Spending much of my time driving around the State of New Jersey and not listening to the radio (I'm just to lazy to pull the radio and reset the code after the battery died a few months ago) gives me more than enough time to think about events that will eventually lead me to writing a blog on that subject.

Just today, I thought of three really awesome topics. But, all of those topics were put on the back burner, after I had placed a call to a prospect today.  This prospect was interested in one of our Ricoh products, and truth be told, the more I spoke with him, the more I noticed that he had completed a lot of research on a few of the Ricoh models that he was interested in.  Thank goodness I reached out to him first!

The prospect started to question me about the MP C3003SP, in fact he wanted to know the difference between the MP C3003, the MPC 3003 Essential and the MP C3003 Plus. I thought what!! What is this dude talking about.  Sure enough, I paid a visit to the Ricoh USA site, found the MP C3003 and yes, Ricoh is now listing models like the Essential and the Plus.  I also noticed that they with the MP C6003, there is now an MP C6003 Performance!!

Now, I'm on the Ricoh USA at least once a week if not more, and this was a big shock to me.  I'm not against it, but maybe there should have been a notice to sales people about this, right?  I muddled through the call, secured an appointment with the prospect.  But, we're not done yet!

For all of use that either work for a Ricoh Dealer or you're a dealer principle, you need to check this out and follow this link. The link will lead you to the product page for the Ricoh MP C3003 (I must admit the page looks awesome), scrolling down you'll see the new "Signature Series", which shows the basic model, the Essential and the Plus.  All is good, right?

I want to direct your attention back to the top of the web page and then to the right of the web page where the blue button is.  That blue button reads "request a quote", hey that's cool right?  Well, not for us dealers!! 

When clicking the button, you are shown a pop up that states, "Get a Quote from a Ricoh Professional". So, I'm not sure what happens when you hit the "Get a Quote" button, either the lead is going to Direct or to the Dealer.  What I do know is that if you call the phone number,  you are connected with "Ricoh On-Line Sales", in fact there are then options to order supplies, and place a service call.  In fact, you are calling Ricoh Direct, and I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that if you were interested in a quote, you would be directed to Ricoh Direct.

Here's my beef, I do quite a bit of on-line business, on the web page you can't miss the "get a quote" button nor the phone number of 1.866.230.2723.  It's not until you drill to the bottom of the web page that you will find a one line link for "Authorized Dealers".  Can you all tell I'm a little upset!

I hear it all of the time, how Ricoh is so enamored with the Dealer Channel and the Dealer Channel is extremely valuable to them. So, if the Dealer Channel is held in such high esteem, then why can't there be a big GREEN button that states "Request a Quote from a Dealer" and a big Red button that states "Request a Quote from Direct".  Let the potential prospect choose!

You all have heard my thoughts about why the dealer channel is so valuable, it is the Dealer Channel that pulls the bulk of the profit/margins and in essence I believe that the dealer channel subsidizes Direct which allows them to give the stuff away.

I have a love, hate affair with Ricoh. I love the products, I love the brand, however when I see stuff like this on the web, that does not offer a "Get a Quote from a Dealer" or "Get a Quote from Direct", it drives me up a wall!

-=Good Selling=-

I enjoy sharing my LinkedIn stories. LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive copier world. I transform and coach copier sales professionals to grow their 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, www.dealermarketing.net/what-we-do/linkedin and www.dealermarketing.net

Please check out my special report, A Sales Managers Guide to LinkedIn. This is an insightful perspective to encourage copier sales reps to build their brand, credibility and value. Designed to help grow net new business opportunities..... https://lnkd.in/bJhbD7b

Healthcare providers were constantly under the gun when it came to the safe deployment of new technologies throughout the past several years, and it would be hard to argue that the sector at large has been highly successful in these endeavors.

This is not to underplay the extreme efforts and wealth of victories that took place since the early 2000s, but the constant stream of news regarding data breaches makes it clear that privacy and security have not been on point.

Last year, despite the fact that several retailers experienced some of the largest data breaches in history, experts and analysts argued that health care was indeed the most at risk of falling victim to these events. Whereas major incidents do indeed take up the headlines, they do not tell the whole story about security, as smaller ones can add up to be just as damaging - if not more so - before long.

This has been a theme in the medical community, as the vast majority of breaches have been on a much smaller scale, impacting many health care providers in the past few years and continuing to gain in intensity. One of the reasons behind this trend is that hackers tend to focus on picking the low-hanging fruit, meaning cybercriminals are far more likely to target a smaller healthcare provider with fewer controls and protections than a massive establishment that has a strong IT security team in place.

