Spinning A Web Mentality

Sales complement

Even with the best Web sites, don't be fooled into thinking that just because customers can easily find information and buy from you on-line that such a system is a replacement for a living, breathing, knowledgeable sales force.

Mike Okner, DuPont Cyrel's communications manager, says the company does not expect the Internet to become a large piece of its overall sales in the foreseeable future. "I would be surprised if it's more than 1 percent," he says. "Our customers still want to talk to someone, but we are prepared to find out what they want [on-line] in the future." Nonetheless, the Internet continues to be a viable and important part of DuPont Cyrel's efforts to communicate to a worldwide audience of customers and potential customers. "The sales representative is key and dialogue is still needed," says Okner. "We are not talking about a commodity product like books or cars," products already proven to be successful sellers via Web sites.