20 Years an Esso Dealer (1950?)

[Music] 20 years an ESO dealer that's the story of Matt broy and thousands of other successful dealers 20 years isn't long in the history books but a lot has happened in the service station business so let's go back with Matt to 1930 and see how much we can remember Matt you were a little younger then you said it but I can remember that old place as if it were yesterday it was the first drive-in Station built in our town and it was good enough to make me proud to have my name up on the old sign lubrication was not our long shot but we could do it if customers insisted but gasolines boy I had them the only reason I didn't have more Brands was I didn't have room for anymore this one was the favorite it was regular with most of my customers but there was another one that the folks with high compression engines went for high compression the highest was only about 5 to one buto sure made those cars go I'll bet you didn't guess that within a few years that little word Esso was going to be one of the best known trade names in the world nope I didn't but it was good enough for me I decided decided to cut out the competitive Brands some fellas thought you'd lose business with just one brand but my business got better and that name so started going places wasn't long before it was up on the station sign that's right and in 1931 another name started climbing into worldwide popularity remember that one you bet that was my first experience in selling tires the thing that put it over was the company guarantee behind it sure a guarantee that your customers knew would be honored by any of your fellow dealers handling Atlas tires we had plenty of oil in cans too you know big cans with pumps on top of them and there were plenty of hot arguments between the asphalt vase boys in the paraffin base boosters that argument was settled in 1932 when the company announced esol Lube the first motor oil that combined all the good qualities of both asphaltic and paraffin based types that was an important event in petroleum refining and it was the first time the word ESO appeared in its present familiar form and was used as part of a product name esol Lube released from the Mad managerie of Dr Seuss such wacky monsters as the zerod doas and the oo goalis the carbon noas and the Moto munchus motorists laughed and bought and came back for more os's popularity was coming up fast as 1933 ushered in a year that was to be an outstanding milestone in the entire history of the service station business Motor Vehicle registrations had reached a high of more than 23 million gas taxes had reached a new high too both motorists and the petroleum industry were concerned National events were startling in their imp act the New Deal the bank moratorium repeal but the biggest headline foro dealers was this one which kicked off the announcement of a plan for uniform identification of all stations selling so products from Maine to Louisiana that was really something new it sure was we felt like we were losing a friend when we covered up the old sign with a banner that said o dealer but later on when they put up our permanent new sign we knew right off the bat that Theo oval was the best identification sign in the business by far right and to back up that uniform identification came a unique plan of Cooperative advertising and sales promotion for dealers covering newspaper ads direct mail and window display material and the very next month came esolen the first motor fuel containing patent solvent oil a motor fuel guaranteeing smoother performance thousands of motorists tried esine and became regular customers foro dealers as part of their program to helpo dealers become better merchandisers s so Market has brought out in 33 three films on product information and selling know your products so salesmanship Ando station selling a new for form of sales help and training which has continued ever since better salesmanship and better service became the order of the day Matt Ry like other dealers started to become merchandise minded you put in an island store didn't you Matt yes I did it helped us to sell accessories I put in modern pumps too and rebuilt the windows for display I remember trying to put in my first window display and wishing I'd left the window those the way they were I decided merchandising had its disadvantages but the results weren't so bad at that we sold a lot of uniflow that winter and a lot of aerotype eso the next winter ESO sure kept us on the jump with new products those products kept the jump on competition too Refinery output went up 250% to meet the demand for aerotype ESO 1935 gave birth to four things that have been been growing ever since the first was happy motoring and everybody knows that happy motoring has become one of the great selling slogans of our time next big thing in 35 was theel verified lubrication the first complete dealer lubrication merchandising plan for those dealers properly stopped and equipped to handle it did that include you Matt well well no but I stuck my neck out I borrowed the dough to build two Lube bays and hired an extra man but I made money on my lube Department almost from the start third big event in 1935 was the birth of eso motor oil successor to uniflow in the premium priced field this improved motor oil was so far ahead of competition in viscosity index that it couldn't even be measured in regular SAE ratings and no compe of oil from that day to