Tagged With "Ray Stasieczko"
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Re: The End Of The Day With Ray! Beware of the Predators!!
Which episode did you comment that everybody is trying to sell Document Mgt systems these days and why you think that is not the best idea? BTW, I purchased some eLearn courses on www.selltowin.com because of one of your SAT AM episodes. Thanks,
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Re: How Far Out On the Pier Are We?
Ray Stasieczko Great point with the typewriter industry. Many of those typewriter dealers saw the writing on the wall and moved into the imaging industry. They survived, they flourished and they made the change to another product within the Office Technology Industry. There are too many brilliant dealers principals out there that will let themselves fail by staying on board a sinking ship. Those dealers will innovate because they have too in order to survive. Those that are not brilliant...
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Imaging Channel, 2019 the year of DaaS - My suggestions to help you Implement.
Well, it happened some pioneers in the print industry are delivering an as a Service model. The Participates of the Imaging Channel must respond and deliver print equipment, its supplies, it’s parts, and its labor to repair in this as a Service model. A fixed cost for a product which eats consumables. Some in the industry are beside themselves and will more than likely lose control in how they proceed unless of course, they move forward timely based on knowledge over desperation caused by...
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5 Reasons Why Those in the Copier Industry Should Be a Print4Pay Hotel Member
We've all heard the expression, it's not what you know it's about who know. The larger your network, the more access you have to opportunities. Almost twenty years ago I created the first and still the only web based forums for copier industry professionals (not a tech forum). Over the years I've been able to lean on others in the industry to get information that I need to close orders through the Print4Pay Hotel forum members. Sometimes it's competitive info, pricing, what's good, what's...
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ConnectWise, Continuum, and Thoma Bravo. Oh, the possibilities are becoming probable
Well, it’s not just Office Supply and Print Service Resellers who are witnessing changes which pose both opportunities, and threats to their Status Quo. When Sycamore Partners the Private equity firm who owns Staples bought the office supply wholesaler Essendant - many office products re-sellers became gravely ill knowing that their product’s wholesaler was now owned by their competitor. As the dust was settling on the Essendant deal. Staples buys DEX Imaging a mega copy/print dealer. It is...
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Value Prop Out of Alignment? Disruptors bet on that
It seems when looking at disrupted industries you see the familiarity of a false sense of comfort. When products decline in need, they also decline in value. Those two things are tied together. Value propositions are hypnotic; they can hijack the common-sense of reality during market shifts causing the disease of Product-Centric Thinking. The speed of innovation disrupting a deliverables current circumstances continues increasing. Today innovation not only changes the customer’s desired...
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Imaging Channel, DEX Imaging and Staples oh, Imagine the Probabilities
Thanks for chatting with Staples. Yes, Sir, we can deliver the New A4 you bought online. How’s Tuesday? Can we bring it with your supply order? Yes, one more question can you pick up and dispose of my old copier? Yes, we can let's discuss that when we come out to perform your managed print assessment. Thanks again for choosing Staples. End of Chat For Now!! 2019 is indeed starting with a bang. The Imaging Channel changed on Friday the 8th of February. Well, that’s what some will say. In...
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Continuously Modify
“If you are forced to change you waited too long and should have Modified along the way.” Well, everything must end or at least it gets depleted. We have all found ourselves saying. “What do you mean that doesn't exist anymore.” “Customers buy outcomes; the means to their achievement always modifies.” Today we must Constantly Modify. If you're forced to change you waited too long. The marketplace customers either of business to business or business to the consumer are modifying quickly and...
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A Halloween Tale of an A3 Copier’s Death
A Halloween Tale of an A3 Copier’s Death As the copier homicide unit arrived, the scene was familiar. The office hallway barely lit the trash can next to the copier was laying on its side, the window was broken from the inside and when looking out one can see an A3 Copier laying smashed on the sidewalk below. Recognizable by the owners manual still taped to the broken 11/17 paper drawer and the rainbow color on the sidewalk created by splattering CMYK toner. Yes, it appears there was another...
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Freedom is not a pass to be Disrespectful
It’s 2018 two hundred forty-two years since the American Revolution ended and began the greatest government experiment in history. Our political landscape is no calmer today than it was in the beginning or, through the decades since its beginning. Our nation’s political partisanship seems to be the one consistent thing to maintaining our government. One should fear too much agreement over the peaceful diplomatic disagreements. It seems that many have blended protest with disrespect then...
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A Minute with Ray Root Bound
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Ray's Happy New Year Message
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I Clicked and Didn’t See You
It’s a digital world, where are you? Today more and more of yesterday’s customers are finding new providers who deliver a digital better experience. I still hear many in sales talking about the need and value of building relationships. The problem is they are using 1990 construction methods. Today not only buyers but assumed happy customers are clicking their mouses in search of knowledge or, in search of something different, and unfortunately, many current providers are not showing up in...
