MFP Copier Blog

11/18/2024

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Recent Hacking Incidents and Cybersecurity Concerns

Library of Congress Says an Adversary Hacked Some Emails -

• Library of Congress reported a cyber breach, with email communications compromised.
• Breach involved unauthorized access to IT systems by a foreign adversary.
• Affected emails were linked to lawmakers' communications from January to September.
• No specific attribution to a hacking group has been made yet.
• Officials are working to identify vulnerabilities and secure the affected systems.
• Read more

T-Mobile Network Reportedly Breached in Chinese Hacking Campaign

• T-Mobile confirmed it was hacked in a wave of breaches targeting telecom companies.
• Attacks are linked to Salt Typhoon, a group allegedly tied to Chinese intelligence.
• Breached data includes customer call records and sensitive operational information.
• Verizon and AT&T were also reportedly targeted in related incidents.
• T-Mobile is enhancing its cybersecurity protocols in response.
• Read more

Stop & Shop Shelves Empty After Parent Company Hack -

• Stop & Shop experienced disruptions due to a cyberattack on its parent company.
• Hack has affected supply chain operations, leaving shelves empty.
• Incident highlights the growing impact of cyber threats on retail and logistics.
• Customers are facing challenges just ahead of Thanksgiving.
• Stop & Shop is actively working to restore normal operations.
• Read more

Cybersecurity Expert Hacks Postal Service Scammers -

• Cybersecurity professional turned the tables on scammers who targeted his wife.
• Expert traced the scam and exposed the network of fraudsters.
• Case highlights the risks posed by phishing scams and the value of cybersecurity expertise.
• Victims are advised to report such incidents and take preventive measures.
• Read more

Hacked Crypto Project Thala Recovers $25M

• DeFi project Thala Labs negotiated with a hacker to recover $25 million in stolen funds.
• Hacker agreed to return the funds in exchange for a $300,000 bounty.
• Incident underscores the challenges and unique solutions in securing DeFi platforms.
• Developers are urged to prioritize code audits and vulnerability management.
• Read more

PlayStation Trophy Hunter Claims PSN Hacked

• Notable gamer Hakoom alleged that his PlayStation Network (PSN) account was hacked.
• Account breach involved unauthorized changes, potentially implicating Sony employees.
• Sony declined to restore the account, sparking controversy in the gaming community.
• Incident raises concerns about internal security and account protections.
• Read more

These Passwords Get You Hacked: 15 Rules to Follow -

• NordPass report highlights security risks from commonly used passwords.
• Users are urged to adopt strong, unique passwords to prevent breaches.
• Multi-factor authentication is recommended as an additional layer of security.
• Poor password practices remain a leading cause of cyber vulnerabilities.
• Read more

US Senate to Hold Hearing on Chinese Hacking Incidents -

• Senate Judiciary subcommittee will discuss recent Chinese hacking activities.
• Hearing aims to address threats to national security and critical infrastructure.
• Topics include the targeting of telecom companies and sensitive government systems.
• Experts are expected to propose strategies to counter foreign cyber threats.
• Read more

German Electricity Provider Hacked

• German electricity provider was targeted in a sophisticated cyberattack.
• Attack disrupted operations, emphasizing risks to critical infrastructure.
• Officials are investigating the breach and its potential links to international hackers.
• Cyber resilience is being prioritized to prevent future incidents.

"Stay Safe"

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11/13-11/14 2024

Last week, I had the privilege of attending and sponsoring the TWAIN Working Group Developers Conference in Safety Harbor, Florida—and let me tell you, it was an incredible experience!

As many of you know, my background has always been rooted in the copier side of our business. The analog-to-digital shift forced me to expand my expertise into printers, networks, and scanning. Attending this conference opened my eyes to the vast potential of scanners and the technology that drives them.

The highlight for me was Developer Day, where a talented group of developers showcased how they used the TWAIN Direct scanner API protocol to create innovative software applications for scanners.

For those unfamiliar, TWAIN Direct is an open-source software protocol designed to simplify and modernize document scanning workflows. TWAIN has a long successful history with TWAIN drivers which required a local ‘scanner driver’ installation on a PC and using the USB interface. However, TWAIN Direct leverages network interfaces such as ethernet or WiFi which provides direct communication between scanners and applications, eliminating the need to install ANY software whatsoever. This is because TWAIN Direct is inside of the scanner itself and not installed on a computer.

Coming from the MFP (multi-function printer) side of our industry, I immediately recognized the tremendous value of TWAIN Direct software. I strongly believe that every MFP manufacturer should embed this technology into their devices. It has the potential to significantly enhance the functionality of MFP scanners for end users and increase client satisfaction.

