MFP Copier Blog

COVID19 Remote Working Day One Hundred and Fifty-One of Selling Copiers

I'm not going to write about my day.  Yes last week had it's ups and downs, with more downs than ups.  Today marks the last week of the month and there are four days left to finish the struggle.

Mind you I had no intention of posting anything today.  However I could not resist the temptation of creating this video.  The title is so apropos as to what we are all going through in this time of COVID19.

Some peeps from our sales team and yes it changed my spirit for the day and maybe for the week. I hope it does the same for everyone else!

I WILL SURVIVE

Special thanx to Vince for allowing me to re-post his last blog on his blog site, "the connected copier".  I've known Vince for quite a few years since reading his first blog. I'm thinking that was way back in 2008.

There's not that many of us that blog on a regular basis about our industry. In fact I know of four Greg Walters, Ray S , Vince McHugh and myself. Vince has also been a member of the Print4Pay for sometime and always made himself available to answer sales and technical questions for others on our forum. For that I am thankful. Thank you Vince!

Vince and I also had to chance to meet for dinner one night in Atlantic Highlands, NJ.  He was visiting NJ for a technical meeting and we both met at the Memphis Pig Out one night.  Of course us two old pro's had a great time chatting about the industry like two old wash women.  I could see that Vince was a Pro and I admired him for his expertise and his friendship. Over the years we've keep in touch from time to time and I'm sure that will be the case moving to the future.

COVID19 hit us all hard and even harder for Vince.  Vince I was you the best my friend and you know I'm always available.

Goodbye, Farewell and Amen

I started in this industry in 1978, with a walking territory in “The City” (that’s what New Yorkers call Manhattan). But I have come to a point in my life where I need to say goodbye to “The Copier Industry”. After nearly 30 years working for a Large Independent Dealer in New England (NECS) I will be leaving this industry that I have loved. Some people have said that I have toner in my blood, and maybe that is true. Time will tell.

I have had the privilege to be friends with some Giants of the Industry. Charlie Tiernan who started NECS out of the back of his station wagon, and grew it to a major regional player with 7 offices and 2 Warehouses. Charlie is a real dyed in the wool “Copier Guy”, and he has a big heart. It was a privilege to work for him for so many years.

Charles Kelly, who ran the CSlist.org (Mailing) list for years. I met Charles at a Canon Technet conference and we immediately hit it off. He invited me to join his mailing list for Canon Systems Engineers. We had SEs from all over the world posting non sanctioned Canon Networking solutions. I learned and posted many “solutions” back in the day. The Canon “Grid” ended the need for the CSlist and it has since been moth balled.

Art Post, The P4PHotel.com has been a great industry resource. Art has reposted some articles from this blog, and he always has great, relevant, Industry news. Talk about a “Copier Guy”, Art defines the term. I had the pleasure of having dinner with Art one night when I was in New Jersey for training. We have and do talk on the phone from time to time, and I consider him a friend.

Ned Bannan is one of the best industry Systems Engineer on the East Coast, But sadly Ned is no longer in the “Copier Industry”. He is working for a Security Software Company and they are lucky to have him. He is the best Mac guy I know, and has a good working knowledge of Linux. Ned has forgotten more about Macs than most people will ever know. He was also a Fiery Color Expert. Ned could hack a PPD with the best of them!

I have known Mike Betsco for a couple of decades now. Back in the day when he was one of the driving forces behind Canon’s Technet. Which was the best SE training, in the most compact time frame, at a great location (Disney World or Disney Land). Mike did a tour at Samsung when they made a run at the Copier Industry but is back at Canon heading up their Solutions offerings. Canon is lucky to have him. Mike invited me and other key solutions people in the Independent Channel to join the Canon S.E.A.L. Team (Solutions Advisory Board). We had some great discussions during those meetings and continued them over some great dinners.

What can I say about Joe Lucas? If you ever get stuck with a complex UniFLOW problem Joe is the go to guy! He has helped me with major accounts more times than I can count. James Seager also gets honorable mention for NTware support!

Donn Clarke was my boss when I worked at (RBS) Ricoh Business Systems. I worked there for two plus years and Donn was the best boss I have ever had. He is a good man. That is why I brought him over to NECS where he is currently the Director of Sales.

Lynda Maglio is currently a Solutions Analyst at Konica Minolta. But I have most of my fond memories of her when she worked at eCopy (then it became Nuance). She would bird dog a problem until she got it resolved. For that reason she was one of my favorite Vendors.

