MFP Copier Blog
31 Ways to Garner Net New Copier & Managed IT Business #8 of 31
Socialize Yourself with Linkedin
All of these points below will establish yourself as a person who is knowledgeable with the industry that you work in. Thus over time you will be considered by your customers and prospects as the resident expert or guru, this then established trust with them that you have the knowledge and expertise to help them attain their business needs.
8. Look for people you know whether its work or social related and ask them to get connected with you. Remember to only ask people you know, Linkedin frowns and may boot you for trying to connect with people who don’t know you.
I stress this with every post, you need to visit linkedin afew days a week or even daily. My connections is now up to 1,597 and counting. I'm using Linkedin to contact many DM's through in mail, rather than contacting them via email.
Here's another neat idea: Pick 10 or so companies that you've had no traction with, look for them on linkedin. If they have a linkedin page, you then want to "follow" them. Once you follow them you will see their posts/threads appear on your wall. When you see that post/thread, then like that thread.
more on this next week
-=Good Selling=-
12 Tips to Ricoh to Enhance the Ricoh W3601 Wide Format
It's awesome to sell 36 month leases, right? Yesterday my CRM software kicked out a current customer that was in the last three months of their wide format lease.
Low and behold the system that I had leased them 32 months ago was the Ricoh W3601.
The W3601 is still current and I was pretty shocked that there's been no refresh of upgrade of the product in almost 3 years. Pretty much, the W3601 is antiquated and needs a refresh ASAP.
Thus, I thought I would put together a top ten list of features I would like to see with a refresh or upgrade of the Ricoh W3601.
1. Auto Document Feeder: Darn tootin, no one else has one, and it would be an awesome selling feature.
2. Dump Plotworks: Get plotworks listed as an option or maybe go back to Ratio US and work a deal with them for the new plotbase.
3. Embedded USB Print & Scan: Every other Ricoh MFP just about comes standard with this feature. Why do you have to purchase a print controller if all you have to do is print .pdf's? Hint to Ricoh: Lower MSRP price equals more units sold, end users are not fans of ink wide format systems unless they have a need for color.
4. Ricoh ICE: Integrated Cloud Environment for scan 2 cloud and print from popular cloud services like google drive, Box, Dropbox, Evernote, MS365, skydrive and more.
5. Updated Web Browser: Goes hand in hand with integrating Ricoh ICE.
6. Rear Stacker: Vertical upright unit that attaches to the rear of the system.
7. Original Stacker: It's already there, however, Ricoh needs to extend the rear paper guides by another six inches and have a paper stop on it.
8. Offer Dual Models: Offer a 4 page per minute system and a 6 page per minute system just like they have in Europe. Helps us competes against the wide format color ink MFP's.
9. Large Android Color Tablet GUI: Add some sizzle, users would love to preview scans on something larger than a 6 inch screen. Maybe the size of Ipad screen.
10. Embedded Scan & Print feature: Would allow us to scan a color doc and output to a color plotter.
11. View Network folders from the MFP GUI: Ability to view folders on the network from the MFP and then select the desired "scan2" folder.
12. Mobile Print: Don't you think it's about time!!!!
The current MP 3601 is outdated with features, however, the print engine is awesome and I believe one of the most reliable engines on the market today.
Ricoh needs to step up it's game with low volume wide format!!!!
BTW, the MSRP of the CW2200SP is grossly over priced!!!
-=Good Selling=-
31 Ways to Close More Sales #28 of 31
In the office today we had about 2 hours of role playing. We were given a real life prospect scenario, had to prepare just like a real meeting.
For me, it was quite a bit of fun, for some of the newbies....well it was umm....daunting, however, they came through fine and even an old dog like me learned a few things.
28. Walk away Close: Sometimes you can get so frustrated that you can’t move the deal forward, you've had multiple meetings, submitted revised proposals and you got nothing. So, the next time you meet with that client give them the “walkaway close”. Give them the paperwork, ask for the order, if they hedge then tell them this is the best you can offer and if they don’t take it now you won’t be back, ever!