While I’m still learning the intricacies of this technology, it’s clear to me that manufacturers can elevate MFP scanners by integrating open-source solutions like TWAIN Direct. One attendee shared an insightful observation: “Scanning isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, open-source software like TWAIN Direct will take our MFP scanners to the next level.”

With these advancements, we can add features to our MFP scanners that were previously unavailable, making them more powerful and adaptable for today’s users. I’m excited to see how this technology continues to evolve and enhance our industry.

TWAIN Direct

Key Features of TWAIN Direct:

1. Driverless Scanning:
2. • Eliminates the need for installing and maintaining scanner drivers on end-user devices.
   • Enables out-of-the-box scanning on compatible devices.
3. Cloud and Network Integration:
4. • Works seamlessly with cloud-based workflows and networked environments.
   • Allows applications to communicate with scanners over networks, including Wi-Fi and Ethernet.
5. Platform Independence:
6. • Operates across various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and even mobile platforms, since it uses a RESTful API.
7. Ease of Development:
8. • Provides a developer-friendly interface for building scanning capabilities into applications.
   • Uses modern technologies like JSON and HTTP, making it accessible for web and software developers.
9. Advanced Capabilities:
10. • Supports features like multi-page document scanning, image compression, and metadata handling.
    • Enables scalable deployment for enterprise environments, where multiple scanners may need to connect to centralized systems.
11. Enhanced User Experience:
12. • Simplifies the scanning process for end users with fewer setup steps.
    • Supports user-friendly interfaces with better integration into applications.

Applications of TWAIN Direct:

• Managed Print Services (MPS): Streamlining document capture in office environments.
• Cloud-based Workflows: Scanning directly to cloud storage or document management systems.
• Mobile and Web Apps: Scanning directly from networked devices to mobile or browser-based applications.

TWAIN Direct is particularly useful in industries that rely on efficient document management workflows, such as healthcare, legal, finance, and education. It represents the next step in simplifying and modernizing document scanning technology.

TWAIN Working Group Developers Conference was a pivotal experience  for me. It wasn’t just about learning new technology; it was about seeing the possibilities for how we can reshape and enhance the way we approach scanning in our industry. The event brought together some of the brightest minds, all focused on innovation and collaboration, and it left me inspired and eager to bring these ideas back to the office. If you’re in the MFP or imaging space, I can’t stress enough how important it is to stay ahead of the curve—and events like this are where that happens.

-=Good Selling=-

Please reach out to me if you'd like to know more

This Week in Copiers Fifteen Years Ago

Third Week of November 2009

Please visit and follow FMD Distribution LLC and follow their Linkedin page

Real Copier Sales

Check Out These Great Copier Threads from Fifteen Years Ago This Week

"Authenticity is more than speaking; Authenticity is also about doing. Every decision we make says something about who we are."

Simon Sinek

This powerful quote encapsulates the profound truth about authenticity, emphasizing and encompassing both your words and actions.

Authenticity, it's one of the single biggest challenges for many in a profession riddled with scrupulous, fake and disingenuous salespeople.

In a post-trust sales world, authenticity separates sales professionals from sales reps. It separates the heartfelt from the empty hearted.

I encourage you to set aside some alone time, grab a pen and paper, then start writing down these words... credibility, genuine, connect, relate and real.

Define each word, think about each word and become consumed with each word.

To have an ever-flowing sales funnel, you must build and ever-flowing relationship funnel.

Authentically prospecting is about building real relationships and changing the way people think. You must understand who you are. You must understand your sales purpose and you must understand what you personally bring to the table.

Here lies the issue, and why I believe many in sales struggle with prospecting... They struggle to clearly articulate the value they bring to the marketplace because they haven’t spent the time investing in themselves.

When your actions reflect your values and beliefs. Every choice you make, big or small, communicates your priorities and character. Now, think about prospecting.

Engaging in actions that resonate with your values reinforces your authenticity. Now, think about prospecting?

What you value, you prioritize.

AUTHENTICITY, IT'S ABOUT YOU PROSPECTING WITH IT

When I think of authenticity in prospecting, I believe it refers to a genuine, honest, and transparent approach to initiating conversations and building relationships with potential clients.

I'm not casting judgement or any ill-will here when I ask this... Are you truly a genuine and authentic person? Are you carrying yourself with a certain amount of transparency, integrity and vulnerability across your personal and professional life?

I'm asking this to get you to think about it.

Authenticity, it's making the conscious choice based on accurate self-knowledge. This means stepping outside the shallow world in which many in sales live.