this has met the challenge of this great product fourth major happening in 1935 was the opening flash of Theo extra topping all other news broadcasts in time on the air this unique feature became youro reporter a lot of history was made in the fast moving years that followed by 1939 Motor Vehicle registrations had climbed to more than 31 million United States petroleum production topped one and a quarter billion barrels a year gasoline taxes collected from the motorist were fast approaching a billion dollars a year in 39 New York and San Francisco were playing host to the world with their glittering fairs Pennsylvania was building the world's greatest non-stop super Turnpike Ando research and Engineering were giving birth to a brand new set of twins foro dealers those lucky Twins were the newo and the newo extra again scooping the field in product quality dealers were cashing in on the sales value of uniform identification as more products appeared under Theo label a new type of sign was introduced for dealers eager to cash in on increased highway travel after dark the neon ESO with its tremendous range of visibility but a new Darkness was beginning to spread across the face of the Earth the clouds of War Uncle Sam diverted many American tankers to carry oil across the Atlantic with resulting shortage of gasoline for much of our own Marketo marketers went all out to help build more Transportation facilities fast new tankers were rushed to completion and big steel pipelines were built to share the load growing short ages of materials and parts for automobile upkeep gave birth to another great newo dealer selling slogan care saves wear Ando dealers everywhere went all out to help keep America's cars rolling and their own profits from falling off you did a good job on care saves wear Matt well I sure tried and that slogan made selling a lot easier we really went to town on lubrication and service items believe it or not that was the first time I ever used newspaper ads it sure surprised me how many people read our local newspaper my ads brought in folks I'd never seen before I guess what was that that was Pearl hover an explosion that reverberated around the world and changed the world for all of us overnight Tojo was sitting on the world's rubber Supply tires were gone oil became vital ammunition every drop was precious wartime speed limits were posted on every highway to save on tires and cars switching tires to equalize wear became a new service foro dealers and then came rationing with all its headaches here was a time of vital decision for every American including everyo dealer many had to entrust their businesses to their wives or employees or close their doors some dealers who thought of their business only in terms of gasoline volume turned to other occupations but service-minded dealers realized that they could do more for their customers and the war effort by keeping America's automobiles rolling dealers had plenty of chances to get into the fight right at home motorists weren't going places those days but their sons and husbands and sweethearts were and S so war maps made a lot of friends and while our boys were invading enemy territory we had an invasion of our own Gremlins those pests really made trouble as cars got older Ando dealers made extra profit by running them down another great new selling slogan hit the highways save that car that's when I started using my own spots on our local radio save that car and save money too with Matt ry's complete esol lubrication and checkup service here's what you get it surprised me again how many people listen to the radio you bet they do and there were plenty of them listening in when another explosion rocked the world Pearl Harbor was Avenged and the atom age had begun but ration star motorists were far more interested in gasoline than in atoms Ando was ready with new noow gained from years of war research and great refineries able to convert almost overnight to peacetime output within 24 hours ESO again scooped the nation in announcing two great new super fuels on the way too dealers remember Matt you bet and brother was in sweet music to hear that old filler up again but folks who had that joyful Victory pipe dream of new cars for everybody were in for a rude awakening yeah and when folks really started hitting the road again those old gapes just couldn't take it our service business kept growing and believe me I was glad when we could get materials to modernize my station the way I'd worked out with my so salesman well Matt when you stop and think back a lot has happened in 20 years yep our service today isn't much like it was when I started or our products either so was tops then but it's gotten better and better over the years and what a difference between the oils we carried then and the newo extra motor oil we have now and maybe you haven't thought much about it Matt but your own progress has been just as great you have built your business from a small filling station into one of the important merchandising establishments in your town from just another young man starting out in the service station business you have grown to be one of your Town's most respected citizens and this has happened not only to you Matt in essence your story is the experience of thousands of other successful so dealers all the way from Maine to Louisiana yes a lot has happened to all of us in 20 years we've come a long way and there's even more in store