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Sales Professionals Consume Business Acumen For Breakfast, Are You?

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"I believe we can accelerate our acumen, performance and success by leveraging our associations and spending time with people better than us."
Robin Sharma

If you wish to sit with executive decision makers at the business table, you need to learn, consume and mirror their characteristics.

Don’t Expect a Seat if You Don’t Bring Anything to the Table

Granted, not all will require C-level or executive access. However, engaging at this level is critical if your goals are to build strategic client relationships, be perceived as a trusted professional and to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Just a few years ago, Ulrik Juul Christensen in the Harvard Business Review, wrote that... 20 to 40 percent of employees are “unconsciously incompetent” in areas critical to their performance, and even more are “consciously incompetent,” meaning that employees realize that they are lacking the necessary skillset for their role.

Let's take that statement and then think about all the massive disruption that has occurred during 2020... Think about the rapid pace of change that is occurring in just about every industry, every marketplace and with every company.

One can imagine the gap between what those in sales know and what they need to know is only growing.

I ask to you think about these two questions:

  • Do you have what it takes to gain a seat at the table?
  • Are you bringing business substance to the table?
"In today's commoditized business world, customers only care about one thing: value. To offer real value you must stop being a salesperson and become a businessperson who sells."
Marc Miller, A Seat at the Table.

I would like all those in sales and sales leadership to stop for a moment:

Are the conversations you are having right now earning you a consistent seat at the business table?

EARN THE RIGHT TO SIT AT THE TABLE

Business executives have business goals and challenges. It's up to you to attach your offerings to their challenges in the form of strategic help, this is true value.

"When you suggest solutions that add value to critical customer strategies, you leave your competitors in the dust. Since your competition is myopically focused on selling products and services that add little value to the higher picture strategy of the customer, these traditional competitors will no longer even be on your radar of competition."
Marc Miller, A Seat at the Table.

Projecting and portraying an executive presence, combined with the way you deliver your message, will cause executives to take notice.

I believe the following is wholly sales grail... it's the combination of confidence, competence, business acumen, business conversation and business knowledge.

Business conversation combined with business acumen will get you equal business stature.

CONSUME BUSINESS ACUMEN FOR BREAKFAST

Wikipedia defines business acumen as the...

"Keenness and quickness in understanding and dealing with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome."

Sales professionals eat business speak every morning.

They learn the language of business. They learn the language of business executives and they speak their language.

In the Skills Mismatch research (conducted in 2018) by the Economist Intelligence Unit,

"over 65% of leaders surveyed said that a lack of strong business acumen among their leaders was a significant impediment to their success."

Let's apply this to the sales world, if surveyed, what percentage of sales leaders out there would say their salespeople lack strong business acumen?

Fruit, oatmeal and business acumen... breakfast of sales professionals

APPETITE FOR ACUMEN

Remember, C-level executives are business executives. This means you must engage in business-oriented conversations in order to establish your credibility and to differentiate yourself from the competition.

You must speak their language, not yours. You must understand their industry and their competitive environment.

  • What are you eating for breakfast?
  • What are you reading and listening to with breakfast?
  • What knowledge do you think business executives consume for breakfast?

To consistently gain a seat at the table, you need to understand their needs, challenges and business environment.

Do you understand your clients and prospects business?

BUILD BUSINESS ACUMEN THROUGH LITERACY

With daily discipline and determination, I encourage you to develop and appetite for business acumen.

Increasing your business literacy will improve your business acumen.

I encourage you to

  • Read company reports
  • Follow business market trends
  • Allow your clients to teach you their business
  • Gain a solid understanding of finance
  • Learn the terminology that business people use

CREATE A SENSE OF ACUMEN URGENCY

The business world is rapidly changing. This doesn’t allow any of you to take your own sweet time to learn new things.

I will leave you all with a quote from my very dear friend, Mike Garrison,

"If you only know how to relate based upon what you get paid for you will only be viewed as an expert on that very subject. On the other hand, if you can demonstrate that you are an expert (or at least a credible peer) on what your prospects get paid for you are someone that will be welcomed into the 'inner sanctum' of their business and will be a valued and respected advisor...no matter what you sell."

My sales friend's business acumen is an asset. Do not allow it to become a liability.

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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.

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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.

 
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This Week in the Copier Industry 5 Years Ago

The Week in Copiers Five Years Ago

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The Week in Copiers Five Years Ago The Second Week of November 2010

On Friday I had a chance to catch up with some long time members of the Print4Pay Hotel.  One our members who has 20 plus years of experience was laid off in July.  He is currently looking for a position in the industry.  He's located in Illinois and is one of the more talented people I know in our industry.  Please reach out to me if you think you can help him.

Enjoy these threads from 5 years ago this week



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Konica Minolta is Recognized on the Climate Information Disclosure Leadership Index for Three Consecutive Years

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, support, project and cloud computing solutions across all verticals. Konica Minolta has won numerous awards and recognition, including placement in the Leaders Quadrant on the Gartner 2014 Magic Quadrant for Managed Print Services (MPS) and Managed Content Services (MCS). Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for eight consecutive years. Konica Minolta, Inc. has also been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World
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A2Z Printing Meets Demand with Ricoh Pro C7110X and Pro 8110e Printers

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—such as the weekly black-and-white newspaper they print—without sacrificing the ability to add new black-and-white business. “A2Z Printing is yet another great example of how Ricoh’s diverse production print portfolio can help printers meet their customers’ various needs,” noted John Fulena, vice president, Production Print Business Group, Ricoh Americas. “Whatever the key pain point—whether it’s needing faster turnaround time, increased volume, higher output quality, or added portfolio
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Konica Minolta to Showcase Innovative Document Management Solutions at 18th Annual Asian Shared Services & Outsourcing Week

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November 08, 2015 23:19 ET Konica Minolta to Showcase Innovative Document Management Solutions at 18th Annual Asian Shared Services Outsourcing Week SINGAPORE--(Marketwired - Nov 8, 2015) - With the number of Shared Service Centres (SSC) and Delivery Centres in Asia growing by 42% over the past two years, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia (BSA), a leader in advanced document management technologies and solutions, today announced its participation in the upcoming 18 th
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Copier Sales Infographic Our First!