Let's look at authenticity as defined by Theo Tsaousides Ph.D., a neuropsychologist, speaker, and author. His clinical and research work focus on goal achievement, mental fitness, and emotional intelligence.

"Authenticity is acting in accordance with one’s true self and being authentic means behaving in congruence with one’s values, beliefs, motives, and personality dispositions."

Are you congruent with prospecting? Does the talk match the walk?

Are your beliefs and motives in alignment when it comes to prospecting?

Prospecting is a 100% nonnegotiable activity for salespeople. Prospecting is not an easy thing to do. If it was, more of you would be doing it and more you would be achieving your quota numbers.

Authentically prospecting is a conscious choice.

This lifestyle is not easy. It's the difference between just getting by and making it happen.

Self-reflect for a moment, and now ask yourself, what does it means to lead an authentic prospecting lifestyle?

When it comes to authentic prospecting professionals...

• They forge their own prospecting paths
• They're thick-skinned
• They're not driven by their ego
• They do not try to make people like them
• They treat everyone with respect

By embracing authenticity in prospecting, salespeople build trust, foster stronger relationships, and ultimately achieve better long-term sales sustainability.

THE HARSH TRUTH

The Edelman Group is a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations.

On an annual basis, they publish what is known as the Edelman Trust Barometer.

Pay close attention to the following quote from one of their past Trust Report's,

"People today grant their trust based on two distinct attributes: competence (delivering on promises) and ethical behavior (doing the right thing and working to improve society)."

How synonymous are the words competence and ethical used to describe salespeople and their actions?

Are delivering on your prospecting promises?

Are you doing the right thing when it comes to prospecting?

Furthermore, take the above quote and then honestly answer... How many of the prospects you work with are skeptical and have low levels of trust? What's worse, how many of your clients are skeptical and have low levels of trust in you? Would you even know?

Skepticism by others is peaked out at max levels with most of you in sales.

Unfortunately, very few of you realize there's some work to be done when it comes to prospecting. Many of you will point fingers and deflect the issue. Many of you feel your above it all when it comes to prospecting.

Lack of prospecting has hit critical mass for many in sales.

Spend any amount of time in sales and you will hear this... "Sales is a numbers game", "Make more calls", "Turn over some rocks", all this makes my stomach turn.

Quantity is important when it comes to prospecting but so is quality and efficiency.

Quality comes from the behind the scenes work to be able to deliver quantity.

Sales professionals do the hard work to make sure that when they get in front of a prospect, they have an opportunity to truly bring the goods.

They understand their heart is behind the hard work.

AUTHENTIC PROSPECTING

The heart behind prospecting is the quality. A sales professional places heart at the forefront as they truly want to make a difference in the lives of their clients.

It's the fundamental reality that everyone in sales must prospect. Prospecting for new business... we talk about it and measure quantity but how many truly monitor quality?

How many of you place quality at the forefront when it comes to prospecting?

Those who care the most when it comes to prospecting will consistently have food on the business table.

Are you going through the prospecting motions?

How many of you even know what you're prospecting for?

Authentic prospecting is about building trust through being upfront about the purpose of the outreach as you avoid manipulative tactics or false promises.

Authentic prospecting is about engaging in a two-way conversation by asking thoughtful and insightful questions, and to then truly listen to the response.

AUTHENTIC PROSPECTING IS ABOUT MEANINGFUL VALUE

A sales professional waves the prospecting flag around value. They weave meaningful value into their communication and into their prospecting strategies.

Sales professionals have value-driven interactions that lead to profitable clients, sales reps push for a quick sale that leads to replaceability.

Each interaction with a prospect should provide meaningful value. This could be through sharing insights, offering solutions to their problems, or providing useful resources before any sales pitch is made

How many understand how to truly weave value into an effective business conversation?

To authentically prospect means to truly understand your values, what your prospect values and incorporate this into an effective business conversation.

Know thy values, know thyself when it comes to authentically prospecting

By adopting the mindset of meaningful value when it comes to an authentic prospecting approach, you create more meaningful connections, which lead to a more successful and sustainable sales career.

AUTHENTIC PROSPECTING IS ABOUT HAVING LONG-TERM VISION

An authentic prospecting approach prioritizes building meaningful relationships over immediate transactional outcomes. This approach recognizes that profitable sales often require time and consistent effort to cultivate trust and mutual understanding.

We all want short term results when it comes to prospecting. Many of you get whacked over the head for 30 day and quarterly results but how many of you add in a long-term perspective when it comes to prospecting?

