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IT Security Concerns Spreading Quickly

The IT security arena has been tempestuous of late, to say the least, as hackers continue to pose a serious threat to healthcare organizations, consumers and public-sector agencies. Because of how quickly technology has progressed in the past few years - as well as the rapidity of adoption among companies of all industries and sizes - the fact that leaders are struggling to craft and execute an effective security program should not be all that surprising. 

Although much of the attention has been placed on entities covered by stringent regulatory compliance such as financial services firms and health care providers, others are increasingly under the gun to protect their data and systems from threats. Regardless of how sensitive decision-makers might believe their information to be, a data breach will almost always translate to disruption, financial loss and hurt reputations in the eyes of current and prospective clientele. 

More progressive strategies coupled with strong solutions, including email encryption and secure cloud services, can help to mitigate some of the more prevalent threats to corporate continuity, and should be used as soon as possible if enterprises want to avoid becoming the subject of the next major news headline. Manufacturers are among the most aggressive adopters of new technology, and fall into the category of firms that need to get moving on more advanced security strategies as a result. 

The brass tacks
Manufacturing.net recently explained some of the ways in which industry players can begin to improve their security performances, and affirmed that the time to do so is now given the rapidly rising costs of experiencing a major event. The source first cited a finding of a Ponemon Institute study that estimated the average damages of a breach to have increased by roughly 23 percent in the past two years to make it clear that the threat level is indeed high and rising. 

This wide-reaching report brings all industries into the equation, and there is no doubt that some of the more massive instances of attacks - including those that struck the retail and health care sectors - brought that average up. However, manufacturers and others are not necessarily saved from the brunt of the problem. According to the news provider, these firms need to become more focused upon comprehensive strategies that bring employee training, data management and system monitoring all under one umbrella. 

When security is comprehensive and streamlined, it will generally be more affordable to uphold strategies, and the actions involved will yield more heavily fortified defenses against virtually every type of threat. Manufacturing.net went on to explain that foresight is critical in this arena, as risk is evolving so quickly across the sector and outside of it, meaning that persistent evaluation, analysis and overhauls are necessary to make a difference in the war on cybercrime. 

Getting support
Many companies will struggle to get the right strategy in order and support it with adequate solutions, and this is largely the result of IT departments being stretched thin and expertise not being all that common therein. Managed service providers have become far more common in the security aspects of corporate management of late because of these shortfalls and setbacks, and should always be viewed as viable options to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of defense. 

Manufacturers and others that are looking to deploy more advanced IT frameworks in the coming years should consider leveraging the support of an MSP for secure cloud, email encryption and other aspects of protection, as investing more in defense can save them from serious headaches in the future. 

3 Simple Ways To Modernize Your Prospecting Efforts As A Copier Sales Rep

Last week, I touched upon 9 new school approaches to help copier sales reps prospect in all the right places

Ask any tenured copier sales rep and they will stress the importance of integrating effective prospecting techniques as part of their new business strategy. Seasoned copier sales reps can write novel’s with "cold calling" stories as they reminisce about the good ole days.

The good ole days are behind us. Times have changed and so has prospecting. Cold calling is not dead it is just different now. Why is this happening? Simply stated the buyer's journey has changed the way they interact with salespeople.

By 2018, 20% of B2B sales teams will go “virtual,” resulting in improved pipeline conversion rates. Buyers won’t talk to sales until late in the game…Enter the “virtual” sales rep. (IDC, December 2014)

67% of the buyer’s journey is now done digitally. (SiriusDecisions, July 2013)

In 2007 it took an average of 3.68 cold call attempts to reach a prospect. Today it takes 8 attempts. (TeleNet and Ovation Sales Group)

Only 2% of cold calls result in an appointment. Find new ways to reach decision-makers. (LeapJob)

There is a great study out by Richardson, inside the 2016 Selling Challenges Study; they surveyed more than 400 sales professionals and revealed the top three prospecting problems salespeople are grappling with today:

  1. Identifying triggers/sales signals that indicate issues you can resolve
  2. Identifying target accounts
  3. Qualifying prospects

This is 2016 and inside the copier channel, times have changed and so should your approach to business development.

Here Are 3 Simple Ways To Prospect As A Copier Sales Rep. Guess What? It Is Not As Hard As You Think!

1. Leverage the power of your network - Your network is your net worth and is bigger than you think but how do you tap into its power? I suggest starting with your current clients. Look for 5-6 people inside each account to connect with on LinkedIn. Your current clients hold the key to rapid introductions into the people they know. People love to help others because it feels good. You may be surprised as to whom within your network has connections that can help you. Look for relationships inside their social networks and ask for introductions.

People are more willing to spend time with someone that comes “verified” by someone they trust.

2. Share educational content online- As a copier sales rep today, you must be able to build relationships digitally. Face to face relationship building is critical, however just as important is building these relationships online. Sharing educational, thought-leadership content online helps you as a copier sales rep position yourself as a trusted adviser as the content curated may help your current clients or potential clients solve possible pain points. This also may enable your prospects to humanize the relationship as they may see you as someone who knows them and actually cares about them as individuals.

"Continually educate your clients or someone else will!"

Prospecting is tough, let's just face it. Staying top of mind with your clients and prospects is difficult. Sharing educational content through a "drip" market campaign within LinkedIn is a terrific way to keep your name in front of your clients and prospects.

Engage with content online and...

3. Follow your current customers and prospects - As copier reps, you must listen to understand what is going with your current clients and prospects. Ask your current clients what social media channels they use and follow them. Throw your social detective hat on and do the same with your prospects. 

Why? The use of social media isn't going away! Corporate identities and how businesses communicate these days is accomplished by leveraging social platforms. Two simple ways to learn more about your current clients and prospects is by following what they post or comment on within LinkedIn or Twitter.

What a great way to learn more and insert yourself into their online conversations, posts or comments. In doing so you may even find opportunities to help solve issues you may not have known about if you were not following their social media channels.

As a copier sales rep, reaching and influencing the B2B buyer is tough. Let's acknowledge the fact the demographics of the buyer are changing. The time is now! Copier sales reps must realize adjustments are needed to your prospecting game plan in order to keep the sales funnel flowing with sales possibilities.

Simply stated, I urge reps inside the copier channel to:

Adjust, Adapt, Adopt and Augment prospecting efforts!

If you enjoyed please share your comments. Look forward to connecting and starting a conversation.

Check out more at the Social Sales Academy blog site.

