MFP Copier Blog

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February 7th, 2022

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your clients.

Xerox Acquires Canadian IT Services Provider, Powerland, to Grow Presence in IT Services Market

• Xerox Holdings Corporation announced it has acquired Powerland for cash
• Powerland is an IT services provider in Canada
• Powerland offers technology solutions, hybrid cloud, cybersecurity and end-user computing solutions
• Xerox acquired both ITEC Connect, a leader in IT services in the UK, and Digitex, an IT services provider in Canada, in March 2020
• Xerox acquired Competitive Computing (C2), a Vermont based IT services company, in October 2021

LoadSpring Solutions Announces Promotion of Dr Asif Sharif to Managing Director as it ...

• Announce the promotion of Dr Asif Sharif to Managing Director for LoadSpring Solutions Ltd
• Asif will be heading EMEA Operations abroad
• Eric Leighton, Chief Executive Officer of LoadSpring, says, “I am extremely excited to announce that Asif Sharif has been promoted to our first Managing Director for LoadSpring Solutions Ltd EMEA Operation
• LoadSpring is a global cloud solutions provider offering managed cloud services

Datapac’s managed IT solution helps Special Olympics Ireland to go the distance

• Announced that it has implemented a managed ICT solution and security upgrades for Special Olympic Ireland (SOI)
• Long-term relationship between SOI and Datapac who, since 2006
• Identified the need for a fully outsourced and integrated managed ICT solution to enable ongoing benefits to almost 8,000 athletes in 293 clubs nationwide
• Reported on Irish Tech News

PrinterLogic security vulnerability

• Headquartered in St. George, Utah, maker of print driver management in the cloud solutions
• Issues detailed in Security Week magazine
• Three “high risk bugs can be exploited to launch remote code execution attacks”
• The company now offering patches to resolve the issues

What Is a Metaverse?

• The Metaverse is a collective virtual open space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical and digital reality. It is physically persistent and provides enhanced immersive experiences.
• Activities that take place in isolated environments (buying digital land and constructing virtual homes, participating in a virtual social experience, etc.) will eventually take place in the Metaverse.
• The adoption of Metaverse technologies is still at an early stage, so business leaders should limit their investments there.

Zomentum Partners with CMIT Solutions to Scale Revenue for Managed IT Franchise Network

• announced today a partnership agreement with Austin-based CMIT Solutions
• CMIT Solutions is a provider of enterprise-level IT services to small and medium businesses through its network of nearly 200 franchises in the U.S. and Canada
• Agreement means CMIT franchisees will benefit from the Zomentum sales acceleration application

Interface achieves 37% YoY Sales Growth

• Reported a 37% increase in new sales bookings in 2021
• Sales growth was primarily driven by a rapidly changing threat landscape for retail and restaurant chains

CoreStack and Maureen Data Systems Partner to Offer Cloud Governance for Managed ...

• Announced a new partnership with Maureen Data Systems (MDS)
• Companies will work together to deliver appreciable cost savings in multi-cloud environments with the power of CoreStack's NextGen FinOps solution
• "With the growing cloud demand and the resulting complexity, it is impossible to manage multi-customer projects at scale with siloed teams, processes, and manual efforts," said Suren Singh, VP, Global Partnerships and Alliances at CoreStack
• CoreStack is an AI-powered next generation multi-cloud governance solution

Lexmark has another security vulnerability

• Lexmark, owned by Ninestar of China, has new security issues according to an article published in R.S.News
• “allows hackers to executive arbitrary code on third-party printers”
• Company apparently offering a bundled update to resolve the problems

Lexmark unveils new solutions

• Lexmark is owned by Ninestar of China
• Previewed new Cloud Scan Manager
• Designed to automate the distribution of hardcopy documents
• Scan and route into Microsoft One Drive or other cloud storage service
• Cloud Scan Management provides scanning to MS One Drive and MS SharePoint
  o Scan files into folder that can be shared by remote employees
• Cloud Service enhancements include dashboard cards and notifications on devices
• Cloud Print Management for secure cloud based printing
• Cloud Fleet Management for managing print device fleets

Codeproof Technologies Offers "Six Months Free" Mobile Device Management Software for ...

