MFP Copier Blog

Is preempted due to the Mets vs Phillies game and the start of the Mets 2021 season!

COVID19 Remote Working Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Seven of Selling Copiers, BDR, Managed IT and Content

It was great to have half the day off on Friday and even better to be with our family and friends for Easter.  Last Friday as expected was dead as a doornail with Good Friday and Passover Week.

Spring is finally here for good in New Jersey and that means to continue my mega prospecting ways for April.  When you have no orders to write and and very few appointments the only left to do is too prospect!

Today I was able to send fifty-eight emails, nine phone calls, one text message and five Linkledin inmails.  I was able to connect with eight DM's, scheduled one appointment and also hit an opportunity via email for $27K.  Emails still seem to be doing the trick since I had eleven return response which is about 20%.  In addition I have zero responses for messages left and Linkedin inmails sent.  I'm sure in the next few days there will be more responses since today is Easter Monday and it seems this is a vacation week for many.

I'm still sitting at zero for the month in revenue, however with the addition of the $27K opportuni8ty today I've created $100K plus in the last week.  Sure would be nice to keep creating $100K a week in opps for the next 3-4 weeks.

Someone had asked me what type of message I'm sending in my emails last week.  The best I could tell them is that I'm crafting each email to net new suspects and prospects from previous emails or chats. Each one was different and no two were the same. 

Constant Contact Emails

Last week I was also able to send my monthly email newsletter to more than 600 suspects. On Friday of last week I received the results. Opens was far better than what I hoped for. Six hundred and twenty three were sent, there was a 23% open rate (that's good), however the click through rate was only 4%. By the numbers that 138 opens and only 8 click throughs.  However 5 of those click throughs gave me the additional information I need to craft a call or email about the content that they opened.  Like I stated before this is a work in progress with the email list. Next month's goal is to keep the same open percentage and get the opens to 15%.   

My header title was "Best Password Practices" followed by "Say Good Bye to Inkjet Wide Format".   I'm thinking I'll stay with the same type of header for next month also. 

I usually put in four sources of content for each campaign. With the last one I used content for wide format, content for passwords, content for document management and content for how to spot phishing campaigns. 

When selecting content you want to share information that you think will help educate your clients.  That's all you're doing and not trying to sell them or put pricing specials in the email.  You want them to recognize you as the guru in your market place.

Tomorrow

One appointment with an existing client and then another full day of prospecting and I'm hoping to put up the same numbers or more from today.

-=Good Selling=-

EXTON, Pa., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ricoh today announced that Carsten Bruhn is now the President and CEO of Ricoh North America. A self-described "global citizen," Bruhn brings more than 20 years of experience from around the world. This includes having lived in Great Britain, Denmark and Japan, and with extensive travel meeting with customers in all regions throughout the world, including North America. He has led global teams that have successfully built digital transformation strategies and implemented services that solve crucial problems for organizations of all sizes – from global enterprises to small businesses.

"The opportunity that lies ahead for Ricoh, our partners and customers is incredible," said Bruhn. "Customer behaviors, the increasingly changing workforce and the speed of digital transformation are driving toward the need for new business models, including digital services and subscription models, to name a few. And there's so much to be energized about in North America specifically. We have a tremendous customer base, a passionately dedicated team and a network of dealer partners who share our commitment to solving challenging business problems today and into the future."

Bruhn most recently served as Corporate Vice President for Ricoh Global Services. In this role, he managed and fostered Ricoh's relationship with the company's largest, enterprise customers around the world. He focused on empowering customers to embrace digital transformation and built strategies with Ricoh's best-in-class partners to enable businesses to transform into digital businesses. Under Bruhn's leadership, Ricoh's Global Major Account (GMA) channel experienced growth by attracting new customers, while also renewing and providing increased value to existing customers. In 2020, these initiatives continued to accelerate by helping customers work from anywhere with digitalization, automation, and collaboration solutions, as well as providing tools for a safe return to the workplace.

During a two-year assignment in Japan, at Ricoh's global headquarters, Bruhn led the global services transformation for Ricoh Business Solutions. Previous roles included Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Ricoh Global Services. Prior to joining Ricoh, Bruhn managed Lanier's Northern Europe region. Leveraging this experience, he understands the entrepreneurial spirit and passion that drives Ricoh Family Group dealer partners today and is eager to collaborate with them.

