I was surprised when I saw this video on my facebook feed early today. As you know I'm a big fan of @Ray Stasiezcko, and post his content on a regular basis. My main reason for that is Ray preaches change and gives is insights on a regular basis that we can't become irrelevant in our industry!
Ray thanx so much for posting this it makes all of hard work worth it!
Thanx to those Print4Pay Hotel members for email me these quotes and proposals. I really enjoy evaluated these because they can give me a picture of what the competition may be doing with hardware and service pricing. I'll even go as far calculating what the average cost per page is for black and color.
In most cases there's not that much I can do with my the published cost per page. However if you think out of the box and add some creativity you can alter your cost per page in competitive cost per page opportunities.
One of the ways to lower the cost per page would be to buy it down. If you'd like to know more about buying down the service cost per page shoot me an email and I can explain.
One other item, if you have any proposals and quotes that you would like to share I can comp you a one month Premium/VIP for each one. Of course all of the information would be redacted (if you want). Believe it or not some don't want it redacted because it's more like a badge of honor when you win the order and get a copy of the other quote. Shoot me an email if interested apost@p4photel.com
Enjoy
Ricoh IM C2000 & Ricoh MP C307 pricing additional
Ricoh IM C3500 pricing proposal
Multiple Canon MFP's with papercut 40 devices
Ricoh IM C2000 & Ricoh MP C307 pricing
Ricoh Pro C7200e Graphic Arts Edition
-=Good Selling=-
I caught one of Ray's video last week and I was surprised when Ray made mention of his copier career. Yup, Ray also slung copiers just like most of us. I reached out to Ray a few days ago and asked if he'd like to be give us some insight as to what it was like to sell copiers in the eighties.
Ray, what year did you start in the industry, what company and what position did you start out with? 1989
Did you work for a dealer or direct ? I worked for Lanier Worldwide Tampa Office.
What was the percentage of copier sales people that made it past two years? 10-15%
What did you like the most about your job in the eighties? Really the 90’s but still 30 years ago. It was a great experience learning how to sell. Lanier was a world class operation and had the industry’s best training in those days. The comradery and the fun of business was awesome.
What did you dislike the most about your job in the eighties? I really liked the job, as all jobs sometimes the people can be challenging to one’s happiness. One of the greatest things in those days was that many prospects did not have copiers. I remember selling a lot of gas stations copiers with coin ops.
What was the compensation plan like, was there a salary, what is just commissions or was there a mix of salary and commissions? $2,000.00 a month all draw and if you went two months in the hole your draw was eliminated until recovered.
How did you go about finding new business, and what was your favorite of those methods and why? Knocked on doors and looked through newspaper for new business licenses. I loved cold calling that’s what we did most of the time in those days.
What was the first sales book that you read that and what did you take away from it? Tom Hopkins “How to Master the Art of Selling.” Lanier made that book part of their training on day one.
What type of car did you use for your demonstrations and how many demonstrations would you perform in a week? A Chevy mini cargo van it held two coffin carts so I could leave the office with two machines and come back with none.
The demo! Yes, we did Demos and lots of them. Every successful sales rep knew that it took twenty cold calls a day and ten demos a week just to survive. It was the copier industry that came up with the saying “if you show it, you will sell it.” With a loaded van, you headed out to your geographical territory, and keep in mind we used paper maps to navigate around neighborhoods, looking for that lonely church. We all knew churches ran tons of bulletins. Every time you drove by church, you could practically hear the sounds of clicks. More clicks equaled more money. Once we found a prospect (basically was everyone in the world), we would sell the demo.
Can you tell us a couple of funny story about selling copiers?
The craziest demo I ever did… Tony the Crab salesman had a van on a street corner. The kind of street corner where you wouldn’t want to even think about buying a crap from the back of a van. Although buying crab wasn’t the goal. Selling Tony a miniature Crab Flyer printing press was.
Remember, before you could sell Tony the copier, you had to show Tony the copier. This is the sole reason all successful copier reps carried long extension cords. Yes, Tony may have had no power in the crab van, but the gas station parking lot Tony called his storefront did. Once the cord was plugged into the lonely outlet in the men’s room with no door, it was time to start making copies.