As such, email encryption, secure cloud services and other relatively straightforward defenses should be fortified among all medical firms as soon as possible, as a data breach or failed regulatory compliance audit can be devastating both financially and operationally. With a recent Ponemon Institute study finding that cyberattacks targeted at health care providers increased by 125 percent in the past year, the time to act is now.

Additionally, new trends are likely to present even more significant challenges in the coming years, including the Internet of Things, and preparations must be made to capitalize on such advancements rather than take on excessive risk.

The IoT conundrum
Healthcare IT News recently argued that medical firms should be approaching the IoT from a serious security angle, ensuring that every new device is protected against threats as proactively as possible. Many of the more common best practices along with data and system security in general will be applicable to the IoT, and firms need to ensure that they are getting the basics down before building the strategy out and allowing more devices to enter the infrastructure.

According to the news provider, access management and authorization might be the two most important controls in this conversation, as well as the most difficult, with so many more endpoints coming into the equation. However, ironing out current plans and deploying newer tools to ensure that only authorized users can access patient information through their devices will help to reduce the risk of exposure.

The source argued that the devices being selected should also be evaluated with a fine-toothed comb, as certain ones will simply not be easily protected per the ways in which they were developed. Being selective and keeping the number and diversity of devices as low as possible will inherently give the IT department a greater advantage from a security standpoint, and could even help to boost the user experience over time.

More devices does not always translate to better performances - always weigh quality over quantity. Finally, Healthcare IT News noted that encryption for data stored on and accessed by devices should be a priority, while training employees in the best practices of secure use will reduce the risks involved in negligence, poor awareness and error.

Threat rising
Now, it might be helpful to understand the reasons behind the exponential growth in data breaches among health care providers, as knowledge always equates to power in the security arena. CNBC recently explained that the IoT has brought to light some of the types of data hackers appear to be targeting most aggressively today, especially as so many wearable devices and apps therein are already tracking and recording health information.

The news provider suggested that medical data is about 10 to 20 times more valuable on the black market than credit card information, which is why cybercriminals have started pursuing firms in the health care industry at greater frequencies. Add to that some of the arguments above regarding the rapid deployment of new technologies and the widespread lack of adequate controls to protect them and it should be clear why these events are so common in health care.

Remember, some of the simplest improvements to security will be the most effective, including employee training, email encryption and secure cloud services. Additionally, keep in mind that the cost of instituting these protections will almost always be lower than the damages of a breach.

-=Good Selling=-

Planning for the Future with DocuWare

Third-party retirement plan administrator, ADMIN Partners is using DocuWare to transform their business processes from paper-based to completely digital workflows, increasing efficiency and transparency while providing top notch customer service and improving document security. Securing their data electronically will allow the company to obtain an SSAE16 certification and better meet their existing clients’ security regulations, as well as open up new markets.

Initial Situation

ADMIN Partners LLC is an independent third party administrator, providing retirement plan administration and recordkeeping services to public education, local and state governments, non-profit as well as church and religious organizations. ADMIN Partners does not offer investment advice, they simply help their clients manage retirement accounts, facilitate needed documents, process contributions and comply with IRS rules and regulations.

The company was utilizing complex paper-based processes to route documents through their workflow.  The company’s Director of Client Services, Maria Speeney-Johnson, received hundreds of documents each day that she would need to manually log and physically deliver to her staff.   Just assigning the work could take most of a morning which slowed down the entire Client Services team.  Their workflow was further hampered by the need to keep the file room under lock and key to meet client security regulations.

Requirements

ADMIN Partners wanted to implement a solution that could manage all their document types including; faxes, mail, email and electronic data files. They needed a system that 1) was customizable to meet their business processes and document types, 2) could transform their paper-based process to a digital process with automated workflow functionality, and 3) had robust security features that would help them securely store and electronically route  information while tracking and limiting who had access to each type of document.

Solution

DocuWare was chosen because it totally fulfilled all of ADMIN Partner’s requirements, especially because it handles any type of document. They worked with their Authorized DocuWare Partner, Toshiba Business Solutions, to implement a DocuWare solution tailored specifically for ADMIN Partners unique processes. Each time a document is received, a coversheet or passport is created using an Excel template then saved to a “watched folder” along with the scanned document. The information on the passport is used to automatically index and route the document through an established workflow. The passport provides a place for notes and electronic stamps. It records a document’s “travel history” and becomes part of the audit trail.  After incoming documents are scanned and verified, they are shredded. With anywhere from 100 - 300 documents entering the system on a daily basis, DocuWare has really simplified their processes.