Please enjoy my other posts on LinkedIn Publisher and on SlideShare

I appreciate getting the opportunity to share my LinkedIn stories. Integrating the use of LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive copier world. With great pride I transform and coach copier sales professionals to grow net new business by helping them tell their story and communicate on LinkedIn. My commitment is to help independent office technology dealers thrive in a changing marketplace. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, as well as at the Social Sales Academy 

12 Tips on How to Return Leased Copiers

Over the years, I would say that 90 percent of my clients leased their copiers with an option to buy the copier at the end of the term. Most of these leases had a buyout option for FMV (Fair Market Value). The general idea of an FMV lease is that the customer has no intention of ever owning the equipment and they will return it at the end of the lease. Also means lowest lease payments.

Most leasing companies have been and still are very aggressive with FMV rates (interest), however most will have clauses in the leases that you must notify them in writing before the end of the term. All of the leasing companies have a “Window” clause, meaning you only have “X” amount of time when you can notify them, some are not more than 90 days prior to the end of the term and others are not more than 180 days and not less than 90 days. Make sure you read the lease.

Here’s a few helpful tips for you:

  1. Read the lease and be familiar with the return clause, Make sure you notify within the parameters of the lease contract.
  2. Set a reminder in MS Outlook or another contact management program to remind you to submit your LOI (Letter of Intent), state whether you will return or you wish to purchase.
  3. Send all correspondence via certified mail or Fedex, where you will get a signature that leasing company received your letter.
  4. Make sure that the system is in good condition, produces a good copy, print and scan (some leases now have clauses that they will charge you for parts and labor if the system was not returned in good working order).
  5. I recommend using TTR Shipping, they are nationwide, and specialize in end of lease return shipping, whether it's one or one thousand they are my shipper of choice, even for dealers.
  6. When calling the leasing company for a pay off figure, never ask for a buyout, instead ask the remaining stream of payments. When asking for a buyout you are telling the leasing company that you want to buy the system.
  7. Make sure all shipments are insured.
  8. Take a video of the copier making copies, also the model number and serial number. This provides proof that it left your facility in good working order.
  9. Whenever calling the leasing company always get the name of the person you are speaking with, log the date and time of call, and if you have a verbal agreement make them send you a fax, e-mail or letter stating their position.
  10. If your vendor states that they will return the equipment,  make sure you have an agreement when you will supply them with the return ship to address (if you’re upgrading with a different leasing company) to the dealer and how soon they will ship the system once you have provided them with the return ship to location. This is critical since you don't want to be stuck with late fees!
  11. Never have the system moved from your location until you have notified the leasing company or they have sent you a Return Letter of Authorization.  If you are upgrading your lease with the same leasing company most dealers have a provision that allows them to ship the copier back early.
  12. Have an agreement as to what is going to happen with the hard drive in the copier.  Some copiers actually have a feature that will scrub the hard drive for the end of the lease. If your copier does not have this feature I recommend buying a replacement hard drive and have the old hard drive removed and return to you.


I’ve written this for the end user, however dealers and sales people can benefit from some of this, especially videoing the product before it is shipped and having a separate contract for return.

-=Good selling=-

HOW TO MARKET TO DIFFERENT GENERATIONS

No two people are the same. If that’s true, can you imagine the difference in marketing to a 70-year-old male versus a 13-year-old female? Yikes. That’s why you’ve got to be aware of the types of people you’re trying to reach and how.

Let’s talk about how your business can distinguish between different generations to achieve marketing success with your next campaign.

Step One: Know Your Demographic
The first step is to do some research to figure out who you’re trying to reach. If you don’t know, it’s time to collect some data. That doesn’t sound like a fun thing to do, but trust us when we say it will be fun when the return is worth it.

It’s actually fairly simple to gather that information from your customers. Send out a mailing or email asking if your customers would be willing to disclose a bit about themselves to help you better fit their needs. You can even ask them the best way that they’d like to hear from you, which will help with step number two.

Step Two: Go Where the People Are
Ariel from the Little Mermaid proclaims that she wants to be where the people are, and you should, too. After all, your marketing efforts are dependent on the medium that your target demographic uses. You’ll need to figure out where your audience is in order to reach them.

For example, baby boomers still check the mail regularly, whereas millennials only check their mailbox once a week. However, be careful about how you interpret this information. Mailings might be more special for people who don’t receive it all the time.

Step Three: Make it ‘Wow’
No matter what channel you use, your marketing piece has to stand out if you want it to be noticed. Have a brainstorming session to take your marketing efforts to the next level. If you’re doing a direct mail piece, consider alternate shapes, colors and sizes. If you’re sending an email marketing campaign, make sure the subject line stands out. If you’re hosting a marketing event, make sure the small touches are different from other events you’ve attended.

People notice the extra touches, and it’s what can make or break your marketing piece. Know your demographic, meet them where they’re at and then completely WOW them. You won’t be disappointed with your next marketing venture.

Ten Things You Need To Know Before you Lease or Buy a New Ricoh MP C3004 & MP C3504

Ever hear of a color multifunctional copier on steroids?  Me neither, however if there was such a device it, the Ricoh MP C3004 (prints up to 30 pages per minte in color) & MP C3504 (prints up to 35 pages per minute in color) would be my choice. In fact I would PEC's for Performing Enhancing Copiers.

  • Unheard of in the market place, these two PEC's are outfitted with 220 Sheet Single Pass Document Feeders.  Some may as, what the heck is a single pass document feeder?  Single Pass is the key, there are two scanners located in the document feeder. One for scanning the front and one for scanning the back side of the document, thus a two-sided (duplex) document is scanned in a single pass through the document feeder.



  • Both units are designed to max out with the 1,000 sheet external finisher and or the 1,000 sheet hybrid staple-less finisher.   Finishers are designed to staple, group and sort a finished set of documents.



  • staplessStaple-less finisher, now that's a real a misnomer!  For those that want to be right and one with the environment, Ricoh offers the 1,000 sheet staple-less finisher.  Basically, it's a metal crimping process that binds up to 5 sheets of paper together.  We did this in grammar school way back when, we would take a few sheets of paper, fold the top corner of the document backwards to form a triangle, we would then tear a strip of the paper that we folder and then fold over the strip that we tore an we had our staple-less finisher!



  • Recommended print/copy average monthly volume is 5,000 pages for the MP C3004 and 7,000 pages for the MP C3504.  Go figure, both of these devices are identical, except for the speed of the device. Thus whether you're a half full person you'll quickly figure out that the MP C3004 can handle the 7,000 page volume and if you're the half empty, then you'll be thinking the MP C3504's average monthly volume is only 5,000 per month.  Take it from me, both of these devices can easily handle 7-10,000 pages every month!  You can't lose with either device.



  • Your new Ricoh device will be ready when you're ready!  These new multifunctional copiers has a built in heat sensor, the sensor has a range about six feet, is forward facing and will detect ! about 150 degree range.  By the time you've entered your scan, fax or copy job your new MP C3004/3504 is ready and raring to go!

