MFP Copier Blog

I had this short chat with my VP of Sales today.  I exhausted my pipeline in recent months, not as much time to prospect during that time.  Put the foot on the pedal this week with almost 70 calls, and 40 plus emails. Resulting in 10 appointments and 3 opportunities for about $50K.  Need to do the same for the next 3 weeks!  Enjoy these awesome threads from 15 years ago this week!

How was your day today? I hear that quite a bit.  One question that I'll ask other reps is "What type of day is it today", the usual response is something about the weather.  Mine is it's a great day to sell something!"  Enjoy these awesome threads from ten years ago this week in the copier industry!

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Silent

Chantilly, VA — October 3, 2019 — Contex, the world leader in large format scanning, today announces that the new 42-inch scanner has outsold all other models in the HD Ultra X series.

The new series, which boasts unparalleled technological advancements, is outpacing sales expectations, while garnering rave reviews from the scanning community. Of the three available widths in the series, 36-, 42-, and 60-inches, the 42-inch model is the most popular to date.

“The HD Ultra X scanner series is proving to be one of our most successful scanner series in Contex’s history, and much like the 36- and 60-inch models, sales for the 42-inch has exceeded our expectations,” comments Steve Blanken, General Manager, Contex Americas. “Many customers are choosing the 42-inch scanner because its width is well-suited for a variety of applications, but the scanner is in close competition with the other models in the HD Ultra X series.”

Reprographic shops, museums, government agencies, among others, use the HD Ultra X scanner to capture an array of large format documents such as CAD and engineering drawings, artwork, maps, and more. The HD Ultra X boasts numerous technological advancements that have set a new standard in large format scanning. For example, its unprecedented scanning speed of 17.8 ips and productivity boosters dramatically reduce production time. Customers also appreciate the true size detection and instant-ON capabilities, as well as its throttle buffer control, which eliminates scanner pauses. This allows operators to continuously feed documents without waiting for scanned data to be processed.

For more information, visit a Contex distributor, or contact info@contex.com.

About Contex

As the world’s leading developer and producer of large format imaging solutions, Contex leads the market with innovative technology and advanced scan and copy software applications. Sold worldwide in more than 100 countries, Contex solutions are recognized in a wide range of industries for reliability, value, high performance, and superb image quality. For more information, please visit www.contex.com.

Not a lot of time here this AM,  I'll be posted this as a delayed thread.  Ricoh Pro C7100 launched 5 years ago. Where does the time go?  Sharp dealer meeting this week, should be good to hear from P4P peeps during and after the event.

Enjoy these awesome threads from 5 years ago this week!

Konica Minolta South Africa's Steyn dubbed top African sales performer

I've used the hashtag of #followprintmigration for sometime now.  I don't have any facts or statements, I just know what I see.  Last weekend the wife and I spent a few days in Wildwood, NJ for a much needed getaway.  The main purpose of the trip was to attend the North America Sea Glass festival. 

Many artists from the east coast were to there to display and sell their creations.  So what did I notice?  Branding, branding and more branding from the artists with their creations.  I noticed three artists that completed your purchase with a brown craft bag and on each bag was a colorful branding label.

While at another booth I noticed that each of the plastic bags that contained assorted sea glass was adorned with a color label.  For the two day event I can only guess at the number of labels that were used for that one show.

While traveling home we stopped at Smithville, which is a re-creation of historic buildings that are now a combination of shops and boutiques that attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year.

My favorite shop is the one that sells all different types of nut spreads. I was tempted to get the sunflower spread but opted for the cashew instead.  Every single jar of spread had a color label, on some of the larger jars there were two or more.  Let's see, open every day all year, tens of thousands of visitors, well that adds up to a crap load of color labels for the one store.

Yes there is a reduction of print happening in the office. But if I was a dealer principal in the business of putting ink or toner on paper don't I owe to myself to expand my services?  The market is huge for digital label presses and there are more opportunities for net new clients than you can shake a stick at.  Think about this the next time you make a purchase and take a look at all of the ink and toner!

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? 