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INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF COMMERCIAL PRINT: HEETER TAKES FIRST STEPS INTO INKJET WITH RICOH’S NEWEST CONTINUOUS FEED INKJET PLATFORM

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Heeter capitalizes on new opportunities after seeing the quality, speed and savings RICOH Pro VC60000 can provide Malvern, PA, November 11, 2015 - Ricoh Americas Corporation today announced that Heeter, a leading provider of commercial print, digital, direct mail and fulfillment solutions, has installed the RICOH Pro VC60000 next-generation continuous feed inkjet platform to expand how it produces high-quality commercial print collateral by streamlining operations with fewer steps, more
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Print Audit 6 & "Eric the Office Worker" Keeping it Green

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You just bought or leaseda shiny new Color "Green" Copier akaMFP that can print/scan/copy fax.. You know the system, your salesperson touted the "Green" features such as default auto off, default power save mode, default duplex copying, the small carbon foot print, scan2email, scan2folder, scan2usb, scan2dropbox, scan2googledrive, scan2sdcardand of course it was the end of the month special deal just for you! So, what good is all of this "Green" stuff, if you can't control printing ? Did you
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Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation Named CES 2016 Best Of Innovation Awards Honoree

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optical technologies. The company has long been a leader in professional printers and copiers, and is known for its high-quality optics and optical components. A key achievement with the Theta series is an ultra-small twin-lens folded-optical system capable of capturing two wide-angle images and then marrying them into a single spherical image. "We're thrilled that the Ricoh Theta S was named a CES 2016 Best of Innovation Honoree," said Jim Malcolm , president, Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation
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Terillium Collaborates with Canon Information and Imaging Solutions, Inc. to Accelerate Expansion of the Enterprise Imaging Platform

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Terillium to help businesses with ERP and sales solutions for more than 20 years. More information can be found at www.terillium.com . About Canon Information and Imaging Solutions, Inc. Canon Information and Imaging Solutions, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., was formed to harness the power of Canon’s in-depth knowledge of information flow and world-class imaging technology. Utilizing Canon's vast collection of imaging technology and development tools along with select
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SECURE COLLABORATION FOR SMALL- TO ENTERPRISE-SCALE MEETINGS MADE SEAMLESS WITH RICOH SMART PRESENTER

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Ricoh | Ricoh is a global technology company specializing in office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems and IT services. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in about 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ending March 2015, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 2,231 billion yen (approx. 18.5 billion USD). The majority of the company's revenue comes from products, solutions and services that improve the interaction between people and
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More Bad News for Sharp Corporation?

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another debt equity swap? Can there be another debt equity swap? If so, what happens to Sharp when the banks own more shares than the shareholders? Many questions, right? I'm not an expert in finances, however, I smarter than the average bear when it comes to the copier industry, at least here in the US. Our industry needs to consolidate, the weak must not be allowed to survive. I have no clue on the number of single source Sharp dealers in the US, however, I would tend to think that many dealers
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Canon Australia acquires Converga

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Canon Australia has acquired The New Zealand Post Group’s managed services and business process outsourcing company Converga. Converga has over 1,300 staff based in offices and technology centres throughout Australia, New Zealand, United States and the Philippines. The acquisition of Converga is Canon’s fourth in four years reflecting that robust growth will be achieved through diversification. This move solidifies Canon as a key player in business process outsourcing, IT Managed Services
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Japan Display says wouldn't turn down a partnership with Sharp

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in 2012 from the ailing display units of Sony Corp, Toshiba Corp and Hitachi Ltd. It initially lagged Sharp and other Asian rivals but has recovered in the past year due to strong orders from Apple Inc. By contrast, Sharp's July-September operating profit tumbled 86 percent from a year earlier to 3.5 billion yen as it struggled with pricing pressure, showing little improvement in business since a $1.9 billion bailout in May. Its LCD division booked an operating loss of 12.7 billion yen in the
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Epson EcoTank™ Printer Named CES 2016 Innovation Awards Honoree

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-low cost, each bottle cost as low as $12.99 . Consumers now do not have to ration their printing and can enjoy the freedom to print in color; the more they print, the more they save. Additionally, EcoTank printers deliver high quality output for which Epson is known – powered by PrecisionCore ® , the ET-4550 delivers high-speed printing and laser-quality black text. "The WorkForce ET-4550 EcoTank printer marks a fundamental shift in the way home and business users will think about printing in
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Re: Copier Sales Infographic Our First!

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Where can I find where you post people looking for copiers in Kansas and Missouri? Carl Little Area Sales Manager Datamax KC 913-752-2256 (direct) 913-333-7180 (cell)
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Re: Copier Sales Infographic Our First!

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Carl, go here https://www.p4photel.com/forum...-rfps-rfqs-and-leads Originally Posted by H Carl Little: Where can I find where you post people looking for copiers in Kansas and Missouri? Carl Little Area Sales Manager Datamax KC 913-752-2256 (direct) 913-333-7180 (cell)
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Will Sharp Make $4.1 Billion Debt Payment for March 2016

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In a recent article https://www.p4photel.com/topic...4#459546043187093994 , it was reported that Sharp has a 510 billion yenloan due($4.1 billion US) in March of 2016. Will they make it, will they not make it, will there be another debt equity swap?
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DuPont Digital Printing Collaborates with EFI Reggiani

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for high-speed digital printing applications in the future.” In addition to cotton textile roll-to-roll printing, Artistri® PK2600 ink also has been shown to work well on a number of fabrics that cannot be printed with reactive inks including polyesters, viscose, cotton/polyester blends and non-woven materials. Pigment inks offer a streamlined workflow, faster turnaround and greatly improved environmental attributes that mills and print specifiers are demanding. Artistri® PK2600 ink provides
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Ricoh 480W Question

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Can't remember if this system metered in linear and square feet.  Can anyone help?  
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Mutoh America, Inc. Wins Product of the Year Awards at 2015 SGIA Expo Mutoh ValueJet 2638 and ValueJet 1617H take home the awards

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receives entries from the best companies in the industry, so winning the award multiple years is quite an achievement. I believe the award is a testimonial to the quality and state-of-the-art engineering of our ValueJet printers.” Mutoh’s ValueJet 2638 (now selling the ValueJet 2638X with advanced Smart Printing technology) – 104 inch Eco-solvent printer incorporates a staggered dual-head design, allowing for speeds up to 1,168 sqft/hr. The VJ 2638 is perfect for creating high quality banners
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Digital Disruption: Future Opportunities for the Print Industry

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Printer vendors are having to make major changes to their business models to sustain their leadership and relevance. Long term survival will depend on their ability to adapt to market disruption through both innovation and building relationships with complementary product or technology providers. The print industry, like many industries, is on the brink of significant change. Market disruption, characterised by intense competition, more demanding customers and a constantly shifting
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Lead for Two Copiers in West Virginia

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LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE The Parkersburg Wood County Public Library is requesting bids from copier dealers for two (2) copiers at the South Parkersburg Public Library. All proposals must be received by 10:00 a.m. on November 23rd, 2015. Requirements and specifications are available at the Library – 3100 Emerson Ave., Parkersburg WV 26104-2414; phone (3040 […]
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What is a Searchable PDF & Why it's Still Important with Copiers

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explain whatthey can accomplish by havingtheirdocuments scanned as a searchable .pdf. I posted the information below just about seven years ago on the old blog site when copier manufacturers started to include options to create searchable .pdf's from our multi-functional copiers. ADVANCED FUNCTIONS- create searchable PDF documents with this application . What is a “searchable” PDF?- In simple terms, a searchable PDF is an image (picture) containing the “text” in a layer (usually behind the
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A Fireside Chat with Luke Goldberg, Global SVP, Clover Imaging Group

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A Fireside Chat with Luke Goldberg, Global SVP, Clover ImagingGroup by Print Audit With the cool air of Autumn upon us it’s hard not to reflect on times gone by and to ponder on things yet to be. In the latest installment of the Print Management Insider’s Fireside Chat interviews, we meet up with Luke Goldberg, Global SVP Sales Marketing for Clover Imaging Group. His career in the imaging industry has spanned over 25 years. I have personally known Luke for over a decade from his days at Future
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New EX5250 Pro and EX5240 Projectors Deliver Bright Color, Easy Setup Features, HDMI and Wireless Connectivity for Small- to Medium-Sized Businesses

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printing, visual communications, quality of life and manufacturing. Epson's lineup ranges from inkjet printers, printing systems and 3LCD projectors to industrial robots, smart glasses and sensing systems and is based on original compact, energy-saving, and high-precision technologies. Led by the Japan -based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises nearly 72,000 employees in 93 companies around the world, and is proud of its contributions to the communities in which it operates and its
COMMENT

Re: Copier Sales Infographic Our First!

