December 21, 2009
Oldies but goodies
M.E. Miller Tire harvests big bucks selling hard-to-find, antique farm tires
By: Mike Manges
Good, clean fun
“Fun” is a word you hear a lot at M.E. Miller Tire, which has 10 full-time and seven part-time employees, some of whom have been with the company for 20-plus years.
“I just went to a class reunion,” says Bev, “and I said, ‘It may sound boring to be in the tire business, but we have a lot of fun — not just selling people tires, but the whole thing.’”
The Millers’ enthusiasm is summed up in Ed’s custom license plate, which bears the acronym CWFM. “It means Can’t Wait for Monday!” he says. “I’ve always said, ‘If you find a job you enjoy, you’ll never work another day in your life.”
That’s been the Millers’ credo for nearly 40 years, and as long as there are tractors — new or old — that need tires, they intend it keep it that way. ■
Low-tech marketing: Ink, paper and postage still do the trick, says Miller
The Internet has generated a lot of publicity and sales for M.E. Miller Tire Co.’s farm tire business.
However, the company’s old-fashioned newsprint catalog remains the most effective vehicle for reaching older customers, according to co-owner Ed Miller.
M.E. Miller Tire prints 60,000 catalogs each year “and we immediately mail out 45,000.” The catalog lists more than just tires; it also lists rims, tire repair kits, bead breakers and other items.
The publication even contains a shipping chart.
“Everyone always asks, ‘How long is it going to take to get my tire?’” says Miller.
While most antique tractor enthusiasts are patient, he has a few customers “who may be getting their tractor out for a parade and find out they have a flat tire, so you have to overnight them a tire or a tube. You’d be surprised how many times we get a last-minute request for something like that. And they will pay a premium for next-day air.”
M.E. Miller Tire makes an electronic version of its print catalog available on its Web site. “We’re still dealing with an older clientele — retired farmers, that type of thing — so we’re not ready to give up the paper catalog. We send that catalog out and within four days we’re getting phone calls.”
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