What you fail to do this month or this quarter when it comes to prospecting will show up in your sales results in subsequent quarters.

Sales reps are consistently inconsistent when it comes to prospecting.

A vast majority of conversations when prospecting will not fit into a short-term window but will someday.

Authentically prospecting means to balance a short-term sales funnel with a longer-term relationship funnel. Not every opportunity will fit into the 30 day or quarterly window. Let's not ignore them but nurture them.

The consummate sales professional knows what it means to balance their relationship funnel alongside their sales funnel. With authenticity and a blend of giving a rip, they nurture their relationship funnel with education and insight.

We all have choices.

“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 out true selves be seen.”

Brene Brown

A long-term approach recognizes that while immediate results are desirable, the true value lies in cultivating lasting, meaningful and trusted partnerships that are beneficial over time.

AUTHENTIC PROSPECTING CREATES REAL GROWTH

Authenticity starts when you set the intention and muster up self-fortitude to be genuine.

You must become keenly aware of what this looks and feels like, along with the willingness to act in accordance with your genuine nature.

In an environment where many salespeople rely on generic, canned and me-too pitches, authentic prospecting allows you to stand out by being genuine and relatable.

In a world full of self-interested salespeople who look at prospects as dollar signs, an authentic sales professional stands out like a shining star.

An authentic sales professional prospects with the mindset of a sales servant. They've developed a how can I help mindset. They have a true burning and genuine desire to help.

An authentic prospecting approach creates:

• Increased engagement as prospects are more likely to respond positively when they feel understood and valued.
• Higher conversion rates as tailored communication addresses their specific needs which leads to more successful outcomes.
• Sustainable pipeline as nurturing relationships over time ensures a steady flow of opportunities.
• Positive reputation as authentic interactions contribute to a positive image about you.

Being the real you is scary while prospecting. The time is now to get real and get honest with yourself. Take off the 'bravado mask' that hinders you from prospecting. The barrier it's creating will not last forever.

Be the real you, not a prospecting imposter. Watch your sales career soar to new heights.

Brent Long is the founder of Long at Life, an organization dedicated to helping individuals and businesses unlock their true potential through the practical wisdom of Jesus Christ. With decades of experience coaching sales teams and business owners, Brent is passionate about transforming the traditional image of salespeople into authentic, caring superstars. A former football coach and long-time straight commission earner, Brent brings unique insights into the demands of high performance. Alongside his wife Kelley, Brent advocates for adoption, runs a 32-acre retreat called Longhaven, and dedicates his life to service, family, and faith.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of the Selling From the Heart podcast, we are joined by Brent Long to explore heart-centered sales and the transformative power of compassionate questioning. Brent introduces the concept of the "begrudging heart" in sales and explains why the question "Do you want to be healed?"—rooted in the teachings of Jesus—is the greatest sales question ever asked. By focusing on authenticity, genuine care, and emotional impact, Brent shares how to build trust and create lasting success in sales. This episode highlights how asking meaningful, heart-centered questions can redefine relationships and foster authentic connections.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Heart-Centered Sales: Genuine authenticity and compassion are the cornerstones of successful sales relationships.

The Power of Questions: Asking deep, heart-centered questions builds trust and uncovers clients' core needs.

Gratitude and Community: Focus on gratitude, authentic relationships, and community-building for long-term success.

Authenticity vs. Faking: Authenticity cannot be faked—clients can detect insincerity and respond accordingly.

Emotional Impact: Compassion and care help foster trust, loyalty, and repeat business.

QUOTES TO REMEMBER

"You can't fake authenticity and compassion. It's either there or it's not." — Brent Long

"'Do you want to be healed?' is the greatest sales question ever asked." — Brent Long

"I'm going to out care, out love, and out compassion everyone else." — Brent Long

"Make someone feel comfortable, and they will open up and share their business secrets with you." — Larry Levine

"Never ask for trust; demonstrate it and let them decide." — Darrell Amy

📌FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION

Connect with Brent Long:

➡️Brent's LinkedIn: / brent-long-6b574510

Learn more about Darrell and Larry:

➡️Darrell's LinkedIn: / darrellamy

➡️Larry's LinkedIn: / larrylevine1992

➡️Website: https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/

📕Get the Game-Changing Book That Will Boost Your Sales... While Protecting Your Relationships and Reputation! Now available for shipping at Barnes & Noble! Discover more: https://sellinginaposttrustworld.com

📕Order the rerelease of Selling from the Heart today: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sell...

🔔 Never miss an episode—SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel:

/ sellingfromtheheart

📫Click for your Daily Dose of Inspiration:

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