MFP Copier Blog
M&A, Alarming Warning Sign for The Document Imaging Channel!
What are the 535, 2020 M&A's in the IT services sector telling the Print Services Sector?
The list of M&A activity and Private Equity investments within the IT Services Sector from January 2020 through December 2020 was unprecedented. Here's the list compiled by Channele2e
https://www.channele2e.com/acquisitions/
The questions all my friends in the Document Imaging Channel must ask are tough.
Has Private Equity given up on the Document Imaging Channel?
Has the thinking that the document channel's large customer bases would provide great opportunities for diversified equipment and services finally been proven as fantasy?
Will investors believe that the IT Services Sector will capitalize on prints decline by delivering print equipment and its services closer to market realities then the document imaging channel.
Over the last year, the document imaging channel found itself for the first time in its history, seriously questioning the value of its core deliverable of print. That questioning was also apparent in private equity. However, more importantly, the industry's end-users are also questioning their future investments in print equipment.
2021 has started with even more M&A activity in the IT sector. So, far in just the first 10 days, there have been over 20. So, With all this M&A activity outside the document imaging channel. Why are the channel's actors not doing more to speed up their diversification into IT services? Or, why are those who have IT services still struggling with actually delivering these services in order to increase revenues and profits?
It seems as the dealers and the manufactures with direct operations are still print-focused and did not really use the last year to broaden their mindset to appreciate the realities of IT services enough to cause them the boldness in leadership needed to transition.
We still witness the industry not challenging itself outside print. Instead, the challenges of print have consumed the industry to double down on saving or advancing outdated strategies.
We are still witnessing the obsession to continue in outdated leasing and overselling A3 strategies. Still, we hear the insanity of home print management. Too many of the industry's advisors seem to be stuck in 2000 trying to prolong a print-focused outcome over a true broader technology services outcome for the end-users they serve.
Are the investors finally realizing that the IT services community is a better investment? Do the investors realize as print needs continue to decline, so will the value of the imaging channel's sales and service infrastructure.
We have all heard the saying as more and more try to exit, the lower the price paid. On the other hand, when the buyers are lining up to buy, the price goes up. What 2020 and now 2021 are screaming. Is the once perception of great diversification opportunities in print dealers' massive customer bases has proven to be not a reality?
Investors are flocking to those organizations at the heart of the customer's digitization, and those industries and organizations outside that digitization are not the best investment. Unfortunately, The investors have awakened to the reality that great relationships do not equate to an ability to transition.
The channel has proven that building diversification business models to match the business models of overselling A3. Models based on the over selling of products instead of capturing services have not worked and never will.
The document imaging channel is not going to diversify just because of a relationship. Those organizations outside the core deliverable of print attempting to deliver through the channel. Must not allow their great intentions of helping the channel diversify to be hijacked by those from within the channel attempting to help the outsiders who believe relationships will guarantee their transition. This strategy has failed miserably over the last decade.
Dealers must listen to those who successfully delivered the diversification. Instead of those attempting to fit the diversified deliverable into the print services deliverable model, they must deliver the diversification as intended and stop trying to circumvent what others do successfully because it's more comfortable to remain fooled by those too afraid to challenge this insanity.
My friends' your transition to IT services is not a suggestion from your customer base, your investors, and your balance sheet it's a demand. Those who continue ignoring all the indications of the rapid decline in the value of a print equipment and its services infrastructure will soon realize the value of what they spent their lives building is nowhere near as valuable as they perceived.
The document imaging channel can transition; it simply takes boldness and the ability to lead based on reality.
Transition is not automatic, it takes a deliberate process, and without discipline, in that process, it will not come.
Those wishing to help the document imaging channel transition. Must stop allowing the channel's actors or print-focused consultants. To hijack your good intentions by substituting the harshness of the needed coaching with an appeasing approach unmeasured caused by the misunderstanding or an incompetence of the transition's realties.
Over the last decade, transition attempts hijacked by appeasers were somewhat hidden as print's core deliverable was still sufficient in concealing mismanagement. Obviously, with the recognition of prints decline, there's no more room to manage or receive consultation-based on appeasement.
In Closing: When investors believe what they hoped for is not a reality, they cash out. The print equipment and services industry has to diversify and quick.
"Status Quo is the killer of all that will be invented."
If not already Let's connect here on Linkedin
Ray Stasieczko
CEO/Founder TEASRA,The Innovation Channel and Host of The End of The Day With Ray! https://www.endofthedaywithray.com/
Sales Leaders... 5 Darts To Hit Your Sales Bullseye In 2021
"The odds of hitting your target go up dramatically when you aim at it"
Mal Pancoast
In today's environment, sales team are being faced with monumental and daunting challenges.
They’re wrestling with major changes in their markets brought on by information-empowered buyers, digitization within the sales channel, and adapting to selling in a virtualized world.
Competition is everywhere, from well-established companies to tech savvy start-ups, coupling this with uncontrollable events; and this has placed added pressure on sales margins.
- How effective has your team been in maintaining their clients?
- How effective have they been in driving profitable new business growth?
- What is your plan for client retention?
How open minded are you to change?
In order to grow, you must retool parts of the sales process around a different model, one which calls for new approaches, new positioning within the marketplace, new client experiences, and new business growth; all centered on a well-organized plan.
In 2021, your team must be equipped to adapt to the rapidly changing market conditions, digital business models and disruptive competitors. More importantly, your team must be laser focused on bringing fresh ideas and new insights in a hyper-personalized and client centric manner.
What distinguishes your team from all the others in your marketplace?
IT STARTS WITH INFORMATION
Your team has unparalleled amounts of information available to them, to the point where information in itself is no longer a competitive advantage. The competitive advantage is in plain sight and it's each individual on your team.
What gives your team a competitive edge? It's the insight into how to use all of this information to help solve business problems and challenges for your clients.
Are your salespeople making your clients smarter or are your clients making themselves smarter?
Trust, value and relationships... it is how your team sells it and how they offer it that will set them apart.
What's your sales growth game plan?
The head coach of any professional sports team has a game plan. What's yours? Will you rise to the challenge, dig in and do the work?
5 DARTS TO SALES GROWTH
"It is impossible to progress without change, and those who do not change their minds cannot change anything."
George Bernard Shaw
What is your appetite to fuel sales growth?
NEW BUSINESS
Your team can actually increase sales by focusing less on acquiring new clients and more on their current clients? Call me crazy but this actually works.
A vast majority of salespeople fail to capitalize on what sits close to home and who lies within the networks of people they already do business with.
To increase new business, your team must concern themselves with reducing client attrition by providing to them an outstanding experience.
In doing so, and with mutual agreement, they get their clients to edify their work by introducing them into their networks. This opens up new relationships, new conversations and new sales opportunities.
New business growth fuels company profits!
CREATE BONDS WITHIN CURRENT ACCOUNTS
One of the best sources for sales growth - retaining and growing your client base. It’s less expensive to retain and grow with your clients than it is to acquire new ones.
It is absolutely imperative that your salespeople build multiple relationships with more than just key decision maker's. Think influencers, end users, key department managers; cross pollinating relationships is mission critical.
Your people must build genuine, authentic relationships with numerous individuals within their client base, as the opportunity for loyalty increases. One way to guarantee loyal clients is to create unbreakable heartfelt bonds.
Here are a few ideas:
- Set specific client expectations
- Become their expert and continue to bring insight
- Nurture the relationships online as well
- Listen - go above and beyond, don't break a promise
PROTECT YOUR ASSETS, YOUR CLIENTS
Protect, this means your team must strengthening their personal relationships and social relationships. Gone are the days of a single decision maker. They must interface with multiple buyers, influencers and end users. One never knows who is feeding influence to the decision maker.
Those who fail to build strong ties may see important deals collapse. Conversely, when they socially surround multiple people in each and every account, they create a network of hundreds of potential referral sources.
Sales leaders must make client obsession part of the team culture.
It is about building rock-solid relationships. Always look for potential blind spots within your client base.
TARGET THE HIGHEST VALUE ACCOUNTS TO MAXIMIZE PROFIT
High-value prospects offer the potential to generate growing and consistent revenue.
I know you want to grow sales revenues and maximize your profits, then you must take the time to plan, update and retool your teams' sales tactics. Work strategically to implement a well targeted, buyer-centric account growth plan.