 

  • SOPThe 10.1" Smart Operation Panel is now standard equipment!  This tablet  runs the latest Android OS (version 4.2) which incorporates faster touch response along with improved functionality.  One of the claims to fame of the new Smart Op Panel is the ability to use new single function apps.



  • Print speed matters right?  When printing @ 600x600DPI we can print at the advertised speeds, however when printing at 1200x1200 dpi there will be a decrease in the print speed.



  • K, what the heck is a single function app?  It's my understanding that single function apps are designed to help users navigate through complex jobs with multiple screens.  Some of those that are mentioned is ID Card Copy, CLoud Faxing, users would be directed to the Ricoh App Site, where users can then download and install apps by themselves.  Hey, if we're going to app based, I have a few ideas!  Ricoh call me!!!



  • Scanning speeds?  Are you ready?  110-ipm (images per minute) and 180-ipm for duplex scanning via the single pass document feeder.  Just a question, why is scanning referred to images per minute and not pages per minute? A page is an image and an image is a page right?



  • TWAIN scan screenTWAIN scanning, is that an acronym or something else?  Back in the day I was told it meant Technology Without An Interesting Name, but I'm thinking way back when someone feed me a line of bs.  Most business lines of software have the ability to connect with a scanning device that is TWAIN compliant.  Thus, your business line of software will be able to connect with these new Ricoh devices because the MP C3004/3504 has a TWAIN driver.  Great knock out feature if you dig deep with the client!



I just picked out a few of the multitude of features that are available with these new devices. If you're an end user reading this, I suggest you contact your local Ricoh dealer and ask for a professional that can help maximize your investment and lead your company on the first leg of digitizing all of your documents.

If you're a copier nut like me, then I thank you for taking the time to read this, in a few days we'll be learning more about the new MP 305SPF, the MP401SP, the MP601SP along with the MP C4504 and MP C6004.



-=Good Selling=-

This Week in the Copier/Office Equipment Industry 10 Years Ago The Fourth Week of May 2006

I took a read through the first thread about color theory, even I was looking for the file that I has posted 10 years ago. Seems when all of the old threads transferred to the new site about three years ago, all of the attachments were lost.  Question for some of you long time P4P'ers, did anyone happen to download the document in question and save it? If so, please post here.

cOLOR tHEORY

The color theory behind this is fairly intense. I have attached a document that hopefully will help explain DPI, bit depth and pixels. In a nut shell, the number of dots needed to make up one pixel is determined by the bit depth. Remember that a one bit engine can "create" colors using individual dots of cmyk. 4 bit can create 16 shades of color. I know, confusing. I would show the customer samples. Basically, Ricoh and Xerox are using two different ways to put the color on the page. I hope
Reply

Re: Kyocera National Account Pricing

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We are a Ricoh/Kyocera dealer in New York. This contract is comparable with NY. The only thing different is we now have a deferred payment plan thru KM. You that state price, divide by 36 months. Zero interest/Zero buyout. This is on select models. KM 2050,3035,4035, and 8030.
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Re: networks

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Win 2003 by default requires SMB "packet signing". Most of Ricoh's mfp's could not accomodate this until recently when they started offering a firmware update that enabled it. However they only offered it on certain models and off the top of my head i do not know which ones. I would suggest to check the tsc website as i am sure you can find the appropriate info there. i will look into it further as time permits.
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Re: cOLOR tHEORY

I received this file from a ricoh dsm, I will do a follow. Art Post
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Re: AFICIO 2090 MULTI-COLOR SETS

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The problem is solved. In the first problem. Use batch mode. You can pull from any tray. The second problem is a little more involved. You need to go into user tools, copy settings, INput/output and set up separation sheets per job. Go back to main copy screen request the number of sets, turn off shift sort, request separation sheet per set. Place orginal in doc feeder and select start. To give credit were credit is do, my Ricoh trainer came up with this. Here name is Amy Randilla. She is great.
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Re: KIP 3000 - soon to launch color scan upgrade?

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Oh boy, that is not good news for Ricoh. I have had enough trouble with this KIP3000.
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Re: KIP 3000 - soon to launch color scan upgrade?

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I was told that the upgrade is going to be a couple thousand dollars - kind of the same as Xerox and the others.
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Re: Good website for more WF info...

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Even better, after a "search". http://discussion.autodesk.com...esults=2...30&q=ricoh&objID=f30
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Re: Email Cold Calling

·
printing on Ricoh devices... "Oh you'd like to do the same at your location? well, let me get you some information then."
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Re: Any comparison of Ricoh 240-480 vs Xerox 6204

Found this on the web, thanx to chops: Date: May/12/06 - 17:37 (GMT) Re: KIP and HP wide format service and Oce, Xerox, KIP comparison  The Xerox 6204 uses a Fuju Xerox controller which has no auto recognition of file types. This can cause the controller to lock up require operator intervention to clear the queue.  The 6204 cannot save print jobs for later recall and use.  The Xerox 6204 is listed as a mono component device; however it is not 100% toner efficient and requires a waste toner
Reply

Re: FM Audit and other USB discovery devices

I have used FM Audit, Print Audit and @Remote. Neal is right but I think we have spoken about that before. My results have been a bit better with FM Audit than Ricoh's lab testing but I spoke to Mark Pollack (sp?) about the FM Audit test and he told me it consistently missed 60% of the printers on the LAN network. They all have their quirks and they all only give you volumes - not costs. I need good data gathering tools as I do about 12 assessments a month now. I couldn't find anything adequate
-=Good Selling=-

9 New School Approaches To Help Copier Sales Reps Prospect In All The Right Places

In all copier sales departments across the country and yes even in Australia, there is not a week that goes by where you hear this, “Nothing happens until a sale is made." Yes, sales is the life-blood of any organization but I submit to you the following...

"Absolutely nothing happens in these modern business times until a prospect says show me how you can help"

How are copier sales reps looking to help prospects these days? As a recovering copier rep, I know how tough it is to prospect for net-new business. So, this got me thinking and I reached out to a good ol' buddy of mine Johnny Lee. Over a nice cold, frosty beer Johnny simply stated, "Copier reps are looking for prospects in all the wrong places."

 

Ask any copier sales rep their strategic plan for prospecting in order to develop new business and listen for stone cold silence. Strategic and well planned out business development has become a lost art within the copier channel. 

I get it, I know how hard it is these days to prospect as a copier rep.  Most of these challenges in prospecting are due to the fact our prospects conduct a tremendous amount of education online prior to wanting to talk to sales reps.

By no means is prospecting dead! It is a critical aspect of the copier reps sales process. Ask most successful copier reps who consistently nail their quota and they will tell you hitting quota starts by consistently and deliberately putting new viable prospects into their sales funnel.  

"Prospecting is a job that is never ending as a copier sales rep!"

The question to be answered, "Why do so many copier reps struggle to uncover net-new business opportunities?"

