MFP Copier Blog

By the end of the week it will be  two solid months since I was optioned to the home office.  Could this really last for an entire quarter? 

I'm somewhat worried that many businesses will cease to exist if the our Governor does not open up the state for business.  In today's address he was non-committal for releasing a time line of when we can re-open.  He hinted at maybe something coming this week.  All we can hope is that he comes to his senses and will realize that shutting down the state also shut down the states tax revenue.  Of course he is posturing for additional Federal funds so he can remain in control.   Then we have the issue of Contact Tracing, maybe it's time to ditch the cell phone because once this starts there's no turning back.

Today was somewhat of an easier day with not that much stress. Stress, right why would any of us be stressing.  My day started off with updating my CRM for all existing opportunities.  Next on the list was to process the $7.5K order from Friday of last week. Yes, and I also had to give my weekly forecast....

One interesting note from today was the lead that I received last week from my Jersey Plotters site.  Of course we can't be on-site thus we have to email the proposal and I did that.  It was then three days of ghosting by the prospect, finally this AM I sent an email asking if that person was okay and not mired with COVID19.  Behold a response came back to me, and the response was "my boss is leaning towards another manufacturer, however he hasn't made the final decision".  Right, where have I heard that before, instead of asking the gatekeeper for a meeting I went to Linkedin and found the company.  There were 15 people listed, after searching a few I found the owner. I then sent the owner a short message with a few bullets points why we are better.  I tell ya, there's not much you can do with 300 characters and the spaces count also.  At this point in time the DM has not accessed my profile, thus a phone call is in order tomorrow.  You just can't let a $12K net new walk away.

11AM was time for my Monday Mornings with Ricoh.  One of the things I like to do while on the call is too stalk all of those on the call. No, I'm not really stalking them but just curious who else has the zeal to garner more knowledge about their products.  As far as I'm concerned anyone that is selling Ricoh should be on these calls every Monday.  It's one of the better weekly gigs that Ricoh has going.

A few more calls and emails and it was time for lunch.  It's at this time that I listen to our great Governor give his 2 cents everyday of the week.  Blah, blah and more blah, and nothing!

The afternoon I was mired in emails, taking calls and then trying to figure out my plan of attack for the next two weeks.  Late today I received an email from my existing client that they received the docs for the $20k order, will review and get them back to me.  Hoping this happens tomorrow also.

The plan for the rest of the month will all hinge on wide format.  The plan is to get at least $15K this week. Then sign my contract for the lead service this and hoping I get a few leads to make the $15 for the last week of the month.  This week and next week is going to be tough, nothing is solid, all are possibles.  If I get the docs for for the $20k order I'll be sitting around $170K.  Maybe just maybe a little bit of luck will come my way.

The Harder You Work, the Luckier You Get!

-=Good Selling=-

Enjoy these threads from 15 years ago this week!

It's Sunday night just about 10:30PM.  Not a lot of time to write tonight.  Hope everyone enjoyed Mothers Day.  Now let's go sell something tomorrow!

Enjoy these threads from ten years ago this week!

It's Saturday morning here in NJ.  We've hit a snag in our spring weather today, although the sun is shinning the temp is only 41 degrees. Saturday's can be a fantastic day to prospect, whether it's a few phone calls, emails or inmails (Linkedin).  Our job is to inspire clients clients that we all need to be moving forward and continue our determination to succeed.

Enjoy these threads from 15 years ago this week

For some reason sleeping last night didn't go that well.  I worked late and by the time I finished last nights blog my mind was running at full speed as I tried to get to to sleep. Too many deals in my head!

Last night my wife mentioned that she wanted to go see our granddaughter today. Am I bad guy?  All I thought about was how much I wanted to get done today.  I had a 1PM appointment that I moved to 3PM with a net new suspect late yesterday.  i made the time because it's what we do.

This morning I worked on a few emails, researched a few more accounts for possible opportunities.  After a few hours of not turning up much I moved to the meeting that was scheduled for an existing account for BDR.  Meeting went well because all I needed was a couple of questions answered about the existing BDR specs. A few minutes later I relayed that information to my team so we could finish the proposal.  Later in the day I scheduled another meeting with our existing client for Monday to review (hoping for another good day).

