MFP Copier Blog

Selling Copiers "Did We Create Our Own Commodity"?

Art Post · 6/29/1311:16 PM

Since I've been selling in the industry for far too long, I've been able to see the transition the industry has taken over the years with our products.

Years ago copier sales people not only sold the products, but we were also responsible for the delivery, the install, prospecting, and on-site training to the end users. Dealerships also kept more inventory, and a demo fleet of copiers that were ready to be demo'd at the customers office at a moments notice.

When the industry made the transition from analog to digital we also had to learn how to install the print drivers, the scanning, demonstrate these features and train the customer on how to print and scan. Believe or not we found the time to get all of this done and it wasn't a bad thing. Sales people had more interaction with the customer after the sale, more interaction with what the copiers could and couldn't do (because we had to train the end user), and we were able to sell extras and learn more about the customers needs on a daily basis when it came to copying, printing, scanning and faxing.

Somewhere along the way we've forgotten our past . Today I see sales reps that have no clue about how the print process works, nor could they explain it if asked. Ask them to demonstrate the product and to focus on FAB (feature, advantage and benefit) and they are clueless. Along with this, the bean counters of our industry transitioned us from on-hand inventory to just-in time inventory, and less demo units. Todays sales reps or most of them are not involved with the delivery process, nor the installation and the worst of all we are not involved in the training process once the equipment has been installed. Most of the new reps in the industry are brochure sellers and that's a bad thing. How can you get someone excited or enthused about a brochure? There's no sizzle in presenting a brochure! When a prospect views the brochures they equate that all of the systems are equal, thus most of the time the buying decision becomes a financial decision.

Now, I'm all in favor of us not doing the install, nor the delivery. I can remember those days of trying to get a 500lb system up a flight of stairs with no stair climber. But, we're missing the boat with not demonstrating or offering trials. I still try to put in trials or schedule a demonstration so that I can demonstrate the features, advantages and benefits of my system. In most cases this will lead to an impulse sale. You can't get an impulse sale from a stinking brochure!

Our first meetings need to be more about closing for the demo or the trial, whether it's in your office or theirs. Then hone your demonstration skills and I'll bet dollars to doughnuts you'll close more sales.

On a side note, did you ever wonder why management wants you to make 100-150 calls a week? I'll be going over that in my next blog.

-=Good Selling=-

10 Awesome Tips for a Great MFP/Copier Demo

Art Post · 6/28/1310:37 PM

Demo, what the heck is that? In other posts I've mentioned that demo's were the way we used to sell copy machines many years ago.

One of the requirements of a copier sales person is that you needed to have some type of station wagon, hatch back or enclosed pick up truck. Why? Because the salesperson, that would be me and all of us that have been around since the 80's or before had to use our vehicles to bring copiers to a customers office! We also have to navigate steps, one of more flights of stairs, basements, muddy drive ways, sleet, snow and rain. Almost kinda made me feel like the mailman, because Post delivers! (anyone get that).

You got pumped for demo's because you knew that if you had a good demo, meaning that the copier performed without jamming, you didn't get some off the wall question from a smart ass, that you had a great shot at closing the deal on the spot and then negotiating to leave the demo so you didn't have to lug it back to the office! Gosh, I miss those days.

The other day I had a demo set for a customer to come to our showroom, since it's been awhile since I did a demo, I had to write a list of what needed to be done prior to the account coming in. Here goes.

1. Check the system for print, and copy quality a day in advance, this way if there is an issue you can get someone to rectify the issue.

2. Go to your system at least 90 minutes prior to the customer getting there to set up the applications that you would like to demo.

3. Check the print and copy quality again, also if you're with a color system make sure you calibrate the system for the copy mode, and all of the print modes. In the Ricoh systems there are at least four different print calibrations, while you're at it is there is an "auto registration" perform that function also.

4. Place a couple of Silica Gel Packs in the paper tray to remove any moisture that maybe in the paper.

5. Always remove the top sheet of paper that is in the print tray. Depending on when the last time the system was used, the top may have dirt, dust or even be crinkled. Get rid of it!

6. Check paper sizes & print files to make sure you have the right combination of paper in the trays.

7. Open all application print files and print each file before your customer arrives, and then keep the application minimized so you can get to it quickly, this eliminates the need to open the applications and then select the print driver while the customer is waiting.

