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I recently attended a webinar where the scariest thing was what was not said. The webinar was discussing the Imaging Channel; it included a recap of a survey given to dealer owners. The dealers answered the survey in a most disturbing way which no one is questioning, so I will.  

The survey determined that only 4% of dealers were concerned about A4 equipment which could easily replace the oversold A3's in 80-85% of the Imaging Channel's Customers. It appears the Imaging Channel is conceding this massive A4 opportunity to another channel.

But wait. 

The next disturbing statistic was that over 90% of surveyed dealers aren't concerned about any challenges coming from outside the channel. 

So, here's how industry disasters happen. When an industry is not concerned with providing its customers with what they need and doesn't see anyone coming to challenge them, this stubbornness is the invitation the challenger was waiting on. Innovators attack as a legacy product-centric industry focuses on its products. The innovator's weapon is selling based on customer needs. Innovators build platforms and processes to sell customers what they need. Innovators look for what the old-way is missing or refuses to admit, and they seize the opportunity. 

The industry must take bold action to change the way it markets to end-users. The data on print volumes along with the collapse of the two largest acquisition strategies (Ricoh, and Xerox Global) should in-fact wake up the entire channel that diversification in your acquisition strategy is a must. Dealers have to stop buying declining revenue and calling it growth.  

The cross-channel acquisition between DEX and Staples will definitely play by new rules and should open new thoughts to acquisition strategies.

Change starts by listening to the DATA. 

The data on overselling A3 is readily available, the data on overstaffed service departments, the data on massive amounts of obsolete parts, the data on the growth of A4 and ironically. The A4 growth is coming as the dealers and most manufacturers impede it. 

If dealers used the data available and managed from it instead of trying to fit old processes into manipulated data, they would reinvent what they then can benchmark. Every dealer should question the experts who are telling them that anything resembling the way it used to be is OK. Obviously, it's Far from OK. Just ask Xerox/Global, and Ricoh. 

BEI Services has the data to help dealers manage to the realities of the market. All print service organizations should understand what the equipment in the field is telling them over what the cheerleaders for the status quo are telling them. It seems many in the channel are telling people what they want to hear over what they need to hear.  

Those in the Imaging Channel who understand the problems it faces must stop sitting in silence and start building customer-centric business models based on market realities. There is much to do and many changes to come. Procrastination is not an option anymore.   

It's time for the industry to stop patting each other on the back regarding yesterday and instead kick each other in the ass and create tomorrow, it's time go to where the market is going and get there before the innovators do. The industry's re-invention starts when more get involved and are willing to challenge the way it was and create the way it should be.  

The customer-centric innovator will take many great relationships as they deliver a better experience. The question is; can the current Imaging Channels' actors be the innovator?  

My friends those two statistics from that survey are indeed a mammoth threat to the Imaging Channel.

To recap 

1)  The channel is not concerned about the A4 movement and the tremendous shifts it will cause to the print services deliverable. 

2)  The Channel does not see any competitive threats from cross-channel players  

The first step to eliminate these two threats is to accept the realities they are threats.  

I look forward to sharing more on this in my session at ITEX. 

“Status Quo is the killer of all that will be invented. Don’t get stuck in Status Quo.”

Ray Stasieczko

Fifteen years ago, the BIG news was the Ricoh acquisition of Hitachi Printing Systems.  Fifteen years later I vaguely remember those print systems.  All I can remember is that there were huge, fast and durable.  It's stated that they acquisition started Ricoh on the road to thier production print models.

Enjoy the awesome threads from 15 years ago this week!

There's a nice write up below with comments about the 2008 Ricoh dealer event. Even in 2009 "industry change" was on everyone's mind.  Just goes to show you that time does not stand still, and everything changes Please take the time to read the comments from Old Glory, IT Dude, and GMAN (all stilll current P4P members).

Enjoy these threads from ten years ago this week!

Apologies to everyone, it's been a week that I've never forget.  I've always lived by this motto "You never know what the tomorrow's will bring you".  Well an awesome tomorrow happened last week. You can read more about that with my recent blog or in the email newsletter for this week.

Enjoy these threads from 5 years ago this week!

Back in January of this year my wife asked me what I wanted for my Birthday which is Feb 7th (if anyone would like to send me a card or a gift) . I thought about many things and finally stated, "hey why don't you get me one of those Ancestry.com DNA tests?" My wife looked at me and with that look she gives me and said "really"?", "yes that's what I want" and with a nod of the head I knew that's what was coming for my birthday.

