When HP truly competes in the Market of duplexing and finishing with docfeeders they will fight with all the problems that the copier manufactures deal with.I admit i have not sold for quite a few years so i am not aware of what they offer but I do buy around 400K in parts and supplies every month so while HP will drop their prices for the main frames It will still cost X amount to make a print. We have ink as well as all the parts or kits the machine uses. Like every thing else once we look at the real cost of their product and unwrap everything we will still compete. Lets also face the fact the HP will deal in a whole new world if they want a great team of sales people the only way they will get that is to get the good ones already in the business and to do that they will need to compensate them. How many of you think you will make any profit on a 3 or 4 k sales price when you were getting that in profit on some deals. HP will probally need to go the way that Xerox did selling through authorized agents that are willing to take the chance that HP can compensate them in some other way besides profit.HP will of course make all of their profit from aftermarket not initial offering. And that is where they will try to compensate their people but even if they don't figure out the aftermarket side, they will have a hard time with compnesation for years to come.And how long will they compete if they can't kep the good sales consultants? This is just my opinion.
thanks