Every now and again this will work, but more importantly you feel better that you’ve done everything you could and if you walk away you won’t have to waste any more time with the prospect.
BTW, please click on the image link above and give recognition for superior sales efforts in your dealership or your direct branch, For the first time ever The Week in Imaging and The Print4Pay Hotel will give Global recognition to the best of the best for our industry!!
-=Good Selling=-
This Week in the Copier/Office Equipment Industry 10 Years Ago 3rd Week of February 2004)
Scientists at NASA and the ESA witness a supermassive black hole in galaxy RXJ1242-11 graze, partially consume, and tear apart a star. This is the first time such a phenomenon has been observed. (NASA)
2/22/04 10:41 AM
Topic by Guest
As reported http://konicaminolta.jp/about/release/kmhd/2004/0212_03_01.html and translated on Alta Vista: 2004 February 12th コニカミノルタホールディングス corporation The Konica Minolta business technologies corporation The Konica Minolta business technologies
2/20/04 10:00 AM
Reply by Jay
Here is some interesting info. The saddle stich unit is identical the one sold by Canon and minolta/konica. But our spec are slightly differnt. For instance the canon can not have a 3 hole punch added. The kon/mon is speced for up to 24lb paper. We can
2/21/04 8:07 AM
Topic by Boston Mike
I will upload the files from the clip drive next week.I was really well done.
2/22/04 10:39 AM
Topic by Guest
New Sharp Ar-C260 Models Feature Industry-Leading Color Copy Speeds And Functionality Sharps latest workgroup printers turn out 26 high-quality pages per minute MAHWAH, N.J., January 21, 2004 Sharps new AR-C260 models deliver fast color copies at
2/18/04 6:57 PM
Reply by Old Glory
I'm in the midst of going there myself so any inoput would be greatly appreciated. My understanding is that it takes 10-15 people at $795/person to justify Ricoh doing the class. I've been told it is 2 days and I've heard 4 days so definately need
2/19/04 7:15 AM
Reply by Neal
I am checking into this also, I know that it can be done online through Ricoh U. That would be the easiest way for me to do it.
2/19/04 7:32 AM
Reply by Scott Holloway
I do not believe that the CDIA training is avaliable on line through Ricoh University, but rather that you can buy the course material consisting of 4 or 5 cd and a workbook. The purpose of the training is to prepare you for analysing buswiness practices
2/20/04 9:22 AM
Reply by Old Glory
efficient and 31% less expensive if sent to the Ricoh Aficio 1060 (or whatever). Then the user has the option of ignoring the advice. Incentives could be given to the department with the best compliance record. Users can be assigned only "X" ignores in a month
2/17/04 6:58 AM
Reply by Neal
no reason it shouldn't work well. when i was with Minolta the 750 had the legal saddlestiching and it worked great. It's a great value for churches as many of them do their sunday bulletins on legal.
2/17/04 6:20 PM
Reply by Darren ....
By all means, do not buy first generation of a newly introduced model. I sold the new Savin C2408 and C3210 ... 50 bulletins later (maybe a slight exaggeration) and they still ... enough said. If they worked right, they would be excellent machines
2/18/04 12:35 AM
Reply by Graham
3800C quality, needless to say, I looked like a real dummy), The Ricoh sales people who really don't have a new graphic arts system to sell (other then the 6513 which is becoming more antiquated by the day) won't know which end is up when selling color...As
2/21/04 7:07 PM
Reply by Guest
So if I understand you correctly, you didn't even by the wireless 802.111 b or whatever its called wireless interface from RICOH? That would be great if that is what you mean.
2/21/04 8:57 PM
Reply by Darren ....
