MFP Copier Blog

This Week in the Copier Industry 5 Years Ago

Fourth Week of June 2016

June is now in the books for me.  For me it was a June swoon with many opportunities moving to July and August.  At this time I'm not sure what the summer will bring. I feel that many DM's are putting off decisions until the fall because so many are in need of some time off from the pandemic.  I hope that's no the case for July and August.

Enjoy these awesome copiers threads from 5 years ago this week

I guess my number #1 like is that these new MFP's were finally released!  The pandemic pushed a lot of manufacturers launches back a few months and I believe that we'll see other manufacturers stepping up the game in the coming months with additional MFP offerings.

Now, I know this blog is about I "love" but I have to mention this launch should have been for one MFP and then let the dealers decide what speed licenses they would like to purchase. Also,  when speaking about speed licenses those licenses should have an annual subscription cost.  Then each year the client would have to renew the same speed license or a faster speed license for a few more bucks.  We're not there yet, however I do believe that will be the future with one MFP and then an offering of licenses.

#2

So #2 has to be ACT (Always Current Technology), and the ACT talk tract was proven to be a winner with clients for the IM C color series for the last 12 months.  ACT allows clients to keep their MFPs with current technology with periodic downloads for the latest features.  It might not mean much once the client has the MFP in place but it does matter when you've got competition!

#3

Intelligent Support is my pick for #3 and this feature is also one of those talk tracks that I lead with for my clients.  Intelligent support tools like Remote Connect Support allows our Tech Support peeps to remotely connect to the MFP to make a change, adjustment or fix an issue.  I like to tell our clients it's just like IT support, you know when they remote into your PC to make a fix.  We can now do that with the MFPs, thus countless hours cab be saved if there is a non part(s) issue.

#4

Smart Integration comes in at #4 because it can help my clients with document workflow automation. Smart integration is a subscription model and allows clients to pick and choose the services that they like.  Scan2cloud, Scan/browse2cloud folders, OCR, Scan2Word, Scan2Excel are just the tip of the iceberg, however what I like most is that the Smart Integration is the gateway to for bring clients to content management solutions like DocuWare.

#5

Last but not the lease is the ability for the Ricoh devices to have auto firmware updates.  Maybe I should have put this at #1 because I lead with this for every net new and existing client.  If you don't tell the story to the client that these MFP's are end points on the network then you're making a BIG mistake.

Security is now the name of the game especially with all of the recent ransomware and malware attacks.  My explanation is simple by asking the client if they have a smart phone, of course they all do. My second questions asks them if they receive notifications for software updates, another BIG yes for this one. The last question asks them if they know what the updates are for? I'd day it's a 50% split on those that do and those that don't  Those that do get it and those that don't get the explanation that the firmware includes software patches, and security updates. Clients really do pay attention to security now.

Can anyone guess what I did not speak about?

Just an FYI we'll be be posting these once a week. The first four will be free and then you'll need a premium/vip membership to access

"The heaviest thing in the world is an empty pocket."

Yiddish Proverb

Let's translate this for all of you sales reps...

The heaviest burden a sales rep can carry is an empty pipeline.

• Get off your Tuches (Butt) and start prospecting!
• If you fail to prospect you will have Bupkes (zero, nothing) at the end of the month
• Seasoned sales reps who feel they don't need to prospect any longer are Shmendriks (idiots).

To all in sales... stop the kvetching (complaining) and start taking ownership and responsibility when it comes to prospecting.

I love my heritage. From my grandparents through to my parents, a series of life-long lessons were instilled or should I say drilled into me.

INTEGRITY AND HONESTY

My father was a rocket scientist for the U.S. Air Force. The first question I was asked when he got home from work, "So, tell me son and be honest, did you complete your homework?"

Being raised with an 'Ivy League' educated father was pressure all by itself. That single question became the measuring stick throughout my early years.

Salespeople are products of the environments they were raised in

What I took into my sales career was honesty and integrity. I believe it got me to where I am today. There is no greater temptation to cut corners than in sales, where one can earn massive amount of commissions.

Sales professionals overcome this great temptation, as they rise to the occasion with high levels of character, one in which others revere. Your clients and future clients will soon covet what you have to offer.

Simple stuff... When you are honest, your business grows.

BE HUMBLE, ACCEPT AND ENCOURAGE CRITICISM

In my younger days, I ate a tremendous amount of humble pie. I had to learn how to accept and deal with criticism, as school wasn't my favorite past time.