Benefits

ADMIN Partners’ goal was met:  they no longer have paper-based processes.  With received documents scanned into DocuWare, work can quickly be assigned, there is no longer a need to physically move paper around the office and constantly lock and unlock the file room. In fact, the company has completely eliminated their file room and donated approximately 14 large file cabinets to Habitat for Humanity. The company’s employees now have the tools they need to efficiently manage their own workflow and track procedures that are in process.

 “Our work processes have gained so much transparency with DocuWare.  It is miraculous how easy it is to see my staff’s workflow. At a glance, I can now know where documents are in the process. Whether a transaction has been Assigned, Pending, or Funded, this knowledge really helps us provide top-of-the-line customer service,” said Speeney-Johnson.

With DocuWare in place, ADMIN Partners is working toward obtaining an SSAE16 certification a regulation created by the Auditing Standards Board (ASB) of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) for defining and updating how service companies report on compliance controls and document security for sensitive financial information. Controls must be in use for 12 months before an organization can be audited and certified. This certification will give the company increased credibility and opens the door to serving larger clients.

Conclusion

“Document management is not just for accounting records. I am thrilled with the way we are using it for our business critical documents and how it has revolutionized our daily processes. The fact that it will help us achieve SSAE16 certification was our motivation to move this project forward. Our office is now virtually paperless and our documents very secure,” said Matt Spina, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

 ---------------------------------------Bulleted Lists-----------------

Tasks

• Transform all documents types into a digital format and eliminate paper
• Streamline work assignments
• Make document security easier to manage, track and be in compliance with

Benefits

• Became a virtually paper-less office and enhanced efficiency
• Created transparent processes and improved business critical workflows
• Raised the quality of document security and allowed the company to work toward obtaining the security compliance controls defined in the SSAE16 certification

Everything that comes around goes around, and what is old becomes new. 

It's very rare that there is something new when it comes to selling. Sales is still about building rapport, relationship building, finding pain, prospecting and now creating enough content in your market place that the potential buyers will find your information valuable enough to contact you.

There is something missing from our business model from back in the eighties and early nineties.  Can you guess what that is? 

I know one Direct Manufacturer that still believes in the "Art of the Demo" and the "Trial to Close".  I'm a believer of those selling models also, in fact with every appointment I will try to close for that demonstration or that trial.  Too many dealerships and Direct Manufacturers have moved away from allowing demonstrations and trials.

It's All About the Demo

Why Are We Not Doing More Demonstrations at the Clients Office?

It's all about the cost of prepping the system, trucking the system and then having SE's on site to set up the system for scan, print & fax. In addition talented sales people that can demonstrate to close are few and far between.  It's a lost art of our business. Awe, don't fret, I've got some awesome content coming for you soon!

Why We Should be Placing More Demonstrations & Trials to Close

Winning the ability to place a demonstration is a huge advantage over your competitors and incumbents. In fact, the demonstration when executed correctly will win you net new business, knock out the incumbent and differentiate you and your company from the competitors. Most of your competitors DO NOT offer a demonstration on-site or Trial to Close. 

Key Points for Agreement Before You Offer the Demonstration

• How long the demonstration will take (I've had too many people think that a demonstration is a trial)
• Pre-commitment on purchase and or lease price
• Pre-commitment from the DM that if they like the way x, y & z features work that they would move forward with the order
• The DM will be present for the demonstration of the system
• The Demonstration will take place in the clients office (this is key, too many times DM's will cancel to come to you, because they just can't get out of the office

Key Points for Agreement Before You Offer the Trial to Close

• All of the above, plus these
• How long the trial period will last
• Signed lease, order form and maintenance agreement with a notation that they will move forward with the order at the end of the trial period
• A verbal agreement that they will move forward with the order at the end of the trial period

Thus, with the trial to close, depending on the size of the potential order I have been known to "baby sit" the system.  Which means that I'm there every day for "x" amount of time to make sure the users are comfortable with the system, and glean additional information about their wants and needs.

Why Are We Not Scheduling More Demonstrations and Trial to Close

I believe that over the last 15 years, we've become too complacent with delivering a brochure, delivering content from the brochure, and giving presentations instead of demonstrations.  This type of selling has lengthened the sales cycle!  In addition, many of us will happily email a proposal or order documents when asked. 