A wireless bridge converts, or "bridges", a wired ethernet appliance to wireless. D-Link 802.11g Wireless Bridge for $99.99 from Tiger Direct can give you faster commumication speed than the 802.11b Ricoh interface ... and because the connection is made
2/22/04 10:40 AM
Reply by Guest
Sharp Introduces AR-M550/M620/M700 Digital Imagers Sharps New Digital Imagers Make Office Life Easier Unique dual-scan technology speeds workflow MAHWAH, N.J., January 21, 2004 A trio of new high-end business multifunction products (MFPs) from Sharp
2/19/04 10:08 AM
Topic by Guest
Are there Ricoh rebates for the new 2232 for trades?
-=Good Selling=-
New RICOH Pro L4130_L4160 Sneak Peek
I've been waiting for this product for quite some time. Just today I saw the system appear on Ricoh USA web site. I'm super excited about having the chance to sell and support the new Ricoh Pro L4130/4160, however, I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge is limited to the specs right now. You can bet the ranch that I'll learn as much as I can as fast I can so I can get a few of these systems placed in the field.
Thus, what is the Ricoh Pro L4130_L4160? I guess we can start with that these systems represent Ricoh's entry into the signage and vehicle wrap industry. The Ricoh Pro wide format system will be able to produce color signs, banners, wraps, point-of-sale displays with many different types of substrates.
The maximum printing width of the Pro L4130 is 55.6 inches and the Pro L4160 is 63.8 inches. In addition, these system are monsters, weighing in at 447 lbs and 529 lbs.
One of the items I noticed on the spec page is that these systems use Latex ink. I did some quick research and Latex ink is odorless. That's a good thing when you're putting a tremendous amount of ink for signage and murals. The Pro series also touts a water based white ink along with CMYK, Orange and Green.
At this time, I have no clue as to what the retail price is, nor do I have an service pricing. What I do have is a "headful of hope:, that this will be an awesome product for us.
Some additional specs:
- Innovative, more ecologically friendly latex inks
- The world’s first water-based White latex ink
- Fast drying inks for improved productivity
- 6 colour printing (CMYK, Orange and Green) plus white ink
- Lower ink curing temperatures (60 degree Celcius or less) allows greater flexibility and choice of media
- High print durability for outdoor or indoor applications
- Production quality output at up to 18 sqm per hour
- Choice of two print widths (1371 mm or 1620 mm)
- Improved variable dot print technology provides minimum dot size capability of just 4 picolitre
I've uploaded the spec page to the Print4Pay Hotel forums, here's the link
-=Good Selling=-
The Sales Appointment that Goes All to Well!
We've all had them, right?
At lunch today, we spoke about the meeting that was too good to be true. The person you met with (who was to relay the information to the DM) was engaging, energetic, giving buying signs—basically all of the right stuff that says this is a slam dunk.
You were so enthused about the appointment that you projected the deal to close in a matter of weeks. Then... the bottom dropped out. All of a sudden, your contact was dodging your calls, offering lame excuses about late lunches, not being at their desk, no returned emails, and the occasional excuse that so-and-so is out on leave.
I hate meetings like these, and before you say, "Well, you should have met with the DM," I can tell you that many of my appointments never get me face-to-face with the DM the first time. They will pawn that job off to a trusted person in the company who does not have the authority to sign an order.
So, what can you do to "avoid the appointment that goes all too well"? Well... nothing. You will have meetings that go like this, and you need to add some closure before you leave the meeting.
- Who is the ultimate decision-maker?
- Is there a reason they are not here?
- Are you looking at other proposals?
- What is your buying criteria, is it price, support/service, speeds 'n' feeds, features?
- What is your budget?
- When do you need to make a move on this?
Above all, if you have not presented the proposal yet, then BEFORE you leave, schedule a follow-up appointment with the person you just met with along with the DM. If you don't, someone like me will! One other item, assume that the order is yours and move forward until you are stopped!
You can lose orders for the following reasons:
- Sorry, my boss's next-door neighbor also sells the same equipment and he or she ordered from them.