Your team must become precision-like in proactively developing credible relationships with these high-valued opportunities. Not only are these 'big fish' they're attainable 'big fish'. With this in mind start reeling them in with a strategically designed prospecting and development plan.
"Superstars are relentless, unstoppable prospectors. They are obsessive about keeping their pipeline full of qualified prospects. They prospect anywhere and anytime—constantly turning over rocks looking for their next opportunity."
Jeb Blount
LEVERAGE SOCIAL TOOLS
Fuel new business growth by integrating social into the sales process. Your clients use social, your competitors use social, quite frankly; social has become deeply woven into our everyday way of life.
The core elements of integrating social into the sales process can be accomplished by:
- Building a value framework - establish credibility and help create visibility within the marketplace
- Listen and learn - understand what your clients and prospects are talking about... What's important? What's top of mind?
- Engage in conversations - join and start conversations moving them from online to offline
Listening is the new prospecting. Are your salespeople intentionally listening to the cues?
Overachieving new business targets means integrating social tools into prospecting while strengthening relationships to enhance the client experience.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
In the book, To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink, he writes about how we’ve gone from a "buyer beware" culture to a "seller beware" culture.
There’s so much information available today via the internet that your clients have become versed in their options and interests before someone on your team may even enter the scene.
It's incumbent upon you and it is now mission critical that your salespeople must understand your client's world. They must add value, not to just show up, throw up and educate them on a product or solution.
Salespeople must intimately know their clients, or I promise someone else will.
Business growth is critical to your sales health.
Do you have the will-do and the can-do? Being open-minded to growth enables your team to innovate, leading the way to new opportunities within your marketplace.
Team innovation is critical to fend off competitors and to stay attuned to the ever-changing needs of your clients.
"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning."
Benjamin Franklin
I understand, I get where you all are coming from. Every day, I walk in your shoes. I am fully committed to helping your sales team integrate social aspects and heartfelt strategies into your current sales process to grow new business. I want you to get results. This is why I am passionate about doing this the right way, the genuine way, the authentic way! It's about understanding value before visibility.
Selling From the Heart is making a difference! I poured my heart into every page of this book and I think you're going to love it. You can find it on Amazon in paperback, kindle and in audio. You can click on the book image below and this will take you to Amazon.
In a world full of empty suits, I'm passionate about helping sales reps succeed by getting valuable before they get visible. I help sales teams understand the true value they bring to the market.
I appreciate getting the opportunity to share my stories. Integrating the use of social and sharing my story on LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive office technology world. With great pride I transform, challenge, coach and inspire sales teams to grow new business by helping them share their story and how they communicate it out by integrating the use of social inside the sales process. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.
The Week in Copiers Ten Years Ago
The Week in Copiers Ten Years Ago
First Week of January 2006
The end of my first week of the new year. It took me most of the week to ramp it up and there's some great opportunities on the horizon. If you don't ask you don't get and the harder you work the luckier you get. Let the good times roll!
Enjoy these great copier and fax threads from ten years ago this week
Masterpiece Graphix adds substrates for use on Ricoh and Konica Minolta digital presses
ART POST ·
Masterpiece Graphix (St. Louis, MO), a leading manufacturer of digital printing media, has announced that more of its products have been tested and confirmed for use on Ricoh and Konica Minolta digital printing presses. Masterpiece Graphix .010 Synthetic Paper and .010 Matte White PVC substrates are now tested and confirmed for use on Konica Minolta Bizhub Press high-speed digital colour production printers. Both are now included in the Konica Minolta Substrate Throughput Assurance Guide. In
BLOG POST
This Week in the Copier/Office Equipment Industry 10 Years Ago First Week of January 2006
ART POST ·
speeds of up to 100 double-sided pages per minute. It prints and copies up to 90 pages-per-minute. Workers can quickly and easily produce large, complex documents including brochures and booklets as well as everyday business documents like reports and training materials. The system is engineered to produce from 75,000 to 175,000 pages per month. Based on the same design as the Xerox 4110 digital copier-printer, the Xerox 4590 reflects Xeroxs use of common technology platforms that can be
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Konica Minolta Announces Comprehensive Suite of Services to Enhance the Business Mobile Experience
ART POST ·
Directory (to ensure only authorized users can print) End-to-end encryption of print jobs Secure release of print jobs IT administration full customization via a simple user interface Integration with any printing infrastructure, from printers and mobile devices to third-party print accounting solutions EveryonePrint is available in four versions: Standalone – A per printer license that offers printing from an unlimited number of mobile devices to a single printer. Connect – Available as a per-server
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Konica Minolta Advances Position in the Market with Mobile Printing Solution from Lantronix Compatible with Apple iOS Devices and Android Phones and Tablets
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businesses of all sizes the convenience to print quickly, securely and easily from their mobile device – iPad, iPhone, iPod using Airprint and Android, Chromebook, Chrome browser using Google Cloud Print. While a convenient and affordable plug-and-play solution, the xPrintServer allows users to also take advantage of Konica Minolta's advanced and secure printing options such as User Authentication, Account Track and Secure Print preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to their Konica Minolta
BLOG POST
Selling Copiers "Reading Between the Lines"
ART POST ·
Cone of Silence Muchof the content that I use for my blogs comes from the daily grind of selling hardware software. There will be days when I hear something unique,have a conversation witha client or aspark if imagination that will cause me to write. Actually, yesterday wasone of those days.Our VP of Major Accounts came over to my humble abode of 24 square feet and asked me about an he email he had received from a potential newclient. The email kinda wentlike this. "Sorry, been outfor a
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Konica Minolta Debuts JETVARNISH 3DS and iFOIL S
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January 06, 2016 20:00 ET Konica Minolta Debuts JETVARNISH 3DS and iFOIL S SINGAPORE--(Marketwired - Jan 6, 2016) - Leader in print and enterprise content management Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia (BSA) has launched its JETVARNISH 3DS in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam that provides tactile impact on printed brochures, point-of-purchase materials, packaging and other communication collaterals. Designed to be highly accurate and fast, the JETVARNISH 3DS
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Ricoh Positioned as a Leader in 2015 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Managed Print and Content Services Worldwide
ART POST ·
content services (MCS) across the IT side of printing, business process automation and business process optimization. Further to this, Ricoh embeds services in a comprehensive needs assessment and solution development process that evaluates how a company manages information and business processes, with a goal of driving value and reducing the burden on IT departments. Although many MPS offerings focus tightly on devices and print management, Ricoh's managed services are delivered through a more
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Global 3D Printer Market Up +35% in 2015 on the Back of B2B Purchases of Personal/Desktop Printers
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Systems Cube/Cubify 20,290 12% 3 Stratasys MakerBot 15,426 9% 4 Ultimaker Ultimaker 14,734 9% 5 M3D The Micro 14,436 9% The Industrial/Professional portion of the 3D Printing market struggled in 2015 after the hype from recent years faded. Additionally, IT industry stalwarts (previously not part of this industry) like HP , Canon , Ricoh and Toshiba Machines each
COMMENT
Re: Selling Copiers "Reading Between the Lines"
TML ·
though, that email is a tricky one. As a truly competitive sales person, I feel like we're always second guessing the meaning of the words and the situation. in this particular case, I would have picked up the phone and called the customer. It's the new year and "new promotions" are available from the manufacturer for the gear. This question though is more of an interested buying signal, so if you think you've got the hook in, use half of the credits available to set the hook and reel them in. If
COMMENT
Re: Selling Copiers "Reading Between the Lines"
they are treating a product as a commodity, I will quote it and sell it to them as a commodity and go on about my business working with my clients and prospects that are worth spending time on. It is funny how often I sell something to someone without even meeting them. If someone asks me for a price to buy a printer, I don't send them a proposal. I send them an Order Agreement with the model, accessories and pricing on it.The majority of the time, they send back a signed order, because they want
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New Ricoh color MFP embraces evolving styles of today's information workers
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while offering impressive features, such as an intuitive standard tablet-style interface, mobile printing, cloud connectivity and the newest authentication capabilities. With standard duplexing and capacity for up to 1,350 sheets of various-sized media, it packs a wealth of productivity into one of the smallest footprints in its performance class. "People work differently these days," said John Brophy , Vice President, Product Marketing, Ricoh Americas Corporation. "They want to print from mobile
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Toshiba Creates Sales Rep Firm Network for Digital Display Business
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IRVINE, Calif.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced it has created a nationwide sales representative firm network to drive demand for its new commercial displays. Ten leading professional sales representative firms will begin operation, meeting with integrators, resellers, consultants and end users, starting immediately. “We have assembled a select team of highly experienced, professional firms
COMMENT
Re: Selling Copiers "Reading Between the Lines"
ART POST ·
John I'm going back to the eighties now, I will not email, fax, mail or give a pricing over the phone. If that's not acceptable for the client then they can go find someone else.