In the last few blogs I made mention of the $20K opportunity that was created yesterday after a late Wednesday night email.  In the response email yesterday I was told, "I need to speak to my partner and I'll get back to you" and in another sentence he was asking networking questions about the proposed devices.

Many years ago I learned from someone else is that if you hear certain words or questions that the client is considering your offer.  Years ago one of those questions that we listened for was "What's the warranty on your copier?" , that question means that the client is almost there.  When my client asked about the networking I knew we were close.  Thus later in the day I sweetened the pot with a little extra.

LETS DO IT, was the email I received from that client around 11AM this morning.  I sent my email response and stated documents will be coming over later today. Problem was I was going on a lunch date with my wife to visit our granddaughter.  I got the verbal, I knew it wasn't going anywhere and off we went to our lunch date.

By the time I arrived home it was about 2:30 and I had to prep for my 3PM.  That appointment went well, it did not produce and opportunity nor a prospect yet.  However it's that technology client that will bear fruit sometime down the road.

After the meeting it was time to develop the order docs for the sales verbal this AM.  I finally go them out about 4PM?  It's now the last hour of the day and I'm still waiting on docs for the $7.5K verbal I had yesterday.  By 5PM nothing, okay I thought, I okay with sitting at $19K for the week. By 5:15 or so I had the documents in hand.  Not a bad week at $26K and documents coming on Monday for another $20K. BTW our sales team broke $200K again for the week!  WOOHOO!

Sometime late on Monday I should be sitting at $170K for the month with eleven days left. My goal is another $30k and at this time I have no clue where it's going to come from. I've closed everything that was wiggling.

Now I know next week and the week after is all about prospecting.

Everyone have a great Mothers Day and a nice weekend!

-=Good Selling=-

So much went on today and I'm not sure where to start.  I'm thinking I won't get back to full time prospecting until next week and that's because I've be digging to try and hit that magical number of 200K for May.

As of today I have about 30K in opportunities that could close in the next 2 days.  After that it's going to be a struggle, however after tomorrow there are still eleven selling days in the month for me.  What's good about the eleven days is that I still have more than 50% of the month left. 

That email that I sent at 9PM last night turned into an opportunity around 9:30AM today.  I was asked a question in the return email about the networking of the devices and that's a sign that it could move forward pretty quickly.  The hang up is because we're waiting on the other DM.  I'm hoping a decision one way or another will be made tomorrow.  If so, it will be another day of the dreaded processing the orders from a single screen.  Notice I mentioned orders as in plural.  That's because my 10AM appointment gave me the verbal for a 7.5K order than can be delivered asap! Thus, I'm sitting somewhere around $150K for the month.

I didn't have a lot of time today because around 2:30pm a truck decided that it wanted to hit a utility pole by my house.  No one was hut but power was knocked out for almost three hours.  I could have use my phone as a hot spot but I was already down to 10% power.  The rest of the day was spent outside with my cell monitoring emails and actually scheduling a meeting with a net new suspect tomorrow.  Not a bad afternoon especially with nice weather.

Greg & I had our COVID19 lunch chat today at Noon, and thanx for all of you that attended today.  Our chats always lead into some pretty interesting ideas and comments about our experiences.  Of course I spoke about how sales are going for me and digging a little deeper I realized that all of these orders came from essential businesses. Those businesses that are open and operate under the guidelines of New Jersey.  All but one of the companies are in the AEC (Architects, Engineers, Construction) market.  Go figure right, right place, right time and right market. 

Later in the day on another call someone mentioned that I was "lucky". Of course he was referring to "the harder you work the luckier you get".  I remember the great recession of 2008 and I was not "lucky" then, I lost at least 30% of my AEC accounts at that time.

One thought that came out of the lunch meeting is that many dealers may not come out of this pandemic in a viable financial state.  With no PPP money and the fact that they laid people off, combine that with almost zero revenue and where the does the money come from to ramp back up again?  I'm thinking there will be some fire sales for those that are still looking to acquire. Good for some, bad for others.

Another thought centered around POSTCOVID19 and the recovery phase. I've already read a few articles that made mention of how office space has to change to protect their workers in their buildings.  Offices, especially open area offices will need to be changed, PPE gear will be required or needed, walkways redesigned, safety signs, warnings, cough and sneeze guards, sanitizers, plexiglass guards installed.  Made me think about dealers that are already selling in this space to diversify and offer some of these products and services.  I've got a tremendous idea and I'm not telling anyone unless I get some bucks for it. 