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I thought something was amiss for the first data points for "how we set appointments", thus I checked the original survey an users were allowed to select more than one answer.
MEMBER

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Most important attribute of a Sales Rep

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We were having a friendly debate this morning, 'is self-discipline the most important attribute for a success and is not what is?'  They key here is just 1 attribute if you disagree and if you agree, why?
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EFI Reggiani Showcases New Innovations in Textile Technology at ITMA 2015, Including the Debut of the

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, particularly where print washing is beneficial for delicate textiles and for post-dyeing of printed cloth. The new ReNOIR NEXT printer, a highly versatile product that prints onto fabrics and papers using the same ink set with a 1.8m beltless digital printing system. It joins the highly successful Reggiani line-up of textile printing solutions and offers simplified material handling, a compact footprint and lower acquisition cost, making it an ideal entry-level production device. Like other EFI
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Those Magnificent Men & Women & Thier Copy Machines 2015 -Part One

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would send a check asap for $500. I was floored with the generosity of Print Audit Polek Polek. If you can, find the time to call our most excellent sponsors, and tell them that they are AWESOME, even better yet, give them a few minutes of your time to see how they can help your dealership. -=Good Selling=-
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5 Steps to Becoming an MPS Superstar – Step 2: Discovery/Investigation

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5 Steps to Becoming an MPS Superstar – Step 2: Discovery/Investigation by Print Audit Welcome back to my 5 step series on becoming an MPS Superstar! In Step 1, we looked deeper into the initial step of prospecting. Step 2 has to start with a genuine curiosity. Saying “Curiosity killed the cat” doesn’t apply. Today, at least eight out of ten TV shows are about discovery or investigation. Read more of this post
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Re: so Dave Greene was let go from Ricoh yesterday?

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Has this been confirmed? How does everyone think Dave did during his run at Ricoh? If he is gone, at least he stuck around longer than the last few guys in this role?
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Re: Ricoh 480W Question

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Like other Ricoh models, it can be set (via service mode) to meter either linear or square feet. I don't recall what the factory setting was-
MEMBER

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Cabinet Document Management Solutions Selects e-SignLive for Exclusive E-Signature Integration

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for the company’s SAFE and SAFE CLOUD document management solutions designed to make it easy for clients to capture secure and enforceable e-signatures. e-SignLive provides immediate ROI by removing the manual work, costs and delays associated with printing and shipping paper documents for signature, only to have them scanned back into the document management system. “Our customers typically come from a paper-based world, where physical signatures are common and security of confidential
COMMENT

Re: Print Audit 6 & "Eric the Office Worker" Keeping it Green

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Nice explanation.
MEMBER

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Rightfax type of solution

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I have a very large organization looking to replace Eskerfax? with something and Rightfax is one of the solutions under consideration. I know nothing else about what they are looking to accomplish. I asked my Solutions Support Specialist with Ricoh what we had and he came back with Omtool Accuroute. I have zero experience in this arena. Is there anyone out there that can enlighten me to the possible solutions and the potential pitfalls? A business partnership may even be considered.
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Re: Most important attribute of a Sales Rep

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successful is the "key" word I guess. Does self-discipline make me successful? Well, it helps to get me out of bed on time, helps to make those calls when I know 90% are going to dodge me, helps when I need to finish something I started. But does self-discipline help me close sales,alas closing sales makes me successful. However, self-discipline over the years made me read that extra sales book, keeps me posting on this site everyday, keeps me yearning for more knowledge. I guess after all of
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Re: Most important attribute of a Sales Rep

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In sales, I would say the "magic formula" is Productivity + Efficiency = Success Productivity is your determination, your consistency, your self-discipline and your work ethic. If you work hard, you will have some success. Efficiency is your skill set, your experience and your time management skills. The longer you develop your skills and the more deals you're in, the faster you will get better at learning how to "work smart." Like sending emails at 7am to get a better response rate, slowing
 
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DocuWare

AVANCE (Uh-vahn-say) digitizes its operations for improved efficiency and real time finance tracking

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A nonprofit aid organization, AVANCE (Uh-vahn-say) digitizes its operations for improved efficiency and real time finance tracking. The freed up physical space from reduced file cabinets allowed restructuring the office for social distancing

AVANCE operates early childhood and family education centers and has used DocuWare to automate processes such as purchasing and funds tracking to assist its Finance and HR teams.

The need to move away from paper-based processing

AVANCE operates about 30 early childhood education facilities for children under the age of five in San Antonio and beyond, enabling their parents to learn infant care and other parenting skills, earn their high school diplomas, attend professional training or attain employment.

The daycare centers need to buy a gamut of supplies from formula to diapers to furniture – this generates many purchase orders. Prior to DocuWare, the company relied on paper purchase orders, which made the approval and acquisition process slow and cumbersome. “We were looking to move away from paper into an electronic system,” says Michelle Hyde, Chief Financial Officer at AVANCE.

The benefits of digitizing

Digitizing sped up purchasing approvals and data entry. Prior to DocuWare, staff filled out paper purchase order forms that were sent for approval via interoffice mail or by FedEx. “We used to have paper Purchase Order (P.O.) books, which we would issue to each department and they would prepare the paper purchase orders,” Hyde recalls. Now requestors fill out electronic purchase order forms via a web link and these are submitted instantly. Digitizing also reduced manual data input, saving time.

Read more case studies here

 
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DocuWare

DocuWare Wins Best ECM/Document Management Provider Award

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The Cannata Report’s readers vote for DocuWare

New Windsor NY, November 12, 2020 – DocuWare, provider of cloud solutions for document management and workflow automation, won its first Frank Award for Best EMC/Document Management Provider, at The Cannata Report's 35th Anniversary Awards & Charities Gala: Unite & Conquer.

A total of 12 awards were given, covering a wide range of categories including Best in Class Manufacturer, Best IT Services Provider, Best Technical Services Provider and more. Results were based on dealer votes submitted through The Cannata Report’s 35th annual survey. More than 300 dealers voted, one of the highest participation rates in recent years.

“Winning this award and getting this vote of confidence from our dealers is a huge honor for DocuWare,” states Jim Roberts, President. “We work very hard to create an environment in which our Authorized DocuWare Partners can excel. Multiple DocuWare teams play a part in this - from sales support out in the field to professional services behind the scenes to the wide range of marketing tools and resources. DocuWare is there for its partners and their votes are evidence that this commitment is recognized and valued by the dealer community,” concludes Roberts.