8. Make sure you clean or remove any marks that may be on the panels or on the platen glass.

9. If you're going to print envelopes, have the application ready, the envelopes loaded and the right paper size selected, nothing is more impressive that printing color envelopes without wrinkles.

10. If you are interrupted place you hand on the last feature or accessory that you were speaking about, this way you'll be able to remember where you left off.

Bonus Tip #1: Learn how to present TCO of existing inkjet plotters vs LED wide format MFP's with this awesome spreadsheet calculator click here for more information.

Bonus Tip #2: Plenty of mints for you, not the customer and don't forget to do your trial closes, and remember you don't have to complete the demo in order to ask for the order!

Bonus Tip #3: At some point in the demonstration ask the prospect where they will be putting their new system (trial close). Tune in next week for Tip#4

Bonus Tip #4: If your prospects asks you about the warranty, this will tell you that they are serious about you and your system. When they ask about the warranty turn this around and ask them "What type or term of warranty or maintenance agreement they are interested in!

=Good Selling=-

Committed to Dealer Success

Art Post · 6/28/1310:27 PM

It's refreshing to see an email from a office equipment manufacturer that is touting their web site as dealer and end user friendly. A recent email from Formax introduced me to their new web site, and their claim to fame was the fact there was no dealer locator on their site. Thus dealers could send their customers to the site to gain additional product knowledge, videos and spec sheets.

Formax understands that dealers enabled them to be where they are today, when it comes to the copier channel all of the manufactures state "we're committed to the dealer channel", however they all still run a Direct Channel and then pit dealer against dealer when a prospect accesses their web site looking for a copier.

Case in point I was able to visit the web sites of Ricoh, Kyocera, KonicaMinolta, Sharp and Canon. In every instance when I input the zip code in their dealer locators I was shocked that Sharp, Canon and KonicaMinolta came up with eight dealers. Ricoh and Kyocera both came in with four dealers. In some cases there were dealers that were located in New York City (which is a good 45 miles from the zip code).

How can this many choices be good for the dealer, especially when we keep on hearing "we're committed to the dealer channel. The only winners in what I described is the prospect and the manufacturer.

Just when I thought that I wouldn't be able to find a copier dealer channel web site that didn't have a dealer locator and was focused on specs, and product knowledge, I found Muratec. We all know Muratec is not the biggest, but they just maybe the best when it comes to being "Committed to Dealer Success". As far as I'm concerned, if I were a dealer owner (and I was one at one time), you can throw me all the back end money you want, but I won't believe you are committed to my success until you change your web site like Formax and Muractec.

-=Good Selling=-

Scan2Fax with "Eric the Office Worker"

Art Post · 6/27/139:20 PM

When we last heard from Eric "the office worker" he was was our featured office worker in these blogs: Eric the "Office Worker" Gets a Supra Wide Format!, Print Audit Green with "Eric the Office Worker" and Ecopy Desktop & "Eric the Office Worker" along with Ricoh's PPDM enables an Epiphany for Eric the "Office Worker"

The last we heard of Eric, he was working for DigDug Systems in Frostberg, MD, since then Eric the "Office Worker" has moved back to New Jersey (home of Rhutts Hot Dogs) and found a job with GigaHertz Power System in Wannakopier, NJ.

Over the years Eric has developed into a techie guru of sorts. Eric's new job was to process order that were faxed to the company daily. He was one of 12 people that gathered the incoming order, entered the order in the system and then made of copy of the order for filing. Eric alone (cause he was on top of his game) would process almost 100 orders per day and keep in mind that he was one of 12 users gathering documents from the three fax machines that were dedicated for inbound faxing.

Did I ever tell you Eric's last name? It used to be Betterbid (sounds like a copier sales person name to me) and he got tired of that and had it changed to Sakash (whoa, sounds like another copier salesman's name too), but enough with Eric's name. With three fax machines and 12 users there was a lot of jam ups at the fax machines, orders were getting mixed up, misplaced and lost! Eric was also having a hard time with Wanda (you know Wanda, large girl, ornery and quite intimidating at the fax machines), Eric always waited for Wanda to finish getting her documents and then he'd meander and slither to the fax and lift his documents.

After many months of gathering faxes, processing, misplacing and losing faxes, our "Office Worker" that would be Eric make a mental note that there's gotta be a better way! So Eric went on a mission to see if there was a better way so he didn't have to deal with Wanda anymore. Eric started search for all sorts of fax terms on the Internet, on one particular search Eric found this link MFP's can now Scan2Fax with UDOCX .