Bruhn's leadership approach includes articulating a clear vision and direction to inspire employees and foster collaboration and productivity. As a "servant leader" he consistently drives the collective team forward, leveraging individual strengths to support a common goal: customer success. Bruhn also focuses on important cultural issues such as diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and he discusses the importance of understanding and addressing unconscious biases. His global experiences and unique perspective encourage and embrace an inclusive company culture.

In the coming months, Bruhn will publicly outline his business strategy for Ricoh North America. Bruhn's strategy will provide a clear and ambitious path forward – both short and long-term – built with agility and flexibility to quickly address customers' changing needs throughout 2021 and beyond.

Click here to read Bruhn's first message in his new role. For more information about Ricoh's customer commitment, click here, or follow the company's social media channels on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

| About Ricoh |

Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services enabling individuals to work smarter. For more than 80 years, Ricoh has been driving innovation and is a leading provider of document management solutions, IT services, communications services, commercial and industrial printing, digital cameras, and industrial systems.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ended March 2020, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 2,008 billion yen (approx. 18.5 billion USD).

For further information, please visit www.ricoh.com.

© 2021 Ricoh USA, Inc. All rights reserved. All referenced product names are the trademarks of their respective companies.

SOURCE Ricoh USA, Inc.

COVID19 Remote Working Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Five of Selling Copiers Managed IT, BDR & Content

According to our Governor New Jersey is in another surge even with almost having two million people vaccinated in the last two months.  There were two software models that showed a moderate surge over the next 90 days with an average of 6,000 infections a day and then a super surge which would have us back at 8,000-9,000 per day.  Our Governor stated, "we are in for a long hot summer". 

You know me I always try to read between the lines and these lines are telling me that the Health Emergency Order will not be lifted in the next 60 days and maybe 90 days.  I still can't understand with all of the mandates in place why another surge.

Back to the office

In recent meetings many of my accounts have told me about their back to work initiatives for the coming months.  Most are planning for a full re-opening of the offices by July with a hybrid in-office and some remote. My fear is the continuation of the Health Emergency Orders that some businesses may reconsider their openings and drop back to Labor Day.  Seems the Governor may be telling the true for once with the statement of "one long hot summer".

Thursday

There were no orders for today and so far none for the month of April.  Even though it's the calendar first of the month I'm at seven days already.  Today saw me with two appointments with existing clients.  The first meeting was to introduce myself to the new CFO of an existing account.  My old contact retired about a month ago and and it was time to start a new relationship with an account that has 5 print devices from us.  All I was expecting was to make the introduction, see how things were going and give a copy of the current leases and costs (just in case she did not have them).  One lease is coming due in September and of course there is the 90 day notification clause which got us to June 1st (two months away) to make a decision.  At then end of the meeting I was able to walk away with a $12K opportunity to upgrade the lease that's ending in September.  Unexpected because I let the client do most of the talking and I just kept on listening.

One good deserves another

My second appointment was virtual with another existing client.  We have all of the copier business with that account but I've never been able to crack the wide format device that they have. I won't get into details about what I did for this account but that I can tell us is that I went out of my way to make sure an issue was solved to their satisfaction on our chat.  At the end I asked for copies of invoices for the last 12 months for their wide format because I believe I can save them money.  This all stems from analysis I did years ago and hit a snag with their current agreement.  The snag is now gone and the CFO stated he will send me all of the invoices. Another opportunity created for the day and I believe it's in the $15K range. 

All in all not a bad day, coupled with the opportunities from yesterday and today I think that's about $80K that could close this month.  It may or may not but the end result is I've padding my opportunity bank for the month to almost $150K. I'm a firm believer that in order to hit your monthly quota you need three times your quota in opportunities that could close that month. Any thing less is like mystery meat you just never know what's in it.

Friday

Working a half day to catch up prospecting emails, my to do list and then to create my constant contact mailer to net new prospects.

-=Good Selling=-

COVID19 Remote Working Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Four of Selling Copiers, Managed IT, BDR & Content

Kind of hard to believe that it's the end of March and I'm seven days into my selling April already. Kinda plays head games with you especially when you're struggling.  However there is always hope and that hope comes in the form of 23 selling days for April.  Good Friday will see me working in the AM and my only task is to email and call as many prospects as I can in four hours. 

CRM

For the last three days I've been trying to play catch up with my CRM.  Not only do I have to build the funnel again but I also have to take care of current clients that have questions or need assistance with something. In addition when you get on a roll with appointments the prospecting time reduces because each appointment can create additional to do items. 