- Sorry, my boss has an uncle, aunt, or cousin in the business and we ordered from them.
- Sorry, another salesperson scheduled an appointment with my boss and we bought from them.
I could probably list another 25 or so. My point, even though the meeting was great and all the energy indicated that you were going to get the order, does not mean that you can lay back and WAIT for the order! You have to make something happen, and that's to schedule the follow-up meeting to sign the paperwork with the DM. Right, assume the order. If they balk, then that's an objection that you need to know.
Losers wait for things to happen, and winners make things happen!
-=Good Selling=-
31 Ways to Garner Net New Copier & Managed IT Business #7 of 31
Socialize Yourself with Linkedin
All of these points will establish yourself as a person who is knowledgeable with the industry that you work in. Thus over time you will be considered by your customers and prospects as the resident expert or guru, this then establishes trust with them that you have the knowledge and expertise to help them attain their business needs.
7. If you've got some interesting news related to your industry, something educational or maybe a promo that your company is running, then post a link and or a comment as to where that information is on the web or just post that promo (as long as it’s short and sweet and you don't over do it).
You can also post something that's funny, interesting or newsworthy for your connections. Linkedin is social media for BUSINESS. Personally, I shy away from posting anything that is related to my political or religious beliefs.
What I find annoying with linkedin, is when connections will post quotes from others, and plugging their product or service every day of the week.
Every night, I will post 15-20 press releases about the industry I work in. I will also post links to new threads on the p4P hotel forums (which can cover almost anything that comes across my alerts).
You can also try posting self help article links, press releases (related to your industry), some funny and maybe something cool. You could do a "fun Friday" and each week post a link to a funny video, or picture. Above all you want to establish your self as the resident guru in your industry.
On average my site now receives about 170,000 page views a month. Posting links and comments on Linkedin is something I do every day.
-=Good Selling=-
Is it Frowned Upon if you Join a Competitor?
I received this email from a Print4Pay Hotel member a few weeks ago.
"High turnover is common in the industry. Is it frowned upon if you join a competitor because they are offering more money"?
Well...., not really...who is going to do the frowning? The company that you use to work for, then who cares! I'm sure that the company that hired you believes that you are the right person for the right job.
What sends up a red flag is if you jump from dealer to dealer in a short amount of time. If I read that on your resume I would rule you out, due the fact that jumping from dealer would tell me that you could interview well, however you either couldn't sell or there was some type of character flaw.
There are some dealerships that have awesome comp plans and some that have not so awesome comp plans. The key is locate the dealer with the awesome comp plan along with the awesome service & support. Finding that type of dealer to work for would be like finding the Holy Grail! In all my years in the business, I've only found one of these.
The reason why most of us hang on in this business is because we have the opportunity to make extra dough, work hard and take time when we need time. It's a great industry when you are successful!
If you worked for me and you demonstrated that you're an earner, I would be sorry to see you go. I would also offer you every opportunity to stay. If it came down to parting ways, I would wish you the best, and the reason for that is because I'm confident in my companies ability to sell, support and service my clients. What I would offer up, is that the grass is rarely greener on the other side of the fence. If you're on cloud nine were you are, and money is the issue, then take some time to discuss that with your manager, or dealer owner. You never know....or would you rather make more and not be happy where you work. I would tend to think that if you're miserable with the new job, then you wouldn't make as much as you could being content.
One other note that I heard from a professional coach, "players come and go, the only things that is constant is me".
-=Good Selling=-
31 Ways to Close More Copier Sales #27 of 31
There are countless ways to close business, all you have to do is be creative and don't be afraid to ask for the order. What's the worst that can happen? They will say "no" and when they say "no" you ask why? Every "no" may get you closer to a yes. Be creative!!!
Mega Ball Close: I used this about a year ago and offered up 50 MegaBall Lottery Tickets, however I offered this for the company employees and not the owner. It worked, they did'nt win but everyone was pretty excited about it.