One huge reason... copier sales reps have grown accustomed to flipping their customer base. So, as the lease cycle goes we all must face reality, a true sales professional creates a balancing act of nurturing their current clients while adding new clients to their sales family.

It boils down to this, let's modernize and integrate new school methodology into prospecting for new business. Prospecting is the key vehicle to all healthy sales funnels. It is 2016 not 1996, the following coaching approaches to business development see diminishing returns to one's mental investment and stability:

  • Prospecting is a pure numbers game. Don’t worry be happy!
  • It’s all about cold calling complete strangers to set an appointment to talk about how you and your company can help them
  • Learn to appreciate rejection as it only hurts for a bit
  • Get out there, pound the pavement, turn over some rocks and make it happen
  • Dial for dollars, don’t worry you don’t need a script just wing it while using your charm to secure appointments
  • Making it all about you
  • You won’t make any money sitting on your butt in the office go out and make some more cold calls

Prospecting in 2016 is about adding new school methodology and mixing it up with the foundations of old school methodologies. Package prospecting into the business blender as the recipe is quite simple... phone, email, networking events, chamber events, social business development (new aged prospecting), no sugar coating needed.

With the help of my buddy Johnny Lee, let's start looking for prospects in all the right places! Integrate new school business development methodology into your sales process.

9 New School Approaches To Help Copier Sales Reps Prospect In All The Right Places

  • Create target lists of companies within your territory. Integrate modern sales tools such as Twitter, Google News and LinkedIn to conduct research determining appropriate contacts.
  • Follow these targeted companies and contacts. Leverage Twitter, Google News and LinkedIn to learn as much as you can about your prospects.
  • Connect with them on LinkedIn via sending a personalized invitation.
  • Nurture and build the relationship through educational content. Become an engagement magnet earning the right to have a conversation with them.
  • Listen for potential prospects starting their buying journey. Be on the look-out for information they post within their social outlets.
  • Engage potential prospects with their interests.
  • Turn these online conversations into face to face meetings by building your credibility, value and trust worthiness.
  • Help potential prospects through buying process. Make the journey about helping them solve their business problems or challenges.
  • Get socially connected to and ask your current clients for help. Have them introduce you to their network of friends.

It is hard to keep a consistent sales pipeline without a proactive, modern method of prospecting. Furthermore, without a healthy relationship funnel how can you as a copier rep keep a consistent sales funnel? Stop trying to sell first and then build the relationship.

What does this mean? It means as sales reps we must adapt, adopt and be open to change. You are the face of the dealership as well as in the eyes of your prospects and clients. The experience you provide as copier rep is mission critical. Therefore, without building your “relationship capital” with your prospects and clients then how can you keep a consistent, well flowing sales funnel?

Remember what you do as copier rep today plays an important part to your success months down the road. Embrace change and quit chasing the 30/60/90 sales funnel.

Copier sales reps, remember Johnny Lee when looking for prospects in all the right places.

If you enjoyed please share your comments. Look forward to connecting and starting a conversation.

Check out more at the Social Sales Academy blog site.

Please enjoy my other posts on LinkedIn Publisher and on SlideShare

I appreciate getting the opportunity to share my LinkedIn stories. Integrating the use of LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive copier world. With great pride I transform and coach copier sales professionals to grow net new business by helping them tell their story and communicate on LinkedIn. My commitment is to help independent office technology dealers thrive in a changing marketplace. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, as well as at the Social Sales Academy 

 

Ricoh MP 305SP & MP 305SPF "Coming to America"

A few months ago, I was able to view the Ricoh MP 305SPF video on youtube. I completely mis-understood how valuable this system will be for our clients, especially those clients in the AEC (Architects, Engineers & Construction)industry! 

For years, I wanted an MFP that would allow us to scan, print & fax 11x17, but only print letter and legal size.  I thought that this would be an excellent seller because of the small foot print since it would be an A4 (prints letter & legal documents only) device bur would scan & fax up to 11x17. 

Who would have thought that Ricoh would develop an A4 MFP size device that could actually print, copy, scan and fax 11x17 (tabloid size) paper!!!  Must I say AWESOME!!!!!

I don't have the size dimensions of the system yet, well actually I do, but those dimensions are in metric. I've not been able to locate the US version of the brochure yet. Thus, I'll give it a go with converting the metric dimensions for us.

K, I think I got it, it's WxDXH, which will be 13.77"x19.4"x19.88".  Amazing right? 

So, we're going to have a 30 page per minute print/copy speed for letter size paper, color & black scanning at about 30 pages per minute, along with a  50 page document feeder.  Seems in order to scan, fax and copy legal & 11x17 size, you'll need to use the document feeder since the size of the platen glass will only accept a letter size document.

For those that know me, I'm a huge fan of selling wide format,  because the AEC market values IT, they understand time is money, they invest in technology and most of them need a wide format MFP along with an MFP that can print/copy/scan up to 11x17.  For those of us that are Ricoh dealers selling the new MP W6700, we realized early on that Ricoh is no longer providing an 12x18 paper tray for the MP W6700.   I'm thinking the MP 305SP and the MP6700 is an awesome bundle that other manufacturers can't match, and we have now have a lock out device/bundle for our clients.

As I get additional information, I'll write a spec review within a few days.  Really, really excited to start offering this system to our clients.  Kudos to Ricoh!!!

-=Good Selling=-

Healthcare IT Security Legislation Changes

Information security has been among the most widely discussed topics in the healthcare sector for the past several years running, as regulators in Washington and advocacy group officials work to tighten up best practices, standards and compliance requirements. Data breaches have been widespread, impacting millions of patients over the past several years, and some of the more massive events in cybersecurity history have hit in the past 12 months alone. 

So many factors are making it more difficult than ever before to maintain strong compliance with federal regulations, ensure optimal efficiency of operations and secure all patient data all in one fell swoop, especially as so many new technologies are hitting the market. This is among the many reasons why healthcare providers have begun to leverage a full range of managed services, specifically those that support IT staff with compliance and security responsibilities. 

The fact remains that compliance is going to continue to shift rapidly, threats will build and the damages associated with major breaches will rise as time goes on, all of which has been evidenced by a wealth of research on relevant matters facing the industry. With secure cloud, email encryption and other protective solutions provided by reliable vendors, though, the associated issues can often be mitigated a bit more smoothly and efficiently in health care and beyond. 

New updates
Health IT Security recently reported that the decision made by Congress to end information blocking might come with several significant risks for patient data, and has already started to evoke commentary from leading groups in the medical field. This is the latest news in a long line of stories regarding the work being done to better balance accessibility and security, as striking the right chord can be somewhat problematic but is necessary to at once boost patient care and protect sensitive information. 