I can remember in the eighties, that one of our rules in the sales pitt, was that we could not fax a proposal nor an order/lease document!  If the DM wanted the docs then we had to schedule an appointment to bring them on-site.  It was also frowned upon, if we left order docs at the customers office and had to wait for a signature.

In essence we've trained the buyer/dm that we are willing to adhere to their terms of ordering and most of us are not dictating what our terms are. 

More Demonstrations and Trials to Close

Will generate additional sales!  In all of my years in the business, I can count the demonstrations and trials that did not close on two hands.  Once you have the system in the customers office and you've enabled the pre-commitments that I outlined above, your chances of closing the order is much greater than selling from the brochure. 

ABC

Always Be Closing, whether it's for the next appointment, the demonstration, or the trial to close.

-=Good Selling=-

Health care data breaches have been growing in frequency and subsequent damages for years now, while the vast majority of the events actually take place on a smaller scale among community providers. However, in the past couple of months, this has not really been the case, with serious breaches that took place at some of the largest medical firms in the United States hitting the presses with troubling regularity.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of these news stories is that the same types of errors, oversights and issues continue to plague the health care sector, with clear indications that security might not be all that high of a priority shining through consistently. It would be one thing if new types of attacks were the causes of each event, as there is only so much a firm can do to protect itself against these, but this has simply not been the case, with poor data management and a lack of email security being common.

To ensure that healthcare providers protect themselves and the patient data they store, more work needs to be done, and many of the steps to improve security are relatively straightforward. Educating employees in the best practices of email security and general data management, deploying encryption solutions and leveraging reliable cloud computing services can all make a major difference when all is said and done.

Long-term attack
CSO Online recently reported that the CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield announcement regarding a breach that lingered for more than a year is clear evidence that a changing of the guard needs to take place among medical firms as soon as possible. As a note, this breach was first identified and disclosed in 2014, at which time the medical firm believed that the entirety of the event was behind it and the case closed.

However, the source explained that roughly 10 months after the last announcement, CareFirst is now affirming that there was a lingering problem that led to even more damage to the company and its patients. According to the news provider, the same types of issues were once again at the root of this problem, with phishing attacks through corporate email and typo squatting being the culprits.

While these conditions did indeed offer the threats an easy path toward sensitive information and systems, the insult added to injury was purely on the shoulders of the company's leaders. For example, CSO Online noted that once the attacks were identified, the firm had plenty of time to ensure that the causes were completely eradicated and corrected, but missed a few important points and allowed its vulnerability to go on for a longer period of time.

Finally, the source cited comments of security professionals who believe that all of these attacks should really be a substantive wakeup call to the healthcare sector at large.

The path forward
The most damaging data breaches tend to be the ones that take the longest amount of time to be detected and destroyed, as evidenced by most of the largest data breaches to have taken place in retail and health care in the past two years. Leaders must ensure that they are not only working to drive down the risk of a breach taking place, but also instituting contingency plans that immediately detect attacks as they occur.

With secure cloud solutions in place, monitoring, maintenance and protection can be a bit more seamless and effective, while email encryption and similar tools will help to reduce the threat of intrusions, fraud and threat on the front end of operations.

It's not often that I have the chance to bring the Print4Pay Hotel on the road. My first road show stop of this year was with Ethos Technologies aka Blue Ridge Copiers in Salem, Virginia. 

Many years ago, I had traveled the length of I81 and the Blue Ridge Mountains in route to Memphis.  That drive along Route 81 is spectacular and I would encourage anyone to take that drive from Front Royal to Roanoke.

Back in January of 2015 Eddy Jones (Vice President of Marketing ISG Division) had contacted me and asked if I was willing to travel to Ethos Technologies to meet with their sales people to share my knowledge of 35 years in the copier industry.  After a few teleconferences I had mapped out a presentation that covered these talk tracks:

• My background in the industry and how I got to where I am today
• How A4 Devices will Affect Our Sales & Commissions
• The Three D's of Selling
• How to Add More Selling Days to your Year
• 10 Tips to Keep Your Pipeline Full
• Five Ways to Reach the Decision Maker
• How I Prospect for Net New Business (with Google & Web Hacks)
• My Box Approach for Prospecting
• Simple Yet, Effective Telemarketing Scripts
• What it Takes to be Ichiban
• Thirty One Ways to Close More Sales

To say the least, we had a blast!  I enjoyed my time with the Ethos Sales Reps and found them to be engaging, polite (that's that Southern thing), and to be very knowledgeable with their products and skills.