-=Good Selling=-
Top Ten MFP Copier Industry Predictions for 2014
A better year in 2013 for everyone right? I still fee the economy here in the Northeast is not what is was and am wondering if we'll ever get back to where we were in the mid 2000's.
I've been in this crazy business for 33 years and not once was I ever faced with a lay-off. A CEO once told me that he'll invest in technology before he adds to his labor force.
Here's my top ten for 2014
- The Big 4 Copier manufacturers (Ricoh, Xerox, KonicaMinolta and Canon) will start buying Document Management Software Companies to enhance their "be everything to everyone mentality".
- Just maybe this will be the year when one manufacturer finally calls it quits for manufacturing copiers and getting back to their core business. But, who will it be? Toshiba, Sharp or Kyocera?
- The year of Acquisitions for Dealers: Larger dealers will escalate their efforts to acquire smaller dealers in order to maintain and grow market share in their territories.
- Document Management software finally hits home for SMB accounts, more dealers will have the talk with their prospects and customers about managing their documents.
- Capture software will also be a huge theme for this year. That next generation of dealer owners, sales managers and sales people understand that imaging systems will no longer pay the bills!
- Keywords for 2014 will be WORKFLOW, Business Process Management. SMB businesses need to do more with less.
- One of the Big 4 will buy a 3D printing manufacturer, to capture the consumable revenue stream that they had with imaging equipment.
- Memjet "waterfall" print head finally makes a splash in the MFP market place for SMB's.
- Some of the largest copier dealers will acquire VAR's to increase their MNS and BDR business.
- The rise of segment 5 A4 MFP's, there's a few on the market now, look for more manufacturers to have offerings in Segment 5. Segment 6? O wouldn't bet against it.
Have fun with this, I did!
BTW, here's the links for previous predictions: Top Ten MFP & Copier Predictions for 2013, Top Ten MFP & Copier Predictions for 2012, Top Ten MFP Copier Predictions for 2011, Top Ten MFP Copier Predictions for 2010, Top Ten MFP Copier Predictions for 2009
-=Good Selling=-
This Week in the Copier/Office Equipment Industry 10 Years Ago (2nd Week of February 2004)
Remember when bit color was an issue with the first color units. We all had to learn what 2, 4 & 8 bit color was. Funny, how 19 years later it's not even a topic of discussion anymore.
Ten Year ago this week, this story was in the headlines.
- Nine Cuban migrants attempt to reach Florida in a modified 1959 Buick that was converted to a boat. They are intercepted by the United States Coast Guard. The same group had made a similar attempt the summer before in a modified 1951 Chevrolet truck.
Ten Years ago, these were the threads on the Print4Pay Hotel forums!! Enjoy!
2/14/04 11:58 AM Topic by Boston Mike
copies and no prints to 6000 prints a month on published CPC (I get some $ ea month for CPC contracts) Delivery day is here and the overlay work like a charm however the scanning is not working. I call 57 Ricoh and get we have no idea...we have not used SMB
2/13/04 5:12 PM Reply by Guest
I have heard that the internal IPDS solution on the Ricoh 1075 is expensive. Can you give me a cost?
2/13/04 11:15 AM Reply by merlin
I like Graham went we first took on Kyocera 3 years ago felt Ricoh was a better product. Since that time, as install more and more KM's and talking with our service tech's. We have less service calls on the KM's doing the same volume then with Ricoh's
2/13/04 9:48 AM Reply by Ted
That is straight off the Ricoh Cost Fact Sheet for this model. These sheets are available on ROL. That is the actual cost to the dealer, not what we sell it for. But it is better than the 3800CMF & the CL7000CMF.
2/12/04 8:46 PM Topic by Guest
said on Thursday that its quarterly operating profit slumped 27 percent as sharp price declines pushed its camera business into the red. ADVERTISEMENT Konica Minolta, created last August through the merger of precision equipment companies
2/12/04 5:09 PM Topic by Darren ....