According to the news provider, members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology made a statement to Congress that was in favor of putting an end to information blocking given the interoperability and accessibility issues medical firms are facing when trying to deliver care. And while this is certainly a righteous reason for such statements and statures in the medical field, many have worried about the security implications of banning information blocking from the sector. 

The source spoke to Intel Fellow Eric Dishman regarding this matter. 

"It's still under their control and hopefully they've got the right security in place for the data center," Dishman told Health IT Security. "And it's also protecting whoever is doing the query. If a researcher is using that, and they have a really interesting algorithm or new drug they're doing research on, they don't want to share with all of these other places. So that secure container is really connecting both parties. But the moment it's left your data center, that secure container then dissipates any data that was used, and just the results go back to the host institution."

Striking a balance
One of the best ways to ensure data is accessible and secure is to modernize protective frameworks and general information governance strategies, while fortifying backend systems such as infrastructure and communications solutions. A secure cloud might be the best possible option out there, as skilled specialists will be tasked with handling the general management demands of the technology itself, while ensuring that authorized users have access to necessary information at the click of a button. 

As long as a medical firm identifies the right managed service provider, striking the right balance can be an easier process. 

What if Mark Zuckerberg and Henry Ford changed birthdays?

I was sitting in the lounge at the car dealership a few days ago, waiting on my free oil change. Well, they call it ‘free’ - it was probably included in the price somewhere on line 267 of all that car paperwork. Anyway, the lounge is actually very nice, and everyone waiting with me had at least one thing common. If you’re not sure what that is, please stop reading.

 Even though my car is not a Ford and my wife’s T-Bird wasn’t ready for an oil change, maybe it was the fact the car dealership was celebrating its birthday, but anyway, I had a thought; what if Mark Zuckerberg and Henry Ford changed birthdays? The following is where this thought led me.

 Back when Henry Ford was born, the world was so much smaller. Most humans didn’t travel more than a few hundred miles their entire lives. Their social world was their local community. People lived and learned from those around them. Outside influences only came occasionally, when the stranger on horseback showed up at the saloon.

Yes, newspapers were around and were a great source for stories from afar. The world, however, did not see any real value in learning things they believed had no immediate impact on their lives. If you were a farmer, you didn’t particularly care that some newly married prince had a baby. I guess if the prince had had the baby, they may have cared, but I think you get the point. Back when Henry Ford was born, the word transportation had a much slimmer definition. Once, I heard Simon Sinek say that Henry Ford’s intention was not to be known as the man who sold cars, Henry Ford’s intention was to change the way people traveled; he was determined to change and disrupt the transportation industry. I think his intention succeeded.

Take a moment and go back in time to those dusty roads; the mixture of horses and automobiles filling up the thoroughfare. What all those travelers were excited about was the ability to get somewhere faster. They imagined different places they read about or heard of, and they now had the means to get there. Henry Ford’s disruption had occurred. Even the common man was able to replace the transportation of the past with this new invention. People not only could travel farther quicker, their appetite for exploring and learning made their lives more enjoyable.

This new form of transportation, this new invention, was the tipping point of what I call the communication evolution. People back in the 1900’s were extremely limited in their ability to communicate. Their communications were mostly a rehashing of what was in front of them. They had very little information from abroad, and back then abroad was the next city down the road. Another state was just as far away as another country. Almost all outside communication came from the more affluent, those who could afford to travel. These affluent travelers had their own communities of like-minded, educated, and equal-in-wealth individuals. The common folks had their community as well, and very rarely did they intersect.

When you think about it Henry Ford not only disrupted transportation, he somewhat disrupted communication as well.

Back in 1863, the world had inventions and technologies to bring people together. Henry Ford just figured out a way to accomplish it for everyone and not just a select few. In 1903, Henry Ford began a change which effected many industries. He lit a spark in the world of manufacturing with the assembly line, which proved vital in both world wars; he gave the oil and gas industry their edge on world economy, and he gave a desert land far way wealth. He began changing the landscape of towns, cities, suburbs and neighborhoods. His friend Firestone became the world’s largest tire manufacturer, and of course, let’s not forget Edison - all his Fords needed lights.

Obviously, I am not implying Henry Ford created or invented all these things and the consequences of some of them. The message is- the world was changed by the automobile, and Henry Ford innovated the delivery model, giving other innovative people opportunities to capitalize on.

Ok, it’s time for Mark Zuckerberg to enter. Mark Zuckerberg and Henry Ford, regardless of what you think of either, have changed the world; and in Mark’s case, he continues in changing it. If Mark Zuckerberg was born in 1863, with his capacity in creating the world’s largest community, as he has today, what would Mark have done in the 1900’s, what would his community look like? Would he have re-invented the telegraph system? Would he have reinvented the photography of the day? Would he have created a platform where all people of all cultures could express ideas and personnel goals and ambitions?

 Whatever Facebook would have been in the 1900’s, would it have given the common man, as well as the wealthy man a means of equality in communication? Would Bell have collaborated with Zuckerberg on an even better telephone? Would the telephone in the 1900’s have the ability to show a picture of the caller? What would scrapbooks look like? Would the local community woman gather in the park and share their family and life stories they’ve written in scrapbooks, they purchased from Facebook? Then work together in creating a community scrapbook by combining all their work? Would Zuckerberg be the one who invented the glue stick?

 In my thinking - “It’s not the invention that changes the world, it’s the innovation caused by what’s invented that changes the world.” RJS

Over the next couple of decades, we will witness where Mark Zuckerberg goes. No one has a crystal ball, but with a little imagination, here is what I see. A different system of how humans get visual content; a world of advertising so precise its messages will be welcomed by those who get them; entertainment delivered in ways that will redefine how we consume it; benefits to our well-being through invisible computer technology. Mark Zuckerberg is just one of many innovative thinkers, and the technologies today allow for so much more collaboration than anytime in human history. Those of us who welcome change are granted the ability to help change along.   

When you look at the Mark Zuckerberg’s or the Henry Fords of the world, many would say they were in the right place at the right time. I – disagree. I believe people like Mark Zuckerberg and Henry Ford “create the right place in their time”. Their creativity allows them to explore things in their mind that others won’t look for, or others simply ignore.

In closing, if Henry Ford was born in 1984, where would your imagination lead you? Would Uber be called Ford? After all Henry didn’t invent the automobile, he disrupted the industry which delivered them. I’ll save that for my next oil change… 

R.J. Stasieczko

This Week in the Copier/Office Equipment Industry 10 Years Ago The Third Week of May 2006

May 2006, the Swedish ice hockey team Tre Kronor takes gold in the World Championship, becoming the first nation to hold both the World and Olympic titles separately in the same year.