I know everyone is asking themselves - what the hell does a Crab Sales Guy makes copies of? You may have guessed, of course - it would be one of the crabs. So as I began my pitch that included explaining how every crab vendor should have flyers, and why outsource that, I quickly grabbed a big blue crab from the cooler in Tony’s van (it smelled like shrimp to me), and I immediately set the crab on the glass and hit the big green button. Out came a picture of the blue crab, well it wasn’t blue - color capabilities were not available yet - but once Tony saw the crab printed on that sheet of paper he was sold.
What happened next is something all copier reps face occasionally. You may have guessed, he couldn’t get approved for the 5 year lease. He was able to muster up enough cash and of course a few crabs for trade, so Tony quickly became the proud owner of a slightly used machine, the one that had been rolling around in the back of my van for months.
So when I think back on those good old days, I ask myself what Tony would think today. He more than likely went paperless, has a Facebook page, his van is probably in a junk yard, and Uber drivers deliver his crabs. Yes, I am also quite sure Tony has a crab app.
What is the biggest problem you seeing facing the industry today? The reality that over 80% of the market is vulnerable to innovative disruption. A4, lowering volumes, and new challengers will cause disruption.
If you had to would you do it all over again, if so, what would you change? I would say that doing it all over again in these times would not replicate anything of the past. However, I would do it all over again regarding the education, and excitement of an evolving industry.
What’s the one piece of knowledge that you’d like to share with reps entering our industry? The advice a district manager told me. Gary Moore, said “When you are successful selling copiers in your future you will not need to interview for a job, you will interview a company and decide if you will work there.” Rest in Peace Gary.
If you'd like to know more about Ray, you can get his bio on Linkedin. I would also suggest that you follow Ray because he posts excellent content and is also a regular posted on our site. Thanx for this Ray!
-=Good Selling=-
I think I've got 15 or so quotes under my belt now for Perfect Copier web quoting tool. Everyday I use it means another day of falling in love with.....the web quoting tool.
I'll keep brand names out of this, but I can't stand the pricing tool that I use. It's cumbersome, hard to read, if you move the mouse the wrong way you'll screw yourself. The list goes on and on. When you're all done then it's time for populating the proposal, which is another real drag.
I'm including a link for everyone below. Jesse sent this to me a so that I could review on my own time and learn some of the new features. If you have the time, check it out, you'll be glad you did. If you're interesting in Prefect Copier, please email Jesse or follow this link. Make sure you tell him that you read this blog for the special Print4Pay Hotel experience!
-=Good Selling=-
“The heart of the leader is manifested through service to others.”
Artika Tyner
How often do you hear the key to success is customer service, yet this is one of the greatest struggles for many in sales?
I have a solution, but it requires more than a change of focus, it requires a change in purpose. The key driver to great customer service is to become a servant.
A sales servant is more than a visionary word change, it's a mindset and belief change. It's based on the purpose to serve versus reactive customer service. To become a servant YOU must change your mindset, discipline and heart.
"Actions speak louder than words when speaking from the heart"
True leadership is the ability to affect change and influence your clients, helping them to do better business. As the coach, you need a game plan; just as a general needs a plan of attack or someone running for office needs a platform. A true professional brings a proactive thought process to how they lead themselves.
One of the most influential people in the history of mankind, once said, “Whoever wants to be great among you must become a servant.” – Jesus of Nazareth
This perspective, however, smacks many in the face of how most people tend to live their lives. Most people don’t want to serve. They would much prefer to be served.
If you want to be 'great', if you want to be 'successful', learn to become a servant. Stop selling…Start serving... Start by leading yourself.
I wholeheartedly believe:
“Great reward is earned through the genuine mindset to serve”
There's a massive difference between being a vendor who takes orders and being viewed as someone who brings value.
Do you view and treat your customers as customers or clients?
A vendor or customer mindset defaults to a defensive or reactive position. Many miss opportunities to help increase value by being able to build a dependable and mutually profitable relationship.