7165 w/finisher - $10,800LCT - $1,100Punch - $450$0.009 per copy
2/12/04 5:07 PM Reply by Darren ....
Konica 7155 w/finisher - $7,900 LCT - $1,100 Punch - $450 $0.009 per copy
2/12/04 8:29 AM Reply by Guest
Attached is some info. from Technesis for their Smartprint product. I know it works with Oce product and most other devices.
2/11/04 4:59 PM Topic by Guest
that would really work. Does anyone have a unbiased or Ricoh white paper or case study they would be willing to share. Thanks!
2/10/04 4:38 PM Topic by Guest
NDG and exhibited the problem. Paper type is normal with job being 5 DBL Sided Letter pages folded and stapled like a booklet. Wasn't this m/c designed to do this? The Cust has a 1060 with Saddle Stitch finisher...we have checked finsiher ROM and
2/10/04 11:16 AM Reply by Guest
Greg, We are parting out our Ricoh 551 machine which has the print controller you need. It also has a NIC and additional memmory. If interested please make me an offer. Thanks, James
2/10/04 6:37 AM Topic by Boston Mike
By Franklin Paul NEW YORK, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Xerox Corp. (nyse: XRX - news - people), on a high from its improving financial picture, is offering a wide range of new, pricey printers, but analysts suggest it may eventually reenter -- perhaps indirectly
2/9/04 10:17 PM Reply by Guest
Yeah, Ricoh is giving a $700 rebate per unit when you buy three at a time!!
2/9/04 9:55 AM Topic by Guest
Was the Ricoh Aficio 3006 a 2 bit, 4 bit or 8 bit system? Will a 2232 be a good upgrade to a 3006? The client makes copies of magazine articles. Exact color is not critical, but a good, professional image is. I did not do much with the 3006, so I am
2/8/04 7:00 PM Reply by Old Glory
can be by themselves when lease, service and supplies are all taken into consideration. If a duplicator can provide a value add without adding to the cost, then you have just eliminated much of your competition...especially Xerox and Canon.
2/8/04 4:53 PM Topic by Guest
Canon IR 105s with Canon RIP w/Saddlestitcher/Post processor and paper deck $35K each cpc no minimum .0042 service frozen for three years!
2/8/04 4:49 PM Reply by Guest
New Xerox DC2101 with Fiery RIP w/Bookletmaker and Hicpacity Paper Deck $44,900 cpc 200K minimum .0039 each 6 month free warranty supplies @ .0019
2/8/04 4:47 PM Topic by Guest
CLC 4000 w/Fiery RIP z-6000 $57K w/1150 in trade and R1 Paper deck Monthly cpc is .083
2/8/04 4:43 PM Reply by Guest
Xerox Doc 2045 with Fiery Rip Includes scanner/feeder/training $70K CPC monthly minimum (20K) .092 overs @ .084 warranty cpc is .039
2/7/04 9:21 PM Topic by Guest
February 6, 2004 - Ricoh Corporation And World Wildlife Fund Sign Agreement To Advance Forest Conservation In Mexico Ricoh Corporation And World Wildlife Fund Sign Agreement To Advance Forest Conservation In Mexico West Caldwell, NJ, February
2/7/04 10:33 AM Reply by Guest
We also shy away from the fiery. Any time it comes up, I share the success of the Ricoh Driver and it has never been an issue because none of the opportunities offered a reason to implement the fiery driver.
2/6/04 4:38 PM Topic by Guest
Oh Well! Savin will own Ricoh one day, or the name will change to Savin.