"Whoa" he thought, this could be the holy grail that he was looking for. Eric in the past had some knowledge of MFP's, and by the looks of the video he figured he check out what MFP's were in use by GigaHertz. Eric discovered that GigaHertz was using Xerox and Ricoh MFP's (Multifunctional Product) and with additional research realized that each of these machines were capable of adding a "browser" module to the MFP.

Geesh he thought, if this technology could be added to the MFP's, well first he wouldn't have to deal with Wanda anymore and he wouldn't lose a fax, misplace or have to copy incoming faxes anymore! There'd be no more lines, no more mixups and no more Wanda. It's sounding like a win win for our boy Eric right?

Well, kinda, Eric knew that technology is not cheap, and what would be the cost and would management go for it. No one's spending additional money nowadays unless they can get an immediate ROI, right?

On the sly Eric made a few calls and found out from a UDOCX dealer that all three of the fax lines could be eliminated which means no line charge, no call charge, no long distance, no taxes, no fees to pay anymore. Along with that for an additional few dollars every user (remember the other 11 workers) could have their own "Cloud" fax numbers! Imagine that everyone having their own dedicated fax number! No more going to fax machine (yeah), no more butting heads with Wanda, (yeah), no more lost faxes, no more misplaced faxes and no more copying of faxes. Plus Eric could use Scan2fax from the MFP and always have a digital paper trail!!

When Eric did the math, GigaHertz could eliminate all of the fax lines, increase productivity and save money each month. The beauty was in the ROI and the fact that the Scan2fax service was a monthly subscription, thus there's no lay out of cash, no IT people or resources needed because the software is running in the cloud!!

So, what did Eric do?? Well, as all good workers Eric made a mad dash to the Controllers office with information in hand, on the way he ran into Wanda, fell, broke his pelvis and had to go to the hospital. Wanda felt so bad for Eric that she delivered the information on UDOCX scan2fax to the controllers office.

Wanda called Eric a few days later see how he was doing and told Eric that when he comes back to work at GigaHertz in Wannakopier, NJ that he would have his own cloud fax number!!!

-=Good Selling=-

Users Get Confused Because It Is Not All In the MFP

Art Post · 6/27/138:35 PM

Multifunctional printers or devices (MFP or MFD - you pick which term you like best) are remarkable things. At times you think they can actually think for you with the capabilities they offer. There is a down side to this as well when we are trying to configure them for clients.

I am working with a lawyer's office where the key user has a list of the things that they would like to be able to do with the 'new' device:

When documents are scanned she would like to do double side and single sided scans at the same time. In discussing this what she wants is the ability to do double sided scans and eliminate the blank pages created when there is no data on the backside of the document.
Would like to be able to manipulate the scans. What is desired here is the ability to edit the output from the scan, cut and past sections of documents into other documents, add pages to the output and delete pages from the output of the scanning process.
The client did not know the difference between OCR'd scans and PDF scans other than their current process uses their MFP to create PDF's and they cannot edit that output.

Toshiba Unveils World’s First Multifunction Product Incorporating Erasable Toner

Art Post · 6/27/138:13 AM

By incorporating a unique toner, the leading managed document services (MDS) provider and business printing solutions innovator’s new device is capable of erasing images and text output allowing for the reuse of paper.

Toshiba’s new MFP enables organizations to set an example for their employees while asserting their ecological leadership. By reusing the same sheet as many as five times, users dramatically minimize paper usage while lessening carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 57 percent, as validated by the British Standards Institute, a global national standards organization. To further minimize an organization’s carbon footprint, the e-STUDIO306LP/RD30 integrates bio-based plastics – which produce 20 percent less CO2 emissions during production compared to traditional petroleum-based versions. The new e-STUDIO’s output – a distinctive blue – further distinguishes itself from any other available device while serving to notify users that the page’s output is erasable.

The e-STUDIORD30 unit is where a page’s output is erased. By applying heat, the toner color is effectively removed, thereby erasing any output on the page. For archival purposes, the eraser unit can also be configured to scan any documents to a network file location or USB drive prior to performing the erasing.

Reusable paper – which has been erased – is returned to the unit’s upper drawer while output that is unable to be fully erased is sent to the e-STUDIORD30’s bottom drawer to be recycled.