Yes, the Xerox 240/250

; only the fusing temperature is different. The 240/250 comes standard with an internal Fiery controller (same architecture as our E7000), with options for the server-based Fiery (same as our E8000), Creo, or Xerox controller. They are definitely targeted at print production environments and the office is a low priority. That is where the 3260 with the Ricoh controller has a clear advantage with ease of use, versatile functionality, and low price. Not only is Xerox more expensive (SRP), Xerox
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BERTL Honors Ricoh Corporation With

BERTL Honors Ricoh Corporation With Eleven 'Best Awards' Ricoh Corporation Receives Numerous Accolades for Continued Leadership in Imaging Technology and Innovation PHILADELPHIA, May 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ricoh Corporation, the leading provider of digital office equipment, announced today that it has received 11 BERTL's Best(R) 2006 Awards. To select the winners for this year's Best Awards, BERTL took into consideration every new multifunction product (MFP), printer and other office
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Art's Top Picks at AIIM/On Demand Show

It was a great show! The floor was pacjed for the two days that I was there and I'm sure I missed alot of stuff. Aside from Ricoh Products I am going to touch on two of the products that inspired me. 1. Kodak Scan Station 100: Finally, I have been asking for something like this for about a year. Kodak has developed a scanner with speeds upto 50 pages a minute in color, black & white or gray scale at speeds upto 50 images per minute! This system can also scan both sides simultaneously, while
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Job List

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On the Savin 4051 there is a Job List option where you can see jobs that are waiting in the queue when you walk up to the copier. You can delete them if necessary. Is there any way to access this from the computer or is there another way to remove jobs that have been spooled from the PC and have not printed yet?
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Broken Components in AC204

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unit could have been dropped coming from Ricoh several years ago, and whatever damage happened then are just now coming to light?
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AFICIO 2090 MULTI-COLOR SETS

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I have a customer that just purchased a 2090. They need to do sets with mutli-colored pages. No were in the manual does Ricoh tells how to set the paper trays to different color stock, than how to set up the machine to do this job. They do sets with up to 5 different color stock. The other need is, they have one orginal and want to make 5,000 copies. But after each 50 copies they want in insert a color color to seperate into sets. They make pads. This is a print shop. Thanks
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TCRU and the MP9000, et.al.

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I inquired as to the cost for these replacement units because you obviously have to purchase them and have them on the shelf in order for the customer to be able to replace them. This is the reply from Ricoh: "The TCRU program is under evaluation and pricing is not available at this time. The expected release of the TCRU program, if a viable option for service, will be announced later this year." "If a viable option???" IT IS IN THE @#%&*@$# BROCHURE!!! What are we supposed to tell the prospect?
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SP C410DN and SP C411DN

Ricoh is pleased to introduce the Ricoh Aficio SP C410DN and SP C411DN Color Laser Printers. Built on the same platform as the highly successful CL4000DN, the SP C410DN and SP C411DN feature controller enhancements and a host of new capabilities. The SP C410DN and SP C411DN are a pair of workhorse printers with Color and Black and White print speeds of 26ppm for the SP C410DN and 31ppm for the SP C411DN, robust maximum duty cycles of 150,000 per month, and true 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution. These
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Email Cold Calling

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Does anyone have any success at cold calling by email? I've seen some Kyocera dealers that send specials out to schools in a mass email. I'm contemplating sending out our state contract pricing to all the schools in our territory, since they will be looking for equipment in June & July.
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Re: KIP 3000 - soon to launch color scan upgrade?

I wish Ricoh would not rest on thier "laurels" with the 240W, they need to make a major MSRP move and also need to introduce a printer only product and or an upgrade within the next six months. Soon we will have technology that is 18 months old. It's all about the toner, well Ricoh had better make a move to stay ahead of the competition and keep caturing those pages. Art Post
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Re: KIP 3000 - soon to launch color scan upgrade?

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Oh boy, that is not good news for Ricoh. I have had enough trouble with this KIP3000.
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Re: KIP 3000 - soon to launch color scan upgrade?

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I was told that the upgrade is going to be a couple thousand dollars - kind of the same as Xerox and the others.
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Re: Comp TIA CDIA cert

If you are associated with Ricoh, Ricoh University is partnered with _____ somebody, cant think of their name. Check with RU.
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Re: @ Remote is Here!!

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those up as the dealer and only have that one account. No idea how that would work out. On the other hand if you do that, your nefarious plan to get all their print devices is ruined since they can tell what you're looking at. One interesting thing... When you set up @Remote, the first thing it does is find every connected device, then you pick what you want to monitor and not. There's nothing to say that information isn't being relayed to Ricoh Japan though.....
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Re: Broken Components in AC204

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quote: Originally posted by John Roof: Do you think that there is a chance that the unit could have been dropped coming from Ricoh several years ago, and whatever damage happened then are just now coming to light? I think the chance of that is less than 1%. I think the most likely thing that happenned was that the fan had a catastrophic failure and chewed its way thru those wires. Either way, you've got to eat this one.
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Re: AutoCAD STB Files

my customer and he will probably not buy a Ricoh the next time around. 96% of my customers are happy with the 240W and the 480W, maybe we did too good of a job selling the unit? Art Post
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Re: Email Cold Calling

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Those are the folks you like to bad mouth, and I too. But with this, I already know most of the schools I will be sending them to, but have not had a chance to send to their email. Since most of the time when you show up, they do not have time to see you, and can't give you a time to come back, but when you do get to see them, they are sitting in front of the computer looking at email. I have tried sending the Ricoh email templates, but with no success. If I can get some to take a further
-=Good Selling=-

Here Is How I Can Relocate To Sydney, Australia As A Copier Rep And Crush Quota Within 12 Months!

Over the past week, I had the honor and privilege to be a speaker at the annual BTAS conference in Sydney, Australia.

BTAS, Business Technology and Services; is Australia and Asia Pacific's premier event for dealers and resellers in the office equipment, document solutions and managed services arena. The conference has a growing international reputation of eliminating the sales pitch which can often blur dealer conferences and cuts right to the chase with relevant educational content and innovative speakers.

On day 2 of the BTAS Conference, I co-presented with my close friend Darrell Amy, as we introduced "The New Sales Playbook". To set this up... The copier industry today has a mixture of old sales practices, new sales practices along with ever-changing buyer habits copier reps must navigate through. Social media and the internet have forever changed the way copier reps communicate and continues to transform customer buying habits. The copier industry is in dire need of a new sales playbook. This playbook incorporates social media, social selling, and the web; in conjunction with proven traditional sales skills as copier reps guide the customer at every point through their journey.

As a recovering copier rep, I know first-hand the power of prospecting and the impact this has to your sales funnel. I am firm believer, "Old is forever new" as this sets up the stage for 'The New Sales Playbook". The way copier reps have traditionally filled their sales funnels has been through phone, cold-calls and email prospecting. Still a relevant means today though in some areas the return on investment yields diminishing results.