• Announced a strategic business collaboration with Kyocera
• Kyocera, a leading provider of ultra-rugged mobile solutions
• Codeproof Technologies is offering a free six-month license for its mobile device management software to owners and new purchasers of Kyocera ultra-rugged smartphones

Crawford Technologies acquires Agilitech Solutions

• Acquired Agilitech Solutions, a provider of document and web accessibility solution
• Agilitech Solutions has been rebranded “CrawfordTech Government Solutions”
• Newly formed CrawfordTech Government Solutions will offer document accessibility solutions for both transactional and static documents, along with production management, workflow automation, e-delivery and content services

IT Systems Engineer Wanted

Stratix Systems

IT Systems Engineer

King of Prussia, PA

Employer est.:$50K - $75K

IT Systems Engineer

MYOB's cloud focus continues with the acquisition of document management startup Nimbus

• Reported on Starupdaily.net
• Value of the deal was not revealed by MYOB
• Australian-owned-and-operated document management service to its stable will allow MYOB to provide an integrated secure client portal tailored to the needs of accountants and practice managers

Lead for Managed IT Services in Mass

• RFP for managed Information technology Support Services for Winthrop Police Department.
• https://www.sec.state.ma.us/Pu...7QKSrBtkJGqVEaHFmg==

Salem NH Network Security/Support - Managed IT Solutions Startup Services Launch

• updating services to provide the IT support and leadership small and mid-sized businesses

IT spending prediction for 2022

• Research published by Gartner
• Data center systems up 4.7%
• Enterprise software up 11%
• Business and technology consulting up 10%
• Devices up 3.3%
• IT services up 7.9%
• Communication services up 1.3%

Cybersecurity Notes

• Spokane Health District of Washington notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed
  after email phishing attack.
• Welfare, Pension, and Annuity Funds of Local No. ONE I.A.T.S.E. of New York notified 20,579 patients
  that their PHI was exposed after email phishing attack.
• Loyola University Medical Center of Illinois notified 16,934 patients that their PHI was exposed after email phishing attack.
• Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital of Massachusetts notified 9,798 patients that their phi was exposed after email phishing attack.
• Advent Health Partners of Nashville, TN notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after email phishing attack.
• Caring Communities of Illinois notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed data breach.
• Jefferson Health of Philadelphia, PA notified 9,095 patients that their PHI after cyber security incident.
• Proofpoint published results of research on breaches caused by employees:
• • Insider threats cost organizations $15.4 billion per year
  • Increase of 34% since 2020
  • 56% caused by negligence
  • 26% caused by criminal insider activities
  • 18% caused by stolen credentials
• - Instagram users are being targeted by hackers, where accounts are hijacked, and hackers are demandin ransom for users to regain control – report from ZDNet magazine.
• Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic of Georgia notified 53,686 patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• NYU Langone Health of New York notified 1,123 patients that their PHI was exposed after direct mailing error.
• The YMCA of Charlotte, NC has notified an unknown number of members that their info was exposed after data breach
• St. Lucie’s County Drug Screening of Florida notified 14,500 patients that their PHI was exposed after it was inadvertently left exposed on a publicly accessible website.
• Griggsville-Perry School District of Pike County, IL notified an unknown number of students that their info
  was exposed after ransomware attack

• Sea Mar Community Health Center of Washington notified 688,000 patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Pennsbury School District of Pennsylvania notified an unknown number of students that their info may have been exposed after cyber attack.
• EyeMed agreed to pay $600,000 to settle litigation with state of New York regarding data breach that exposed PHI of 98,632 patients.
• $8.5 billion worth of crypto currency was laundered by hackers in 2021 according to Chainanalysis.
• Memorial Health System of Ohio now facing lawsuits after a breach that exposed PHI of 215,000 patients.
• The FBI is warning organizations in the U.S. about a new hacking group named Emennet Pasargad,
  operating out of the country of Iran.
• Taylor Regional Hospital of Campbellsville, Kentucky notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.