Layout   The drawing or sketch of a proposed design.
Legging   The stringing out of a pressure sensitive adhesive which frequently occurs following die-cutting when the matrix or waste
skeleton is being stripped.
Letterpress  Printing process which employs a relief or raised inked image which comes into direct contact with the material being printed. Hard relief plates and oil base inks are used.
Leuco   Dyes Used in the manufacture of some grades of IR, direct thermal papers.
Lexan    General Electric Company's trademark for polycarbonate film.
Lifting    Defect where label exhibits some degree of lifting from the applied surface.
Light Pen   A hand-held scanning wand which is used as a contact bar code reader.
Line and Screen  Any reproduction of line and single or multiple screenwork not utilizing the combination of the three primary colors. Any number of colors can be utilized.
Line Width Reduction    Degree of gain allowed for when making up bar code films.
Lithographic Paper    A paper coated on at least one side, suitably prepared for lithographic printing.
Logo    The abbreviation of trade jargon for logotype. Name, symbol or mark to identify a company (trademark).
Loss of Tack    The adhesive loses its adhesion properties; does not grab as well as it should.
Luminescent Pigments   Special pigments available to produce striking effects in the dark. Basically there are two types; one is activated by ultraviolet
radiation, producing very strong luminescence. The second is known as phosphorescent pigments, it does not require any separate source of radiation.
M    Abbreviation for a quantity of 1,000.
Machine Direction    The direction of any material parallel to its forward movement on the press.
Magenta    A subtractive primary color which relfects blue and red light and absorbs green light.
Magnetic Cylinder   A cylinder used in die-cutting that is magnetized to accept and hold in place flexible steel dies. Also used for metal-backed printing plates.
Magnetic Dies   A thin, flexible, steel 'foil' bearing the actual die-cutting blades that is held on to a base cylinder magnetically. Quite common in EDP label production where identical repeats are frequently used.
Make and Hold  Material that has been manufactured and is being helf for customer release.
Makeready   On printing presses, all operations prior to running; such as mounting plates, adjusting the in-feed, edge guide, putting ink in
the fountain, adjusting the impression, setting up the die-cutting, color matching, etc. All preparatory operations preceding production.
Marking Order    Any order which cannot be filled from stock and is to be made according to purchaser's specifications; custom order.
Mandrel   A shaft upon which cylinders, or other devices, are mounted or affixed. Also unwind or rewind shaft on to which rolls of
materials (or labels) are mounted.
Manila    Describes the color of paper manufactured from rope stocks.
Masking    Covering part of a surface to protect it from exposing, etching, etc.
Master Roll    A full width roll that has finished the primary manufacturing process and is usually untrimmed and unslit.
Material    Usually refers to unconverted stock, pressure sensitive or not.
Material Splice   An area where tape has been used to attach two rolls of material together to form one continuous web.
Matrix (Waste Skeleton)    The face material and adhesive surrounding a self-adhesive label usually removed after die-cutting.
Matte Finish    A low-floss or no-gloss finish. A UV-curable clear coat may also be used to produce a matte or textured finish.
Mechanical    Term for a camera-ready pasteup of artwork including type, photos, line art, etc.; all on one piece of artboard.
Membrane Switch   Self-contained sealed film lamination printed with conductive inks that form trace paths for electrical currents. Primarily
composed of pressure sensitive polycarbonate and/or polyester films designed to replace traditional glass-type switches.
Memory   The property of a material that attempts to return it to its original configuration after being distorted.
Metal Foil   Thin, flexible layer of metal, such as aluminum, used as face materials. Thinner gauges are often laminated to paper for strength.
Metalized Film    A plastic or resinous film that has been coated on one side with a very thin layer of metal.
Metalized Paper    A label substrate consisting of a lacquered C1S paper on which a very thin film of aluminum has been deposited.
Metalizing   Applying a thin coating of metal to a non-metallic surface. May be done by chemical desposition or by exposing the surface to varporized metal in a vacuum chamber.
Meyer Rod   A method of coating utilizing a wire wrapped stainless steel rod which meters specific amounts of coating as it is applied to a
substrate.
Mezzotint    An irregular, random dot halftone.
MICR    Magnetic Ink Character Recognition. The process of machine reading characters by means of magnetic sensing.
Micrometer    A mechanical device for measuring thickness (usually in thousands of an inch).
Micron A    unit of measure. One-millionth of a meter or about .00004" (25 microns = 0.001").

-=Good Selling=-

The last four weeks have been a bit challenging. Although I’m ahead of quota for the year, the final quarter hasn't started as smoothly as I hoped.

Things were going well until a handful of deals stalled, and I lost a few. Yes, I lose too, but I believe that losing is part of winning. However, when I took a long look at my funnel, I thought, What happened? The truth is, I had been fortunate to close many orders over the last two months. Between appointments, chasing documents, phone calls, follow-ups, and emails, prospecting fell by the wayside. I didn’t have the extra time to make the calls and visits necessary to keep my funnel full.

While I still have several opportunities pending, some are going nowhere, others are stalled, and the future pipeline doesn't look as promising as it should. So, I knew I had to bring the future to the present, as Ray Stasieczko would say.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. It was time to pick up the phone and make things happen—waiting around wasn’t an option.

Last week, I recalled a key piece of advice from our Director of Sales Enablement. It’s funny how we sometimes forget the basics that got us where we are. That one tip was to ask for referrals—something I learned a long time ago but hadn’t used in years.

So, last week I started asking. I didn’t do it in every call, but I mentioned it about 75% of the time.