The New Sales Playbook incorporates the foundation of "Old School" but integrates "New School" methodologies around the relationship funnel. Without nurturing a relationship funnel inside the new sales funnel this will lead a copier rep to disastrous outcomes. The relationship funnel incorporates the use of social tools such as LinkedIn and Twitter integrated within the foundation of sales prospecting.

Within our presentation, I shared with the delegates, just how powerful the relationship funnel can be.

I am a firm believer as a copier rep you are one degree of separation from your best sales opportunity. The issue lies within most don't ask for help.

Here Is How I Can Relocate To Sydney, Australia As A Copier Rep And Crush Quota Within 12 Months!

So here we go... if I were to relocate to Sydney, Australia (7,500 miles from Los Angeles) I could walk right into any copier dealership and from day one be productive. This is possible through the power of my network. The screen shots through advance search proves the point.

Through advanced search I am looking for finance directors currently employed within a 40 KM (25 mile) radius of Sydney, Australia which are 2nd degree connections and or group members.

Look what is in store for me... 177 Finance Directors to reach out to based upon the power of my network. On day one, I can start to leverage my network to be introduced to 177 finance directors. Need I say anymore! In less than 12 months quota will be crushed! 

Hello folks, a strong network is like money in the bank. Your network can help you build visibility, connect you with influencers, and open up doors for new opportunities. Building and nurturing a network is one of the most powerful things you can do to support your career advancement as a copier rep. All too often, most networking efforts are just social, haphazard, and as a result, ineffective.

Copier Reps... Want to crush your sales quota then build social capital!

Simple Steps to Build Social Capital

 

1. Network proactively - Networking proactively provides a huge advantage by laying the groundwork with a powerful collection of people who are willing and able to speak for you on your behalf. Your network is there for you when you need it because you’ve built the social capital.

2. Build a diverse network - Network effectively by moving out of your comfort zone and identify people who can help your career, not just those people you like. In building a diverse, efficient and open network think of relationship building first.

3. Think strategic - Strategic networking is more than socializing, it’s creating solid relationships to support your business development efforts. It takes focus and intention to build a network, but it’s invaluable for your professional development. Identify who you know and who you need to know to help you reach your targets as building a powerful network will support helping you surpass your sales benchmarks.

4. Build relationships - Effective networking requires more than connections, it requires cutting through the B.S. and clutter to focus on what matters which is real, authentic and mutually beneficial partnerships. Your success as a copier rep depends on relationships selling and customer loyalty.

"Be Authentic, Be Genuine, Be Real, Just Be Yourself"

Let's set aside the excuses, the egos and the fear! The time is now to build upon, expand upon and nurture your network. You never know as one day you may want to relocate to Sydney, Australia.

If you enjoyed please share your comments. Look forward to connecting and starting a conversation.

Check out more at the Social Sales Academy blog site.

Please enjoy my other posts on LinkedIn Publisher and on SlideShare

I appreciate getting the opportunity to share my LinkedIn stories. Integrating the use of LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive copier world. With great pride I transform and coach copier sales professionals to grow net new business by helping them tell their story and communicate on LinkedIn. My commitment is to help independent office technology dealers thrive in a changing marketplace. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, as well as at the Social Sales Academy 

How a Short Conversation about Print Audit Print Rules Landed a $40K Order

A few months ago, I was able to secure an appointment with a prospect on the premise that we might be able to lower their costs by reducing their copy and print overage charges from their current vendor. 

The overage pitch was not my idea, but was borrowed from Paul Giorgi from Print Audit.  I've been using the overage pitch off an on over the last few months.

During our survey, I was able to discover that the prospect has two MFP devices, one color and one black.  The color unit had a speed of 65 pages per minute and the black was 60 pages per minute.  The color device was leased and the black device was owned.

Discovery

Thus, the discovery process was on!  I was able to secure a copy of the lease and was taken back somewhat because the term of the lease was 60 months and there were 28 or so payments on the lease!  Egads, I thought, is it time to walk away?  The lease also had maintenance and supplies built in for both devices, for "x" amount of color per month and "x" amount of black per month.

My next step was to get a copy of the last twelve invoices, mind you, I needed to know the average monthly volume, the overage costs and the current per page cost before I could tell the prospect that we would be able to reduce their costs.  

After receiving all of the paperwork, I explained to the prospect that I needed to do my homework, and secured the next appointment before I left that day.

Crunching the Numbers

Back at the office, I was astonished that the amount of color pages that were built into the monthly lease was only 3,000 per month.  After reviewing all of the invoices, and meter reads, I found that their color volume averaged 17,000 pages per month.  Thus, they were getting crushed with overage volume on the color device.  In addition the prospect was not able to meet the minimum color volume none out of the last twelve months. 

Once I ran the numbers of replacing the color device, moving the maintenance and supplies off the lease and then charging an annual payment,  I was able to have a push with the costs.  Meaning, the customer wouldn't pay anymore to replace the new device, yet they weren't really saving much with the new device.  Not a great scenario for someone to change.

Rules Based Printing

Ok, so I need to dig a little deeper, on the second appointment I wanted to make sure that I understood their color use.  Thus, we went over what types of documents were printed in color, and that's when it all started to click for us.  I was able to find out that many users were printing color web pages, emails which had a small color logo, and 87% of all the documents were printed single sided.   I thought, this is the perfect opportunity to start having a conversation about print rules.

I then proceeded to educate the prospect on the use and benefits of print rules, touching on those key documents which were email pages that were printed, pages printed from the web, enabling or disabling color permissions for different users and applications, ability to track who printed and copied from the device, along with the ability to assign a cost per page for color and black.  I especially like the later, because the prospect will be able to see how many pages were print in color and black and association their own cost per page which could then be used to "charge back" usage to other departments.

After having the conversation about print rules, we found many pain points that included prints and copies being left at the device with personal information, waste which included not using the reverse side of the sheet of paper, the need for secure print for executives.  Our DM concluded that having Print Rules in place would be beneficial in reducing their costs because the employees would realize that printing and copying is being audited.

Hey, I had a little bit of luck, and the main reason for that is we're a Premium Print Audit Dealer.  My advantage is that I was able to charge $1.00 per month for sixteen licenses of PA, along with another sixteen license for secure print.  We also were able to build in the embedded print audit MFP option for $25 per month. The total monthly cost was $57 for 60 months for Print Audit, the prospect was enthralled with the features and the ability to reduce color volume, reduce paper costs and become more environmentally friendly. 

Having the ability to offer rules based printing from Print Audit helped us place a new device, increase clicks and have a recurring revenue stream.  The prospect was able to control print, reduce usage which in turn reduced costs.

-=Good Selling=-

Is Healthcare Prepared for More Mobile IT?