By integrating features common in Toshiba’s larger devices – including impressive warm-up and first copy out times, color scanning and 30-pages-per minute print speed – the compact and energy-efficient e-STUDIO306LP/RD30 is ideal for businesses of any size or sector.

Aside from its well-articulated eco features and design, Toshiba’s latest MFP includes advanced security functionality including the company’s proprietary Self Encrypting Drive (SED) with Automatic Data Invalidation (ADI) which renders the drive’s data useless if removed. By coupling the company’s IPSec enabler – which encrypts information sent to and from a device – and data overwrite capability, the e-STUDIO306LP/RD30 meets the U.S. Department of Defense’s rigid security requirements.

“Having incorporated erasable toner allowing output to be reused, Toshiba’s e-STUDIO306LP/RD30 is the first multifunction product available on the market with this dynamic capability,” said Andy Slawetsky, president of Industry Analysts, Inc. “Given this fact, it is a potential ground-breaking device; particularly for customers seeking to do their part to minimize environmental impact.”

To help organizations further lessen their carbon footprint, Toshiba offers its award-winning Encompass™ Analysis. The report presents users with a comprehensive understanding of their print-related eco footprint while introducing solutions on reducing environmental impact.

The company continues to provide customers free toner recycling through its zero-waste-to-landfill toner partnership with Close the Loop. In addition to accepting its own toner, Toshiba accepts any other brand of spent toner cartridges.

Toshiba’s e-STUDIO306LP/RD30 is currently available through authorized Toshiba dealers for slightly more than $10,000. For more information about Toshiba products, or to locate an authorized Toshiba dealer in your area, visit www.business.toshiba.com.

About Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc.

Irvine, Calif.-based Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc., (TABS) is an independent operating company of Toshiba Corporation, the world’s eighth-largest electronics/electrical equipment company. TABS is a leading managed document services (MDS) provider with experts that help organizations take control of document security, workflow and print environments. With the award-winning Encompass™ managed print services (MPS) program, e-STUDIO™ line of multifunction printers (MFPs), toner products and retail information/thermal printing systems, TABS is leading the way for businesses to print smarter, work safer and conserve resources. For more information on Toshiba solutions and services available in the United States and Latin America, please visit www.business.toshiba.com.

Follow Toshiba: Facebook www.facebook.com/ToshibaCopiers Twitter @ToshibaMPS Blog business.toshiba.com/blog

Press Room: http://business.toshiba.com/usa/about/press

Dr. PCL5 Wants to Cure Your Laserjet Printing Pain

Art Post · 6/26/1310:41 PM

The Doctor is in the HOUSE!! One of the great features of the Print4Pay Hotel forums is the MEMBERS, we have a resident guru (Dr. PCL5) that monitors the forums on a daily basis. Dr. PCL5 is lurking on the forums to see if there is a "pain" that he can cure.

Dr. PCL5 is an expert at presenting custom solutions that can ease your customers pain when it comes to bar code printing solutions, check printing solutions, laserjet font set solutions, eforms and custom print solutions. Best of all his advise is FREE, and when was the last time you went to the Doctor and he didn't charge you?

While we all claim we sell solutions are we really digging deep enough into every workflow opportunity with a current customer or a potential client? For example, today one of our reps was working on a rather large opportunity for multiple units for a net new account. The account had eight or so payments left on the existing MFP lease, our rep was dejected because when he ran the numbers for the MFP's and the service he was not able to lower their payments. He was looking for the EASY sale and I can't blame him because I'd try to do the same thing. I mentioned to him that he needs to dig deeper with the account, find the pain because somewhere there is pain with their workflow. I won't get into the particulars because I'm saving that for another blog. Maybe, just maybe eforms would save them countless hours of labor, point is you never know unless you ask.

If you're a Print4Pay Hotel member, you can take a trip here to post a question for Dr. PCL5 and if you're not a member then consider this a special invitation to join the Worlds only social web site that is dedicated to everyone in the Imaging Industry. You can join here.

-=Good Selling=-

Adding Avatars to the Print4Pay Hotel

Art Post · 6/25/1310:26 PM

Adding your picture on your profile can be done easily on the Print4Pay Hotel site. You'll need to long in first, you'll then need to select "manage", then "your account" and then "update profile". Once you're there you'll be able to upload your primary picture.