Adopting a servant leadership mindset takes a conscious effort by learning and committing to develop self-effectiveness.
Those who lead with the heart help their clients discover how to make decisions and manage possible change by using their own values.
Sales rep who lead with the heart are avid listeners of the... Selling From The Heart Podcast
Those who lead with the heart seek out authentic and genuine ways to continually serve those that mean the most to them, their clients!
A Servant Mindset Is Rocket Fuel For Sales Growth
You must put your client's perspectives and needs far ahead of your own agenda, in order to give yourself any chance. Putting them first, it's not complicated. It's about making them feel important and valued. If they need help, there should be absolutely no hesitation. If there's a question, every effort should be made to answer it. If there's a complaint, every effort should be made to rectify the problem immediately. Client satisfaction should be at the forefront in any reasonable situation.
Instead of worrying about being interesting, we need to first be interested. Develop empathy for your clients. Start to gain an understanding of what motivates them and how this can align to what you can deliver.
Remember, you're in the outcome business. What memories and experiences are you delivering?
Your clients come first, no matter what, no ifs ands or buts! This is the only way of doing business and living the sales life. If you take care of your clients, they'll take care of you.
Listen closely to your clients. Seek to understand their needs, concerns, desires, issues, challenges and current initiatives. A sales rep sells products, a true professional sells a solution to the problem.
By seeking first to understand, you can turn a transactional opportunity into a transformational opportunity. Position yourself on the same side of the table looking at the problem instead of staying on opposite sides of the table staring at each other.
If you truly want to get to know your clients, you must take the sales hat off, roll up your sleeves and engage in healthy conversation.
Here lies a concern...
How many in sales are having meaningful conversations with their clients outside of the selling process?
The best of the best know how to bring conversation out in the open. It's about uncovering the conversation your client is having with themselves. This enables open and honest communication to what's really going on providing the freedom to engage in a mutually beneficial relationship.
If your client's don't feel like they're being heard or understood, they may withhold critical information as to where they really are within their buying decision, which may diminish or eliminate your ability to impact the outcome.
Develop conversations, not sales campaigns. It is not about your agenda, it is about opening up a human to human conversation. It is not about you it is about helping them. Develop a sincere desire and demonstrate you're interested in their world and what motivates them.
They can smell insincerity and commission breath a mile away!
In a business world where many in sales are viewed upon with negativity, an authentic, real-deal approach is a breath of fresh air. It may result in losing a few battles but those who put their hearts and clients first are guaranteed to win the war.
Whoever wants to become a sales professional must become a SERVANT!
I understand and I get it. I get where you all are coming from. Every day, I walk in your shoes. I'm fully committed to helping your sales team integrate social aspects through the eyes of a practitioner 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.
I encourage you to find out more about 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.
It's late on Friday night, and for most, their work is over for the week. For me, I need to do updates, and frankly, I've been lagging in my blogging lately. It's not because I don't want to write; it's mainly because nothing has triggered me to write. Nothing unusual in sales, nothing unusual in the field, and I've had my nose to the grindstone looking to hit numbers.
Until tonight, when I needed to post my series, "This Week in the Copier Industry 15 Years Ago this Week." The nice thing about this site is that you can select the advanced search button (see below) and search through tens of thousands of threads about the copier industry since 2003.
You click the Advanced Search and you'll come up to the se3arch menu (see below) or the link I created.
It's a really nice search tool, and you have the ability to filter for forums, blogs, chats, photos, videos—you name it, it's there.
Right, back to what I wanted to write about. It was this week 15 years ago when Ricoh launched the famous Ricoh MP 240W digital wide-format copier/printer/scanner. I wanted to reach back and write about what it was like in those glory days of wide format. BTW, it's famous because it ROCKED!
It was a fantastic time for me in sales. I guess I was at the right spot at the right time, similar to when Minolta launched the Minolta 450Z copy machine back in 1984.
The picture above illustrates the 240W along with the plot server software that was required to run on a standalone PC. No software meant no print or scan, just a wide-format copier that could reduce or enlarge. Thinking back, about 90% of placements included the PC and the software.