Other than the two meetings one with an existing client,  my lunch chat with Greg, and then some content training internally it was a good day, not a great one but good.

Tomorrow I have two meetings on tap and hoping to deliver two sets of docs for orders.

-=Good Selling=-

Over the last few years I've blogged about the importance for dealers to diversify to other avenues of print.  Especially if they want to stay in the "break and fix" model for servicing and selling devices that print.  One of those opportunities is color label printing. 

The list of the types of color labels is enormous.  Bumper stickers, political stickers, custom groceries, branding, safety, food labels, CBD, beer & wine, cannabis, the list goes on and on.  Post COVID19 recovery will require many companies to purchase, print labels and signs.  

Post COVID19 will also see a drop in printed pages across the world, we have all learned to do more with less.  That less means printers and copiers. What is your Post COVID19 recovery plan?  Keep doing what you've always been doing or forge a new path where print still matters.

Label Press University

At the top of each blog you'll see .  Clicking that link which is at the top of each blog will then bring you the collection of blogs for Color Label Press University.  It's pretty neat, you'll see all of the blogs that we've posted for an easier read and simple way to toggle from blog to blog.

Color Label Presses can be used as seeding devices in larger Print4Pay opportunities, or help that dealer or rep get a conversation going with an account where they have never had any traction with MFP's or IT services.  In addition, the competition is ripe for takeover.   Let us not forget about the GP!

The market for full color digital labels in huge and the potential to make some serious commissions is enormous.  BTW, isn't that why we're in this crazy business? 

Color Label Press University "Glossary for Pressure Sensitive Labels"  Course One (Sponsored by Muratec a Konica Minolta Company)

Overlaminating
Application of a clear film to a label stock for the purpose of protection or to enhance graphic quality, usually done in-line on the press.
Overlap  In applying a label around a bottle or container, one end extends over the other and adheres to itself.
Overlay   In artwork, a transparent film or tissue over copy on which color breaks, instructions or corrections are indicated. Also, transparent prints which, when combined or overlaid, form a composite picture.
Overrun Production   manufactured in excess of the specified order quantity. (Industry standard +/-10%).
Oxidation   The chemical reaction involving the process of combining with oxygen to form an oxide. The deterioration of an adhesive film due to atmospheric exposure. The breakdown of a hot melt adhesive due to prolonged heating and oxide formation.
Packaging    A coordinated system for the preparation of goods for shipment, distribution and storage.
Padding    Binding sheets of paper - blank, ruled, etc., together by applying flexible glue or adhesive to one edge of the stack.
Pass   One trip for the material through a production piece of equipment. Certain constructions require additional passes to complete the production.
Pattern Coated   Refers to the width and spacing arrangement of strips of adhesive laid down parallel to machine direction and across the
width of pressure sensitive label stock during its manufacture. Also refers to adhesive coating applied in a pattern which is not related to web direction.
Pattern Varnish Spot    varnish applied to the printed surface in a desired pattern.

PCS   Print Contrast Signal.  A measurement of contract between the bars an dspaces of a symbol. A minimum PCS value is needed for a symbol to be scannable. PCS values can be calculated an displayed automatically on suitable instruments.
Pearlescent Pigments  A class of pigments consisting of particles that are essentially transparent crystals of a high refractive index. The optical
effect is one of partial reflection from the two sides of each flake. When reflections from parallel plates reinforce each other, the result is a silvery luster. Effects possible range from brillant highlighting to moderate enhancement of the normal surface  gloss.
Peel Adhesion   Peel adhesion is the force required to remove a pressure sensitive label from a standard test panel at a specified angle and speed after the label has been applied to the test panel under specified conditions for a specific time period.
Peelback   A method of separating a bond of two flexible materials or a flexible and a rigid material that have been bonded with an adhesive. The flexible material is pulled from the mating surface at a 90 or 180 degree angle to the plane in which it is adhered. The stress is concentrated only along the adhesive line of immediate separation.
Peeler Plate  A sharp edged, flat piece of metal around which the backing or carrier material is threaded, the prime function being a
mechanical device which causes a pressure sensitive label to be dispensed from the backing material.
Penetration  Change of appearance of the face material due to movement of one or more components from the adhesive or the labeled
surface. Bleed through, migration.
Perforated   Refers to a series of small incisions made in laid-on labels and/or their release liner to facilitate tearing along a predetermined
line, or for fan folding.
Permanency   A measure of an adhesive's ultimate holding power or bond strength. A permanent adhesive will develop a bond that makes label removal difficult or impossible without distorting the face stock.
Permanent Adhesive   An adhesive characterized by having relatively high ultimate adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces.
Permeability    The property of a material that allows or resists a substance to pass or flow through it; the rate of such passage.
Phosphorescent Face    A face material coated with a phosphorescent ink, that emits light in a visible spectrum.
Photoinitiator   In ultraviolet-curing systems, the chemical which, when expposed to UV light, breaks certain chemical bonds in the system
to start the chain reactions which cause polymer formation. This chemical is commonly referred to as a catalyst.