2/6/04 2:10 PM Reply by Jayson Gilbertson
The biggest problem with the League Message Board is that Ricoh people rarely respond (other than Dave C.) We here usally answer the questions posted there because most of us have people at Ricoh to get the answers from and we take the the bull by the
2/6/04 9:17 AM Reply by Jayson Gilbertson
Art, Print speed is half at 1200DPI. By the way the new Toishiba relables Ricoh is getting are 10 bit color. I believe the bits are an indication of how much digital information is sent to and through the print engine, althought I am no color bit expert
2/6/04 8:55 AM Topic by Guest
document management needs with best-in-class product offerings, tailored document management solutions, and leading service and technical support." CPP 8050 Based on Konica Minolta Technology Launched in October 2003, the IKON CPP 8050 is based on Konica
2/5/04 9:09 PM Topic by Guest
Xerox 3535 w/RIP $25,840 Docfeeder, Scanner cpc .0089 6 month warranty supplies are .0441
2/5/04 9:07 PM Reply by Guest
Canon iR 3200 w/RIP $19,299 doc feeder, Saddlestitcher included monthly cpc .007
2/5/04 9:06 PM Topic by Guest
Xerox 2045 w/Scitex RIP w/feeder/scanner $76,090 cpc 20K min .092 overage at .085
2/5/04 7:38 PM Topic by Guest
Tue Feb 3, 4:22 PM ET Mike Martin, science.newsfactor.com Beleaguered by major accounting problems less than two years ago, Xerox (NYSE: XRX - news) is attempting to build up steam, touting a group of new offerings unveiled late last week as "industry..
-=Good Selling=-
31 Ways to Garner Net New Copier & Managed IT Business #6 of 31
Socialize Yourself with Linkedin
All of these points will establish yourself as a person who is knowledgeable with the industry that you work in. Thus over time you will be considered by your customers and prospects as the resident expert or guru, this then establishes trust with them that you have the knowledge and expertise to help them attain their business needs.
6. Once you have the sales basic plan you’ll need to go on linkedin daily and see who’s checking you out. If you do find someone that you don’t know that has viewed your profile, then send them a message asking “I noticed that you visited my Linkedin profile, is there anything I can help with”? If not keen on sending them the email, then of course you can call them or stop in. But, sending the email through linkedin is best. If you get no response keep the name of the company and contact in your data base and then fall back to the box marketing approach that I've mentioned in previous blogs and on the forums.
I can't stress enough how important it is to check linkedin every day when you enable your basis membership.
Top Three Value Points for Print Audits New FM V3
Value...the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.
As sales professionals we always strive to present value to our prospects and customers. It's the value of what we bring to the table that sets my dealership apart from the other dealership down the road. Value...can come in many forms such as excellent on-site service, support, hardware and software.
Everyone wants immediate results, the quicker we can alleviate an error code, a service call or be pro-active and have a tech on-site before our customer places a service call is a huge advantage! We can let them focus on their core business and let us manage the hardware for them.
I'm somewhat of a novice when it comes to Fleet Management software, but I'm not a novice when it comes to service and support. I preach that we are not in the business of selling copiers, printers, scanners, MPS, DMS, or MNS. We are in the business of giving EXCELLENT customer service! Thus if there's a new product on the market that can add VALUE to my customers that will enable then to have an even better customer experience, then I'm ALL IN.
Print Audit has just released FM Version 3, there are three key advantages with this new product that will allow me to create additional value for every prospect and customer that I meet. Having FM Version 3 will set me apart from the dealers than don't have FM Version 3 or don't believe in Fleet Management.
Here's some key points that Rob Thiessen (VP Sales for Print Audit) that we spoke about in a recent teleconference:
Changes to FM
1) New Smart Alerting functionality that lets you customize the way that Alerts are cleared as well as triggered.
- You will now be able to configure an alert to automatically clear if the condition has not occurred for a designated number of hours. This is important for mitigating situations where the actions of users within a managed environment could cause device alerts to be improperly cleared and as a result duplicated. For example, users often remove toner cartridges to shake them, and then put them back in the device. In this circumstance the device can be “tricked” into clearing the alert temporarily. Setting the smart alert to clear only when the condition has not occurred for “X” hours will eliminate duplicate alerts that occur for what is actually the same condition.