Keep in mind that with the new site you'll also be able upload videos, files, audio files, and pictures. It gets even better that you can comment on all of these also!!!

I will be adding at least one blog a week that will be listed as Premium content, in order to read you'll need to enable your Premium Membership.

It will take me some time to get use to the new site and features, so hold on to your hat and be prepared for many changes and excellent content in the near future!!

-=Good Selling=-

Canon Previews Cloud-Based Intelligent Grading Solution for imageRUNNER ADVANCE at ISTE 2013

Art Post · 6/24/1311:02 PM

MELVILLE, N.Y., Jun 24, 2013 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- To help educators keep pace with increasing pressures to help students not just succeed, but excel, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today previewed the Intelligent Grading Solution at ISTE 2013 in San Antonio (Booth #7186). The embedded MEAP Web application (the first to be announced by Canon U.S.A.) is designed to run on Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE systems and will provide educators with the flexibility to develop and grade exams, then generate detailed analytical reports directly from the MFP device. As a cloud-based subscription solution, schools varying in size and IT capabilities may easily and cost-effectively integrate the Intelligent Grading Solution into existing testing and grading processes with little burden to existing workloads.

"Faculty members are constantly juggling multiple tasks at once, and Canon is looking to leverage its existing MEAP Web and imageRUNNER ADVANCE platforms into an efficient educator tool that streamlines, expedites and improves the testing and grading process," said Sam Yoshida, vice president and general manager, Canon U.S.A. "With this new solution, teachers will be capable of easily developing customized test sheets and grade exams by leveraging the devices they use each day to create compelling classroom materials that elevate the level of instruction in the classroom."

Spend Less Time Testing & Grading, and More Time Teaching

Teachers need ways to simplify testing and grading. The Intelligent Grading Solution will allow educators to quickly generate and grade answer sheets directly on their imageRUNNER ADVANCE devices. Once an administrator uploads the school's entire student roster, each teacher will be able to access their individual class list after authenticating to the MFP. Using the simple touch-screen interface, educators may easily select their desired test criteria and print answer sheets on plain paper - a more cost-effective solution than purchasing and keeping inventory of pre-printed forms. Completed exams - marked in pencil or pen - would then be graded instantly utilizing the same imageRUNNER ADVANCE MFPs used for copying and printing. These enhancements will greatly streamline a typically time-consuming workflow and eliminate the need to send exams to a controlled grading location.

Help Close Learning Gaps Through Detailed Reports

With built-in reports incorporated into the cloud-based Intelligent Grading Solution, teachers and faculty will be positioned to quickly analyze results and help student achievement. Within minutes, instructors will have the ability to generate a variety of reports that provide detailed class and student performance information.

By providing these robust statistics, educators would gain a better understanding of overall performance. These detailed analytics will simplify the grading process, allowing teachers to focus more on student achievement and less on administrative tasks.

Easily Manage and Administrate

Operating as an embedded MEAP-web application, the Intelligent Grading Solution will allow schools, large and small, to efficiently integrate this solution even with limited IT infrastructure. As a cloud-based solution, it is expected to remove the need for schools to manage installation, implementation and ongoing maintenance of a software application. In addition, the Intelligent Grading Solution will enable easy upload of class rosters from student information systems, without the need for an external server, lowering costs associated with purchasing added hardware.

At ISTE 2013, Canon will also showcase a variety of other products and solutions intended to help educators maximize the potential of their classrooms, including the latest multifunction and large format printers, projectors, camcorders and cameras.

The new Intelligent Grading Solution is expected to be available through Canon Solutions America and Canon authorized dealer channel in August 2013.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $40 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc., ranks third overall in U.S. patents registered in 2012+ and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2013. In 2012, Canon U.S.A. has received the PCMag.com Readers' Choice Award for Service and Reliability in the digital camera and printer categories for the ninth consecutive year, and for camcorders for the past two years. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA.

*Availability, prices, and specifications of all products are subject to change without notice. Actual prices are set by individual dealers and may vary.

+Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Selling Copiers "Are You an Unmade Bed"?

Art Post · 6/24/139:09 PM

Believe it or not, I had someone mention to me that a CEO of a major copier company here in the US looks like an "unmade bed". It was not until I went to a recent outing that I had a chance to meet and greet that person and truth be told, that CEO did resemble an "unmade bed"!