Research & Review

Yesterday I spend half the day working on a $50K opportunity for an existing client.  My time was spent reviewing pre-covid and covid print volumes and costs.  In addition I created a spreadsheet for those devices with existing cost and projected cost and migrating the 2020-2021 volume to the replacement copiers.  This morning I added a short power point to show the client for the virtual meeting and that added another two hours.  Some have asked why do you go through the trouble of creating the spreadsheet when it takes so much time? Well that's because the client may ask for validation and if I don't have the validation available during the meeting then the client might think everything is fudged. I'd rather put in the time to come prepared.

Appointments

The meeting with the $50K opportunity was today and the meeting went according to script until the client requested a review of 3 more quarters of pre-covid volume.  The only snag is that I wouldn't be able to close the order today, however we did set up another meeting next week for the final review. Setting up those next steps are crucial, just don't take the clients word that yes we'll meet next week. Make sure you get the commitment before the meeting ends and then send the invite right after the meeting closes (thanx Brad).

I had one other meeting with an existing client where I quoted a black A4 device and now they would like to see the numbers for color A4.  That next step is now scheduled for Monday.  When you're in somewhat of a hole it's time to do everything by the book of sales.

Prospecting

Yes, prospecting got away from me for another day. Totals for the day was 7 calls, 6 emails, contacted 3 DM's, scheduled 3 appointments and added 2 opportunities for a total of $38K.

Tomorrow

Has me on the road for an 11AM with another existing client. Not sure if there's a new opportunity here but it will be time well spent since my existing decision maker just retired.

-=Good Selling=-

There are two IT FREE leads including in this weeks notes!

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 will see better results.

Corsica Technologies Earns Coveted SOC 2 Certification for Cybersecurity and Managed Services

• Announced that the company has successfully achieved the Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type 1 certification for both its cybersecurity and managed IT services
• Audit conducted by Cherry Bekaert, LLP, a CPA and advisory firm
• SOC 2 is one of the most stringent auditing standards for service companies, set forth by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)

BCM One Named to 2021 Redmond Channel Partner Magazine RCP 350 List

• Named by Redmond Channel Partner magazine to RCP 350
• RCP 350 is a list of the top 350 Microsoft partners in the US
• Companies in RCP 350 range from huge partners and thousands of consultants to boutique companies with specialized experience
• Complete list is available on RCPmag.com

Splashtop Announces the Members of its MSP Advisory Council

• Group of advisors helps keep Splashtop up-to-date with the latest IT challenges faced by MSPs
• Members of the Splashtop MSP Advisory Council include
• • Ralph Joedicke, co-founder and CEO, goCloudOffice—Joedicke founded goCloudOffice in 2003
  • Evan Jones, CEO, Jones IT—A leading IT support specialist in San Francisco
  • Ramin Keyvan, president and CEO, Rhino Network Solutions
  • Sarah Tenisi, CEO, TenisiTech
  • Steven Walker, president and founder, Fast Break Tech

Adsero Security and Ballast Services Announce Partnership to Provide Comprehensive IT Cyber ...

• Announce their integrated partnership to provide comprehensive IT security compliance and managed services
• "This proven partnership allows us to leverage and advance our comprehensive security solutions for customers of all sizes and security needs," said Jason Martino, Managing Partner with Adsero Security
• Based in Tampa FL, Ballast Services is a leading security focused IT solutions provider
• Adsero Security has over 46 years of experience in the IT industry working hands on with the software, hardware and regulations

VENZA® Acquires CyberTek to Deliver Holistic Cybersecurity and Managed IT Services

• Acquired privately-owned CyberTek Engineering, an award-winning MSP (Managed Service Provider)
• CyberTek offers technical consulting support, network architecture, systems procurement, and complete implementation services along with managed IT services
• CyberTek MSSP will become a solely owned subsidiary of VENZA
• VENZA is a data protection company that can help organizations mitigate their vulnerabilities and ensure compliance
• Terms not disclosed

Parascript Earns KMWorld Recognition for Knowledge Management

• Parascript rovides document analysis software processing
• automation includes document classification, data location, extraction and verification—and adds additional unique capabilities including full-page handwriting transcription, signature detection and verification, and presence detection of stamps and initials
• Recognized from KMWorld for the sixth consecutive year in the 100 Companies That Matter in Knowledge Management