In addition, I also had the chance to meet with Paul Story (Owner of Ethos Technologies).  I thought I had a few years in the industry at 35! Hah!  Mr. Story has got me by 15 years!!!  The night before my presentation, Eddy, Alan, Mr. Story and I had had the chance to swap copier stories at dinner.  I was fascinated with Mr. Story's pre Xeroxgraphy days, in fact I want to share of one those memories.

In the day before Xeroxgraphy, Mr. Story explained that he had sold the a machine named the "copy cat" (I hope I'm right with that), the system resold for $65 and produced one copy every ten minutes. Mr. Story stated that the machine took a picture of the original and then needed 10 minutes to develop the copy while the copy was attached to a something like a clothesline in a dark room.  In fact, he stated that many companies had 10 or more of these lined up in a row to produce ten copies per minute. WOW!, I had no idea!

I also noticed that Mr. Story takes an active role in giving their reps one of the best comp plans in the business.  The proof of that comp plan is with their tenured reps. 

When I first met with Eddy Jones and I heard him refer to Paul Story as Mr. Story, I asked, why do you refer to Paul as Mr. Story (me being a northerner dum dum), Eddy replied that it's out of respect.  After meeting Mr. Story, I agree, he's got my respect.  Congrats to the Ethos Sales team and to Ethos Management Team that made this happen.

-=Good Selling=- 

PS:  I'm available for road shows, if you're interested in and engaging presentation and some excellent content to help your sales team, then please send me an email.  arthurkpost@gmail.com

Over the past two weeks I had a chance to spend four days in London. Pub crawls, the London Underground, the British Museum, Buckingham Palace and my favorite watching the Chelsea Blues parade for winning the Premier League. In Cape Town, South Africa for out-of-this world wine tours, amazing people and diverse cultures. Culminating with a 7 day African Safari.

Besides the many amazing places I witnessed what stood out were the stories I encountered. By speaking with the local people I was fascinated how much I learned through their eyes and memories.

Yes, on holiday I had a work moment……. I was in one of the oldest wineries in Cape Town, South Africa which dated back to 1685. The wine sommelier shared the history of the winery, what wine is paired with which food but more importantly when drinking fine wine stories should be told. Aha…… my LinkedIn moment.

People love hearing stories as they can relate to and remember moments. Does your LinkedIn profile tell the story of what you do, why you do it and how you help solve business problems which resonates with your clients or prospects?

Stop for a moment and reflect on this picture from The Lion King. What stories do you remember?

My kids are now millennials but what they remember more than anything is the drive-in (I know dating myself) and watching The Lion King. Still to this day they share their stories when we get together.

It is amazing how we remember things through the stories we are told.

How are you capturing the attention of the modern buyer?

How are positioning yourself as a subject matter expert?
Are you promoting value, credibility and how you can eliminate risk?

Your story and the journey you take your followers on starts with your headline. Just like the opening of a well written novel, are you setting the stage with your value proposition?

Sticking with the novel theme….. You created your value proposition to draw in your followers to read more…… then they hit the summary section of your profile. What is being shared with them to want to know more? Are you being authentic and consistent with who you really are? Does it explain how you add value, telling the reader what happens when you do what you do? Did you get the reader to want to learn more or take any action?

Stories can be told through the recommendations of your clients. What better way to promote what you do than through the words of your clients.

As we all know, there are numerous chapters to a great novel. A well-positioned LinkedIn profile has numerous sections as well. How you create the sections is crucial to having your “LinkedIn Book” read from cover to cover.

I enjoy sharing my LinkedIn stories. LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive copier world. I transform and coach copier sales professionals to grow their 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, www.dealermarketing.net/what-we-do/linkedin and www.dealermarketing.net

In the next three months, we'll be posting a series of blogs dedicated to garner closing net new business. 

Since, I'm not in the business of sharing all of my secrets for FREE, the series of 31 Ways to Close Net New Business will be marked as Premium blogs. 

My 35 years of experience has built a wealth of knowledge, in addition I've tried many practices that have failed and many that brought the bacon home.

The first Blog will be ready to go next week and we'll run these for the next ten weeks.  Those with Premium Memberships will have unlimited access and those that don't have Premium Memberships will have to lengthen those crocodile arms and reach into your wallet or purse to read some pretty awesome ways to close net new business.

-=Good Selling=-