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Sharp Honors Access Systems And Ad Solutions With Annual Dealer Excellence Award
ART POST ·
this year's Dealer Excellence award, as they are always thinking outside of the box while executing successfully. The company has also done an exceptional job driving solid sales and profit by leveraging the IT side of its business within the multifunctional printer (MFP) division. AD Solutions has grown its business by 240 percent over the last five fiscal years and is recognized as an up-and-coming Sharp dealer. A partner since 2009, Sharp has seen the company's growth first hand. In 2009
COMMENT
Re: Selling Copiers "Reading Between the Lines"
Art, well put and so true. We have to use the technology advances of email and vmail to keep up with the pace. We have to be very careful on choosing between the live personal transaction or electronic. First, if someone doesn't know who you are through a preceding live chat, there can be misinterpretation of what you leave them. They may not know how to take it, or ignore it regardless if the message conveys value. We always need to take into account that we don't know when an electronic...
COMMENT
Re: Selling Copiers "Reading Between the Lines"
ART POST ·
TML Hopefully our VP of Major will be in today and we'll find out how that went. I will let you know. Art
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2016: The year of the print specialist?
ART POST ·
Simon Tetlow predicts the rise of the print and document management expert I believe the printer channel has much to look forward to in 2016. While product-based sales should continue to yield a steady income, the real opportunities lie with the consultancy sale. This gives a reseller a chance to use their expertise to add value and build longer-term relationships with their customers. Why is this? The rise of the multifunction printer (MFP) has played a huge part. Now that most
REPLY
Re: Need some excel help with price lists
If I understand what you are seeking, the attached may help with formulas. Years ago I created a proposal template where salesreps could just enter a model number and a DMAP (remember DMAP?) price level and the proposal would auto populate allaccessories and pricing. All the salesrep would have to do is eliminate the accessories they did not want and plug in a profit percentage. You will see that one formula is =INDEX('C:\Can\[Voyager.xls]Prices'!$A$1:$AB$8995,Index_Row,0) "INDEX" is the
MEMBER
Marko
REPLY
Re: Is This the Death of Lexmark? Firm Rumored to Sell to Konica Minolta
It may be the death of Lexmark, only time will tell. I can say that it may have many in the Industry worried. Say you owna large Canon dealer and wereusing Lexmark toocapture your customers printer / a4 devices. This sale mightopen the door for the KM account manager to take over the entire fleet, replace the Canon copiers and service the Lexmark Printers. Or, if you are a manufacture who is using Lexmark for the same reason, but your potential operating costs are going to be on the rise in the
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Need help with Canon device
ART POST ·
Customer is coming out of a 50ppm color Xerox with Fiery. Need bookletmaker, color matching, all sizes up to 12x18. Thick stock not an issue, running 5K color prints per month. Wants to stay around same speed. Client also have Print Audit for tracking of prints and wants to track copies from the MFP in addition to the prints. What model Canon would you propose?
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Canon Business Process Services’ CaseData® eDiscovery Platform Offers Keyword Reporting and New Database Management Tools
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subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc. Learn more at www.cbps.canon.com and follow us on Twitter @CanonBPO. All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. Contacts Canon Business Process Services Ken Neal, 212-502-2151 Fellow, Corporate Communications
BLOG POST
5 Reasons Billing by Seat Could Change Everything
WEST MCDONALD (GUEST) ·
profits. PSB allows for increased/decreased printing to become irrelevant as a savings mechanism. #4: PROFITABILITY: Adding solution software revenue is extremely profitable Gross Profit levels for Managed Print under CPP are under downward pressure. Adding software solutions that address workflow and print governance are highly profitable – upwards of 70% GP. #5: STICKINESS: Customers are using software to streamline all kinds of workflows Combining traditional Managed Print and adding print
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Print Tracker Welcomes Rick Church to the Development Team
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Print Tracker, a leading developer and purveyor of innovative print management and business machine information gathering software, is proud to announce the addition of Rick Church to the Print Tracker™ software engineering team. “I am drawn to Print Tracker’s timely assistance record and excellent support history and look forward to providing our clients with the best solutions possible,” says Church. “My development and troubleshooting background for printer driver install groups is an
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BTA's 90th Anniversary - Doug Albregts, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America
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3D Printing Manufacturer Tiertime Announces Global Launch of UP mini 2 Desktop 3D Printer
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new features related to usability, portability and connectivity, all of which have shown Tiertime's strength in innovation and product development in 3D printing industry. Compared with the first generation UP mini, UP mini 2 has the following five major upgrades: Better print quality – Capable of printing in 0.15mm layer thickness with new mechanical design; Touch screen control - Provide better 3D printing user experience; WIFI connection - WIFI support, enabling better user control of
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Gartner names Lexmark a Leader in Managed Print and Content Services for fifth consecutive year
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LEXINGTON, Ky. , Jan. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lexmark International, Inc., a global technology leader, today announced that it has been positioned in the Leaders quadrant by leading industry analyst firm Gartner, Inc. in its Magic Quadrant for Managed Print and Content Services 1 for the fifth consecutive year. Gartner defines Managed Content Services (MCS) as "a comprehensive solution that rationalizes, streamlines and optimizes business communications inside the organization by providing
BLOG POST
The New Sales Mantra, "Always be Helping"
“Help others and give something back. I guarantee you will discover that while public service improves the lives and the world around you, its greatest reward is the enrichment and new meaning it will bring your own life.” ( Arnold Schwarzenegger) Acronyms are used across every industry and throughout all walks of life. Texting and instant messaging has given rise to a whole new series of acronyms. Acronyms and buzzwords are riddled throughout the sales community. As a recovering copier sales
MEMBER
ricoh-joe
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OKI Data Americas to Exhibit Award-Winning Printing and Document Management Solutions for the Education Market at the FETC 2016 National Conference
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, the MC562w offers high-definition color output, a large paper capacity and a small footprint, all of which are perfect for educational settings including classrooms, offices and libraries. Highlights of the MC562w wireless MFP include: Duplex printing and copying, plus four-in-one (print/copy/scan/fax) multifunction capabilities High print speeds of up to 27 color and 31 monochrome pages per minute Paper capacity of up to 880 sheets Banner printing capability on sheets up to 52 inches in length
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Ranger Label Installs Epson SurePress Digital Label Press To Deliver Pressure-Sensitive Short-Run Product Labels
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to them, we have tight color tolerances that we have to meet. The Epson SurePress consistently meets these color tolerances with its capability to print the same color run after run." Designed for prime label converters and commercial printers, the Epson SurePress L-4033AW is an easy-to-operate seven-color inkjet digital label press with White ink that makes high-quality, short-run label printing easier and more efficient, even on clear and metallic substrates. Delivering exceptional print
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Ricoh Partner Tier Levels
GINTEL ·
Hey Gang, Seems like Ricoh has two partner tiers: Standard and Select. Does anyway have a feel for what percentage of Ricoh dealers fall within each tier. Say 20% Standard and 80% Select? I understand that the threshold to qualify forSelect is pretty low Appreciate any insights! Jake
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Ricoh Aficio SP 5200 Fuser Dealer Costs
GINTEL ·
Hey Gang, Can anyone share the dealer wholesale cost for the Aficio SP 5200's Fuser? Thanks, Jake
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Ricoh MP C306 Wholesale Costs
GINTEL ·
Hey P4P, Can anyone share the wholesale costs for the Ricoh MP C306? Would love the entire cost doc - HW, Options, Supplies. Thanks, Jake
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Canon iR 1435 Series Dealer Costs
GINTEL ·
Hey Gang, Looking for the dealer costs for the iR 1435 series' dealer costs for the MFPs, their options, and supplies. Can anyone share this doc? Thanks, Jake
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Phillips Office Solutions buys fellow Sharp dealer in Lycoming County
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By Jason Scott , January 5, 2016 at 10:11 AM With an eye on expansion in the middle part of the commonwealth, Lower Swatara Township-based Phillips Office Solutions has acquired Phillips Supply House in Lycoming County. Phillips Office Solutions , which has about 150 employees in Pennsylvania and Maryland, said acquiring the fellow Sharp dealer fulfills a five-year goal of growing to the north of Harrisburg. Founded in 1893, Phillips Supply House is a fourth-generation document management
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Contex Adds HP PageWide XL Printer Driver to Nextimage’s Extensive List of Supported Devices
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networked devices. To begin printing to HP PageWide XL Printers, Contex customers simply need to plug the printer into the Contex scanner.or network. Within seconds, Nextimage Repro can send scans to print. Perfect Color from Scan to Print Contex’s color calibration wizard ensures color accuracy between the scanned image and output. The wizard walks users through the steps to calibrate the scanner and printer. The Nextimage feature ensures that the color in the scan matches the color in the
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MPSA NEWS: Two New Members on the Board of Directors
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MPSA Welcomes Mitchell Filby and Bill Ford to Board of Directors The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) is pleased to announce Mitchell Filby and Bill Ford as new members of the Board of Directors. Filby is the founder and Managing Director of First Rock Consulting and has been a member of the MPSA Education Committee for the past two years. Ford is Senior Consultant and Director at The Ascher Group / Yates Limited and is also a member of the MPSA Education
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Bonsai Lab Launches Talking 3D Printer for STEM Education Market Under $500
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3D printers for education market. Bonsai Lab collaborated with top tier Japanese industrial machinery parts suppliers, such as THK, Minebea, and Mitsuboshi Belt. The software is developed in collaboration with Interactive Laboratories which has high reputation in game industry. 1) Talking 3D Printer Soon, digital fabrication and smart house movement will include 3D printer. To free up users from cumbersome operations, FabPod (TM) features “voice navigation” for the first time in 3D printers. 2
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Canon imageRUNNER 1435
ART POST ·
Canon imageRUNNER 1435, can anyone send me the price sheet for this model?