I remember one call in particular to an existing account. The principal wasn’t in—he was on vacation—so I left a brief message with the receptionist and said I’d follow up via email. But instead of emailing, I opted for LinkedIn InMail, reasoning that his inbox would be flooded, and my message might get lost. LinkedIn, on the other hand, would send him an alert.

My message was simple:
"Hi Bob, it’s been over a year since we last spoke. How’s the wide format working out? Any questions, issues, or anything that needs to be addressed? By the way, do you happen to know anyone who might be interested in a wide format like yours?"

Today, I got a call on my cell from an unknown number. It turned out to be a business acquaintance of Bob, the principal I messaged last week. He’s interested in a new wide format and a color MFP! We scheduled a meeting for later this week—a solid pipeline addition.

The takeaway? As long as you're working hard, you never know what tomorrow will bring. And I’m grateful our Director of Sales Enablement kept pushing that button.

-=Good Selling=-

Innovation is a change in the process. It happens when innovators change the means to the desired outcome. Nearly all disruptive platforms are a result of outsiders taking advantage of the insider's complacency and stubbornness. 

Imaging Channel leaders, it is now time to bring in outsiders and work with new human capital bringing new ideas and the talents to execute. The channel's commonality in human capital is killing the channel from within. There are too many fighting the insecure future behind shields of compliancy. Nothing is changing, and very few are moving the needle to innovative change.

Why does the imaging channel continue to merely rotate its talent? Or, how does a Private Equity roll up change the game by providing money to those owners or executives who still play by yesterday's rules? The digital world is swallowing all the once grandiose attributes of the channel's past deliverables, and very few are responding to the impending doom. I believe the complacency is a result of unawareness to what things could be, based on what things should be, and what things should be is recognized when the realities of the market are observed through open, and different mindsets.

The industry is still fighting as an example, e-commerce, and has an obsession with walking away from all transactional business opportunities. I believe those two things are tightly connected. The leaders inside the Imaging Channel are, for the most part, a collection of push economy collaborators. From the manufacturers pushing products to the dealers, and the dealers pushing products to the end-users. The functionality of the model is 100% product-based and is ignoring actual customer needs. The channel must end its product-centric thinking and actions.

Today's buyers are not looking for product pushers; they instead are looking to pull solutions to themselves. Many in the industry believe they have control over the buyer if they control how the buyer buys. The problem with this strategy. Is that buyers are continually searching for better ways to accomplish both the means to and their desired outcomes, and innovators are welcoming the searchers by providing better experiences. Many times, these better experiences are based on the innovator delivering a different means to that customer's desired outcome. Innovation is nearly always process based. it's not about getting new products, as much as it's about the how, or the process used allowing them to achieve their desires.

My friends, it's the time for the Imaging Channel to answer some questions, and when finished a more critical exercise, is to decide when the channels customers will begin asking these same questions? Or, face the reality that many have already started asking.

What is the imaging Channel doing to end product-centric leadership? 

What is the Imaging Channel doing to diversify its mindset? 

When is the Imaging Channel going to stop investing to save yesterday and instead invest in creating tomorrow? 

When will the Imaging Channel's customers be presented alternatives outside the channel's current processes? 

When will A4 replace the majority of the oversold A3's and will the channel's current providers do that, or will that disruption come from outside?

Here's my solution to enable the channel to deliver the future to the present. I challenge the channel's leaders to open new doors and find some new mindset; mindsets to help those stuck in what was once relevant. 

What if the Imaging Channel recruited senior executives from Google, Facebook, Netflix, Pay-Pal, and of course, our friends at Amazon? 

The changes in consumer habits are passing the skills of many in control of the Imaging Channel's deliverable. If the industry continues to look as they always have in the places they always went, they will only re-discover what they already know and one day soon what they already know won't matter.

Experts from the organizations I mentioned above could teach the channel the new realities to consumer behaviors — everything from the power of digital information, subscription selling, the facts to e-commerce benefits to bottom lines, alternatives to outdated leasing models, distribution enhancements, 21st-century marketing and, of course along the way. The channel will discover what has been hidden from them because they never looked in new places. That discovery will give birth to a new relevance. 

Collaborating to change the game takes both imagination and persistence.

Changing the game in declining industries is much easier by collaborating with expanding industries.

Anyone can continue buying yesterday. It's time the industry steps up and invests in tomorrow. Remember, those who believe that collaboration is a group of like minded thinkers will be out thought by those who can disrupt themselves with different mindsets. The Imaging Channel must end its obsession to put be comfortable before being relevant.

 "A company becomes obsolete when they focus on delivering the past to the future instead of delivering the future to the present."   

 "Status Quo is the Killer of all that will be invented."

 Ray Stasieczko

Join me at BTA West I will be speaking on the A4 revolution and its impacts on the channel https://www.bta.org/page/West19

Send invite if you wish to connect on Linkedin