Facebook-100 (4)_Frank Award

The celebrity-studded virtual event took place on November 6, 2020. It was hosted by the Cannata family and the publication’s editor, Scott Cullen. Awards were announced during the gala and then presented in person the following week by The Cannata Report’s Founder/Editor at Large, Frank J. Cannata. Proceeds from the event go to Hackensack Meridian Health’s Circle of Compassion and will help the COVID-19 frontline workers’ fund.

* * * * * * *

About DocuWare

Headquartered in Germany & the US, DocuWare provides document management and workflow automation solutions in the cloud. DocuWare has helped 14,000 customers across 90 countries simplify their work through digitizing, automating and transforming key processes.

For More Information Contact:

DocuWare Corporation                                                 DocuWare GmbH
Samina Sabir                                                                    Birgit Schuckmann
Communications Director                                             Public Relations Manager
4 Crotty Lane, Suite 200                                              Birgit.Schuckmann@docuware.com
New Windsor, NY 12553                                               Mobile: +49.1 72.8 55 20 05
Samina.Sabir@docuware.com
Tel: +845 253 6784

 
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Memoirs of a Copier Sales Person

COVID19 Remote Working Day One Hundred and Sixty-Seven of Selling

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Not much has changed from yesterday.  I had one appointment early this AM with an existing client for wide format.  I arrived back at my home office about 11AM or so.   My afternoon saw two additional appointments with one of them a net new prospect.

The net new prospect was interesting to say the least.  Let's say that the company that quoted them on a certain print device was way off the mark.  Over spec'd was definitely the case.  I'm guessing the rep did not listen to the clients needs.  It was a good conversation and my recommendation was for a color A3 print device that would do the job nicely.  Wish I could go into depth however this a working prospect and I can't give anymore details.

Listening to the client is so critical.  We need to let them talk and pay close attention to their needs.  Many times clients will beat around the bush, it's not intentional it's just more about the way they communicate.  We need to pick up on words, phrases or body language that will help us communicate on their level.   In any event I feel good about my recommendation and did everything I could to put our best foot forward.

My third appointment of the day was with an existing account that has a decent fleet of devices from me. In this case there are three older MFP's that should be upgraded due to the age of the device.  One of stumbling point for moving this account closer to ordering has been forms.  Not that they are printing forms, however they would like to feed two part NCR forms through the document feeder.  One of my devices will make it happen and one won't and that's been the hold up.  We finally agreed on one of the A4's and docs went out, for the other MFP I still need to do some testing since one of those older devices can also scan the forms.  It never ends does it?

To end day I had an email from one of my net new accounts with additional questions concerned the content deal I'm working on.  Since the email came in late in the day. I made sure I involved my team with follow up emails before the end of the day.  Will hear more on this tomorrow.

It's been four hours later since I wrote everything you've just read. Is it me or is everyone else experiencing these same issues.  Lately it seems that almost every engagement/opportunity presents it's own set of hurdles that we need to navigate.  Lately it seems that nothing is clean or easy anymore.  Is this because of COVID or could it be just the stress that buyers and sellers are going through these days? 

It was about 7PM when I read a thread from Andrew Kimbrough on Linkedin.  Andrew is also a Print4Pay Hotel member.  His thread from today puts everything into perspective with what's going on with the buyer and seller.  Thus I wanted share with everyone.

Just a reminder that our site posts leads every day for copiers and IT services.  I recently ran across a huge lead for copiers.  I posted that on our site last Friday. Today I had to put a call into one of my fellow P4P members and I asked if he had seen the lead.  He stated he didn't. I then said "wtf, it's in your back yard".  Sure enough he logged on there it was.  He told me that was a BIG deal and needs to jump on it ASAP. I was glad I could help, and he was glad that he's got an additional opportunity to work.

To get right down to it "don't wait for opportunities, create them".

-=Good Selling=-

 
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Memoirs of a Copier Sales Person

COVID19 Remote Working Day One Hundred and Sixty-Six of Selling

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What can I say there really hasn't been that much to write about the last three days.  I think as I get closer and closer to the end of the year these blogs may slow down even more.  All depends if I can pack a few solid orders away there will be much to write about.

November 9th and we had a 75 degree sunny day here in NJ.  How many more of these days can we get?  Anyway it's a pleasure to enjoy and spring can't come soon enough.

New Jersey retreated on some openings today.  Technically we are still in Phase 2 and we've been in here since August.  Today our Governor mandated that all indoor dining and bars will now close at 10PM due to COVID19. WTF does the virus stop being a virus after 10PM?  In addition interstate indoor sports is now cancelled until further notice.  What led to this?  Well 5,000 infections over this last weekend. Personally I don't believe there is anything stopping this virus and we've proved that because almost everyone in New Jersey is wearing a mask.  Good news is that a vaccine could be available shortly.

It's crazy to fathom that in 17 weeks we'll have been under this lockdown for an entire year.  There is no end in sight for New Jersey except for that vaccine.  Our Governor has proven that he will not release his grip until it's available.  The question then becomes if he issues and EO that it's mandatory.  I'm sure that won't go over well.

There's not much to write about from last Thursday and Friday.  No orders in hand however I did receive a verbal order from a net new client for $34K.  That $34K is a mix of content and hardware and those docs went out via email.  There is a hitch as always, even though I'll have the signed order docs the content and hardware is contingent on the completion of the Proof of Concept working demo.  Now I'm just hoping that all of this wraps up before the end of the month.

On Thursday of last week I was also told about another $8K order that might make it in for this month.  I've probably got another 3 or 4 opportunities that have a shot of closing this month but I have to be patient and work through each one to bring them to a close.

Another bright spot I guess is that net new client told me he wanted to add two additional production devices.  They did not say when and I'm going to push the envelope with this account tomorrow and send them the order docs for the two devices. Okay it's my way of a gentle push to see what happens. I either get the order, I don't get the order or I get an objection.  I kind like my odds with this one because I can deal with getting the order and the objection.  Again this is all a part of making something  happen rather than waiting for something to happen.

-=Good Selling=-

 
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DocuWare

Buffalo Rock, a soft drink producer and bottling company, chooses DocuWare for its ability to seamlessly integrate with key business systems.

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Buffalo Rock, a soft drink producer and bottling company, chooses DocuWare for its ability to seamlessly integrate with key business systems

Soft drinks distribution company, Buffalo Rock chooses DocuWare for best integration with existing systems, eliminating double entry, thereby saving time and money.

Integrated systems eliminate repetitive manual entry

A family owned business founded in 1901, Buffalo Rock Company produces and bottles a variety of soft drinks, which it sells to approximately 19,000 customers in three different states. With 14 divisions and over 2,150 employees, the company also purchases items from 5,000 suppliers, including Starbucks and others. This massive operation requires a large volume of document processing and record keeping, which prompted Buffalo Rock to start digitizing as early as 1999. But certain key tasks in the Document Imaging and the Accounts Payable Departments, remained manual. “We used to print all our emails and then scan them to input them into our previous system,” says Vincent Holmes, Document Imaging Department Manager. “And then the Accounts Payable department had to re-key everything my department had already keyed in.” As the volume of documents grew, so did the manual processing, affecting productivity and causing delays.