REPLY
Re: New Ricoh color MFP embraces evolving styles of today's information workers
printer only has a few hundred thousand prints on it, they just want some of the new functionality. Or, maybe they just installeda fleet of C306's and are attracted to some of the new features and are pissed that they have to either wait for their lease to expire or for the C306's to wear out to get the features. MPS and the A3 to A4 conversion has turned the model on its head, making recurring revenues simplified management (via fewer models/supplies/drivers) more valuable in most cases than
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Re: New Ricoh color MFP embraces evolving styles of today's information workers
ART POST ·
Instead of making us stock four or 5 different systems, why can't the manufacturers give us base system and then sell us the license or the firmware to change the speed and add or take away features. Would make great sense for the dealer and the manufacturer. It's my understanding that at least from Ricoh, we are going to see fast A4 devices in 2016. That's about all I know. I've stated this before, some like and some don't, but we need faster A4 devices with robust document feeders, robust
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Re: New Ricoh color MFP embraces evolving styles of today's information workers
because of how much of a revenue drop it would mean. That being said, that should come before CPP rates match those of A3 devices. The golden goose is service revenue, that will be held more intact for as long as possible. If a manufacturer were to disrupt the product lifecycle by doing both simultaneously, it would be as disruptive as something related to printing can be. Maybe that's part of Lexmark's big announcement later this month as referenced in the Photizo article.
MEMBER
dan strull
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Re: Is This the Death of Lexmark? Firm Rumored to Sell to Konica Minolta
ART POST ·
Many years ago someone somewhere told me that when the higher up execs are buying up shares of stock, then something is could be on the horizon. Lexmark Director buys shares
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Optimize document-based company processes by defining clear rules with DocuWare Workflow Manager
ART POST ·
with and supervisors have transparency. Determine the conditions for forwarding documents or for actions that must be executed before or after a deadline passes. DocuWare customers from large enterprise installations to medium sized offices and departments can now experience the benefits of a customized workflow-one that mimics their paper processes. Digital documents, email, and scanned paperwork, are now securely managed and day to day operations proceed at a faster pace—saving time, paper and
The Week in Copiers Five Years Ago
The Week in Copiers Five Years Ago
First Week of January 2016
Incredible in two years I'll be able to pull twenty years of copier notes, threads, pricing, press releases and quotes. To start of the year I thought I would lead off with some old photo's of fax machines. The eighties and the nineties was the golden age for placing fax machines! Please let me know if you have any fax brochures you could scan and send to me for our archives.
Enjoy these awesome copier threads from 5 years ago
Masterpiece Graphix adds substrates for use on Ricoh and Konica Minolta digital presses
Art Post ·
Masterpiece Graphix (St. Louis, MO), a leading manufacturer of digital printing media, has announced that more of its products have been tested and confirmed for use on Ricoh and Konica Minolta digital printing presses. Masterpiece Graphix .010 Synthetic Paper and .010 Matte White PVC substrates are now tested and confirmed for use on Konica Minolta Bizhub Press high-speed digital colour production printers. Both are now included in the Konica Minolta Substrate Throughput Assurance Guide. In
Blog Post
This Week in the Copier/Office Equipment Industry 10 Years Ago First Week of January 2006
Art Post ·
speeds of up to 100 double-sided pages per minute. It prints and copies up to 90 pages-per-minute. Workers can quickly and easily produce large, complex documents including brochures and booklets as well as everyday business documents like reports and training materials. The system is engineered to produce from 75,000 to 175,000 pages per month. Based on the same design as the Xerox 4110 digital copier-printer, the Xerox 4590 reflects Xeroxs use of common technology platforms that can be
Topic
Konica Minolta Announces Comprehensive Suite of Services to Enhance the Business Mobile Experience
Art Post ·
Directory (to ensure only authorized users can print) End-to-end encryption of print jobs Secure release of print jobs IT administration full customization via a simple user interface Integration with any printing infrastructure, from printers and mobile devices to third-party print accounting solutions EveryonePrint is available in four versions: Standalone – A per printer license that offers printing from an unlimited number of mobile devices to a single printer. Connect – Available as a per-server
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Konica Minolta Advances Position in the Market with Mobile Printing Solution from Lantronix Compatible with Apple iOS Devices and Android Phones and Tablets
Art Post ·
businesses of all sizes the convenience to print quickly, securely and easily from their mobile device – iPad, iPhone, iPod using Airprint and Android, Chromebook, Chrome browser using Google Cloud Print. While a convenient and affordable plug-and-play solution, the xPrintServer allows users to also take advantage of Konica Minolta's advanced and secure printing options such as User Authentication, Account Track and Secure Print preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to their Konica Minolta
Blog Post
Selling Copiers "Reading Between the Lines"
Art Post ·
Cone of Silence Muchof the content that I use for my blogs comes from the daily grind of selling hardware software. There will be days when I hear something unique,have a conversation witha client or aspark if imagination that will cause me to write. Actually, yesterday wasone of those days.Our VP of Major Accounts came over to my humble abode of 24 square feet and asked me about an he email he had received from a potential newclient. The email kinda wentlike this. "Sorry, been outfor a
Topic
Konica Minolta Debuts JETVARNISH 3DS and iFOIL S
Art Post ·
January 06, 2016 20:00 ET Konica Minolta Debuts JETVARNISH 3DS and iFOIL S SINGAPORE--(Marketwired - Jan 6, 2016) - Leader in print and enterprise content management Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia (BSA) has launched its JETVARNISH 3DS in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam that provides tactile impact on printed brochures, point-of-purchase materials, packaging and other communication collaterals. Designed to be highly accurate and fast, the JETVARNISH 3DS
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Ricoh Positioned as a Leader in 2015 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Managed Print and Content Services Worldwide
Art Post ·
content services (MCS) across the IT side of printing, business process automation and business process optimization. Further to this, Ricoh embeds services in a comprehensive needs assessment and solution development process that evaluates how a company manages information and business processes, with a goal of driving value and reducing the burden on IT departments. Although many MPS offerings focus tightly on devices and print management, Ricoh's managed services are delivered through a more
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Global 3D Printer Market Up +35% in 2015 on the Back of B2B Purchases of Personal/Desktop Printers
Art Post ·
Systems Cube/Cubify 20,290 12% 3 Stratasys MakerBot 15,426 9% 4 Ultimaker Ultimaker 14,734 9% 5 M3D The Micro 14,436 9% The Industrial/Professional portion of the 3D Printing market struggled in 2015 after the hype from recent years faded. Additionally, IT industry stalwarts (previously not part of this industry) like HP , Canon , Ricoh and Toshiba Machines each
Comment
Re: Selling Copiers "Reading Between the Lines"
TML ·
though, that email is a tricky one. As a truly competitive sales person, I feel like we're always second guessing the meaning of the words and the situation. in this particular case, I would have picked up the phone and called the customer. It's the new year and "new promotions" are available from the manufacturer for the gear. This question though is more of an interested buying signal, so if you think you've got the hook in, use half of the credits available to set the hook and reel them in. If
Comment
Re: Selling Copiers "Reading Between the Lines"
they are treating a product as a commodity, I will quote it and sell it to them as a commodity and go on about my business working with my clients and prospects that are worth spending time on. It is funny how often I sell something to someone without even meeting them. If someone asks me for a price to buy a printer, I don't send them a proposal. I send them an Order Agreement with the model, accessories and pricing on it.The majority of the time, they send back a signed order, because they want
Topic
New Ricoh color MFP embraces evolving styles of today's information workers
Art Post ·
while offering impressive features, such as an intuitive standard tablet-style interface, mobile printing, cloud connectivity and the newest authentication capabilities. With standard duplexing and capacity for up to 1,350 sheets of various-sized media, it packs a wealth of productivity into one of the smallest footprints in its performance class. "People work differently these days," said John Brophy , Vice President, Product Marketing, Ricoh Americas Corporation. "They want to print from mobile
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Toshiba Creates Sales Rep Firm Network for Digital Display Business
Art Post ·
IRVINE, Calif.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced it has created a nationwide sales representative firm network to drive demand for its new commercial displays. Ten leading professional sales representative firms will begin operation, meeting with integrators, resellers, consultants and end users, starting immediately. “We have assembled a select team of highly experienced, professional firms
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Re: Selling Copiers "Reading Between the Lines"
Art Post ·
John I'm going back to the eighties now, I will not email, fax, mail or give a pricing over the phone. If that's not acceptable for the client then they can go find someone else.