In sales, we are judged by our appearance as soon as we walk in the door and or meet and greet Mr. or Mrs. Right. An "unmade bed" appearance in most cases will limit your chances to kick the can down the road with the prospect or secure an order.

All right, what constitutes an "unmade bed"? Here's my short list:

Old worn out shoes with holes in them
Shoes that are not polished or cleaned
Un buttoned top collar on your shirt when you're wearing a tie (I know this first hand, I'm not biggest guy out there however I tout an 18.5 inch and it's tough to find the right shirt. Well this not finding the right shirt cost me a job many years ago. Ever since then I made sure I had shirts that fit).
Hair (if you have it)....you might want to think twice about cutting it yourself to save a bucks. If you don't have the hair you may want to shave the dome and give it a shine.
Wrinkled pants and shirts (really, I've seen some sales people that looked like they slept in the same clothes on the overnight! You need at least 10 pairs of pants and 10 shirts, this way you can alternate them at the cleaners. WAIT, why do we call then a "pair" of pants when it's one article of clothing? I looked this up here.
Soiled and stained clothes, for those of us that are a mess (and yes that's me), we may want to think about keeping an extra shirt or tie in the car just in case the inevitable will happen.
Beard, scruff, shaved, whatever way you like it, just make sure it's clean, and trimmed.
Clothes that don't fit, ever wonder why your ties seem to get shorter and shorter? It's because your belly is getting bigger and bigger! If it doesn't fit you need to throw it the heck out and right size your self!
Sloppy Shirts, this cab go with the above, sloppy shirts are the ones that always seem to sneak out from the waist of your pants.

I'm sure there's a few more that I didn't mention, point of the matter is that we need to present a clean, and professional appearance. This will translate to the prospect that we care about how we look and your appearance will project you and your company are true professionals.

-=Good Selling=-

Closing the Perfect Duplicator Deal or So I Thought

Art Post · 6/19/1311:05 PM

I posted this a few years ago and thought it would be a good read for those of us in the trenches every day. Enjoy!!

I'm watching the Met game tonight and I'm hearing that a pitcher for the Tigers is about to throw another perfect game, that would be #3 this year!

You just don't hear of that many being thrown let alone being at a game where one is thrown. My son and I was able to see David Wells perfect game at Yankee Stadium many years ago, it was the thrill of a life time for the two of us.

I tuned into ESPN to see if they've got the game covered, I watching.... and the last batter grounds out to the first baseman he flips to the pitcher covering the bag and he's out, no wait he's safe!!1 The umpire clearly blew the call! My first thought is that this kid will probably never ever come that close again in his career. What a shame, a blown call takes away a perfect game.

It just goes to show you that nothing is given, even if it's earned. Many years ago I had demo'd a duplicator at a print shop in Trenton, NJ. The duplicator performed everything that it needed to do. I had the lease ready for the buyer, handed him the pen, the prospect had started to sign and then my boss (who was with me), asked the buyer a question, the buyer obliged and answered the question.

What happened next you might ask, well my boss blew the call! We were never able to get back to that closing point and the print shop never did buy the duplicator. From that day forward, I never ever let him go with me on any future closing calls of demos.

Like I said, sometimes even if you EARN the order, you still might have it stripped away from you because of something that's out of your control.

Armando, I feel for you!

-=Good Selling=-

Hard Copy Industry Decline....Whoa We're Not Dead Yet!

Art Post · 6/19/1311:03 PM

Below is a summary that I picked up from Photizo in reference to the State of our Industry. I posted a rebuttal at the end. Enjoy!

By: Charles LeCompte June 4th, 2013

In the first quarter of 2013, for the first time in two years the hard copy industry’s revenue rose year-on-year. But, it turns out, a closer look demonstrates that the gains were entirely the result of the weakening yen, which boosted the overseas sales of Japanese companies in yen terms, even though those same sales were down in local-currency terms.

Total first-quarter industry revenue (based on the ten companies that report their hard copy revenue) was up $700 million, to $24.2 billion. But a perusal of the results of five Japanese companies that provide sufficient data to make the analysis (Canon, Ricoh, Seiko Epson, Konica Minolta, and Brother) shows that the yen alone boosted their sales by $1.6 billion, which in turn means that the industry’s revenue was actually down around $1 billion, rather than up.

So it is the same sad story again: The industry’s decline continues, even if exchange rates have temporarily distorted the picture.