One of the more prominent threats to IT security throughout the past five years has been mobility, as smartphones, tablets, portable computers and the software they run remain common sources of breach and information loss. In healthcare, lost or stolen devices, as well as misuse of those gadgets among employees, can quickly lead to a major breach of corporate IT, and this has happened more times than one could count in the past couple of years alone. 

Because medical firms are expected to oblige the statutes under the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, as well as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, one can only hope that leaders are getting on board with stronger mobile security strategies. Unfortunately, it would be hard to say that much ground has been covered thus far in this regard, as the sector remains at the highest risk of breaches and fraud. 

More recently, it has become clear that hackers are increasingly targeting these organizations because the data they store - patient records - is far more valuable on the black market than credit card numbers and other traditional subjects of theft. At the same time, insider threats and negligence are still major causes for concern, as they represent a relatively large rate of data theft events in health care and other industries to boot. 

Secure cloud services, HIPAA email solutions, employee training and more should be on the priority list for health care decision-makers today, and all of them will relate back to mobile protection as well since smartphones, tablets and portable computers are replacing traditional equipment. A new report indicated just how quickly mobility is gaining in prominence among the American workforce, and how much further it will go through the end of the decade. 

Health care leads
International Data Corporation recently estimated that there are 96.2 million mobile workers in the United States today, defined as using smartphones, tablets, portable computers and wearables to complete their tasks. This currently represents a significant portion of the overall workforce, and the forecast put forth by the analysts placed the rate to reach 72.3 percent by 2020, with a 105.4 million population at the end of the study period. 

Plenty of factors are drawing organizations into BYOD, which is currently the most popular approach to mobility, including the fact that nearly 70 percent of respondents to an earlier IDC survey saw reductions in operational or capital expenditures following the deployment of these policies. Additionally, the researchers stated that the universe of potential gadgets is only expanding more quickly as time goes on, with near-field communication, the Internet of Things and augmented reality all beginning to play a role. 

Perhaps not that surprisingly, the report indicated that the health care sector will have the largest share of the mobile workforce in 2020, as it does today, at least when those operating inside and outside of the office are counted. 

"Mobility has become synonymous with productivity both inside and outside the workplace, and the mass adoption of mobile technology in the United States has cultivated an environment where workers expect to leverage mobile technology at work," IDC Research Analyst for Mobile Enterprise Device Solutions Bryan Bassett mused. "This expectation will be supplemented by new solutions specifically intended to manage the challenges associated with the growing needs of the mobile workforce."

Again, healthcare faces the most challenging landscape when it comes to security and compliance for general IT matters, and increased mobile workforce sizes will only compound the issues should leaders not take proactive steps to mitigate threats and lower risk. As has always been the case with IT security, comprehension is key. 

Maximizing control
Because the mobile and regular workforce populations are increasingly converged and, subsequently, indistinguishable, health care leaders should be working to develop centralized strategies that govern the entirety of IT in a streamlined and efficient fashion. Vulnerabilities will always be more prominent when the organization has disparate controls and policies in place to govern varying technological and operational frameworks. 

Leveraging the same types of solutions and strategies for mobility that are in place to dictate the use of more traditional equipment and tools will create cohesion and clarity that can quickly reduce the number and severity of vulnerabilities. Especially when medical firms are taking a BYOD approach to mobility, which is inherently the least secure given the lack of corporate ownership over devices and the data they store, secure cloud and similar services need to be in place. 

Additionally, since employees will be increasingly reliant upon their smartphones, tablets and portable computers to communicate with others, email encryption and HIPAA-oriented tools will need to be properly configured on the devices. With a lot of effort and plenty of foresight, the massive mobile workforce population can be a boon to operational success, rather than simply a hindrance to data security. 

Comparing Printers and Copiers "The Real Dope for Copier Salespeople"

Dam, I almost finished this entire blog and I erased it!! 

There's a new game in town for comparing printer and copier devices 

Back in the eighties it was all about speeds and feeds, if you needed to compare a Ricoh vs Canon, you grabbed your spec check book, made a copy of each page, then broke out the color highlighters and proceeded to highlight your best specs vs the competitors worst specs.  Those that had more "best" specs usually won the day and the sale.

Do You Remember When?

Back in the day, after the demise of the spec check copier books, there were a few companies that offered lab reviews of copiers along with speeds and feeds.  Believe it or not, it was possible to get a report that rated a copier as "stinky" (something like that),  many of us in the industry always held our breath when the lab reports came out.  The "stinky" lab report was usually the kiss of death, and you better believe that your competition was using this to crush you!! 

It's All GOOD, Ever Copier is GOOD

CaptureFOOEY, I'm claiming BS!  Years ago, those manufacturers that received those "stinky" reports starting throwing more money for independent labs to test their copier devices. As the amount of money tossed around got larger and larger, then all of a sudden, low and behold, we were not seeing any "stinky" reports for any copiers.  How is that?  All of a sudden there was no copier that stunk?  We all know what happened (wink), because we all have to deal with "stinky" copiers from time to time, even with the advancements in technology.

Where Do you Fight the Battle?

Off the top of your head, what is foremost on almost every buyers mind when purchasing or leasing a new copier?  Give up?  It's cost, and not only the cost of the system but the Total Cost of Ownership. 

It's easy to figure out your costs, and easy when you can get the net new customer to give up their costs. But, what happens when they can't produce an invoice, can find the maintenance agreement or there is a new staff in place and all of the past copier paperwork is missing?  Arrrgggh, it's a nightmare.

gapCompare

I'm pretty lucky, I have this great relationship with gap Intelligence, and for the last two months I've been able to test their gapCompare product.   I'm impressed with the product, and was floored that I was able to do four up cost comparisons for total cost of operation.  It was so cool that I was able to model the same unit four different ways for cost per page scenarios!

I can also view average street costs for my competitors, along with street CPC, along with all of those speeds and feeds.  In addition I can add and subtract filters for finding the "right" competitive device.  In a nutshell, with using gapCompare, I'm gonna crush my competition!

LAB Reports Are Lame!

Reports are lame, because there are NO "stinky" copier report anymore, gapCompare is awesome because you're focused on what your buyer is focused on, and that's the true cost of operation.

All of this leads me to the gapCompare webinars, there are two of them scheduled in the next 30 days. You can view them on our P4P Calendar, but here's a link to the one in May and the one in June. Be there, and make sure you mark RSVP on our site!!!

Who is gap intelligence?

I posed the above question to Gary Peterson (President) back in February, his response is below.

When people ask me how gap intelligence is different from other research houses I always use the "forest vs. the trees" analogy.  Other research houses take a "30,000 foot view" of the forest and from that vantage point they can tell you where the forest is growing, struggling, or is on fire.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with this approach and they all do extremely strong work following the industry this way.  Our approach is different in that we check every leaf on every tree every week and by doing so we believe that we can tell you where the forest is thriving and struggling faster.

-=Good Selling=-

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