Then there are the great Hunters (Sales People) that I have worked with over the years, John “Sully” Sullivan, Doug Moore, and Cindy Albano just to name a few. I am not leaving the rest out to slight them but to name all of them would be impractical in a blog article.

These are just some of the people I have come to respect in this industry. Time would fail to talk of each of the men & women I have worked with over the past 34 years. But you know who you are.

I have good memories from my time in this industry. I raise a family on the salary I earned as a Technician, Troubleshooter, Field Service Manager, Solutions Team Managers, Color Sales Specialist, and a Vice President. I will no longer be posting to this blog, but I will leave it as an archive as there is indeed some useful info that hopefully some people will still stumble across.

My apologies to the long running show M.A.S.H. for stealing their title of their last episode. But it seemed appropriate to me. They say by the time M.A.S.H. ended they had more episodes than there were actual days in the Korean war. Sometimes I feel like I have more stories than actual days for my career in this industry. Please know that I love this industry. It is going through some tough times right now and maybe the “Big Crunch” will continue. But the strong will survive. They always do!

Please contact me via my email if there is anything I can do for you.

This is my last $0.02

Vince McHugh

vincemchugh2076@gmail.com

PS: I have never mixed my personal life with my professional life because it might alienate some of my Customers. But I feel like as I wrap this up I need to let those who have read this blog for so long know that I am a Christian. I have taught a Bible study for the past 40+ years. So if you have a question about the Bible or about life and want to talk, email me and I will be happy to talk to you about anything.

The Week in Copiers Ten Years Ago for The Third Week in October 2010

I was rolling when I read one of the threads from ten years ago about "Smell O Vison".  It's been ten years and it seems "Smell O Vision" never came to pass, however it's still a good read.  I always thought it would be neat if our smart phones emit smell patterns. Wouldn't it be interesting....

Enjoy these great copier threads from ten years ago...

I recently read where someone asked a few customers' questions to prove that delivering products and services through outdated systems was still relevant. 

But what we don't know is how they asked the question. Were they explaining how they fit into the realities of a marketplace and can now help their customers? Or, did they phrase the question based on their own digital ineptness to save their outdatedness? 

Most in fear of a change to their relevance will present their outdatedness as valuable. The customers they seek approval from will tell them what makes them feel good. The reason customers' do this is they can easily replace them, and one day they will. But until then, the delusional seller will remain happy with a delusional view of their customer relationships. However, soon their buyers will trade in that relationship for an innovator's better experience.

Those continuing in denial of the digitalization transforming the selling and buying intersection is beyond comprehension.

Sellers who rely on the push economy process to deliver their products and services are completely devastated when they realize their customers are more comfortable doing things through the pull-economy processes; processes residing in the intersection between the digital and physical worlds.

Here's how I define these two very different processes.

The Push: Economic Processes are those processes designed to bring your products and services to the customers you seek. This is a show up in person, and this process, for the most part, lives in the physical world.

The Pull: Economic Processes are those processes designed to allow the customers to seek to bring your products or services to them through their control, a process, for the most part, lives in a digital landscape.

What happens when your customers are searching for your replacement, and they don't find you there? The simple answer is that they no longer are your customer. I wrote an article on this subject back in 2017; here's the link for more details.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse...meet-ray-stasieczko/

Like other product and service providers, The Document Imaging Channel faces great pressures to its core deliverable of print equipment, its supplies, and services. The industry's customers have benefited from a commoditized marketplace for well over a decade as its customers held vendor auctions through nearly all buying cycles.

There has to be a reckoning with reality regarding all aspects of customer engagement. Regardless of core products and services, those resellers or dealers must have a strategy to accommodate both buyers' understanding that forcing push-economy processes on buyers who prefer to operate with a pull-economy process will result in a lost customer.

Here's the problem, those who attempt to deliver both these customers through the push-economy processes will find themselves out of alignment in delivery cost with competitors who successfully built systems designed for pull-economy processes.

It is nearly impossible for some resellers to imagine their customers value desired outcomes over products, services, delivery systems, or the friendly smiles of those servicing or selling them. In reality, many of the most innovative organizations today reinvented the means by which their customers receive those desired outcomes.