Pride, ego and fear tend to get in our way of success. We're human and we all make mistakes. Never think you're always right. Accept and encourage criticism, feedback and help - especially from those more experienced than you.

Some of my best sales ideas over the years have come from my clients, centers of influence and my mentors. I realized there was a wealth of information sitting right in front of me.

Unfortunately, I see many sales reps who struggle with listening to their clients or even asking for help.

What a monumental mistake.

Be humble, be genuine, act on suggestions, and accept criticism, as you can greatly improve your sales career.

Sales professionals accept critique, sales reps take it personal.

SALES REPS AND YIDDISH WORDS

The Yiddish language is a fabulous source of rich expressions, especially terms of endearment, complaints and insults. Doesn't this sound like a day in the life of a sales rep?

Let's get the party started...

Far gelt bakumt men alts, nor keyn sechel nit. Translated... Money buys everything except common sense. Trust me on this one, if a sales rep could finance common sense they would, oy to they vey!

KIBBITZ - Walk into a sales bullpen from 7:45 AM to 9:00 AM on any given day and listen to all the sales reps discuss non work related chitter chatter. "Hey Bob, did you catch the football scores from the past weekend?", "Saw a great movie last night, you ought to check it out." Small talk amongst team members is healthy but get to work and stop the kibbitzing!

You just lost an hour of productive work time. Sales professionals protect their time and pay attention to what's important... growing their business and taking care of their clients.

SCHMOOZE - Listening to a sales rep schmooze a client that they haven't seen for quite some time is fascinating. You wouldn't have to schmooze if you made a conscious effort to maintain a healthy, proactive and intentional business relationship. This is what sales professionals do best!

TCHATCHKE - All the company branded USB devices, calendars, pens and notepads... stop it as your clients have enough of your Tchatchke's or crapola!

Sales professionals consistently educate, engage and excite their clients by building rock solid relationships. It is not based gifting based but what they bring to the business table which is themselves.

SCHLEP - “I had to schlep through traffic for over two hours for a meeting and it lasted only 15 minutes, OY VEY!” Suck it up sales reps as this stuff happens. A true sales professional will find a positive outcome in those precious 15 minutes.

NUDNIK - Do not allow your clients to view you as a nudnik, a pain in the ass, nagger, and nuisance! Sales reps who consistently bring zero value, take their clients for granted but expect them to continue to do business with them are nudniks.

The mark of a true sales professional is that they build a relational fortress around their clients and consistently deliver on their promises.

SPIEL - When you meet with a new prospect, they don't want to hear your spiel... Your long-winded sales presentation around how great you are, how great your company is and all the promises I know you'll break.

Make it about them! Share with them how much you know about their business, why you and how much you care about them.

ADVICE TO ALL SALESPEOPLE

My grandfather was a self-educated man. He dropped out of school to help support his family. He always stressed to me you must have "Chutzpah" in order to succeed out in the real world.

My grandfather faced a ton of fears, as do I and as do you. He would always tell me... "Each time you face your fears, you make a deposit into your chutzpah account."

The battles in life whether won or lost produce more chutzpah. Think about how this can play out for you in your sales career.

Chutzpah seasoned with charm translates as enthusiasm.

Charm strengthened by chutzpah reminds your clients and prospects you have a respectable, professional purpose.

Loaded with both, you can win and sell with confidence.

I will leave you all with a quote from Rabbi Tzvi Freeman,

"You have to recognize the world is not about you. There is some purpose, something that you and only you are going to have to get done. So chutzpah is the attitude where you say, ‘Nothing is going to stop me from making that happen.’"

Used in the appropriate way, chutzpah is “the new charisma” that has the ability to connect you in deeper ways with your clients and keeps them coming back and referring others.

I encourage you, give chutzpah a try. Chances are that your real clients and future clients will find it to be a refreshing change.

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 think you're going to love it. You can find it on Amazon in paperback, kindle and in audio. You can click on the book image below and this will take you to Amazon.

In a world full of empty suits, I'm passionate about helping sales reps succeed by getting valuable before they get visible. I help sales teams understand the true value they bring to the market.

I appreciate getting the opportunity to share my stories. Integrating the use of social and sharing my story on LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive office technology world. 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 inside the sales process. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.