This Week in the Copier Industry 15 Years Ago

Second Week of February 2007

No words of wisdom for today.  On Tuesday the 8th I'll be dropping a new video on YouTube for Better Call Art "The Columbo Close".  Here's my YouTube channel please like and subscribe to get instant notification when a new video drops.

Enjoy Our Copier Threads from 15 years Ago This Week!

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This Week in the Copier Industry 10 Years Ago

Second Week of February 2012

One of the interesting blogs from Ten years Ago

Last week I blogged the "Death of the Direct Copier Channel", in less than one week there were over 1,400 views.  I'm guessing we hit a hot spot with many of those in the Direct and Dealer Channel. Death of the Copier Channel "Part Two"

Enjoy These Awesome Copier Threads from ten years Ago!

Thought this would be an interesting re-post from the old blog site.  In addition there are some great responses.  Enjoy

Death of the Direct Copier Channel? "part two"

Last week I blogged the "Death of the Direct Copier Channel", in less than one week there were over 1,400 views.  I'm guessing we hit a hot spot with many of those in the Direct and Dealer Channel.

The Print4Pay Hotel forums also posted many comments like

"Wow - it's like Ricoh coughed up a hairball!"

"Since IKON / RBS has not been able to upgrade the Canon / Ricoh IKON MIF that was the intent of the acquisition, they are now selling off the base to mega Dealers. But RJ Young will upgrade these 6,000 units to Canon machines and Muratec devices. Ricoh is having extensive back-order issues at present time."

"I doubt that they will upgrade to all Canon devices that would not have been in the best interest for Ricoh. That acquisition is now approaching four years old (Ricoh of Ikon). I agree with the back order issues however so are other manufacturers as well. It's not only Ricoh!"

"In the grander scheme of things 6000 machines in field is nothing to Ricoh. Those branches must have really been sucking wind to only have 6000 machines."

But a few interesting threads were posted yesterday that seemed to stir the pot for manufacturers that may be shedding branches and ceding more business to dealers.  One Print4Pay Hotel member stated that they heard that OCE Canada had released all of the sales reps except for one,  and more interesting is that the one rep had to report to someone in Florida.  It was listed as the Great White North shakeup.  Additionally, another member has now stated that Canon Direct closed a small office in Nova Scotia and handed over operations to a local dealer.

With most manufacturers declaring that they are reducing profit estimates or even posting losses for fiscal year 2011, the writing may be on the wall for the Direct Channel.  I'm not saying that the Direct Channel will cease to exist.  However what's a manufacturer to do when they are posting losses... with any good business model they would try to eliminate or reduce that part of the business which has become a liability.  With no good news for the economy in the short term, the threat of Europe recession and the strength of the yen, the copier manufacturers will have to make some tough decisions in the near future.

Selling off those Direct branches that are not turning a profit could be a great model and return the manufacturers to profitability in 2012 along with increasing dealer loyalty.  With RJ Young not only did they get MIF (machines in field), they also got employees (pretty much these employees probably won't have to get worried about getting laid off at the end of every March).

Just maybe, when we look at a time line of the copier industry in 20-25 years, we'll see a blip that designated the wholesale changes to the Direct Channel model and then the decrease back the the Dealer Channel model of business.

What come around goes around and I'm thinking just maybe we're heading back to the model of the early and mid eighties.

After writing this blog,  I read the interview that Scott Cullen (The Week in Imaging) had with Chip Crunk (CEO of RJ Young) titled "Chip Crunk Talks about RJ Young's Acquisition of Ricoh Direct Branches" .  Well, I'm thinking great minds think alike and I found this the most interesting statement, "I think the industry is in a transition where in the future the distribution model is going to be large independents and the direct operations. I think Ricoh and the others are going to want to align themselves with the top independent dealers in the secondary markets because they cannot be successful in those markets".