For example, a signed document is the desired outcome; a digital platform allowing for the signature replaces the need to print off, sign, and then scan back to the digital world. Obviously, the ability or means to do this digitally is a much better experience than the outdated way. So, one can imagine those who lack the competence to present digitally will believe their customers are happier signing paper.

Another example is those who refuse to engage their customers through video communication, even as a pandemic confines the globe instead of embracing what is becoming more common every day.

Some insist on running around opening doors in the physical world instead of learning and perfecting closing deals in the digital world. Again you can imagine how those outdated door bangers will exclaim how their customers prefer on-site meetings over digital communication.

My Caution to Outdatedness

"Your buyers did not know it was up to them to keep you outdated."

So, as buyers can acquire products and services through a better means more suitable for their modern buying habits, they will switch to their preferred buying method as long as their desired outcome is achieved. History proves they always do.

Product and service providers need to remember that as their customers' shift from the push-economy to the pull-economy. This shift will start with those customers who have commodity mindsets and are at a lower scale in their needs of both the products and services.

This is critical for the document imaging channel to understand. They must accept that a vast majority of their end-users are reducing printing needs, and their desired outcome, which a printer/MFP once furnished them exclusively, now can be achieved without the printer/MFP, and any who still require a device will replace the oversold A3s with the less expensive A4.

As more and more customers search for alternatives to outdated business processes. Resellers must decide to align themselves to meet these customers or let these customers leave them. In some cases, letting them leave may be appropriate as some dealers will redefine their deliverables to align with the persona of a more profitable customer.

For nearly five years, I have expressed concern that the document imaging channel's dealers treated all customers in the same manner. That strategy of sameness worked when the industry was growing. However, as the industry retracts and the industry diversifies, that strategy will be deadly.

The imaging channel dealers must be conscious that their customers already have options, and this pandemic has brought great awareness to the industry's end-users. The document imaging channel's end-users will shift to organizations that already exist and align better with those seeking options through the pull-economy.

So, don't ask your customers how valuable you are with your outdated processes. Instead, paint a picture that outlines you delivering the future. Don't ask customers if they will agree to keep your status quo. If you do, as I already said, you will get a passive answer design to support your thinking.

As I listen to some of the nonsense from some determined to stay status quo, it reminds me of many other industries where complacency fought against reality and lost.

It's time to stop chasing squirrels. Would it not make more sense to clearly redefine the delivery, the management, and service processes of your core deliverable and position your business to meet customers in both the digital and physical worlds? Today's resellers must be able to function in what I call "The intersection between the digital and physical worlds."

That functionality takes many forms from the inception of customer engagement, managing the engagement, through the engagement end. Dealers, resellers, service providers, and product manufacturers are all positioning themselves to function digitally effectively. All actors of all industries must increase their digital acme aligning with the realities of today's buyers.

Stop fighting the desires of your customers' future and open your mind to how things will work, even those things which are completely against all that is sacred to yesterday. Tomorrow is about improving your customer's experience, not about keeping you comfortable. 

"Status quo is the killer of all that will be invented."

Ray Stasieczko

CEO/Founder TEASRA,The Innovation Channel and Host of The End of The Day With Ray! https://www.endofthedaywithray.com/

MSP, MSSP & IT Industry Notes

October 18th, 2020

Sponsored by

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your clients will see better results.

Smartronix Achieves Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP ...

• Smartronix announces it has achieved FedRAMP Authorization for its Cloud Assured Managed Services (CAMS)
• Support state-of-the-art private, public, and hybrid cloud solutions for highly regulated workloads
• FedRAMP is a government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services

TeamLogic IT company acquires local managed service provider

• TeamLogic IT of the North Carolina Triad Region, with offices in Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem, acquired Convergent Technologies Inc.

Velocity, A Managed Services Company Announces Acquisition of Impax Media, Inc., Digital ...

• Velocity announced the acquisition of Impax Media, Inc., a grocery store advertising network
• Impax Media programing includes grocer messaging, in-store sales, entertainment and advertising. Velocity is partnering with Screenvision Media, a national leader in cinema and premium video advertising
• Based in Holland, Ohio, right outside of Toledo, Velocity is a privately held company with approximately 500 employees

BAE Systems to Deliver System Integration and Information Technology Management for Army ...