You can read more here

 
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MSP & MSSP & IT Industry Notes

MSP, MSSP & IT Industry Notes fopr November 7th, 2020

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November 7th, 2020www.thinkarcoa.com

MSP, MSSP and IT Industry Notes

Sponsored by

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.

2nd Watch To Expand Managed Optimization Service Through Deal With Spot By NetApp

  • 2nd Watch strikes deal with NetApp-owned Spot
  • To use the Spot Instance and Container Optimization technology to enhance 2nd Watch’s Managed Optimization service
  • Chris Garvey, “allow our clients to make continuous optimization decisions” with running Cloud IT environments

Stamford IT firm Soundshore Technology Group acquired by Mass. firm

  • Stamford IT managed services company Soundshore Technology Group (STG) has been acquired for an undisclosed amount by Coretelligent

NTT Ltd. Managed Services Division Expands Capabilities with Cybersecurity Advisory and ...

  • NTT Ltd.'s Managed Services Division, Americas, today announced the launch of Cybersecurity Advisory and Security Consulting Services

The Services include:

  • Program Assessment and Maturity
  • Strategy Alignment and Risk Mitigation
  • Architect Solutions (Secure by Design)
  • Cloud Security
  • Secure Mobile Workforce
  • Infrastructure Security

Quorum Software Sees Strong Adoption of Fully-Integrated, Cloud-Based Document Management

Survey of Managed Print Dealers from Quocirca

  • Results of Managed Print Service Survey from Quocirca
    • 53% report a negative impact on business performance from COVID-19
  • Top challenges for upcoming year:
    • 37% = market disruption
    • 23% = adapting to managed services
    • 22% = digital disruption
    • 21% = lack of sales skills and resources
    • 21% = impact of cloud on business models
  • Top benefits off selling managed print services:
    • 34% = opportunities to sell value-added services
    • 32% = building long term customer relationships
    • 29% = opportunities to sell adjacent services
  • How has pandemic impacted print volumes:
    • 45% = declined
    • 33% = no change
    • 17% = increase
  • Expectation for 2021 versus 2020:
    • 19% = decrease in revenue
    • 11% = no change
    • 66% = increase
  • Top opportunities over next 5 years:
    • 37% = cloud print services and solutions
    • 21% = document disposal for home workers
    • 30% = home printing services
    • 18% = MPS
    • 29% = contactless secure printing solutions

Survey of work from home impact

  • Report published by Tech Republic magazine
    • 98% of employees surveyed would like option to work remotely for rest of their careers
    • 27% admit to “trying to pay attention, but often zoning out”
    • 75% are experiencing burnout working remotely
    • 68% are feeling more burned out at home than when they were in office
    • 60% admit to working more hours at home than office
    • 69% dress more casually
    • 52% of work day is wasted due to unnecessary disturbances working at home
    • 33% admit that being away from office has lowered morale
    • 60% are using online programs to learn at least one new skill
    • 50% of Gen Z workers feel disconnected from company culture
    • 50% of millennial workers are interested in leaving job to start their own businesses

Canon adds features to uniFLOW solution

  • New uniFLOW Online Print & Scan app allows mobile printing from Apple OS and Android OS mobile devices
    • Support for Mac, Chromebook and Microsoft Universal Print
    • New budgeting feature allows schools and libraries to charge students for prints and copies
    • Users can delegate print jobs to another colleague



Coretelligent, LLC. and VSS Announce Acquisition of Soundshore Technology Group, Further ...

  • Coretelligent, acquisition of managed services IT firm Soundshore Technology Group
  • Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed
  • Brings the two organizations collectively under the name Coretelligent

Calligo buys Irish-based Cinnte Technologies

  • Jersey-based Calligo has announced a deal to buy Cinnte Technologies
  • The value of the deal has not been disclosed
  • The purchase is Calligo's eighth acquisition in three years

Align Recognized as Best Cloud Services Provider for Fund Managers in Hedgeweek US Awards

  • Align, announced that it has been voted as “Best Cloud Services Provider” in the 2020 Hedgeweek US Awards
  • “In March of 2020, 100% of Align’s Managed Services clients transitioned to an entirely decentralized workforce overnight by embracing our secure public cloud platform with built-in cybersecurity controls,”

NetCraftsmen® named VeloCloud®, now part of VMware®, Professional Services Partner and ...

  • NetCraftsmen announed that they were recently named a VeloCloud Professional Services Partner as well as a VeloCloud Managed Services Provider (MSP)

Malwarebytes Launches Integration with CrowdStrike to Offer End-to-End Enterprise Security

  • Malwarebytes™, announced that it will be offering their remediation solution to CrowdStrike customers
  • Malwarebytes Remediation for CrowdStrike, integrates with CrowdStrike's Falcon® endpoint protection platform, providing industry-leading automated malware remediation
  • Malwarebytes Remediation for CrowdStrike detects and remediates malware, exploits, ransomware, adware, PUPs, PUMs, and other cyberthreats





CyberSecurity Updates

  • Lawrence Health System of Gouverneur, NY notified an unknown number of patientsthat their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
  • University of Vermont Health Network of Burlington, VT notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
  • Arkansas Methodist Medical Center of Paragould, AR notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after email phishing attack
  • Perry County Memorial Hospital of Perryville, MO notified an unknown number of patients

that their PHI was exposed after email phishing attack

  • Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego, CA notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after email phishing attack
  • Trillium Health of Rochester, NY notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was illegally accessed by a former employee
  • Davita Florissant Dialysis of St. Louis, MO notified “dozens” of patients that their PHI was exposed after paper medical records were found in an industrial dumpster
  • Mount Diablo Unified School District of Contra Costa County, CA notified an unknown number of students that their info may have been exposed after cybersecurity incident
  • Sky Lakes Medical Center of Klamath Falls, OR notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI may have been exposed after ransomware attack
  • Fort Zumwalt School District of O’Fallon, MO notified an unknown number of students that their info may have been exposed after a student hacked into network
  • Texas Health Resources notified 82,000 patients that their PHI was exposed after a mailing error
  • The Town of Salem, NH notified an unknown number of citizens that their info was exposed after ransomware attack
  • The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development in Madison, WI notified an unknown number of citizens that their info may have been exposed after cyber attack
  • Indian River County government in Florida is notifying an unknown number of citizens that their info may have been exposed after ransomware attack
  • Chenango County government in New York is notifying an unknown number of citizens that their info may have been exposed after ransomware attack
  • Parker County government in Texas is notifying an unknown number of citizens that their info may have been exposed after ransomware attack
  • Boyne Resorts Corp., headquartered in Boyne Falls, Michigan, notified an unknown number of ski resort customers in the U.S. that their info was exposed after ransomware attack
  • Centerstone Health of Nashville, TN notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
  • Century 21 Department Stores, headquartered in New York City, NY, notified an unknown number of customers that their info may have been exposed after a former employee was caught stealing data
  • Christopher Dobbins was sentenced to prison after being convicted of hacking the network of his former employer, Stradis Healthcare of Atlanta, GA
  • Cook County government in Illinois is notifying victims of crime that their info was exposed after it was inadvertently published in public police reports
  • Beacon Health Solutions of Tampa, FL notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
  • Wilmington Surgical Associates of North Carolina notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
  • Riverside Community Care of Massachusetts notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
  • ZDNet reports that the KashmirBlack botnet is behind attacks on hundreds of thousands of websites since 11/2019
  • Aetna Insurance announced it will pay $1 million to settle with federal Office for Civil Rights division regarding HIPAA violations
    • Related to past breaches that impacted 18,500 patients
      • Aetna agreed to adopt a corrective action plan as part of the insurer's settlement.
  • Motorola announced that some smart irrigation systems which use its ICC PRO OS, are vulnerable to hackers, due to info being exposed online
  • Amazon announced it has terminated employees that were responsible for leaking customer data to a third party
  • Guilford Technical Community College of North Carolina notified 43,000 students that their info was exposed after ransomware attack

 
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Sales Professionals Know The One Word That Defines Them, Do You?