Mike has been a member of the Print4Pay Hotel as long as I can remember.  While Mike and I have never met we've been able to communicate via our message boards and Linkedin over the years. I believe these stories are important because much of what we were taught has been lost through out the years.

Selling Copiers in the Eighties with Mike Karasik

Art: How did you find your way into the copier industry?

Mike: I started my career at Dun & Bradstreet back in the early 70’s eventually got into sales with them and actually that’s where learned to cold call for new business.  Around later part of 1979 I started looking for a new opportunity and interviewed with Pitney Bowes & Lanier to sell either Word processing systems or mailing machines.  After being a top performer at Dun & Bradstreet for a few years Lanier told me I didn’t meet their sales aptitude. Finally Interviewed at Minolta Business Systems in Miami Florida got hired and started my new sales job on February 8^th 1980.  First month sold $30K and second month sold $55K and never looked back.

Art: What company or manufacturer did you start with, what was your title and what year did you start?

Mike:  I started as you can see  with Minolta’s direct Branch operation in Miami and the date was February 1980.  My title I believe was Account Manager. I really wasn’t a rookie for long because of my previous sales experience.  But I did have a funny rookie story.  I had downtown Miami as my territory for many years and one of my first sales there was to an Import Export business in the old Bank of Miami Building.  First appointment he agreed to buy my Minolta EP 310 for $3995.  So he opens his briefcase and starts to hand me cash!  So before I totally freaked out I realized we were in a Bank Building and got him to buy a cashiers check made out to Minolta Business Systems. 

Art: Frak, that's wild with the cash!  Since you worked for a dealer or manufacturer please tell us what brand(s) you sold and what was your favorite model top sell and why that was your favorite.

Mike: In the 1980’s I worked mostly for Minolta until 1989.  My all time favorite copier hands down was the Minolta 450Z.  The first month we had a warehouse full of those in October 1983 I sold 18 of them mostly one to a customer.  Paid for my wedding and a house full of furniture at the time.  Late in the 80’s I worked for Delta Business Systems also in Miami which was at the time one of the largest Canon dealers in the Southeast. My all time favorite Canon was the NP 6650, a very reliable copier that could handle some large volume.

Art: The Minolta 450Z was one of my favorites also, almost everyone we sold went as list price! So, what was the percentage of copier sales people that made it past two years and why made them last or not last so long?

Mike: Well back than not many sales people would stay past 2 years.  But at Minolta in the 80’s we had a very good core sales group of 7 to 8 that stayed and produced consistently.  And it paid off  by Fiscal year 1987 & 1988 we were the top Minolta branch in the country.

Art:  What did you like the most about your job in the eighties?

Mike: I enjoyed the challenge of competing on a National basis with other sales reps around the country within the Minolta Branch network.  We got to know each other on the President’s Club trips and many of us are friends to this day.  Minolta’s Direct branches in the 1980’s was a wonderful place to work and many of the top execs were great people and leaders. Finally I also enjoyed selling over 1.1 million dollars in revenue in 1987, mostly due to the Minolta 470Z and enjoyed many more of those successful type years.

Art: $1M in 1987?  Now that's pretty impressive for that time period in our industry. What did you dislike the most about your job in the eighties?

Mike:  Well I really didn’t find anything that distasteful except the fact you had to work consistently which remains the truth to this very day.

Art: What was the compensation plan like, was there a salary, what is just commissions or was there a mix of salary and commissions?

Mike: Back in the 80’s it was draw against commissions.  And the draw wasn’t very much so getting a substantial commission check at the end of the month was important.

Art: How did you go about finding new business, and what was your favorite of those methods and why?

Mike: I was a crazy cold caller turning more door knobs that I care to remember.  I learned this before I got into the copier industry, so cold calling didn’t bother me one bit.  In fact I took it as a challenge that I could turn more door knobs and personally talk to more people than my peers.  I followed up my previous weeks cold calls with a phone Monday to try and set up my appointments for the week.  I would average 400-450 cold calls monthly and I got so particular about my time management for cold calling that I would only see appointments in the morning and block off cold calling for the afternoons, except for the last week of the month.

Art: That's really impressive with that amount of cold calls per month.  Now I can see how you hit the $1M in revenue. What was the first sales book that you read that and what did you take away from it?

Mike: I must say I did not ever read a sales book of take any courses or seminars etc for sales.  I did enjoy listening to sales motivational tapes back in the day.  Brian Tracy and my all time favorite Zig Ziglar!  I believe two of his best quotes “ Our greatest weakness lies in giving up” and this one “ everything you ever wanted was on the other side of fear”!