-=Good Selling=-

If you like to register for our secure forums, please go here, and please keep in mind we don't give access to people that are not in our industry!

"The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention."

Richard Moss

Sales leaders, key in on this for a moment...

The attention by your salespeople determines the experiences your clients have. Conversely, these experiences determine the quality of your salespeople's lives.

Is your team allowing distractions to derail them?

What are they paying attention to?

To set all of this up... Allow me to take you back to 1890. In his book The Principles of Psychology, Vol.1, William James wrote a simple statement that’s packed with meaning: “My experience is what I agree to attend to.”

Your attention determines the experiences you have, and the experiences you have determine the life you live. Basically, you must control your attention to control your life.

Applying this theory to your sales team...

What kind of experiences are your salespeople creating for their clients?

Let's set this all up...

I realize it is challenging for your salespeople to prospect for new business while trying to retain their current clients.

Choosing what they pay attention to or how they divvy up their time can be challenging, as you and I know how busy they all are running around doing "stuff".

Research continually shows us that it costs businesses significantly more to acquire new clients as opposed to retaining them. Successful businesses and their leadership understand the importance of providing and continually creating outstanding client relationships.

Your salespeople become a huge factor in determining if your clients stay or if they go.

Allow me to take you back to the spring of 1982 and introduce you to The Clash. Their hit entitled "Should I Stay or Should I Go" further reinforces the point within this article.

Should I stay or should I go now?

Should I stay or should I go now?

If I go, there will be trouble

And if I stay it will be double

So come on and let me know

Customers rely on their emotional experiences with salespeople more than any of the traditional factors, according to research by the Peppers & Rogers Group, which showed:

• 60% of all customers stop dealing with a company because of what they perceive as indifference on the part of salespeople
• 70% of customers leave a company because of poor service, which is usually attributed to a salesperson

What this reinforces is the importance that attitude and emotion play in determining whether your clients leave or stay. It’s mission critical for your salespeople to understand their client's attitudes and regularly collect their feedback.

Chew on this... Why do your clients do business with you? Is it because they feel valued and well taken care of? I guarantee the “why” will have monumental impact to you, your salespeople and the loyalty of your clients.

ARE YOUR SALESPEOPLE TAKING RELATIONSHIPS FOR GRANTED?

"Life is a precious gift - a gift we often take for granted until it is threatened."

Lecrae

Taking things for granted is an awful mistake many of us make and a huge strategic error that afflict many salespeople.

Unfortunately, and for many in sales when success sets in the "complacency syndrome" kicks in.

Taking your clients for granted is equivalent to shutting down your business.

Your salespeople are not indispensable given the fierce competition. Your clients have options and they will not stick around for long when complacency sets in.

According to research conducted by Microsoft and cited inside the Nextiva blog - "100 Essential Customer Service Statistics and Trends for 2022, update: June 3rd, 2021."

"68% of people around the world have stopped doing business with a company because of a poor customer service experience."

Sales leaders out there... let's apply this quote to your salespeople but with a twist...

Could 68% of your clients stop doing business with your salespeople due to a poor experience or lack of attention?

STOP ALLOWING YOUR SALESPEOPLE TO GROW YOUR COMPETITORS NEXT GREAT CLIENT

Chew on this for a moment...

How do you truly know your salespeople are delivering value to your clients?

Are your salespeople really giving them what they value more effectively than your competitors?

How sure are you?

It’s not a good idea to take your client’s loyalty for granted. Meeting their expectations is just not good enough. Your clients want to know you and your salespeople care.

I truly believe it’s more effective to act as if no one knows you or recognizes the value you bring because this will make you show it every day.

Would you know the last time one of your salespeople met with their clients and asked them, "What value do my services, products or solutions create for you?" I am waiting for your answer, still waiting, still waiting; this is what I thought - it has been a while or never.