• The U.S. Army has awarded BAE Systems a one-year, $11.7 million contract to provide information technology (IT) services to the Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER)
• To assist with the operation, maintenance, and technical aspects of the ARCYBER enterprise IT environment
• Will provide system integration and management, including network and systems administration, and cyber and IT engineering support at ARCYBER Headquarters in Fort Gordon, Georgia

111, Inc. and Shanghai Uniondrug Information Technology Join Hands to Advance Innovation in ...

• ("111") and Shanghai Uniondrug Information Technology Co., Ltd ("Shanghai Uniondrug") officially signed a strategic partnership agreement
• Two companies will share resources and leverage each company's expertise to build a multiple-layer partnership covering various fields.
• Will jointly promote commercial insurance innovation and explorations in oncology drug retail and diversified healthcare services, and provide integrated solutions for pharmaceutical companies, including innovative payments solutions, patient management, doctor and patient education, and offering efficient and convenient access to medication and other healthcare products

ATIF Holdings Limited Signs Strategic Collaboration with the Industry and Information Technology ..

• Dongshan IITB will be responsible for organizing financial forums, salons and exchange activities for the local enterprises to connect with ATIF
• ATIF will provide its professional services such as investment and financing consulting, connection of investment institutions and overseas listing advisory to the companies selected by Dongshan IITB

Lexmark Recognized for Excellence in Enterprise Architecture

• Lexmark today announced it has received a prestigious 2020 Forrester/InfoWorld Enterprise Architecture Award
• Lexmark has transformed its EA organization from technology strategists to an outcome-driven organization in order to further the company’s digital transformation

iManage Knowledge Unlocked, powered by RAVN, Helps Walder Wyss Take a Data-Driven Approach to Knowledge Management

• iManage, the company dedicated to transforming how professionals work, today announced that Walder Wyss Ltd. – one of the most successful and fastest growing Swiss commercial law firms – is using iManage Knowledge Unlocked, powered by RAVN
• Walder Wyss has rolled it out to all six of its offices in Switzerland
• Eventually, there will be nearly 300 users who will use the iManage solution to search and access more than 7,000 knowledge assets

Datto IPO Set For $561M Target, CEO Says It Is 'All In On The Channel'

• Datto plans to raise more than a half-billion dollars through its initial public offering next week

Nuspire Delivers Advanced Threat Intelligence through Partnership with Recorded Future

• Lightbeam Health Solutions announced that Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) that achieved a positive savings rate using Lightbeam technology generated nearly $400 million in shared savings in the 2019 performance year
• ACOs that used Lightbeam's solutions managed 15% of the total patient lives covered under the 2019 MSSP program

1Path Earns OneLogin MSP Partner of the Year Award

• 1Path has won the OneLogin MSP Partner of the Year award for 2020
• Award was announced last week at the OneLogin Connect 2020 Virtual conference
• 1Path and OneLogin have been working together since 2019
• 1Path has integrated the OneLogin identity and access management tool (IAM) into its IT managed services offering, and 1Path also offers OneLogin to clients as part of its SecureID solution

DKBinnovative Wins 2020 Infosec Inspire Security Awareness Award

• DKBinnovative was named as a Big Phish Award Winner at the 2020 Infosec Inspire Security Awareness Awards
• The Big Phish Award recognizes companies with the most advanced phishing training programs
• A June 2020 report from the U.S. Secret Service warned that MSPs (managed services providers) are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals precisely because a successful attack can infect many businesses at once
• Phishing attacks account for 80% of reported cybersecurity incidents, according to Verizon's 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report

Lancom Technology Accelerates Managed Services Growth With Connect 2 Acquisition

• Lancom Technology, an Auckland based software and technology provider, announced that it has accelerated its managed services growth by acquiring Connect
• Deal sees Lancom Technology further increase its managed services customers whilst strengthening its position in the mid-section of the New Zealand managed services market

Cornerstone.IT Enhances Its Managed Services with Netsurion Platinum Partnership

• Cornerstone Information Technologies, LLC (DBA Cornerstone.IT) has partnered with cybersecurity firm Netsurion to boost Cornerstone’s Managed Services with Netsurion’s Managed Threat Protection Platform, EventTracker, which includes Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
• Cornerstone offers Managed Services including Network Monitoring with Cornerstone Watch, Network Maintenance, Network Support, iManage Managed Services, Citrix Managed Services, Microsoft Managed Services, Disaster Recovery as a Service, and Security Event Monitoring

Sirius Launches AWS Managed Services to Streamline Cloud Services

• Sirius Computer Solutions, Inc. (Sirius), announces the launch of Sirius Cloud Managed Services powered by AWS Managed Services (AMS)
• AWS Managed Services operates AWS on clients’ behalf, providing a secure AWS Landing Zone, features which help them meet various compliance program requirements (HIPAA, HITRUST, GDPR, SOC, NIST, ISO, PCI)

Arteris® IP FlexNoC® Interconnect Again Licensed by KYOCERA for Enterprise Printing...

