Oliver said. “It made sense because we had always had Kenwood in San Francisco in the Bay area.”

Once acquired, Oliver opened the new facility in Cerritos, Calif., kept all the people, and has been adding lines to what already existed. “I would say we are the largest car audio rep firm in California now because of this. We do all of California for Kenwood, Rockford, Scosche and Hertz.”

With more than 80 employees in total, Oliver Marketing has established a substantial presence. “We have more people on the streets calling on accounts,” Oliver said. “We have dedicated, focused salespeople and an inside support team—Peggy Harvey and Lorree Ford— to back up salespeople and interact with vendors.”

Oliver finds it compelling to work with vendors who have established and maintained solid footing. “We like to work with vendors who make the best products in their category. We want to work with companies who have new and innovative products like Scosche Industries.”

The flip side is bringing the right retailers into the fold. Oliver prefers dealers who are focused on their marketplace. “We like to work with those who are interested in putting on events and who like to merchandise our products in their stores as well as demonstrate them.”

Oliver Marketing started out as a stocking rep, but then evolved. “We distribute products that we rep and it works well for us to do that,” Oliver said. “There are a lot of accounts that are not large enough to buy direct today so we can put them through our distribution company.”

After that, Oliver explained, the same sales rep who calls on them for all their marketing is ready when they are. “When that retailer/customer gets big enough or says he is ready to buy direct, we have that ability to convert them,” he said. “It works for smaller dealers or dealers who just like to buy through distribution—allowing them to buy more often, buy smaller quantities—and it lets them turn their inventory more. They don’t get buried in big buys.”

Robert’s brother, Matt Oliver, is the Vice President of National and Regional Account Sales, and Sales Manager of 12-volt for the company.

Spring Training

Partnering with retailers is one of the company’s strengths and Oliver is proud of the quality of events and trainings the firm helps produce. “We do these Boost events designed to increase a retailer’s knowledge,” Oliver said. “We do it once a year at a hotel, typically in May.”

According to Oliver, Training is critical, even more so these days. “They need to know how to use the products and how to sell them,” Oliver continued. “These are full product knowledge trainings, especially instructing how to get a customer excited about the product by knowing certain features. With Kenwood product, for example, there is so much to know— there are so many features—so these trainings are a really big help.”

At the Cerritos facility, on-site trainings can be hosted for up to 40 people. Both Kenwood and Directed Electronics have participated.

“We invite the dealers, we provide the food and we supply the training and the facility,” Oliver said. “It’s a great space. It’s like a classroom.”

Events are another way Oliver Marketing supports dealers. “We show retailers how to do social media—a big thing we are pushing right now—especially as a way to promote events. It’s important to promote on Facebook or Instagram. We teach them how to use Yelp to get good reviews.”

Oliver explained they will sit down with retailers to ensure they’re promoting an event properly. “For instance, a Rockford Fosgate event might be a Midnight Madness Sale. We also have a Polaris offroad vehicle which we take to stores to help with promotions,” he said. “Our dealers can do a direct mail piece to invite their customers to come in. We supply the vehicle, the product and we come up with the specials they can promote.”

Bob Oliver founded Oliver Marketing after considering the kind of long-term environment he wanted to create for employees—a place they could feel good about.

Special Delivery

Salespeople drive Ford Transit cargo vans, Oliver said. “They can bring product to dealers and call someone ahead of time if they’re going to be in the area and see if a dealer needs anything.”

The vans are more than a way to transport product, he added. “They have decent systems, so we can demo products for customers.”

The preferred way for reps to build relationships with dealers, he added, is by meeting in person. “They call on the phone, but they see key dealers every couple of weeks,” Oliver said. “We are aggressive with outbound sales calls and in-person selling. Between the fully-loaded Polaris, our Transit vans and our facilities, we are investing back into the company.”

Oliver predicts an interesting year ahead. “Everyone’s talking about the economy softening up, so we are going to see how it goes,” he said. “We are plenty busy. The SoCal market has been wonderful for us, but there is still a lot more business for us to find.”

In the meantime, Oliver is staying fit and keeping his edge. “I ride my Peloton bike every day,” he said. “I get to the office at 7:30 in the morning and start my day, but it’s 24/7 with our locations and all of our people. I love coming to work.”

Oliver Marketing Team Roster www.olivermarketing.com

Bob Oliver Founder, Oliver Marketing.

Matt Oliver Vice President, National and Regional Account Sales, Sales Manager (12-Volt): Oliver is responsible for certain major accounts headquartered in Western Washington. With over 30 years of experience, Matt is a seasoned veteran at fostering growth for all clients, whether online or traditional brick and mortar.

Dave Furness Vice President, 12-Volt: As Director of Sales, Dave has more than 30 years invested in sales, management and business consultation. He also has a great deal of experience as a sales manager, including a stint as a regional manager for Kenwood USA Corporation. Dave’s overall approach to retail and custom sales truly sets him apart from his peers.

Mike Ellis Alaska Sales Representative: Mike has worked in the electronics industry since 1970. He has been involved in the marketing of several major consumer electronics lines in the Pacific Northwest including Hitachi, Toshiba, Emerson and Sharp. He worked with and developed relationships with all the major accounts in the marketplace. Prior to joining Oliver Marketing, he was the president of Major Distributors.

Jay Small Washington, Northern Idaho: Jay has an abundance of experience in every side of the 12-volt business, including retail, wholesale and manufacturer experience.

Chris Truman Oregon, Southwest Washington: Chris has been involved with sales, distribution and logistics of consumer electronics for the past 15 years. For the past five years, Chris was the warehouse manager at Oliver Marketing’s Beaverton, Ore. location. He’s also a custom fabricator working on all types of vehicles, especially Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Dennis Medeiros NorCal Central Valley-NV Sales Representative: Dennis has over 25 years of retail sales experience, including owning a mobile electronics retail store in the Central Valley for 16 years. Prior to joining the company, Dennis was sales manager for a Northern California distribution company. He shows customers and suppliers careful attention, respect and possesses great follow-through abilities.

John Fernandez SoCal Sales Manager: John Fernandez has 20-plus years in the industry and a B.A. in Electronic Engineering from ITT. He has worked for manufacturers such as Kenwood and Magnadyne, and served as national sales manager for Autopage Inc. He also co-founded Encore Automotive Systems. As the SoCal division sales manager, he covers LA, OC and key accounts.

Ryan Rough SoCal Account Executive: Ryan Rough is an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience. Ryan has worked for companies such as: Z Marketing, Taylor Marketing, and Code Alarm to name a few. Ryan covers the following territories: San Luis Obispo, Kern, and Ventura. Ryan also handles all business with Sonic Electronix.

Rodney Shoemaker SoCal Account Executive: Rodney has over 20 years of experience in all aspects of the car audio industry. He has an extensive technical background since he owned his own expeditor business. He has worked for Western Sales and Marketing, Advanced Marketing, and Taylor marketing selling brands like Rockford, VOXX and Hertz Audison.