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Sharp Honors Access Systems And Ad Solutions With Annual Dealer Excellence Award
Art Post ·
this year's Dealer Excellence award, as they are always thinking outside of the box while executing successfully. The company has also done an exceptional job driving solid sales and profit by leveraging the IT side of its business within the multifunctional printer (MFP) division. AD Solutions has grown its business by 240 percent over the last five fiscal years and is recognized as an up-and-coming Sharp dealer. A partner since 2009, Sharp has seen the company's growth first hand. In 2009
Comment
Re: Selling Copiers "Reading Between the Lines"
Art, well put and so true. We have to use the technology advances of email and vmail to keep up with the pace. We have to be very careful on choosing between the live personal transaction or electronic. First, if someone doesn't know who you are through a preceding live chat, there can be misinterpretation of what you leave them. They may not know how to take it, or ignore it regardless if the message conveys value. We always need to take into account that we don't know when an electronic...
Comment
Re: Selling Copiers "Reading Between the Lines"
Art Post ·
TML Hopefully our VP of Major will be in today and we'll find out how that went. I will let you know. Art
Topic
2016: The year of the print specialist?
Art Post ·
Simon Tetlow predicts the rise of the print and document management expert I believe the printer channel has much to look forward to in 2016. While product-based sales should continue to yield a steady income, the real opportunities lie with the consultancy sale. This gives a reseller a chance to use their expertise to add value and build longer-term relationships with their customers. Why is this? The rise of the multifunction printer (MFP) has played a huge part. Now that most
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Re: Need some excel help with price lists
If I understand what you are seeking, the attached may help with formulas. Years ago I created a proposal template where salesreps could just enter a model number and a DMAP (remember DMAP?) price level and the proposal would auto populate allaccessories and pricing. All the salesrep would have to do is eliminate the accessories they did not want and plug in a profit percentage. You will see that one formula is =INDEX('C:\Can\[Voyager.xls]Prices'!$A$1:$AB$8995,Index_Row,0) "INDEX" is the
Member
Marko
Reply
Re: Is This the Death of Lexmark? Firm Rumored to Sell to Konica Minolta
It may be the death of Lexmark, only time will tell. I can say that it may have many in the Industry worried. Say you owna large Canon dealer and wereusing Lexmark toocapture your customers printer / a4 devices. This sale mightopen the door for the KM account manager to take over the entire fleet, replace the Canon copiers and service the Lexmark Printers. Or, if you are a manufacture who is using Lexmark for the same reason, but your potential operating costs are going to be on the rise in the
Topic
Need help with Canon device
Art Post ·
Customer is coming out of a 50ppm color Xerox with Fiery. Need bookletmaker, color matching, all sizes up to 12x18. Thick stock not an issue, running 5K color prints per month. Wants to stay around same speed. Client also have Print Audit for tracking of prints and wants to track copies from the MFP in addition to the prints. What model Canon would you propose?
Topic
Canon Business Process Services’ CaseData® eDiscovery Platform Offers Keyword Reporting and New Database Management Tools
Art Post ·
subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc. Learn more at www.cbps.canon.com and follow us on Twitter @CanonBPO. All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. Contacts Canon Business Process Services Ken Neal, 212-502-2151 Fellow, Corporate Communications
Blog Post
5 Reasons Billing by Seat Could Change Everything
West McDonald (Guest) ·
profits. PSB allows for increased/decreased printing to become irrelevant as a savings mechanism. #4: PROFITABILITY: Adding solution software revenue is extremely profitable Gross Profit levels for Managed Print under CPP are under downward pressure. Adding software solutions that address workflow and print governance are highly profitable – upwards of 70% GP. #5: STICKINESS: Customers are using software to streamline all kinds of workflows Combining traditional Managed Print and adding print
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Print Tracker Welcomes Rick Church to the Development Team
Art Post ·
Print Tracker, a leading developer and purveyor of innovative print management and business machine information gathering software, is proud to announce the addition of Rick Church to the Print Tracker™ software engineering team. “I am drawn to Print Tracker’s timely assistance record and excellent support history and look forward to providing our clients with the best solutions possible,” says Church. “My development and troubleshooting background for printer driver install groups is an
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BTA's 90th Anniversary - Doug Albregts, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America
Art Post ·
Topic
3D Printing Manufacturer Tiertime Announces Global Launch of UP mini 2 Desktop 3D Printer
Art Post ·
new features related to usability, portability and connectivity, all of which have shown Tiertime's strength in innovation and product development in 3D printing industry. Compared with the first generation UP mini, UP mini 2 has the following five major upgrades: Better print quality – Capable of printing in 0.15mm layer thickness with new mechanical design; Touch screen control - Provide better 3D printing user experience; WIFI connection - WIFI support, enabling better user control of
Topic
Gartner names Lexmark a Leader in Managed Print and Content Services for fifth consecutive year
Art Post ·
LEXINGTON, Ky. , Jan. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lexmark International, Inc., a global technology leader, today announced that it has been positioned in the Leaders quadrant by leading industry analyst firm Gartner, Inc. in its Magic Quadrant for Managed Print and Content Services 1 for the fifth consecutive year. Gartner defines Managed Content Services (MCS) as "a comprehensive solution that rationalizes, streamlines and optimizes business communications inside the organization by providing
Blog Post
The New Sales Mantra, "Always be Helping"
“Help others and give something back. I guarantee you will discover that while public service improves the lives and the world around you, its greatest reward is the enrichment and new meaning it will bring your own life.” ( Arnold Schwarzenegger) Acronyms are used across every industry and throughout all walks of life. Texting and instant messaging has given rise to a whole new series of acronyms. Acronyms and buzzwords are riddled throughout the sales community. As a recovering copier sales
Member
ricoh-joe
Topic
OKI Data Americas to Exhibit Award-Winning Printing and Document Management Solutions for the Education Market at the FETC 2016 National Conference
Art Post ·
, the MC562w offers high-definition color output, a large paper capacity and a small footprint, all of which are perfect for educational settings including classrooms, offices and libraries. Highlights of the MC562w wireless MFP include: Duplex printing and copying, plus four-in-one (print/copy/scan/fax) multifunction capabilities High print speeds of up to 27 color and 31 monochrome pages per minute Paper capacity of up to 880 sheets Banner printing capability on sheets up to 52 inches in length
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Ranger Label Installs Epson SurePress Digital Label Press To Deliver Pressure-Sensitive Short-Run Product Labels
Art Post ·
to them, we have tight color tolerances that we have to meet. The Epson SurePress consistently meets these color tolerances with its capability to print the same color run after run." Designed for prime label converters and commercial printers, the Epson SurePress L-4033AW is an easy-to-operate seven-color inkjet digital label press with White ink that makes high-quality, short-run label printing easier and more efficient, even on clear and metallic substrates. Delivering exceptional print
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Ricoh Partner Tier Levels
GIntel ·
Hey Gang, Seems like Ricoh has two partner tiers: Standard and Select. Does anyway have a feel for what percentage of Ricoh dealers fall within each tier. Say 20% Standard and 80% Select? I understand that the threshold to qualify forSelect is pretty low Appreciate any insights! Jake
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Ricoh Aficio SP 5200 Fuser Dealer Costs
GIntel ·
Hey Gang, Can anyone share the dealer wholesale cost for the Aficio SP 5200's Fuser? Thanks, Jake