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"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you."
Thomas Jefferson

Uncovering what defines you is your own personal journey, not anyone else's.

Grab a pad of paper and a pen, now answer the following questions:

  • How would you define yourself?
  • What makes you tick?
  • What are your top three values and how can you apply them to your career?
How many of you have spent the time to unpack who you really are?

Defining yourself, it is knowing who you are, what you stand for, what your identity is, and what rules you operate by. This could be the morals you live by, what you define as integrity, the importance of your word and beliefs.

I believe defining yourself is one of the most important things you can do. What defines you impacts the direction you head in life, where it takes you with your career and how you interact with your clients. This is tough work but oh so necessary for long term sales success.

"Strong people define themselves; weak people allow others to define them."
Ken Poirot

We live in highly competitive sales world. We have all been experiencing chaotic, cumbersome and crisis filled moments.

That being said, you must be able to clearly differentiate yourself from all the other empty suits.

If you don't know yourself then how can you help your clients?

This may sound a bit harsh, no one cares about you, at least not at first. You must make them care about you, and you accomplish this with the how you define yourself.

I believe you must be able help them answer these questions:

  • Who are you?
  • Why should I care?
Stop looking in the dictionary for words that define you.

What words come to mind when you think about yourself?

How would you define yourself right now?

DEFINE YOURSELF THROUGH YOUR STORY

We can all agree that stories sell. Stories are powerful. They give you a narrative to live by and lessons to pass on that shape who you are and will become. Your story calls out your best self.

How would you tell the story of you?

Is your story fixed on the past, the present or is it focused on the future?

Past stories do not dictate future success. Think about this one for a moment.

When we fixate on the past, we become limited. We hold ourself back by what we have been and what we have done. It is hard to break out of it and imagine something new, to embrace new possibilities.

This is why I am concerned with tenured and well experienced salespeople. The current state of affairs has many of them looking at their past successes and wondering what the hell has just happened.

We must change the perception of ourselves in order to change our story of what we will become.

We all have baggage in the closet. The sooner you come to grips with it the better.

Make a concerted effort to stop defining yourself by what you are not. Stop beating yourself up (lord knows I have learned this the hard way). Every day starts a day filled with new opportunities, so start living a better story.

I encourage you to grab a sheet of paper and a pen, start rewriting the story of yourself. Redefine yourself as the hero and set aside the cast members. Focus on defining you.

How many of you know your story?

DEFINE YOURSELF THROUGH SELF-AWARENESS

Quite simple, self-awareness means you knowing yourself so well that you become amazingly happy which in turn allows you to live a wonderfully balanced life.

  • Are you living as the real you?
  • Do your thoughts match your actions?
  • Does your walk match your talk?
  • Are you trying to impress others?

Knowing yourself is the process of understanding you. Knowing yourself brings you face-to-face with self-doubts and insecurities. Self-reflecting upon this allows you to take a serious look into how you have been living your sales life.

“How much we know and understand ourselves is critically important, but there is something that is even more essential to living a Wholehearted life: loving ourselves.”
Brené Brown

Knowing and defining yourself is a conscious effort; you must do it with intention and purpose.

DEFINE YOURSELF THROUGH "I AM" STATEMENTS

What is the one word that defines you?

"I Am" statements are a direct way to tell the story of yourself. These statements become the story of your life.

Every single day, reading out loud, “I am this” or “I am that” you give a specific and direct instruction about you.

Creating "I Am" statements does you no good if you don’t put it to regular use.

Reciting "I Am" statements every day, now this is a game changer.

You are solely responsible for the thoughts your mind produces.

One of my favorite quotes by a near and dear friend of mine, Kody Bateman.

In his book, "Promptings, Your inner Guide To Making A Difference" He states,

"You learned that the stories in your mind become the stories of your life and that you have control over the stories you put in your mind."

Kody Bateman stresses,

"When you create an 'I AM' statement, visualize it, and state your compelling 'why,' your subconscious mind goes into action delivers exactly what you tell it."

How will you ever breakthrough when you play mental gymnastics with your mind?

How will you ever breakthrough if you struggle to clearly define you?

By now, many of you may be asking yourself, "Larry, what is your one word?" It is quite simple, AUTHENTICITY. I proudly fly the flag of authenticity.

In a world of empty suits, I’m leading a revolution of authenticity, integrity, and substance in the sales profession

Brené Brown says it best,

"Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen."

UNCOVER THE WORDS THAT DEFINES YOU?

I encourage you to become your own Sherlock Holmes. The words you use to define YOU matter.

Become your own detective and uncover that one special word that defines you.

Deepak Chopra nails it,

"Be willing to redefine yourself every day."

In a world where perception matters, clearly defining yourself and being able to articulate it, will elevate you above all others in sales.

We live in a world where our digital self competes with our real self. We live in a world where social dress up is alive and well. We live in a world where many chase vanities rather than chasing value. We live in a world where trust is at an all-time low.

Don't be afraid to look in the mirror and say to yourself, "This is me. This is the real me"

"People that have to say they are real are never real! You can not be real if you have to keep saying it. You only recognized as being real because you show it!"
Merle Rutledge, Jr.

The road you take to define yourself will be filled with roadblocks and potholes.

I will leave all of you with this,

The way you connect and relate to people, is how well you define yourself.
No alt text provided for this image

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.

No alt text provided for this image

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.

 
1 comment
This Week in the Copier Industry 10 Years Ago

The Week in Copiers Ten Years Ago

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The Week in Copiers Ten Years Ago The First Week of November 2010

Usually I try to add something from my day or some words of wisdom for all of our readers.  Today I have nothing except for this point "Don't wait for opportunties go and create them everyday"

Enjoy these copier threads from ten years ago this week!