Art: What type of car did you use for your demonstrations and how many demonstrations would you perform in a week demonstration?

Mike: Well my first so called copier car was a 1979 Blue Toyota Corolla station wagon.  It served me well and the collapsible cart fit just fine with my strapped down Minolta EP 310.  In the beginning I would average 8 to 10 demo appointments per week, Until late 1982 when the company curtailed demo and machine deliveries by sales reps ( deemed to risky for both sales rep and equipment).  After that we sold off the brochures or did demo appointments in our showroom.  I preferred selling off the brochure for a faster close if possible.

Art: Can you tell us a couple of funny story about selling copiers in the seventies? 

Mike: Well I started at the very beginning of the 1980s practically at the tail end of the 70’s I guess.  What I remember were a couple of things.  First not all the middle managers were willing to buy a Japanese made product.  They either loved Xerox and American made or some of them back than were veterans of WW2 and a couple of them showed me the door once I told them who I was with.  Second thing was that I had to be careful and aware of my surroundings because I had a downtown area it seemed easy for the Savin reps and others to follow me into accounts so I needed to be discreet.  Once I had an appointment with a single attorney law firm and as I was qualifying the attorney there was commotion in the outer office and a rep busted into our private meeting screaming don’t buy from him.  Totally freaked out the attorney and he asked us both to leave.

Art: That's a first, in all my years I never had that happen where another rep busted in and stared bad mouthing. What is the biggest problem you seeing facing the industry today?

Mike: Today It is the decline of printed materials.  OEM’s are closing or selling branches and dealers need to be really good at what they do carving out a niche as to their relentless pursuit of excellence in service and sales.  Also the dealers need to diversify and expand into areas that they can do well as prints continues to decline.

Art: If you had to would you do it all over again, if so what would you change?

Mike: I would do it over again as I believe the 1980’s and most of the 1990’s for that matter was a great time to be in this industry.  What I would have changed is probably staying put with Minolta and not jumping ship when I thought I needed more of a challenge.   You know greener grass isn’t always on the other side.

Art:  What’s the one piece of knowledge that you’d like to share with new reps entering our industry?

Mike: Well I would say be consistent in your work habits.  Use time management to set time parameters for each task you need to get done to advance finding viable prospects and get really good at turning them into customers.  I know with this crummy pandemic making physical cold calls has been tough and finding people in their offices has been tough.  But it is ending and things are opening up.  So my final advice is prospect, prospect, & prospect, and be consistent in prospecting.

-=End=-

Special thanx to Mike for doing this for us.  We don't ever quit prospecting is such an important message.  Feel free to reach out or connect with Mike on Linkedin

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Softline Automates Document Management for Gulliver Group

• Softline helped the retailer automate the due diligence audit, negotiation of contractual documents, and organizational, administrative, and regulatory document management
• DIRECTUM RX was integrated with 1C, Run Retail, and Active Directory systems

Pythian Launches FinOps Managed Services

• Announced that the company has added cloud financial management, also known as FinOps, to its portfolio of Managed Services offerings
• Industry analyst Gartner estimates that enterprises are overspending by as much as 70 percent on cloud usage
• Pythian’s FinOps tools and managed services are initially available for users of Google Cloud
  • Data Collection
  • Visibility
  • Interpretation
  • Action
  • Governance

Skyline Technology Solutions Selects RapidDeploy as Their Partner for Delivering Secure Video to ...

• Skyline Technology Solutions (Skyline) announced they have chosen RapidDeploy for their NG-911 call taker interface
• Partnership enables video integration capability of Skyline's tens of thousands of managed Claris live video feeds with RapidDeploy's Radius 911 Tactical Map and Nimbus Cloud Aided Dispatch
• Skyline enables 15 states, 7 regions and 470 agencies to aggregate and securely share tens of thousands of live video assets with their Claris platform

Logicalis US Strengthens Professional and Managed Services Teams

• Recently promoted Jessica Soqui to Vice President of Professional Services, and welcomed Raphe Reeves to the Logicalis team as Vice President of Managed Services
• "Investing in Professional and Managed Services is a priority for Logicalis this year, and Jessica and Raphe bring tremendous value," said Jon Groves, Logicalis US CEO
• Soqui will oversee all Professional Services for Logicalis
• Reeves will oversee the Managed Services and Enterprise Management Office (EMO) teams