Ricoh broke the bank with the MP 240W in 2004. There was no other digital wide format like it that could print, scan, and copy for the price. Many architects, engineers, and construction companies were farming out prints and scans to repro shops and Staples for $0.50-$1.00 per square foot. It didn't take that many prints to cost justify the 240W at MSRP. Selling at MSRP would net you about $8-$9K in GP, and the commissions were 50% of the GP. It was not uncommon to take home $10-$14K a month.
Having a product as unique as the 240W made a heck of a lot of sense to go and knock on as many doors as possible. In most cases, you were welcomed with open arms because the news was spreading about the price and the feature set of the 240W.
There was no haggling on price. Well, okay, there might have been when we were up against Ricoh Direct. But if Ricoh Direct was not in, then our price was our price. If the buyer was not interested, it would only be a few days before we turned up additional prospects.
We were fortunate at the dealer I worked for back in 2004. Prior to taking on Ricoh in the mid-nineties, we were also a dealer for Xerox wide-format analog copiers. I came on board in mid-1998 when we had just switched to Ricoh, and we were placing the FW 740, 750, and 760 analog Ricoh wide-format copiers.
Yup, from 2004-2006, we had that market controlled before Xerox launched their first digital wide format. Believe it or not, we even delivered the 240Ws for on-site demonstrations. We sold every one we demoed!
There were some growing pains with understanding the AEC market, but Ricoh had some excellent DSMs and product trainers that gave us the basics. We pounded them out left and right, and all were single placements, all had high GP, and we gained many new accounts. Gaining those new accounts also gave us opportunities to place digital copiers.
After 15 years, we still have a few in the field. Hard to believe, right? Like I said, Ricoh hit a home run with the print engine and the compact size of the device.
Yes, those were the days!
-=Good Selling=-
It was 15 years ago this week when Ricoh launched the MP 240W digital wide format printer/copier/scanner. It was a fantastic time for me in sales. I guess I was at the right spot at the right time. Similar to when Minolta launched the Minolta 450Z copy machine back in 1984.
Ricoh broke the bank with the MP 240W in 2004. There was no other digital wide format like it that could print/scan and copy for the price. Many Architects, Engineers and Construction companies were farming out prints and scans to repro shops, and Staples for .50 -1.00 per square foot. It didn't take that many prints to cost justify the 240W at MSRP. Selling at MSRP would net you about $8-$9K in GP and the commissions were 50% of the GP. It was not uncommon to take home $12-$16K per month.
Yup, we had that market controlled for about two years before Xerox launched their first digital wide format. Believe it or not we even delivered the 240Ws for on-site demonstrations. We sold everyone we demo'd!
There were some growing pains with understanding the AEC market, but Ricoh had some excellent DSM's, and product trainers that gave us the basics. We pounded them out left and right and all were single placements, all had high GP and we gained mega new accounts. Gaining those new accounts also gave us opportunities to place digital copiers.
After 15 years, we still have a few in the field. Hard to believe right? Like I said Ricoh hit a home run with the print engine, and the compact size of the device.
Enjoy these awesome threads from 15 years ago this week!
UMP WHAT IT DOES It designs, manufactures and markets products and services for people with insulin-dependent diabetes. (number of employees: 288) NEWLY PUBLIC 05-29-2004—Completed its initial public offering (IPO) OPPORTUNITIES company expected to make purchases to support... - sales and marketing - research and development - expansion into international markets - working capital - general corporate purposes potential opportunity to provideWhat's so special about June? Well, the end of June marks the half way point in most of our calendars for sales. Where are you with your goals, and your quota. The end of the year is now a mere 180 days away. Extra hard prospecting now will fill your funnel for the remainder of the year.
Access to this requires a premium membership.
A Premium Membership can carry you to the top of the sales ladder!
Premium Membership Includes:
Follow the link on the forums to get your Premium Membership. If you're interested in a lifetime membership please send me an email arthurkpost@gmail.com and we'll send you a pay pal invoice of $399 of a LIFETIME Print4Pay Hotel membership.