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Ricoh MP C306 Wholesale Costs
GIntel ·
Hey P4P, Can anyone share the wholesale costs for the Ricoh MP C306? Would love the entire cost doc - HW, Options, Supplies. Thanks, Jake
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Canon iR 1435 Series Dealer Costs
GIntel ·
Hey Gang, Looking for the dealer costs for the iR 1435 series' dealer costs for the MFPs, their options, and supplies. Can anyone share this doc? Thanks, Jake
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Phillips Office Solutions buys fellow Sharp dealer in Lycoming County
Art Post ·
By Jason Scott , January 5, 2016 at 10:11 AM With an eye on expansion in the middle part of the commonwealth, Lower Swatara Township-based Phillips Office Solutions has acquired Phillips Supply House in Lycoming County. Phillips Office Solutions , which has about 150 employees in Pennsylvania and Maryland, said acquiring the fellow Sharp dealer fulfills a five-year goal of growing to the north of Harrisburg. Founded in 1893, Phillips Supply House is a fourth-generation document management
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Contex Adds HP PageWide XL Printer Driver to Nextimage’s Extensive List of Supported Devices
Art Post ·
networked devices. To begin printing to HP PageWide XL Printers, Contex customers simply need to plug the printer into the Contex scanner.or network. Within seconds, Nextimage Repro can send scans to print. Perfect Color from Scan to Print Contex’s color calibration wizard ensures color accuracy between the scanned image and output. The wizard walks users through the steps to calibrate the scanner and printer. The Nextimage feature ensures that the color in the scan matches the color in the
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MPSA NEWS: Two New Members on the Board of Directors
Art Post ·
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MPSA Welcomes Mitchell Filby and Bill Ford to Board of Directors The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) is pleased to announce Mitchell Filby and Bill Ford as new members of the Board of Directors. Filby is the founder and Managing Director of First Rock Consulting and has been a member of the MPSA Education Committee for the past two years. Ford is Senior Consultant and Director at The Ascher Group / Yates Limited and is also a member of the MPSA Education
Topic
Bonsai Lab Launches Talking 3D Printer for STEM Education Market Under $500
Art Post ·
3D printers for education market. Bonsai Lab collaborated with top tier Japanese industrial machinery parts suppliers, such as THK, Minebea, and Mitsuboshi Belt. The software is developed in collaboration with Interactive Laboratories which has high reputation in game industry. 1) Talking 3D Printer Soon, digital fabrication and smart house movement will include 3D printer. To free up users from cumbersome operations, FabPod (TM) features “voice navigation” for the first time in 3D printers. 2
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Canon imageRUNNER 1435
Art Post ·
Canon imageRUNNER 1435, can anyone send me the price sheet for this model?
Reply
Re: New Ricoh color MFP embraces evolving styles of today's information workers
printer only has a few hundred thousand prints on it, they just want some of the new functionality. Or, maybe they just installeda fleet of C306's and are attracted to some of the new features and are pissed that they have to either wait for their lease to expire or for the C306's to wear out to get the features. MPS and the A3 to A4 conversion has turned the model on its head, making recurring revenues simplified management (via fewer models/supplies/drivers) more valuable in most cases than
Reply
Re: New Ricoh color MFP embraces evolving styles of today's information workers
Art Post ·
Instead of making us stock four or 5 different systems, why can't the manufacturers give us base system and then sell us the license or the firmware to change the speed and add or take away features. Would make great sense for the dealer and the manufacturer. It's my understanding that at least from Ricoh, we are going to see fast A4 devices in 2016. That's about all I know. I've stated this before, some like and some don't, but we need faster A4 devices with robust document feeders, robust
Reply
Re: New Ricoh color MFP embraces evolving styles of today's information workers
because of how much of a revenue drop it would mean. That being said, that should come before CPP rates match those of A3 devices. The golden goose is service revenue, that will be held more intact for as long as possible. If a manufacturer were to disrupt the product lifecycle by doing both simultaneously, it would be as disruptive as something related to printing can be. Maybe that's part of Lexmark's big announcement later this month as referenced in the Photizo article.
Member
dan strull
Reply
Re: Is This the Death of Lexmark? Firm Rumored to Sell to Konica Minolta
Art Post ·
Many years ago someone somewhere told me that when the higher up execs are buying up shares of stock, then something is could be on the horizon. Lexmark Director buys shares
Blog Post
Optimize document-based company processes by defining clear rules with DocuWare Workflow Manager
Art Post ·
with and supervisors have transparency. Determine the conditions for forwarding documents or for actions that must be executed before or after a deadline passes. DocuWare customers from large enterprise installations to medium sized offices and departments can now experience the benefits of a customized workflow-one that mimics their paper processes. Digital documents, email, and scanned paperwork, are now securely managed and day to day operations proceed at a faster pace—saving time, paper and
COVID19 Remote Working Day Two Hundred and Four of Selling
COVID19 Remote Working Day Two Hundred and Four of Selling Copiers
I will be the first to admit that it's been challenging to get the motivation back after Christmas and New Years break. Tuesday was my first official day back at work, however I did put some time in on Monday to clean up and update my CRM.
Opportunities
I had about twenty opportunities roll to the new year and also signed a small opportunity for some accessories. Thus January will be the month of starting all over for at least another season. There are times when I have that internal struggle when I ask myself do I really need to do this for another year. The answer always comes back as yes I still WANT to do this. I'm still a fan of learning, still a fan of making money and above all I'm still a fan of reaching another goal.
I expected nothing from yesterday, it was the day to assimilate back to the daily grind. One of the first emails I received yesterday was that one of my roll over opportunities is ready to pull the trigger on a production color device in the next 45 days. In addition I was asked to provide answers to questions along with providing a quote for the new systems. This opportunity has been in the works for about two years and there's been a model change since the first proposal. I thought the best way to introduce the new color production device was to email the link for the device configurator. This way the client could select the options that are desired or needed and then send that configuration back to me for pricing. By night fall I had the configuration back. I'll be quoted on this tomorrow and putting a little extra incentive to order this month with placement for next month.
It was about 5:45PM when another one of my clients (not net new anymore) emailed me that they wanted a proposal for their third production in the last nine months. I was both happy and a little concerned that many of our promo's had expired for the end of the year. However the client was made aware that pricing may change. I'm somewhat confident that this will be a $60K order for this month. Docs will be going out tomorrow for this client as well.
Thus 2021 seems to be off and running with a potential for a 100K month. As of today I have 13 selling days left in the month. Add the vacation days, the holiday, the closing for the end of the year and most Januarys are always a struggle for me. But it's not something that's new and it's more about just running the race and not sprinting to the end of the year now.
New Jersey
Not much has changed as far as the pandemic. We still stuck in a partial shut down and our Governor renewed his "Health Emergency" declaration for another 30 days. Our case load of infections is averaging around 5,000 per day and at least vaccinations are under way.
I still see another 4 to six months of our Governor extending the health emergency. Which means another 4 to six months of most offices not being populated.
-=Good Selling=-
MSP, MSSP and IT Notes Industry January 4th, 2021
January 4th, 2021
MSP, MSSP and IT Industry Notes
Sponsored by
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.