I wanted the ancestry.com because I was living in a foster home with my twin brother until we were three years old. I can still remember certain events from that age. What I remember the most is the time we were hustled in the car, driven down the NJ Turnpike and delivered to our new adopted parents.  I believed we asked, where we're going and was told that we're going to our new home.  My wife finds it hard to believe that I remember events from when I was three years old, I guess with an event like that it stays with you forever.

Thanks to God, we had wonderful, loving and supporting parents. God be good to the two of them (they passed many years ago), they were and still are my Mom & Dad.

Almost twenty years ago my twin bother passed away. Since that time, well let's say that I've felt alone in the world because I'm the only one left with my bloodline.  Sounds kinda crazy right.

Anyway back to the Ancestry test, I wanted that because I needed to know my ethnic background after 62 years> I was tired of thinking of myself as a basket baby and needed to know something about me.

A little over a year ago I was able to get my original birth certificate from the State of New Jersey. For years and years those records would not be released to adoptees.  However all of that changed and if you filled out a form and gave the state twenty-five bucks you could get one.  Mind you, that birth certificate could be redacted if the birth parents requested it.

I think it was eight months later that I received documents from the State, low and behold there were no redactions. Ya! I finally knew my birth name, first and last. My last name was Conti and my first name was "baby A". WTF!, "baby A", was that some kind of joke?  After a minutes of thinking, yeah that's probably right because the parents knew they were putting both of us up for adoption and my twin brother was probably "baby B". But I had something,  I had the names of my parents (first, and last) and also their age and birth locations.  However those data points has led me to dead ends trying to find out more about them. It was so exhausting that I just gave up.

Right, right, back to the Ancestry DNA. My wife had a small bet that I'm Italian, and I begged to differ and told her. "betcha it comes back as French".  After 5 weeks of waiting, checking the app, and waiting, I was notified my results were in!

Woohoo, the day has come. I was not shocked that my DNA showed 67% for Northern Italy, nor the 10% England, Wales, 7% French, 7% German, but how the heck did I get 1% Middle East?

Hey, I was happy, I finally knew my ethnicity. But there was a shocker with this news. My DNA test matched someone else, in fact it was so close that Ancestry labeled that person as an immediate family member. A grandparent, a sister or a brother. I knew grandparents there was no fraking way, but a sister or a brother are you for real?

Ancestry listed that person (to connect, kinda like and inmail with Linkedin) and it seems I have another Brother out in the world. In fact that brother is alive and well and living in the SouthWest USA. The name was there and a button to connect with that person through Ancestry. Yeah, I was floored, and I was hesitant at first. First thing I did was a google search with images and the first thing I see is a guy that does have a resemblance that has a full head of gray hair. Dang, I got a full head of hair also, but it's not all gray yet.

Thus, I clicked the connect button, shot off a short message with names of my birth parents.  Six or seven hours go by and I get a message back and he mentions that he too was adopted, lived in NJ, and mentioned some data points that he knew.  It wasn't long before we were sending messages. I checked out his facebook page and my wife and I were floored with the resemblance of the photo's. There was no doubt that he is my Brother.

He was just as shocked as I was, even his wife remarked about how much we looked alike. Dang, my twin brother and I looked almost nothing alike.

We've since chatted on the phone, exchanged some stories and data. On April 22nd I'm going to ITEX in Las Vegas, my brother lives in Phoenix, Arizona and will be making the drive to Vegas while I'm there. We'll meet and spend some time together. But above all he's not alone in this world anymore!  I guess making the decision to go to ITEX was a good one. My wife always tells me that things happen for a reason.

See you never know what the tomorrows will bring you!

-=Good Selling=-

I wrote and addition 3 blogs on this topic here

Yes, I created a new word. “Relationship-Less” As time moves along so must our thinking. We hear a lot about relationships and their importance in the sales process. I agree with that. However, I also caution those who believe that their success will hinge on only building 1990 style relationships. In these times we live relationships are modifying too.

Yesterday's relationship building as a must before selling. Is not the reality of many today's buyers. There are many things purchased every day both goods and services which are void relationships as defined in 1990. Today there are too many in sales who still believe that without a relationship they can’t provide the means to a prospects desired outcome. This misguided thinking is costing them business to the savvier sales organizations.