• Arteris IP announced that KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc. (“Kyocera”) has licensed Arteris® FlexNoC® interconnect IP
• Use as the on-chip communications backbone of its custom systems-on-chip (SoC) powering its flagship enterprise document imaging and management solutions
• Kyocera first licensed Arteris FlexNoC IP in 2016 to optimize on-chip communications bandwidth in its complex SoCs

Konica Minolta Launches New Managed Application Services Packages

• Konica Minolta Business Solutions, U.S.A., Inc. today announced new Application as a Service packages including document and print management with advanced workflow, network fax and healthcare-specific offerings
• scalable and fully managed packages are enabled by the latest additions to the Workplace Hub product line
• These new packages will include the following offerings:

ECS Ranked #14 on MSSP Alert's Top 250 MSSP List for 2020

• ECS, has been named #14 out of 250 Top Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) by MSSP Alert
• This year’s MSSP list featured companies from 25 different countries. Among this global field, ECS emerged as an industry leader in revenue, growth, and operational excellence
• ECS was recognized for its managed detection and response (MDR) and extended detection and response (XDR) services, as well as the company’s in-house security operations center (SOC), providing 24x7x365 protection from cyber threats

Hacked: Hackney Hacked as Council Investigates Attack

• London’s Hackney Council has reported it has “been the target of a serious cyber-attack which is affecting many of our services and IT systems.”
• Statement from Philip Glanville, mayor of Hackney, council officers have been working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre, external experts and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to investigate and understand the impact of the incident

FileTrail Acquires OmniRIM Physical Records Management Software from Access

• FileTrail announced that FileTrail has acquired OmniRIM Physical Records Management software from Access
• Effective immediately, FileTrail will be providing OmniRIM customers with continued support of their existing software systems, as well as a upgrade path to FileTrail GPS Records Manager

General Dynamics Information Technology Awarded $364 Million Enterprise IT Contract by GSA

• General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), announced today it has been awarded a contract by the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM)
• To continue providing digital enterprise services for Special Operations Forces (SOF)
• The SOF Information Technology Enterprise Contract J (SITEC J) is a single award with a total estimated value of $364 million. It includes a one-year base period with four one-year options

The Week in Copiers Five Years Ago Third Week of October 2015

It's Sunday afternoon somewhere around 3PM in New Jersey.  Within the hour I'll be back to work trying to figure out a plan for the last week of the month.

Enjoy these great copier threads from 5 years ago this week!

"From a relationship perspective, givers build deeper and broader connections."

Adam Grant

According to Wharton Professor Adam Grant in his book Give and Take, there are three types of people in the world when it comes to reciprocity styles: givers, takers, and matchers.

Grant’s perspective,

"In a world where we often work in teams and provide services to others, we should strive to adopt a giver mentality. Givers are more successful because they establish reputations and relationships that enhance their success over the long term."

Can a giving mindset in a sales world riddled with unscrupulous, fake, and disingenuous people be the answer?

A Giver is always trying to figure out what they can do for others. “How can I be of help?”

A Taker is always trying to figure out how to gain something from the situation.

Is giving, the secret to long term sales success?

“The reason I’ve been able to be so financially successful is my focus has never, ever for one minute been money”

Oprah Winfrey

Ask a group of salespeople, why they got into sales and you just might hear "for the money".

Making money isn’t evil, nor is being wealthy. The evil happens when you place your commissions before people and their visions.

A GIVING MINDSET

Are you giving without asking for anything in return?

I recently came across the Japanese philosophy of Omotenashi. This can simply be translated to hospitality.

In the west, we tend to see hospitality as providing exceptional customer service with the expectation to receive something in return.

In Japanese culture, it is providing exceptional customer service without the assumption of receiving a reward.

Are you giving and serving without asking for anything in return?

This entire concept is called Omotenashi. The Michelin Guide breaks down the meaning of the Japanese word:

‘“Omote” means public face – an image you wish to present to outsiders. “Nashi” means nothing. Combining them means every service is from the bottom of the heart – honest, no hiding, no pretending.”

