If you want to provide real solutions for real business process challenges that organizations face every day, consider becoming an Authorized DocuWare Partner. By adding content services to your product portfolio, you can accelerate your sales with a unique selling proposition setting you apart from your competition. For complete details on the Partner Program, click here. To request to speak to someone about becoming a Partner, click here or contact mary.williams@docuware.com.
Tonight, I was able to have dinner with a friend of mine that’s also in the imaging channel aka copier business. We went from topic to topic and I finally landed on “What will our copier (MFP) business look like in five years?” It’s funny because both us of know what it’s going to look like and neither of us wanted to say it first. The business model of just selling copiers and providing service/supplies will change dramatically in the next five years because A4 devices will become more popular as manufacturers shift their focus from full featured A3 devices to full featured A4 devices. In addition, it seems there’s no short-term possibility that one of the seven copier manufacturers will get out of the copier business or sell to another manufacturer. For copiers dealers, this means lower revenue expectations along with lower profit margins.
Recently, I’ve thought a lot about how I can re-invent myself for 2020. What can I do to offset the possible loss in revenue from selling more A4 devices than A3? For me, the answer came quickly. I need to make the jump from focusing on copiers to focusing on helping clients achieve key organizational needs:
- A cloud-based document pool for archiving documents with easy, secure access
- Automated workflows to improve efficiency and productivity
- Seamless integration between existing applications for consistent data across the IT landscape
- Solid compliance and document retention policies in place
One profitable market opportunity to tap into is offering content services solutions. A recent white paper published by Nucleus Research stated, “Nucleus found that for small to medium businesses, investing in content management returns $8.55 in benefits per dollar spent. The key value drivers for these solutions are increased user productivity and cost savings from redeployed staff or avoided additional hires. As organizational transparency and the value of data continue to grow, companies that fail to fully leverage their own digital content will lag behind more savvy competitors.”
Copiers dealers need to change because keeping everything status quo isn’t going to cut it in the “Digital Twenties.” One hundred years ago, a decade was defined as the Roaring Twenties. It’s my belief that copier dealers can create their own Roaring Twenties again by offering content services solutions.
Since I have a great relationship with DocuWare, I was able to interview two leaders at highly successful copier dealers who are Authorized DocuWare Partners: Douglas Green, Sales Manager, Strategic Services at Impact Networking, LLC and Jason Ostendorf, Director of Professional Services at Kelley Connect. I brought seven questions to the table for them and I’d like to share their experiences selling content services solutions.
1. Share with us your background briefly; what is your position and company?
Green: I’m the Sales Manager for the Strategic Services Division of Impact Networking, LLC. Impact employs approximately 700 people in 20 locations across Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Southern California. In addition to hardware and software, Impact Networking specializes in Managed IT, Design and Marketing, and ERP.
Impact Strategic Services leverages platforms like DocuWare to optimize business processes for growing companies. The Strategic Services team consists of a dozen pre-sales Specialists and Solutions Architects, backed by a team of 48 post-sales specialists that are responsible for project management, development and helpdesk support. I’ve been a part of Strategic Services since 2007 when we were a team of three people.
Ostendorf: My background is in accounting and technical sales. I am the Director of Professional Services at Kelley Connect, responsible for sales and implementation of supported software products.
2. How long has your company been an Authorized DocuWare Partner? What is your revenue percentage growth year over year?
Green: Impact has been a DocuWare Partner since 2006. We’ve been a top-selling Diamond Partner for 13 consecutive years, and the #1 DocuWare Partner in the Americas five of the last six years.
Impact Networking has averaged 27% year-over-year growth since our inception in 1999. We attribute our growth to our corporate culture, unique business model and local go-to-market strategy.
Ostendorf: We’ve been a DocuWare Partner for 5+ years and this is our second year as one of their top Diamond Partners. Revenue growth has increased dramatically in the last three years.
- 2017 - $182,355
- 2018 - $318,498
- 2019 - $543,811
3. What is the best part about being an Authorized DocuWare Partner?
Green: We’ve enjoyed a long and very successful relationship with DocuWare. The DocuWare senior management team has always been engaged and responsive to Impact’s needs and product enhancement suggestions.
Ostendorf: DocuWare has a good product with a good support team. The product is stable and provides customers with a flexible platform that they can grow with. The pricing structure is also favorable.
4. How is it working with your DocuWare Regional Sales Director (RSD)?
Green: We have the opportunity to work with several directors across multiple states. Whether working on joint accounts, small lunch and learns or larger events like Impact Optimize at Navy Pier in Chicago, the DocuWare RSDs do an excellent job supporting Impact.
Ostendorf: My RSD is Caleb Wolfe. Caleb is simply the best partner manager I currently deal with or have ever dealt with throughout all of our different software partner relationships. His knowledge, helpfulness and integrity are heads above others in his position at our other software partners.
5. Why DocuWare? What is the feedback you are getting from customers/prospects when you show them DocuWare?
Green: DocuWare offers everything both SMB and Enterprise customers are looking for: Ease of use, modular and scalable, integration capabilities and robust on-premises and cloud offerings.
Ostendorf: Easy to use with a friendly user interface; customers like the flexibility of the product in that it allows them to grow and implement it in many areas, but it also provides a favorable ROI almost immediately.
6. Can you share a story about your most memorable DocuWare deal? What were the pain points and what closed the deal?
Green: One of my favorite customers is a transportation company with locations in seven states. At the conclusion of our initial demonstration, we asked for questions and their CFO held up a sheet of paper that said “ROI.” We spent the next several months collecting financial information and conducting user interviews with over 20 departments and users. Bottom line: the ROI was overwhelming, and they became one of our largest customers. In addition, they became one of our first “managed” accounts in which we provide ongoing platform enhancement based on their requirements.
Ostendorf: My most memorable DocuWare deals have been when we have provided our customers with very high ROI’s using DocuWare. I have had multiple deals like this in the past year where their cost of doing AP approvals manually was significantly more than with the DocuWare solution. Each company’s reasons for inefficiencies were a bit different, but all have seen significant ROI’s from adopting the DocuWare solution
7. Why should a copier dealer sign up to be an Authorized DocuWare Partner?
Green: Print is a declining commodity. The ability to diversify your portfolio and provide your customers value beyond the traditional copier space is critical to the long-term growth of a dealer. DocuWare has a robust product offering, is user friendly and easy to implement. They are an ideal partner.
Ostendorf: DocuWare has a very good product and support team.
-=Good Selling=-
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