Auditors see $250,000 savings in Jefferson Parish schools copier contracts

ART POST (GUEST) ·
, lasted five years and were resold to third-party financing companies. If a machine started having problems, he said, vendors persuaded principals to sign new long-term leases for an upgrade yet they were still obligated for payments under the old lease. The board then ordered principals to rent or buy copiers from vendors on the state purchasing office's contract. When problems continued, the board ordered schools to buy or rent Kyocera copiers from a single distributor: Bell Office Machines
TOPIC

Print services pressing on

ART POST (GUEST) ·
A well-established market is a must-go place for companies, but one not yet up to speed is also being favored by many. China's printer and copier industry is betting on managed print services (MPS), rather than traditional hardware sales, as the next big thing. To increase their presence in the industry, major printer and copier makers are doubling their investment in MPS, a mainstay of outsourcing which frees users from choosing and buying machines and daily maintenance. Various Hewlett
TOPIC

Schools could save thousands on copier changes

ART POST (GUEST) ·
, begin printing to that copier rather than individual printers in each office. “We’ve got 20 offices here at central office; every office has a printer,” he said. “[We should] try to get away from that and start printing to the copiers because the cost is so much cheaper. The printer I’ve got in my office, if I need toner it costs $400. And I’m printing to that every day when I could be printing to a copier only a few feet away.” Maggard said if each school can begin to use these copiers on a
TOPIC

Canon Intros the New Color imageRUNNER C1030 Workgroup Printer Series

ART POST (GUEST) ·
simplified user experience as the new Series features print drivers, tools and menus similar to other Canon MFPs and printers. "We are confident the expansion of our Color imageRUNNER platform will further distinguish Canon as the provider of choice for small businesses and corporate environments seeking a cost effective option with advanced technologies and solutions," said Sam Yoshida, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. "Like the imageRUNNER 2500 Series
TOPIC

Mayor Sharon McShurley is in the market for a free copier and printer after Muncie Ci

ART POST (GUEST) ·
MUNCIE — Mayor Sharon McShurley is in the market for a free copier and printer after Muncie City Council cut more than $464,000 from her proposed 2011 budget Monday night. The budget adopted by the council carries a general fund levy of $21,675,925. Requested positions trimmed from the budget included those of deputy mayor (which has been vacant since the council cut it from the 2010 budget), a purchasing agent and clerk in the city controller’s office and a structural inspector on the building
TOPIC

Ricoh to Provide MFPs and Printers at the APEC Japan Summit

ART POST (GUEST) ·
Tokyo, –Ricoh Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Shiro Kondo, Hereafter “Ricoh”) will provide a total of 43 multifunction printers or MFPs and printers for output of printed matter at the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit and associated meetings to be held at Yokohama from November 7 to 14. During the sessions, Ricoh and Ricoh Japan Corporation will work closely with Ricoh Technosystems Co., Ltd. and Ricoh Logistics System Co., Ltd to facilitate the progress of the meetings with a
TOPIC

Photizo Group Expands Team with Former Printing Industry Senior Exec and Award-winni

ART POST (GUEST) ·
@photizogroup.com About Photizo Group Photizo Group Inc. is the market’s main source for ongoing business intelligence about the rapidly growing opportunity of managed print services (MPS). MPS involves managing hardcopy device fleets (copiers, printers, multifunction devices, and fax machines) in a unified fashion, often outsourcing this to an external vendor. Photizo provides the most complete body of research on the managed print services market. From its landmark MPS study in April 2008 to ongoing
TOPIC

Copier Dealers & the Copier Factories

ART POST (GUEST) ·
We (Dealers) all hear about, and see it on the Print4Pay Hotel forums , along with quotes from the field. We ask ourselves how the hell can Direct MFP Manufacturers continue to offer cost per page contracts that are lower or equal to the cost fact sheets that they give to MFP Dealers, plus dump product that is below dealer cost in most cases? When will the madness end? For example: Recently a Ricoh 907EX Pro with Bookletmaker, Print and Scan Controller, 3 Hole Punch, Postscript and LCT sold for
TOPIC

“First in Class” for Dealer Support by Marketing Research Consultants

ART POST (GUEST) ·
technology news service. About Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. (TABS) is an independent operating company of Toshiba Corporation, the seventh largest electronics/electrical equipment company in the world. TABS manages product planning, marketing, sales, service, support and distribution of copiers, facsimiles, multifunction printing products, network controllers, and toner products throughout the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Latin America, and
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Re: Possibly moving to Ricoh....

DTARVIN (GUEST) ·
Thank you to everyone for your input. I was offered the position and accepted. I will now be selling RICOHs, but I have the option to also sell Sharps. To fisher: I understand what you are saying. However, my current boss has provided neither my co-worker nor myself any real sales training. He won't even demonstrate how to sell (we think it's because he can't). I have also learned that we are being underbid by the other Sharp dealer in town, and our service dept head has said our prices are
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Re: What is the difference 6000 vs 6001?

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I have just run into a situation where the Savin C9025 /Ricoh I am proposing has the scan to usb or sd card but not print from usb or sd card. I was advised to say to the customer that the downside to print from usb or sd is that you can infect your mfp with a virus because there is no firewall or virus protection, so it would not be a secure situation. It does make sense to me. However the Sharp does have the capability and I am woried the customer might not agree with the security argument
TOPIC

New GBC AdvancedPunch from Bytes and Xerox

ART POST (GUEST) ·
New GBC AdvancedPunch from Bytes and Xerox FULLSTORY The new inline GBC AdvancedPunch from Xerox, available through Bytes Document Solutions, authorized Xerox distributor to 27 sub-Saharan African countries, gives printers the opportunity to create professionally bound documents in-house. It combines punching and collating into a single, convenient step and allows various, interchangeable die sets for popular binding styles without manual punching. ‘It increases productivity while lowering
TOPIC

Xerox ColorQube 8570DN review

ART POST (GUEST) ·
and reinstalling the printer, the multipurpose tray worked fine. A test of the ColorQube 8570DN with its PCL driver was painless and successful. The Mac installation was nearly flawless, though the instructions neglected to mention that you have to add the printer manually. The Xerox ColorQube 8570DN printer's performance test results were also up and down. Pages consisting primarily of text but with a smattering of simple monochrome graphics printed at 14.8 pages per minute on the PC and 10.2 ppm
TOPIC

Xerox ColorQube 8570 "What's the Total Cost of Operation?"

ART POST (GUEST) ·
I really enjoy writing the "What's the Total Cost of Operation?" for printers. What amazes me most is the recommended monthly volumes and the monthly duty cycle claims from the manufacturers. Alright, before we move forward let's get the monthly duty cycle thingy out of the way. All manufacturers will advertise go here for rest of blog
TOPIC

Ricoh Aficio SP 9100

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Hi Guys,I am wondering what a representative CPC for the Aficio SP 9100 is. I believe it is based on the MP 7001, but since its single function and has a lower hardware price its CPC may be higher than the MP 7001's $0.0060 - $0.007 range. Any insight...
TOPIC

Printer Bomb Suspect Arrested

ART POST (GUEST) ·
Authorities in Yemen have arrested a 22-year-old engineering student and her mother who are alleged to have mailed the computer printers containing explosives that put security forces on high alert around the world over the weekend. Yemeni security forces surrounded a house late Saturday after running down the phone number left with the cargo shipping company that handled the parcels. They're now looking for accomplices, who are believed to have Al Qaeda ties. While the alleged bombers might
TOPIC

Dubai printer bomb was flown on passenger plane

ART POST (GUEST) ·
One of the two bombs posted from Yemen last week was transported on two passenger planes before being seized in Dubai, Qatar Airways said today. A spokesman for the airline said the package arrived in Qatar Airways’ hub in Doha, Qatar on a flight from the Yemeni capital Sanaa. It was then shipped on a separate plane to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where it was discovered by authorities. The package contained explosives hidden in a printer cartridge and was headed for the US. Students
TOPIC

Memjet Color Printers to the Rescue?