MY View

Charles, good stuff. However with me being on the front lines of selling imaging devices for 30 plus years, I'm still seeing a variety of conditions lead me to believe that the industry in NOT in decline.

Here's what I see:

More end users opting to buy their leased equipment at the end of the lease

Buyers remain fickle about the economy at least here in the US, and then they may have upgraded 6-12 month prior to the end of the lease they are holding on to the last moment to make a move on their equipment

The economy, after the Great Recession (which I believe has not ended), companies are trying to more with less

Companies are turning to used equipment more frequently than they did prior to 2008

Many companies went out of business during the last five years

More companies are purchasing equipment and leasing with $1.00 purchase options which enables them to lengthen the life cycle of the imaging equipment

When I look at the number of units sold after 2008, that number is steady with no decline

I offer than we are not in decline, the industry in the last 5 years has seen a major recession here in the US and now in the Euro community. With the industry being down by 1 billion that represents a 5% decline. If that's all we've lost with what we've gone through in the last 5 years with the Great Recession, the Great Earthquake & tsunami in Japan, the flooding in Thailand, Hurricane Irene in 2011 and then Hurricane Sandy in 2012, then I think we've done pretty well.

Art

-=Good Selling=-

100 calls a day, 240 minutes talk time a day, 4 opps per day equals NO job

Art Post · 6/19/1311:01 PM

I was alarmed when I received and email from a very valued print4pay hotel member. I just spoke with him tonight and I'm hoping I can him connected with another job in his area. I also had his permission to post this and he may or may not want to remain anonymous. But I think this is a great topic of discussion and to see if any of us can help him. Below is the email to me:

Well...
A couple months ago they brought in a new sales manager and started changing our pay structure. Goals went to a 30% monthly incline and if you don't hit goal you don't get commission. Also, in order to hit goal you have to average 100 calls per day with an average talk time of 250 minutes per day and enter a minimum of 4 new business opportunities per day. If we miss any of these points we don't get paid.
On top of that the CEO has a very disrespectful and degrading management style to the point where he pretty much bullies the employees every day. He required that we call the office before and after every stop in the field and would call and email during meetings just to check up. He recently called the client's office because I wasn't answering. He had tracking devices on the work vans, which was fine, it let him know where we were but if I'm with a client I can't take calls for no reason.
Last week we had a total of 7 sales reps. He let 3 go early last week as well as the only accounting employee and 1 of the 3 customer service reps. Tuesday they called me out of the field to fire me along with 1 other sales person.
They now have 0 accounting employees, 2 customer service reps, 2 service techs and 2 sales reps that have only been in the industry for 4 months.
So...as hard as I work at hitting these sales goals I was let go with no notice, explanation or severance pay. They only thing I'm left with is a 4 page non-compete and bills to pay.
I've sent the non-compete to two different attorneys and they say it's solid. Since I saw this coming a head of time I tried to get a sales position with a local company, they really wanted me to work for them, but then had to turn it down once they read the non-compete.
As far as future plans, I sent a resume to xyz company yesterday and didn't mention the non compete. We'll see how that goes...
I have a phone interview this morning with one of my clients, they're a large processing company. Since I'm going to school for a degree in network security I figured this could be a good option to get the experience since security is a major concern in the credit card processing industry.
I'm not sure where I'll end up but it seems like I've been kicked out of the industry with no explanation at all.

Would like to hear from others as to how we can help.

-=Good Selling=-

CCS Printing Taps Ricoh for Secure Delivery of Two Million HIPAA-compliant Pages Each Month

Art Post · 6/19/138:32 PM

BOULDER, Colo. – Ricoh Production Print Solutions (Ricoh), a leading provider of digital output solutions, today announced that CCS Printing has successfully integrated the award-winning RICOH ProcessDirector workflow solution, a key component of Ricoh’s industry-first centralized critical communications suite of solutions, enabling the production of more than two million pages a month. CCS Printing, a provider of digital and offset print, fulfillment logistics, graphic design and web development, ultimately chose the Ricoh solution over many competitors due to its leadership in the software print environment and its ability to deliver the capabilities necessary to monitor a sizable and complex workflow. Production includes the tracking and reporting of two million pages each month.