Tyler Technologies to Provide Case Management Solution to Akron Municipal Court in Ohio
- Tyler Technologies, Inc., announced it has signed an agreement with the Akron Municipal Court in Ohio for Tyler’s Odyssey® court case management suite
- Agreement includes Odyssey Case Manager™, Odyssey Financial Manager™, and integrated content management
- Akron Municipal Court processes approximately 44,000 cases annually
- Akron Municipal Court marks the fifth Ohio court to choose Odyssey
Stark County commissioners approve new sheriff's record system
- Stark County commissioners voted 3-0 Wednesday to approve the Stark County Sheriff's Office purchasing a cloud-based records system from Tyler Technologies
- The cost is $1.02 million for equipment, software and installation, plus at least $289,735 a year in maintenance but with no maintenance fee the first 18 months
- The estimated cost of having the system for over 10 years is about $3.52 million
- Approved the sheriff's office adding another printer at a cost of $127 a month for the Metro Narcotics Unit as part of a five-year agreement with Graphic Enterprises. The contract already includes the cost of leasing 10 Konica Minolta copiers and 12 Hewlett-Packard desktop color printers
One Equity Partners Acquires VASS Consultoria de Sistemas
- One Equity Partners ("OEP"), a middle market private equity firm, announced that it has completed the acquisition of VASS Consultoría de Sistemas S.L. ("VASS" or "the Company"), a leading European provider of digital transformation, cloud infrastructure and managed IT solutions
- Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed
Novel Approaches are Required to Satisfy Demand for Comprehensive Cybersecurity
- The global cyber security market size overall was valued at USD 156.5 Billion in 2019
- Expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.0% from 2020 to 2027, according to data by Grand View Research
Cerberus Sentinel Announces Acquisition of Alpine Security
- Cerberus Cyber Sentinel Corporation, a cybersecurity consulting and managed services firm based in Scottsdale, Ariz., announced that it has acquired Alpine Security, a St. Louis, Missouri-based cybersecurity services provider
- Under the terms of the acquisition, Alpine will become part of Cerberus Sentinel and will continue to focus on providing integrated risk managed services to a diverse set of national customers
- Alpine will continue to be based in St. Louis, and its compliance team will add to the experienced Cerberus Sentinel team led by chief compliance officer Baan Alsinawi
Valeo Networks Acquires Etech Solutions, Further Expanding National MSSP Footprint in the ...
- Valeo Networks, a division of Saalex Corporation a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), today announced the acquisition of Etech Solutions, an Iowa-based Managed Service Provider (MSP)
- The acquisition includes Etech Solutions' affiliate brand EtechASP
- Financial terms are not being released
- Etech Solutions and EtechASP brands will operate as DBA Valeo Networks companies and maintain their Ankeny, IA headquarters
IZEA Managed Services Bookings Swing to Show 12% Annual Growth
- ZEAWorldwide, a provider of influencer marketing technology, data, and services for the world’s leading brands, announced today that it has been awarded a new contract for influencer marketing services from an existing customer who is a Fortune 100 retailer
- The contract, in combination with other recent wins, has now pushed IZEA’s Managed Services bookings growth in Q4 2020 to a 47% increase, as compared to Q4 2019
Code42 Wins Pair of Cybersecurity Awards
- Code42 was named as a Top 25 Cybersecurity Company by The Software Report and a gold winner in the 12th Annual 2020 Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards® for Data Protection Innovation
- Code42 and its IncydrTM product were honored for the unique way they help customers speed detection and response to insider risks to data
- Incydr is a SaaS data risk detection and response product
Cybersecurity Updates
- Proliance Surgeons of Seattle, WA notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI may have been exposed after a cybersecurity incident.
- Elite Primary Care, aka Dr. Peter Wrobel Clinic, of Waycross, Georgia, was ordered to pay $36,000 to settle HIPAA violation regarding failure to respond to patient’s request for their PHI.
- University of Vermont Medical Center gave more details on October ransomware attack:
- Did not pay ransom
- Attack deposited malware on all servers, 5,000 computers and laptops
- Took entire month to restore PCs and servers
- So far, 80% of the hospital’s applications have been restored
- Microsoft announced it has discovered a second hacking team dubbed “Supemova” installed a backdoor in the SolarWinds software, which impacted a minimum of 18,000 government and private sector organizations
- While original malware originated from Russia, second strain’s origin not yet determined
- SolarWinds of Austin, TX provides network-monitoring software to hundreds of thousands of organizations worldwide
- Networks running SolarWinds that have been infected should “burn it to the ground and rebuild it” according to Bruce Schneier, a security expert for Security Week magazine
- Facebook paid a bounty of $13,000 to Saugat Pokharel for exposing a flaw that exposes email addresses and birthdates of customers.
- The U.S. Attorney’s office announced it had taken possession of domain names that were being used by hackers to create website that claimed to offer COVID-19 vaccines, and then steal user’s info and launched email phishing and malware attacks.
- EyeMed, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, notified 485,000 patients that are Aetna and Blue Cross insurance members, that their PHI was exposed after e-mail phishing attack.
- Rangely District Hospital of Colorado announced that after 6 months of work, it has restored all of its computers after ransomware attack in April.
- Jefferson County government of Kentucky notified an unknown number of citizens that their info may have been exposed after ransomware attack.
- City of Ellensburg government of Washington notified an unknown number of citizens that their info may have been exposed after ransomware attack.
- TennCare of Nashville, Tennessee notified 3,300 patients that their PHI may have been exposed after mailing error.
- Forward Air Trucking, headquartered in Greeneville, TN notified an unknown number of customers that their info may have been exposed after ransomware attack.
- Premier Kids Care Inc. of Monroe, Georgia notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI may have been exposed after ransomware attack.
- Uri Shaked, a security researcher, published report detailing on how he hacked into several 3D printers.
- Showed the method during his “Live Breaking into Encrypted 3D Printer” online workshop.
3 Things You Must Do To Help Shatter Your Sales Results In 2021
"No one really sees pro athletes behind the scenes. They don't know how hard they work. They don't see how you work on the basics. They couldn't possibly know. You wouldn't think that someone who hits like Alex Rodriguez needs to use a tee every day. But that's how he stayed on top of it."
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Let that quote sink in for just a moment.
Now, think about the following question... Could you enhance your sales results and become more successful, if you consistently learned how to master the basics?
Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers coach, once said that football comes down to only two things: Blocking on offense and tackling on defense, and those are the basics his teams spent 80% of their time on in practice.
How many of you spend 80% of your time practicing the sales basics?
Here is my concern, too many of you are wasting time chasing shortcuts, automation magic and excuses; before mastering the fundamentals.
The greatest skill in your sales endeavor is simple... just do the work. And it is for this reason, most of you don't need more time, more tips, or better strategies. You just need to do the real work and master the basics.
Never is this truer than when times are challenging, just like they are now. There are certain key fundamentals, or basics, to follow that ultimately lead to sales success.
Most salespeople avoid the fundamentals because they don't have the guts to become great at them. When you eliminate the unnecessary crapola and excuses, there are no details to hide behind. You're left with the basics and whether or not you have mastered them.
"We have to have the courage to train the fundamentals, the basics, at least 80% of the time. Sure, add some spice in there now and again, but focus on the basics."
Dan John, Olympic Weightlifter
Unfortunately, you allow your ego to get in the way as it’s easier to say you’re “working on a new sales strategy” or you’re “doing more research.” It’s harder to say, “I’m focusing on the basics, but guess what, I haven't made much progress on them yet.”
How many of you will commit to doing the basics in 2021?
BACK TO THE BASICS
Your success in 2021 will depend on how well you commit to mastering the basics.
Regardless of the sales language, company culture, generation, product, or industry; mastering the basics are the key to any successful sales professional.
Let's take the success of great companies, we often question “How’d they do it or how did they get there?” On the surface, we see the success but not how it was achieved. It may appear to us their success was luck, a twist-of-fate, or a rare combination of chance meeting opportunity.
Success is more than circumstance. Success does not just happen. It begins with the basics.
"If you can't do the little things right, how can you do the big things right?"
Basics, the universal language of businesspeople.
Basics provide the foundation for all sales success.
I would like all those in sales to think about this for a moment...
We are asked to give “basic ideas,” “basic info,” or “explain it to me like I’m in second grade.” We break down things into basic, bite-size chunks, so wouldn't it make sense to train ourselves in the same manner?
Sales leadership and salespeople, you must get back to the basics. Applying the basics in 2021, will allow ordinary salespeople to do extraordinary things.
Believe in the basics, execute the basics, and succeed with the basics.
When we were in elementary school, teachers focused on the “Three Rs.” These were reading, writing, and arithmetic. These three basics were the mainstay of education.