The disconnect, is based on what precisely defines a relationship with a buyer? The old school thinking will make it near impossible to face the realities of today’s buyer. Many buyers today see this obsession from sellers who must build relationships ahead of delivering as an aggravation, not a benefit. The old-way is pushing and the new buyer wants to pull.

Buyers and more of them every day want to pull to them want they need and then build a relationship. Quite frankly with the speed to action available through technology today. Buyers what to act, and buyers expect to be treated fairly and when they need assistance they expect cooperation as a way of doing business.

Buyers do not purchase relationships they buy desired outcomes. If the means to those outcomes fails the customer will replace them, and in reality, most of the replacements are with someone they do not have a relationship with.

Understanding the relationship required of the deliverable is essential. Times are changing, and it seems buyers are changing their buying habits quicker than sellers are changing their selling habits.

Selling must live in two worlds for those who provide both goods and services. These two worlds are re-shaping commerce across the globe. Understanding how to navigate between the Digital World and the Physical world is a must as this defines the new world of selling and the new world of relationships.

Today Customer Experience will win over Customer Relationships. Sellers cannot merely focus on relationship building or taking advantage of their relationships they must concentrate on giving the better experience and in 2019 and beyond that better experience might just be without a relationship as defined by 1990.

In Closing:

“You can be the vendor with the greatest relationships and lose to the innovator who delivers a better experience.”

If you wish to connect here on LinkedIn send me an invite be well.

Ray Stasieczko

CEO/TEASRA, The Innovation Channel

"Doubts in your mind are a much greater roadblock to success than obstacles on the journey"

Orrin Woodward

In society and especially within our business culture, an image of the heart is often associated with yielding kindness or weakness. However, the heart is strong and powerful, the driving force of life, one heartbeat at a time!

Your ability to succeed as a sales professional becomes crippled when there's an unbalanced connection with your heart. Embracing a heart-centered approach to sales rests with your ability to stop, look inward, and reflect upon the course of action you know is the right one, rather than succumbing to external pressures and misaligned sales tactics.

Our heart is the absolute key to our survival. Plain and simple, if our heart stops beating, we die. We know this, so we take good care of it. We exercise, we eat healthy and we try to avoid stress; all in the name of heart-health.

A BEATING HEART

Unfortunately, many sales organizations have become bottom line focused and results driven. They're looking outward as they're being led by their brain. Their core values have been thrown to the waste side as money and profit have become the driving force.

“If your goals aren’t synced with the substance of your heart, then achieving them won’t matter much.”

Danielle LaPorte

What we seem to have forgotten is in order for the brain to work we need a strong heart. When I look inside many sales organizations, often times I find an unhealthy heart where the sales reps values and beliefs are misaligned. Layer on top of this misaligned values in management and folks... this is a recipe for sales disaster.

REMOVE THE ROADBLOCKS

"Poor sales performance is due to an unhealthy sales lifestyle"

In a sales context, let's refer to the Merriam Webster definition... something that blocks progress or prevents accomplishment of an objective

What prevents many in sales from selling with their heart?

THEIR BIG FAT EGO

Heartfelt professionals check their ego at the door. Media and the movies portray salespeople as egomaniacs with slick-backed hair and a “do whatever it takes to close the sale” mentality. Doesn't this remind you of Glengarry Glen Ross? While there’s always some truth to stereotypes, the biggest exceptions to the rule lie within ourselves.

Ego plays a huge role in a sales success but it can also hinder one from sales growth.

In today's highly connected, digitally driven and socially empowered business world; highly assertive, a know-it-all mentality combined with super-charged egos will be the kiss of sales death.

"A huge ego is a sales growth buzz-kill"

Top performing sales professionals, the true superstars - sell from the heart, are the open-minded, curious, collaborative, vulnerable, open to learning and aim for partnerships when working with their clients. These sales professionals have humility and operate without any deception whatsoever. This is a direct conflict to the behavior of ego-driven salespeople.

VIEWING IT AS A SIGN OF WEAKNESS

Honoring your heart is not a sign of weakness. This especially holds true within the sales world. True power resides with listening to your 'gut' and finding it within your heart by making a commitment to clear all that stands in the way of a heartfelt connection.