Managed Print Service providers must reposition to support transition to hybrid working as businesses plan to reduce office footprint

• Quocirca published the tenth edition of its comprehensive insight into the Managed Print Service competitive market landscape
• Primary research conducted among IT decision makers (ITDMs) in organisations with over 500 employees, in the UK, France, Germany and the US
• findings include
• • 79% say they will reduce their office footprint in some form
  • 44% plan to reduce capacity in existing offices
  • 23% plan to consolidate offices
  • 11% will close some locations permanently
  • 1% will switch fully to remote working
  • 47% of employees are now working remotely
  • 50% of respondents say their office print volumes reduced during the pandemic
  • 33% expecting print volumes to be lower when offices reopen
  • 40% expect home print volumes to increase over the next year
  • 46% have provided approved home printers for selected remote workers
  • 53% of ITDMs expect MPS spending to increase over the next year
  • Top three additional services that most influence MPS supplier selection are workplace services; cloud print services and sustainability services
  • 9% of respondents said they have already implemented a cloud print management platform; 37% plan to do so

• Quocirca Director Louella Fernandes said: “There will be no rapid return to pre-covid-19 print volumes
• • Hybrid working is here to stay

CRN Names Atmosera To Its 2021 MSP 500 List for the 5th Year in a Row

• Named Atmosera to its 2021 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the security category
• CRN's 2021 MSP 500 list identifies the market's key managed services players
• The MSP 500 list is divided into three sections
• • MSP Pioneer 250
  • MSP Elite 150
  • Managed Security 100

Bluff Point Associates Acquires RIA Technology Solutions Provider True North Networks

• Private equity firm Bluff Point Associates has acquired True North Networks
• True North Networks provides SEC-compliant information technology solutions, network security and support to independent registered investment advisors (RIAs)
• True North Networks founded in 2002 and headquartered in Swanzey, New Hampshire, True North Networks is a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) offering managed IT services

Net Friends Receives SOC 2 Type II Attestation for Second Year in A Row

• Announced that it has maintained for another year its SOC 2 Type II audit, performed by KirkpatrickPrice
• A SOC 2 audit provides an independent, third-party validation that a service organization's information security practices meet industry standards stipulated by the AICPA

Fully Managed Releases GrandCentral 4.0

• Announced the release of GrandCentral Managed 4.0 on the NOW Platform®, the latest version of its pre-configured, managed ServiceNow® workflow automation solution
• GrandCentral Managed is designed for organizations looking to adopt the operational efficiencies of the Now Platform
• Version 4.0 introduces ServiceNow Professional licensing to both the Managed and Dedicated GrandCentral platform options

MRE Consulting, Ltd., Ranked Among the Most Elite Managed Services Providers in North America

• Announced it has been recognized by CRN as one of the top 500 Managed Services Providers (MSP) in North America
• CRN's 2021 MSP 500 list identifies the market's key managed services players
• The MSP 500 list is divided into three sections
  • MSP Pioneer 250
  • MSP Elite 150
  • Managed Security 100

Lead for IT Services in Pennsylvania

• The Commission is seeking a network cabling firm who has the comprehensive skills, resources and certifications to maintain and install the voice, data, radio and auxiliary communication systems and cabling infrastructure throughout the Pennsylvania Turnpike facilities. The RFP can be viewed/responded to on the Commissions Vendor Portal. https://www.ptcvendorportal.com

Lead for IT Services in Arkansas

• Rogers Water Utilities ("RWU") of Rogers, Arkansas is seeking qualified firms to provide networking and systems security services and related Information Technology (IT) services for RWU's IT section. More information about the requested professional services is contained in the Request for Qualifications (RFQ).

Udacity Launches School of Cybersecurity to Ready the Next Generation of Digital Defenders ...

• Launched its School of Cybersecurity to help address the growing need for skilled cybersecurity professionals
• An (ISC)² study of diversity in the cybersecurity workforce revealed that while minority representation in the field sits at 26%, most hold non-managerial positions
• Has seen a 94% increase in job postings
• Udacity is a global, online learning platform powering digital transformation and accelerated time-to-market initiatives for Fortune 500 and Global 2000 enterprises

Lexmark Recognized for IT and Manufacturing Leadership Enabled by Its Innovative IoT Platform

• Lexmark receives consecutive wins for both the CIO 100 Awards and Manufacturing Leadership Awards
• Honored with a 2021 CIO 100 Award by IDG Communications for the second consecutive year, and a Manufacturing Leadership Award by the Manufacturing Leadership Council for the 10th year in a row.