Follow along with me as we get back to the sales basics.
READING
Imagine what you can learn through reading. How about setting aside the first 30 minutes of your day to read.
As you read, your mind becomes engaged. What you read may influence your conversations. Think about how this can help you drive better business conversations with your clients and advance new opportunities.
Leaders are Readers
How well are you leading your clients?
Feed your brain to kick start conversations. Think about reading what the people you want to communicate with read.
"If you want a prospect to invite you to the table to bring ideas, you need to position yourself as someone that can help."
Darrell Amy
Where do sales professionals get these ideas? It comes from reading.
Sales reps sell products. Sales professionals deliver ideas. Ideas come from reading.
"Sales winners educate with new ideas almost 3x more often than 2nd place finishers."
Mike Schultz, Insight Selling
Imagine the conversations you could start with your clients... Imagine the knowledge you could impart on them... Imagine how they would view you.
Now think...
- Are you driving engaging conversation?
- Are you reading to learn?
- Are you sharing what you're reading?
Get back to the basics and give your clients a gift in 2021, your knowledge and insights based upon the books you read.
WRITING
I'm a firm believer salespeople can write. We all have the capability of writing, it's what we do with it.
In today's business world, which is digitally driven, socially connected and highly networked; it is imperative you communicate your thoughts in writing. This is a critical skill must become proficient in 2021.
Identify your self-limiting beliefs around writing and take action steps as it may open sales doors and business conversations. Isn't this what you want?
How well you communicate is critical to your sales success but how well you write about it will be catapult your success.
A few years ago, Josh Bernoff, author of "Writing Without Bull****" published this article on the internet, "Bad Writing Costs Businesses Billions" -
"I emphasize the importance of writing by quantifying the annual cost of poor writing to U.S. businesses at $396 billion—and that could be an understatement of the effects of poor writing skills."
I encourage all those in sales to soak in that quote for just a moment. Let it really sink in.
Writing opens up conversations. Writing attracts prospects. Writing opens up relationships.
Here's some help. Gather the top questions you're either asked or you hear from your clients during your meetings and answer them in a short format social post or article. Potential opportunities could open up as those doing research online could end up engaging with it.
I am here to inform you wisdom comes from the mouth of sales professionals.
Lastly, no one can write your sales story, so write it yourself.
ATTRACTION
I chose to replace arithmetic with attraction. I believe you will see how this plays out.
Inside a digitally driven, highly connected and socially networked business world... How well are you leveraging attraction and influence to assist in kick starting business conversations?
What are you doing to attract people into conversations with you? How well are you getting out of the batter's box? Are you still stuck at home plate or are you standing at second base?
How well you... Capture, Converse, Collaborate, and Connect along with providing relevant and insightful Content will determine your sales success in 2021.
You must leverage content as conversation bait in order to help facilitate business conversations. How well are you reeling in conversations?
All of this comes from... The ideas you get through reading, then sharing the ideas through writing.
What can you do with the law of attraction? How does this fit into your prospecting approach? Position yourself and leverage the power of social to kick start conversations.
"A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes."
Gandhi
As you capture, converse, collaborate and connect with your audience; share with them what you're reading, educate them and help by guiding them in the right direction.
One direction you can point them is to your LinkedIn profile. This is where you can promote your story, how you have helped your clients and what your prospects can expect when they engage with you.
BASICS DO WORK
Chasing the shiny bullet and finding the short cuts with the least amount of work, doesn't pan out in the long run.
Reframe your attention in 2021 and get back to the basics. Shiny objects and tricky sales tactics occasionally work. Tricky sales tactics are built upon a façade, not fundamentals. It is time to get “back to basics” and stick with what works.
My challenge to all of you... will you be willing to refocus your effort. There's work to do and it starts with sales 101.
I understand, I get where you all are coming from. Every day, I walk in your shoes. I am fully committed to helping your sales team integrate social aspects and heartfelt strategies into your current sales process to grow new business. I want you to get results. This is why I am passionate about doing this the right way, the genuine way, the authentic way! It's about understanding value before visibility.
Selling From the Heart is making a difference! I poured my heart into every page of this book and I think you're going to love it. You can find it on Amazon in paperback, kindle and in audio. You can click on the book image below and this will take you to Amazon.
In a world full of empty suits, I'm passionate about helping sales reps succeed by getting valuable before they get visible. I help sales teams understand the true value they bring to the market.
I appreciate getting the opportunity to share my stories. Integrating the use of social and sharing my story on LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive office technology world. With great pride I transform, challenge, coach and inspire sales teams to grow new business by helping them share their story and how they communicate it out by integrating the use of social inside the sales process. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.
COVID19 Remote Working Day One Hundred and Ninety-Eight of Selling
COVID19 Remote Working Day One Hundred and Ninety-Eight of Selling Copiers
This is my second selling day of 2021 and the one hundred and ninety eighth day since I was optioned to working remote in New Jersey. This is also one of my traditional vacation weeks. You may ask what the hell is he doing writing about a selling day when he's on vacation? Ah grasshopper it's because every day is a selling day whether you're on vacation or not.
For someone like me it's extremely hard to shut the engine down especially after the events of last week. Our team put some special sauce on the last week with garnering almost $400K in revenue for the last three selling days of 2020. We can go into 2021 with the attitude that pandemic or not there is business to won and clients that need our help.
Today
I had a few action items that I had to clean up today and it was just a few emails that I needed to attend to. It was about 9:30AM when I received my first order of the new year via email. I was also not expecting the order because it was for two accessories that I didn't think the client would follow up on. Thus instead of letting the order sit for 5 days I put in the 40 minutes or so to process the order for our client. Nothing big but every order is going to be needed in order to get where I want to be in 2021.
In the next couple of days I'll also put in some additional hours to make sure Monday is off to a clean day of prospecting. Looking back it's seems like 2020 was over in the blink of an eye. The days of frustration, and anguish of 2020 are past and all I can think about is what pitfalls and perils may lay in wait for us in 2021. However from the past we know that hard work, that never quit mentality can and will pay off. Thus I'm looking at 2021 as a fresh start and there's something I need to accomplish one more time.
Afternoon
What does one do with a stay at home vacation? Well for me it was time to dedicate some time and resources to my other passion. That passion is creating and for me that means creating art of our items I find on the beach.
After four years of prospecting the local beaches I've taught myself how to make works of art and jewelry out of the shells and beach glass that I find. I will admit the first year I was learning and experimenting however and over the past three years I've been able to craft almost 500 pieces of artwork and jewelry.
It was two years ago when I started up my Etsy store named artpostdesign. The Etsy shop was another learning experience and much of my time has been taken up with taking pictures, uploading those pictures and then trying to tell a story about each of the shells that I find. I admitted to my wife the other night that I had not idea how much time is involved with setting up and maintaining the site. In addition I need to now gather an audience and create my brand.
It won't be easy, but I guess that's what I like about it. It's going to be another challenge to prove to my self that I can be successful in something other than copiers.
I call this shell "wheatfield". The "wheatfield" has an interesting story to it. I found that shell on my friends beach on the Coan River in Virginia. Every year Kathy and I take a trip there in the summer months. I found that shell three years ago and from what I gather it's a piece of a larger shell, however the sands and tides of time creating a beautiful piece of art. All I did was to find it, recognize the beauty and figure how it would hang. But the colors and the lines are wonderful. To this day I've never found another shell like it.
I call this piece "sunrise". The shell was found close to where I live and local name for the shell is "jingle shell". When you get a bunch of these shells together they can sound like small bells when they brush up against each other. This particular jingle shell (also know as mermaids toe nails) is "cupped" in shape and what you see in the middle is what I think is a rose quartz beach pebble. Thus both were cleaned, polished and drilled and I set the rose quartz in the cupped jingle shell. One thing I learned is that you need quite a few diamond drill bits to out a hole in quartz.
Creating
The creating is another passion of mine. I guess it's kind of similar to sales in a way because in a way we are creating opportunities with our clients and prospects. We are giving them a vision of the future on how our products and services can help then in their day to day business processes. Thus whether I'm out on the beach or in a clients office, oopsie I meant virtual meetings we are painting a picture of the future from our discoveries, right?
It's late. I have a big day of shelling in the cold tomorrow. If you have the time please pay a visit to my site. I also have a facebook page Jersey Shore Jewelry by Art Post and give me a like and a follow.
-=Good Selling=-