Photopolymer Plate material that is photosensitive and upon exposure, its compounds polymerize to form a tough, abrasion resistant surface which becomes the inking media.
Piecework   Describes a payroll system generally used in production environments where employees are paid according to the actual
number of pieces produced in a given time period.
Piggyback   Pressure sensitive constructions that have two release coated liners, two layers of adhesive and a face material which
allows a label to be applied, complete with backing, for future or further application.
Pigment   Finely ground, solid particles used to give color or opacity to printing inks and coatings, and usually insoluble in such a
mixture.
Pin Feed    See feed slots.
Pin Register   The use of accurately positioned holes and special pins or pin bars on copy, film, plates and presses to insure proper register of color.
Pinch Roll    See nip roll or pull roll.
Pinhole    A very small hole which may permit the passage of light, moisture or electrical current.
Pinholing   Refers to the failure of a printed ink to form a complete film. This condition will become visible by the appearance of small
holes in the solid print area.

Thirty-seven business days now since I was optioned to working from my home office.  The average number of selling days is twenty-two per month.  Five days from now it will be two solid business months and 66% of the quarter.

Our fearless and blessed Governor just extended his Executive Order for his Emergency Act for another thirty days in the State of New Jersey.  

I'm kinda torn about this now, 30 more days of working from home could be a good thing since I'm on such a roll and who wants to break a streak right?  On the other hand the need to go where I want and when I want is weighing heavily on me.  Our Governor does not have the power to issue such an order yet we are being good citizens and adhering to those orders.  I believe the boiling point will happen as we get closer to Memorial Day.  We'll just have to wait and see.

I just finished up researching and existing account to see if I could launch a $20K opportunity.  Of course I did the math, figured the saving and then presented those savings via email a few minutes ago.  Did I state a monthly savings?  Hell no, I will always quote a yearly savings. Which sounds better $300 a month or more than $3,500 per year?  Yup, the annual is always better received. Thus I sent that email at 9PM tonight.

No orders today, no clients meetings today and one opportunity created for a pre-owned wide format.  Prospecting and follow up with peeps in my funnel was the focus. I was able to follow up with 6 prospects which generated nothing by the end of today.  Thinking I made a dozen calls and a dozen emails also.  

What was cool today is that I was trying to make some additional connections today via Linkedin today.  I was able to obtain a first level connection with a CEO of a technology company that caters to the healthcare market place.  Since we are both in the same space and both have healthcare accounts I decided to see if I could help his company.  My inmail stated that we both sell in the healthcare market, however I do not sell what he sells which is EMR software.  I would be more than happy to refer his company to my clients.  That's what triggered the connection.  Another inmail from me asked who would be the right person to speak with at his company.  Another reply came in a matter of minutes and we're on solid ground.  Now the fun begins because as I speak to my clients I will ask them who they are using for their EMR and if they are happy.  Of course the ones that aren't is a lead.  Sometimes you need to give in order to receive. Of course after I've proved my worthiness I will look to see if they can reciprocate.  

I've believe I have two meetings on tap for tomorrow one with an existing client and the other is an internal training meeting.  I'll be prepping first thing in the AM for my 10AM meeting and I'm hoping that will result in another order for this week.

Other wise another day of prospecting and trying to get some net new prospects on my funnel pad.

The quote I used for the picture is from General George Patton. We've all probably seen the movie, and I thought the quote was appropriate for what we're all experiencing these days.

-=Good Selling-=

Great stuff on inventory management from one of our Print4Pay Hotel sponsors