Konica Minolta Announces Status as a Microsoft Global Managed Partner

• announces its new status as a Global Managed Partner
• “We are delighted to partner with Konica Minolta on a global level to accompany their growth in IT and to unlock the opportunities of digital transformation for their customers," said Casey McGee, Vice President, ISV Sales at Microsoft

Cybersecurity Notes

• FBI published results of research:
• Total losses from internet crime exceeded $4.2 billion in 2020
• In 2019, losses were only $3.5 billion
• FBI published warning to school systems in the U.S., that they are being targeted by PYSA ransomware, aka Mespinoza.
• Jean Francois Eap, CEO of Sky Global, was indicted for allegedly participating in a hacking and illegal narcotic distribution ring
• • Sky Global is a provider of custom handsets and a subscription-based end-to- end encrypted messaging app
• Check Point Research is reporting that Microsoft Exchange Server hacks are doubling every 2 hours.
• A hacker in Switzerland was able to hack into live security camera feeds of customers using Verkada solutions. Hospitals how notified patients of possible HIPAA breach include:
• • Halifax Health of Daytona Beach, FL
  • Wadley Regional Medical Center of Texarkana, TX
  • Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital of Arizona

• Centene Corp., an insurance firm headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, filed a lawsuit against Accellion Inc. of Delaware, in regards to a breach of PHI.
• Leon County School District of Tallahassee, FL notified an unknown number of students that their info may have been exposed after cybersecurity incident.
• Atascadero State Hospital of California notified 1,415 patients that their PHI was illegally accessed by an employee.
• Arizona Complete Health notified 27,390 patients that their PHI was exposed after cybersecurity incident.
• Spectrum Health of Grand Rapids, MI notified an unknown number of patients that their identities may have been exposed after a group of doctors posted operating room photos on Instagram.
• Tate High School of Pensacola, FL notified an unknown number of students that their info may have been exposed after an employee illegally hacked into network.
• Colorado Retina Associates notified 26,600 patients that their PHI was exposed after email phishing attack.
• The FBI published a warning about how hackers are using email phishing attacks to insert Trickbot malware into networks.
• • When unsuspecting employees open email and click on a photo, they download a Javascript file that downloads Trickbot onto their system
  • Hackers can then steal valuable information and insert ransomware

• UP Health System – Marquette in Michigan notified an unknown number of patients that a third party is calling its patients attempting to trick them into providing personal information.
• Douglas County government of Washington notified an unknown number of citizens that their info may have been exposed after cyberattack originating in China

• Wali Muhammad of Branford, CT pleaded guilty to one count of healthcare fraud as a result defrauding Medicaid using stolen PHI while working for Happy Family Clinical Services LLC of East Haven, CT.
• • Faces a maximum of 10 years in prison
• Timothy Young of Moorefield, Nebraska was sentenced to 21 months in prison after illegally accessing confidential information while working for a data analytics and risk assessment firm in New Jersey.
• Graham Ivan Clark of Tampa, Florida was sentenced to 3 years in prison for role in hacking well known Twitter accounts.
• Newberry County Memorial Hospital of South Carolina notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI may have been exposed after ransomware attack.
• Protenus Research published results of survey of healthcare organizations
• • Hacking incidents up 42% YoY
  • 20% of breaches causing by insiders exposing PHI of 8 million patients
  • 87% involved PHI inside EHRs
  • 13% involved PHI on paper documents
  • 187 days is average amount of time before breach is discovered
• Palo Alto Networks published results of research:
• • Average ransom paid to hackers by ransomware victims is $312,493
  • 171% increase YoY
  • Highest demand made was $30 million
  • Highest ransom paid was $10 million
• Tri County Public Safety Network of New York notified an unknown number of citizens that their info may have been exposed after ransomware attack.

The Week in Copiers Five Years Ago

First Week of April 2006

Fuji Film thoughts........... Mega dealers could align with Fuji and relabel their own mfp’s, solutions and supplies. Those mega dealers can then further their brands via Fuji, in addition Fuji would not need a large operation in the US market place. Xerox partners with or buys Ricoh? Xerox needs and OEM, Ricoh made mention they want to align with others players to boost revenue and profits.

Enjoy these awesome copiers threads from 5 years ago this week