- A new "Manual Clear" option will leave an alert active until someone logs into Facilities Manager and manually clears the alert. This clearing option gives the user complete control over the clearing of alerts at the system level. For example, even if the device shows the alert condition as having been cleared, the Facilities Manager will not clear it without manual input.
2) Ability to create Machine Alerts that trigger on device specific error codes
- Provides clarity to service personnel regarding service alerts they receive
- Eliminates the need for customer help in diagnosing printer issues remotely
- Greater control over the workflow associated with alerting on specific issues
3) Option to deliver Supplies and Service alerts to a web service
- Used to completely automate the dispatching of service and supplies tickets through web services
- Eliminates the need for manual entry of service information into ticketing system
In addition, Print Audit FM3 now offers viewing on one page or report, of all Active Alerts and Alert History for each device or selection of devices. This allows administrators and service personnel to view all of the issues affecting their devices at once.
I've also included the marketing release notes for FM V3 which are available at the following link; http://www.printaudit.com/alerting.asp
Ask yourself are you going to be the dealer that's ahead of the curve with technology or the dealer that's always trying to play catch up. Me? I'm elated that the dealership that I work for is a Premier Print Audit dealer and they give me the tools to kick some butt!!
-=Good Selling=-
Facilities Manager Webinars: | |
Learn More: If you are not a current Facilities Manager customer, you can sign up for a free trial here: |
Selling Office Technology & a "Head Full of Hope"
"So, what the heck is a 'head full of hope'? I heard the phrase for the first time while watching the miniseries 'Klondike.' Yes, I am a GOLD Rush freak!
I enjoy watching these guys prospect because prospecting is something I do on a daily basis. But finding GOLD, now that's a whole heck of a lot better than making 50 calls and getting a solid lead.
As a kid, I would often venture out on my own in the woods of Iselin, NJ, to see what I could find. I can remember a place called Fossil Rock, which was located next to the Parkway. Rumors had it that if you could find this rock, you'd be able to break pieces of the rock away to find fossils.
I never found the fossils because I never found the rock. But, I found many smaller rocks that were the hiding places of many critters, most of them being snakes. At first, I used to turn the rocks over by hand; I changed to using a big stick because one day I turned over a rock by hand, and a large snake scared the crap out of me! Heck, at 10 or 11 years old, I was on a mission to find what I could find.
In those days, I guess I could agree that I had a 'head full of hope' because I would leave in the morning with the belief that I would find old coins, treasure, snakes, or critters. Most days I returned with some fine-looking rocks that I thought might be valuable. Yup, I had a 'head full of hope.'
To this day, I still have that 'head full of hope' when it comes to prospecting because, as I think back, prospecting is always something I enjoyed doing. If I turned over enough rocks, I would eventually find something that I perceived as valuable, cool, or even scary (I've had a few prospects who were even scarier than that snake).
Thus, the same is true with prospecting for new customers; as long as you make the calls (phone or in person), send enough emails, do a few mailers, and before you know it, you've got prospects! Of course, some of those prospects won't pan out; others will fall off the face of the earth (we know that, right?), but there's always a few that will buy from you!
While in the office today, I mentioned the title of this blog to Ricky and gave him the outline. He commented, 'When you come to think of it, I was always prospecting before I got into sales.' I asked, 'How is that?' Ricky then stated that in his younger days (before he tied the knot), he would frequent some clubs to meet new women! Well, in my book, that's prospecting, right? When you come right down to it, all of us have some sales traits, and we didn't even know it!
I also have a 'head full of hope' for the Imaging Business. I believe that paper will never just go away, but I'm in agreement that prints from printers and copiers are in decline. There, I finally said it!
But, I've got a 'head full of hope' that new technologies will keep us relevant in the Office Technology business. Thus, in essence, we are still prospecting for hardware, software, and technology that will help our clients and prospects do more with less, save them time, increase efficiency, and help to lower their costs.
-=Good Selling=-"