The solution, implemented in a short six-month window, includes a camera solution with RICOH ProcessDirector. The technology allows CCS Printing to track and report in real-time on the more than two million documents it processes each month. These seamless capabilities help the company meet the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements, ensuring that each document ends up in the correct envelope, as well as assisting with billing-related actions.

“We’ve had a long, successful relationship with the Ricoh team, leveraging their hardware and professional services offerings, so when we began our search for a software solution, we didn’t have to look very far. We evaluated the competition, but ultimately, they were no match for RICOH ProcessDirector,” said Kevin Sullivan, president of CCS Printing. “At CCS Printing, we feel very confident working with a company that not only understands our core business, but also the transactional environment. Ricoh has proven to be that company for us.”

Ricoh’s solution also provides post-processing print stream manipulation which employs two-dimensional bar codes that allow splitting, sorting and grouping of documents, optimizing the production workflow by eliminating the need for upstream changes on the mainframe, saving both time and money.

“At Ricoh we are always working to find the best routes to help our customers implement efficient and effective solutions that support the delivery of critical communications. Together with the CCS Printing team, we eagerly began to help them meet their six month timeline and deliver a smooth implementation of RICOH ProcessDirector that has allowed them to open up new streams of revenue,” said Theresa Lang, vice president of solutions and services, Ricoh. “We’re proud that CCS Printing has successfully managed its new work to the stringent HIPAA requirements that its client requires.

RICOH ProcessDirector is a key component of the Ricoh critical communications suite of solutions. This recently enhanced solution now also features a completely redesigned visual interface for workflow building as well as new printer connections. The enhancements support RICOH ProcessDirector and RICOH ProcessDirector Express’ ability to streamline print operations, improve process integrity, increase operator productivity and lower costs. An extensible, configurable output process management system that lets customers start small and grow over time, RICOH ProcessDirector is modular software that can help customers control and manage transaction output processes in high-volume environments.

Find more information about RICOH ProcessDirector and Ricoh’s critical communications suite of solutions here: http://www.infoprint.com/inter...-process-director_en

Click here to see Kevin Sullivan of CCS Printing discuss how they’re leveraging RICOH ProcessDirector.

-=Good Selling=-

Sales Sales Hacks

My Top Office Sales Traditions

Art Post · 6/16/137:35 PM

There was a recent Print Audit thread on Linkedin that asked "What are your Office Traditions"?

Sales Genie

I responded with one about our Sales Genie. I started the the Sales Genie thing when I came back from the Photizo Transform Conference in May of this year. Not a long tradition, but you've got to start somewhere.

While at the airport waiting on another delayed flight I visited one of the Southwest themed gift shops at Sky Harbor. I was able to pick up something for the wife and then I caught sight of a cool looking handcrafted Native Indian Hopi Doll.

I bought the doll and brought it back to the office. Now I'm not one to believe in superstitions but named it our Sales Genie. Sometimes it's good to have some luck, right? Thus if you're looking or need for a little bit of luck then you might pay the Sales Genie a visit and say a few kind words. Me, I'm a firm believer that luck is for rabbits!

We have it sitting on the front counter and for the last month or so we would give it a rub or two before we went on appointments.

When I get into the office on Monday I'm going to burn the son of bitch because sales have been horrible for the last 30 days since I got back from Phoenix.

The Rookie Cold Call

We have another tradition to break in the new reps. Mind you this one is pretty cool and I've been using for years.

We'll make up a legit lead sheet and give the phone number, address and contact info for the name of a local zoo. In this case we use the Turtle Back Zoo.

The contact person can be one of two people. " Call and speak to Mr. Gee Raft or Ms. Eli Fant.

I tell you, if you haven't done this you've got to do it.

We do it when we're all in the office, and it's a riot. On one occasion we had the rep ask for Mr. Gee Raft. I would then tell the rep to keep the person on speaker so we can coach you. Of course there was no coaching to be done, just us listening for when our rep asks for the contact.

"I'm sorry there is no Gee Raft that works here" our rep stated, "Well Mr. Gee Raft called our office and left a message that he was interested in a copier and to call", with that the secretary gets it and blurts out "very funny", our rep went with, "I'm not trying to be funny but just asking to speak to Mr. Gee Raft", the secretary then states to the rep, "do you realize who you're calling a zoo?" and "don't you get it"? W

With that the rep finally got it and hung up. We had a great laugh all afternoon that day! Who says you can't make work fun!

-=Good Selling=-

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