A Selling From the Heart professional is all about giving and serving. They integrate Omotenashi in creating the most heartfelt client experiences.

What's inside your heart that in turn you can give to your clients?

The more you give of yourself the more you find yourself

GIVE FROM THE HEART

I am here to inform you, giving of your heart is not a sign of weakness. True power resides with listening to your inner heart voice by making a commitment to clear all that stands in the way of a heartfelt connection.

Focus on how you can help your clients. Share your knowledge, your insights and what you can do for them rather than for yourself. I guarantee no one likes a know-it all, self-centered and stereo-typical sales rep... This does not build followership.

A Selling From the Heart professional aligns themselves in the direction of their clients, looking at giving more than they get. They're completely focused on helping.

Heartfelt professionals focus on making a real difference while having a positive impact on others.

I encourage you to integrate Omotenashi with your clients.

• Anticipate their needs
• Be selfless
• Be considerate

GIVERS ESTABLISH HUMAN ENGAGEMENT

Heartfelt givers establish reputations and rock-solid relationships enhancing their success over the long term. Their human approach to relationships builds trust, encourages open conversation, and creates value for their clients rather than simply claiming value.

A giving approach may not be fruitful in the short term, but I will tell you this... it’s incredibly valuable and powerful in the long run.

"From a relationship perspective, givers build deeper and broader connections."

Adam Grant

Givers engage through heartfelt questions. The end result, their clients feel respected, feeling more comfortable sharing information.

By asking engaging questions, givers are learning what their client's value.

Adam Grant states,

“By asking questions and getting to know their customers, givers build trust and gain knowledge about their customers’ needs. Over time, this makes them better and better at selling.”

I ask you to think about the following...

What would happen to your client relationships if you asked great questions, created a giving mindset and you integrated the Japanese philosophy of Omotensahi?

Just for a moment, imagine knowing your clients so well that you anticipate their needs before they do.

Omotenashi reminds me of A Selling From the Heart professional.

What about you?

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.

You can find more material inside Selling From The Heart.

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.

Federation of Organizations provides health and wellness, housing and support services to individuals and families in New York City and neighboring Long Island.

COVID19 Remote Working Day One Hundred and Forty-Eight of Selling Copiers

It never ceases to amaze me how one day can be so great and the next day can be so challenging. The challenging part was the essence of my day today.  I wasn't able to move any deals further along until the last 30 minutes of the day. My net new opportunity is having some issues with getting approved because they are "new" in business. I would have never guessed it the setup that they have and I missed the mark by not asking that crucial question.  Keeping my fingers crossed that I'll have some good news in the next two days.

It was a day of many emails, many issues and many un foreseen items that just magically appeared on my to do list.  In addition most of these items needed my attention ASAP.  Thus I got lost in the day and wasn't able to control my day.  I hate days like these but if you've been in the business long enough you know you'll have your fair share of these every now and then. 

If someone had asked my to give me the name of a song that reflected how your day went, then it would be Under Pressure by Queen and Freddy Mercury.  Guess that sums it up for the Boomer!

Tomorrow means two on-site appointments one with a net new prospect and the other with a current prospect where I only have one print device in place.  Both are sizeable accounts and in both cases I'm not sure if there is a need for anything but it's a chance to meet and greet and you just never know. The rest of my day will be filled with trying to move some of these opportunities forward.

At 4:30PM I was able inch another existing client forward with adjusting my original proposal. COVID19 clicks are down for this client and they've learned that they can survive with slower A3 devices and less clicks.  I had proposed a 55 ppm A3 MFP along with a 30 A3 MFP, today I changed it to two 35 A3 MFP's and it got a little bit of traction.  If you don't ask you don't get and ain't that the truth.

The struggle is real and each day presents additional obstacles that we need to navigate through.  Like the last blog I have no magic bullet, no holy grail to bestow on everyone. I guess the only saving grace is the work ethic I learned back when I was a teenager. In addition it's that never given up attitude, if you want it bad enough you can usually make that happen.  Yes COVID19 is making it a bit tougher but what would life be like if everything was easy.  It would be boring!

I caught a cool video from Chris Polek the other day and would like to share with everyone. Click the image and you'll be taken to Linkedin to view. It's short video on world records.

Thanx Chris@

-=Good Selling=-