ECS / My IT Acquires Network Technologies

• ECS / My IT, provider of managed IT services to small and midsized organizations, completed the acquisition of Network Technologies ("Network Tech"), a Kansas City-based managed services provider
• Acquisition of Network Tech follows the acquisition of Kansas City based The Purple Guys completed earlier this year
• Marks the third acquisition for ECS since the formation of its partnership with Kian Capital and ParkSouth Ventures in January 2020
• ECS / My IT is a provider of comprehensive managed IT services to small and mid-sized businesses

Buchanan Technologies Obtains SOC 2 Type 2 Certification for Managed Services

• Announced that it has achieved Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type 2 compliance
• “At Buchanan, we are committed to our clients’ privacy and security and strive to uphold the most stringent controls to safeguard their data,” said Jim Buchanan, Founder and CEO of Buchanan Technologies
• Buchanan Technologies is a managed services provider offering innovative IT services and customized solutions to mid-tier and enterprise-level organizations across the United States, Canada and Europe

HP Inc. Commits to Accelerate Digital Equity for 150 Million People by 2030

• Launches HP PATH (Partnership and Technology For Humanity) program to pave the way toward digital equity for underserved communities around the world – focusing on education, healthcare and economic opportunities
• Develops an accelerator that seeks to support disenfranchised communities by activating innovative solutions and services for 150 million people by 2030
• Drives more than US $1 billion in sales where sustainability was a key factor¹
• Reports 4% reduction in overall carbon footprint; reduces product use GHG emissions intensity by 33%; increases recycled plastic across its portfolio to 11%; and decreases single use plastic packaging by 19%
• Maintains 100% zero deforestation for HP paper and achieved 99% for paper-based product packaging
• Announced an ambitious goal to accelerate digital equity for 150 million people by 2030

STACK Acquires SmartUse Mobile, Plan Management Software

• STACK Construction Technologies today announced the acquisition of SmartUse Solutions, Inc

Cybersecurity startup Brinqa raises $110 mln from Insight Partners

• Brinqa, said it raised $110 million from private equity firm Insight Partners
• Brinqa, a startup that helps businesses map out their cybersecurity applications and alert them of gaps
• Texas based Brinqa, founded in 2009, this is the first institutional investment, with the company self-funded until now, said CEO Amad Fida

U.S. recovers millions in cryptocurrency paid to Colonial Pipeline hackers

• Reported on Axios
• S. investigators have recovered $2.3 million worth of cryptocurrency paid as a ransom to the cybercrime group responsible for the attack that shut down Colonial Pipeline
• Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount told the Wall Street Journal he authorized a $4.4 million ransom payment to the DarkSide cybercrime group on May 7th

PeopleScout Named a Leader on HRO Today's 2021 MSP Baker's Dozen

• recognized as a leader in Managed Service Provider (MSP) solutions on HRO Today's annual MSP Baker's Dozen Customer Satisfaction Ratings for 2021
• Every year since the inception of the MSP Baker's Dozen, PeopleScout has earned its place as an industry leader through its innovative and consultative approach to MSP," said Elliot Clark, CEO and Chairman of SharedXpertise and HRO Today. "As organizations look to MSP and Total Workforce Solutions models coming out of the pandemic, PeopleScout has and continues to be one of only a few top choices in the market for this rapidly growing holistic approach to workforce services."

Cloud4C receives 'SAP on Microsoft Azure Advanced Specialization'

• announced it has received the SAP on Microsoft Azure advanced specialization
• Cloud4C has a strong presence in 25 countries and 52 locations across the world, more than 600 SAP consultants, 600+ Microsoft Azure certified professionals, 2000+ cloud experts, and is a preferred SAP on Azure partner for reliable transformation to the cloud

ERPA Named Workday Application Management Services Partner

• announced that it has been named a Workday Application Management Services (AMS) Partner
• Workday is a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources
• Founded in 1999, ERPA is a leader in enterprise application managed services, cloud hosting, and consulting services

Tokyo Olympics becomes the latest victim of the Fujitsu hackers

• Reported on Techradar
• Hackers have made away with data from the computers of the organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympicsreach has affected over 150 people, all of whom had earlier participated in a cybersecurity drill ahead of next month’s Olympic Games
• leaked data included the names and affiliations of the individuals, who were linked with roughly one hundred organizations that are involved in hosting the sporting event