Sharing your knowledge is not a sign of weakness. The focus must be placed on how you can help your clients and prospects. Share your knowledge, your insights and what you can do for others 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.

It takes strength, sales professionals who lead with their heart and not just their wallet are able to connect with the emotional needs of their clients and prospects. They understand people have the need to be valued, respected, heard and acknowledged. By acknowledging and not forgetting the human element, heart-centered professionals maintain the wisdom to positively transform their clients business by helping them to do better business, a profitable one.

FAILURE TO LISTEN

A heartfelt connection leads to a heartfelt conversation.

“We hear through our ears, but we listen through our minds.”

Something magical happens when sales reps set aside their "sales bravado" to become engaged in a real, genuine and heartfelt business conversation. Yes, this means placing your clients and prospects front and center in your conversation.

Are you sincerely listening without an agenda?

Leave your hidden agenda back at the office. With sincerity focus in and listen to your clients. Zero in on how you can best serve their hopes, dreams and goals. Zig Ziglar said it best, 

“You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.”

When you fail to listen with your heart this means you're not giving your full attention. You're failing to allow your clients and prospects to express their feelings, concerns and issues in a way that is heard and understood.

GET YOUR HEART IN YOUR CAREER

Placing your heart at the forefront is about opening the human door to connection, to serve, and to become vulnerable. It’s about showing up in a way that lifts the spirits of the people around you. It’s about the willingness to be real, relatable and authentic.

Bringing your heart to what you do makes for a deeper, richer experience which benefits both you, your clients and your prospects. I encourage all of you to step away from the armor and the sales facade. Create opportunities for in-depth relationships that can never be experienced hiding behind a “professional” sales mask.

A HEARTFELT SALES PROFESSIONAL

Sales professionals must learn to serve with their heart.

• Servants make themselves available to serve
• Servants pay attention to others needs
• Servants complete every task with equal dedication
• Servants become faithful and trustworthy
• Servants go beyond making their clients happy, it's their purpose

I challenge all of you in sales to find ways to do servant activities.

If you want to be 'great', if you want to be 'successful', learn to become a servant. Stop selling…Start serving... Start with your heart and lead yourself.

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 modern 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 and Kindle. 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 and on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.

If you're on Linkedin as much as I am, then you'll see dozens if not hundreds of people willing to entertain you with thier top secrets for sales success. 

One such linkedin thread yesterday inspired me to write about those top sales secrets.

I've been selling for copiers for almost forty years and another 2 for years with other sales positions. Over those years I can't remember one secret that I read from a so called sales guru that impacted my sales career. Yes, there have been some good tips but no secrets.

Becoming successful is the time and effort you put into to it. It also helps to have the desire, determination and dedication to succeed every day. The Three DDD's of selling is desire, determination and dedication.

Here's my top secret for sales success.

THERE IS NO SECRET!

There's no golden goose, no Midas touch, and no holy grail that will give you that immediate boost to sales success.

To be successful you'll need be a :

Work your ass off, that's right nothing is going to be handed to you on a silver platter. You'll need to put in mega hours if you want to be the best at what you do.  Ours is not a 9-5 job, rather it's working your tail off and putting the time in to be the best at what you do.

Never ever stop prospecting. Once you're in sales everywhere you go and everyone that you meet could present prospecting opportunities.  Even driving the highway can present you with new prospects. Spotting a company that you never knew existed or just reading commercial vehicles with thier corporate lettering can create opportunities.

Educate yourself, become the guru of your industry. Read your brochures, read your operators manuals, read your product guides and when you've finished all of them read them again. Know your products features, be able to tell your client the advantage of having that feature, then explain how your client will benefit from those features. FAB (features, advantages and benefits)

Put in your own words how one or many features of your product can improve the way they do business or how that feature can save time or reduce costs.

Be creative, just because everyone else did it that way doesn't mean you have to. It's okay to be different, people like different. Ask yourself, if I was a gatekeeper what would get my attention or why would I pass on the information you handed off to the powers to be. Then go out it try those methods, change them up and see what works best.

Become an excellent listener, it took me a long time to figure this out. For years I would do all the talking and push what I thought was right for the client. It wasn't until I became a better listener that I realized the clients would tell me what they wanted, how they wanted it and when they wanted it.

Keep in mind that if you're not working hard then someone else is going to ot work you!

-=Good Selling=-

BTW, there is nothing new in sales