ART POST (GUEST) ·
) and images better also (so I'm told), the comCOLOR is only 300DPI,and thier printer version of A4 clocks in at $35K (so I'm told). I haven't seen any samples, I have a couple of video's which I'll try and post. Would like to hear from others about this technology and what it means for us. Here's the link for the brochure. http://www.astromachine.com/pdf/printers/m1.pdf
TOPIC

Print from USB

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How are you combating print from USB? I have a church that likes the idea of Sunday School Teachers being able to prepare at home, save to flash drive, and bring it to the church to be printed on Sunday morning.
REPLY

Re: Memjet Color Printers to the Rescue?

AD (GUEST) ·
This is pretty impressive, but has been around for several years. There have to be significant issues that have prevented adoption. I suspect that clogged nozzles are a really expensive problem for intermittent use machines, and imagine the level of ink wasted keeping them fresh. Folks throw a fit about a $600 print head for a Canon plotter and it's guaranteed for a year. I see a limited market for this.
REPLY

Re: What is the difference 6000 vs 6001?

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quote: Originally posted by GIntel: ^ scan-to/print-from SD card connectivity Is print-from USB/SD really available? I could swear it is only scan-to. If print-from is available, it would make complete sense & would help me out in several deals I am currently working. To add print-from to my proposals, I have been proposing a Lexmark A4 desktop MFP in addition to the Ricoh MFP since Lexmark has this functionality standard.
TOPIC

emFAST Inc. Releases the Latest FACSys® Connector

ART POST (GUEST) ·
FACSys Connector for Box allows users to send content from the FACSys Fax/Messaging Gateway directly to their Box accounts from any FACSys client or connector – whether it's a FACSys -enabled MFP, mobile phone or application. "The FACSys Connector for Box.net is ideal for customers who want to upload content to Box's cloud content management solution, whether it be fax messages from FACSys, scanned images from an MFP, or documents on a mobile device," said Elvis Cabral, Director of Sales, emFAST Inc
REPLY

Re: Top 9 Blunders that B2B Sales Reps Make

ART POST (GUEST) ·
Blunder #4: They don’t learn how the customer buys. What they do: They get deeply involved in a sales opportunity without finding out what’s unique about the customer’s buying process. Why they do it: Usually this happens when the reps is focused on the sales process. The reps keeps thinking about how to sell, rather than about how the customer is going to buy. What happens: Worst case, the rep loses the deal. Best case, the rep experiences inexplicable delays as the customer takes actions
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Re: Top 9 Blunders that B2B Sales Reps Make

ART POST (GUEST) ·
Blunder #5: They give a generic sales pitch. What they do: They natter on and on about their company, its offerings, and its strategy. Why they do it: Usually they’ve been handed a “standard” presentation created by marketing people who have no idea how to sell. What happens: They never really find what the prospect wants and needs, so the pitch is just a “spray and pray”. Your Action Plan: To avoid this blunder, get “centered” before your next sales call. During your conversation with the
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Re: Another Ricoh Direct Give Away

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Ford would LOVE to go with this model. Unfortunately, state franchise laws make it virtually impossible for auto manufacturers to eliminate dealers. That's why the domestics have two to three times as many dealers as they need, compared to the imports. This leads to lower average selling prices, lower dealership value, and a need to gather margin elsewhere. Such as muffler wax and windshield wiper protection plans. All in all, worsening the car buying experience. Some links... http
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Re: Memjet Color Printers to the Rescue?

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It almost jams when printing a full black page. Back to the drawing board. No, seriously, we have seen this before and I think that it could be the future. But: Does the print fade? Is it waterresistant? Are the colors as vibrant as with laser?
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Re: Memjet Color Printers to the Rescue?

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There is another product similar to this that we sell. It's from a company call Xante. It prints up to 13" x 22" sheets, envelopes, duplex, card stock to 14pt. It's call a digital envelope press. Interface is both USB and 10/100-TX Ethernet. It sell around 16k. You can view on ther web site xante.com.
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Re: Memjet Color Printers to the Rescue?

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The speed is definitely impressive. I too would like to know how this clocks in for cost of consumables and the ink's scuff resistance- especially for mailing applications. I would have to see some samples to judge the print quality, but there are many companies who aren't too concerned about that when it comes to statement printing and certain direct mail campaigns. Either way, I am sure there is a large enough market for it to be a successful product.
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Re: Top 9 Blunders that B2B Sales Reps Make

ART POST (GUEST) ·
Blunder #7: They avoid closing the deal. What they do: They spend so much effort into building the opportunity that they never quite get to the business of closing it. Why they do it: They’ve invested in the opportunity that they’re afraid that the answer will be “NO”, which will mean that all that effort was a waste of time and that the prospect doesn’t really “like” the sales rep. What happens: The opportunity dies on the vine or goes to the competition. Your Action Plan: To avoid this
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Re: New A4 Color Models from Ricoh?

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I've heard that 4 models are due out in December (which probably means March) and that 2 of them are manufactured by Ricoh. My guess would be that the other 2 are Lexmark due to Ricoh's Infoprint division which re-brands Lexmark products.
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Re: Message Received: Special members update

ART POST (GUEST) ·
I'm not nervous, we all need to share sales experience as much as we can. We can't afford to be 'mums the work' on solutions and practices that will help us or our customers. Which leads me to.......I'll see if I can add an ANON log in. So, the answer is.......don't tell anyone who you are
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Re: Message Received: Special members update

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quote: Originally posted by Art Post: I'm not nervous, we all need to share sales experience as much as we can. We can't afford to be 'mums the work' on solutions and practices that will help us or our customers. Which leads me to.......I'll see if I can add an ANON log in. So, the answer is.......don't tell anyone who you are Art, Thanks for you're reply! lol I am glad your are not nervous. After all, this is your site! I agree with you 100%. I appreciate your response and for listening! Have
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Re: What is the difference 6000 vs 6001?

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You've gotten your answers but for future reference sake, you will find in Aficio League (assuming you are a Ricoh rep) with every model a "Whats New, What's Different" section that tells you everything that has changed from the previous model.
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Re: What is the difference 6000 vs 6001?

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If you're a Lexmark BSD, the least expensive model is the XS463de. It comes standard w/ copy, print, & scan to folder and the USB port for printing and scanning. If you need Scan to email, you will need to add an additional 128MB RAM, but try to use generic RAM, as the RAM from Lexmark is in excess of $700.
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Message Received: Special members update

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area, I have seen quite a few. Not on the sales floor, reception or showroom, but in the administrative area and employee break room. While I had expressed to you a few months ago that our business has drastically changed -- many of us continue to "be careful" and not put our careers, family, or livelyhood in any type of jeopardy. With the economy and industry changing so rapidly, many of us are reluctant to speak freely. I am curius to see if other members agree or if you have received similar
 
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