I encourage you to think about this question "What does value add look like to your clients?" I bet your clients want to increase sales and grow their client base, correct?

Here is an exercise for your next sales meeting... Ask your team these two questions and have them write down their responses to:

How do I help my client's gain a competitive advantage?

What is my client's perception of value in working with me?

STAY TOP OF MIND OR BECOME AN AFTER THOUGHT

Sustaining meaningful value in the minds of your clients requires persistence and extreme focus.

Think about the following and then think about your clients:

• What’s happening right now within their business?
• What changes if any may be happening to them right now?
• What problems may they be facing?
• What difficulties are they encountering in their marketplace?

If your salespeople are not spending quality time in getting to know their clients better, then I guarantee someone else will be.

HOW WELL DO YOUR SALESPEOPLE UNDERSTAND THEIR CLIENT'S BUSINESS?

Creating true, authentic and genuine relationships requires spending informal time with your clients.

Do your salespeople REALLY know what’s important to their clients and their business?

I believe true leadership for a sales professional is their ability to affect change and to become influential inside their current accounts.

With all sincerity, when your salespeople get to know their clients inside and out, they can then start to personalize the attention they to give them.

START TREATING THEM AS CLIENTS

Between you and your team, do you view your customers as customers, or do you view them as clients? How many refer to them as clients but treat them as customers?

How do you know when a customer becomes a client, or the other way around? When a client becomes a customer, this becomes a problem.

Are your salespeople building customers or are they building clients?

You can't expect to get Nordstrom's level of service at Target or Walmart!

Think long and hard about this one... Are your salespeople viewed as sales rep who sells products and services or are they viewed as someone who enlightens, adds value, informs, advises, counsels, nurtures and becomes an advocate on behalf of their clients?

Question for you...

Is it your personal preference to be sold or served? When you’re in the marketplace as a consumer do you seek out professionals whom you can trust or sleaze-balls selling you and then moving on?

As the sales leader you must coach your salespeople to build meaningful relationships with their clients who value their professional advice rather than banging on them to find customers who make a one-time purchase.

An ever-flowing relationship funnel will fuel an ever-flowing sales funnel

If you and your salespeople fail to keep your clients as such, they could turn into customers.

In today's complex business environment, it’s the ideas, insight, information, help, and guidance your salespeople provide which will continually earn them the privilege of doing business with your clients.

Coach your salespeople to initiate conversations focused on their future needs, upcoming projects and areas of potential growth.

I will leave you all to think about this...

Are Your Salespeople Growing Your Competitors Next Great Client?

I understand, I get where you all are coming from. Every day, I walk in your shoes. I am fully committed to helping your sales team integrate social aspects and heartfelt strategies into your current sales process to grow new business. I want you to get results. This is why I am passionate about doing this the right way, the genuine way, the authentic way! It's about understanding value before visibility.

Selling From the Heart is making a difference! I poured my heart into every page of this book and I believe you're going to love it. You can find it on Amazon in paperback, kindle and in audio.

In a world full of empty suits, I'm passionate about helping sales reps become sales professionals. I help sales teams understand the true value they bring to the market.

With great pride I transform, challenge, coach and inspire sales teams to grow new business by helping them share their story and how they communicate it out by integrating the use of social and Selling from the Heart.

You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebookand on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.

This Week in the Copier Industry 5 Years Ago

Second Week of February 2017

So, I had some fun last night. I cleaned my idea with BS and it was a go for my fun. Told everyone I had an announcement, spoke about my 13 years with Stratix, the long term relationships and the new relationships with everyone. Looked at some older history and then told everyone of my announcement. I paused and wanted to show that the announcement was hard for me. Thus I told everyone Monday is my Birthday 🥳. Yes it worked as most thought that was my copier retirement speech. Stratix Systems I’m not done yet, still much to do

Enjoy these copier threads from 5 years ago

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Soviet Union and a short story how copy machines played and important role in spying. Please like, and subscribe to my YouTube channel.