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Master Service Providers Face New Competition
Most MSP technology resellers who are increasingly delivering IT Security Services, understand they will outsource the heavy lifting associated with IT Security, compliance, and education. I think the time has come that there will be a new competition which will challenge Master Service Providers, especially those with limited resources. Two thousand nineteen will be the year of new options and game-changing competitors. Some will re-invent themselves becoming the new competitor, and some...
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New Players, New Rules, New Game.
One thing few in the Imaging Channel want to discuss is the innovative processes which will replace much of the old way’s deliverable. The glory days of selling print equipment and its services are just beginning for some innovative thinkers and ending for some others. All things do in-fact change. Even those who refuse, eventually are forced to change. No one can circumvent progress regardless of their marketing strategies or their hopes that current circumstances remain a little longer.
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The Print Equipment and Services Industry must separate their deliverable.
Recently I had an opportunity to speak at ITEX, An Industry event for technology resellers. During that talk, I discussed the three types of deliverables or more importantly the three types of end-user customers within the print equipment and its services industry. This industry is strangling their full profit potential as they continue to deliver these different types of customers with the same processes. Here are the three equipment customer types: 1. High-Volume segments 6,7, and 8...
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A Halloween Tale of an A3 Copier’s Death (Part Two)
Part Two - hashtag # A4’s Murder charges dropped in A3’s death. Well, a few days ago we all heard of the apparent suicide of an A3 copier. The police report outlined that the A3 copier became so distraught over a new A4 its owners had on demo, it jumped from the office window. Today there is an update. It seems that a local judge has thrown out all attempted charges leveled by an A3 manufacturer who believes the unfairness of A4’s capabilities and price points should have caused them to...
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Imaging Channel, Surveys can teach competitors a lot
I recently attended a webinar where the scariest thing was what was not said. The webinar was discussing the Imaging Channel; it included a recap of a survey given to dealer owners. The dealers answered the survey in a most disturbing way which no one is questioning, so I will. The survey determined that only 4% of dealers were concerned about A4 equipment which could easily replace the oversold A3's in 80-85% of the Imaging Channel's Customers. It appears the Imaging Channel is conceding...
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The Consequences of Delivering Out-Side Market Realities Come With Awareness
It seems as more of the same is the mindset for many in the Imaging Channel. Over the last year, as print volumes continue declining, as dealers continue over-specking and over-selling, nothing seems to wake up the channel to the threat of consistently delivering out-side market realities. However, soon the end-users un-awareness will end. "The channel's threat is a new competitor who takes advantage of where the customers are going while the legacy way attempts to keep customers where they...
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The “Relationship-less” Sale
Yes, I created a new word. “Relationship-Less” As time moves along so must our thinking. I first published this article in March of 2019, With the current circumstances we are all living through I wanted to re-publish. The world's businesses and the world's people will advance in their digitization by at least five years. I fear many B2B sellers will confuse their temporary great relationships; relationships created for and in a different time. The changes caused by this pandemic regarding...
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Imaging Channel's Classroom
"Repetitive learning is a Procrastinator's Journey." It's not about Chairs or seats, no meters, one-rate, everything free, or what a few minuscule-dealers with less than 100 customers claim to be doing new ever week, which will align the Copier/Printer industry with the realities of the marketplace. It's about smart business people understanding the importance of data over the noise of nonsense. Those who follow me will remember back when the industry started filling seats in courses on how...
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Stop Thinking About Saving-Focus On Creating
It's Not About Returning To A New Normal It's About Creating The New Normal Getting back to a new normal is not a plan! For the normal is not defined, it will instead be created. Entrepreneurial sprit will bring life to new beginnings, and it will be entrepreneurial sprit, which will defeat those things which the circumstances of the virus deemed less warranted. The year 2020 will consume the pages of digital history books. The closing of the globe was by far the most impactful thing anyone...
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It Won't Work! Is the motto of the unimaginative, and the Cry of the Insecure
The XEROX/HP saga playing out is proving that many can't see past what's in front of them and have limited imagination to assist them in discovering how things could be, based on how things should be. It has been a few months since Xerox took the bold action and beat HP to the table in a merger discussion. BUT XEROX IS TOO SMALL TO BUY- THE GREAT BIG HP!! Say those looking with no imagination. Yes, HP should have approached Xerox. HP having three times the market cap acquiring the smaller...
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The Imaging Channel's ERP!
Let's explore the reasons ECI's E-Automate is maintaining and adding to its massive customer base of Imaging Channel dealers and why I believe dealers should not, at this point, attempt to replace an ERP. Today there's a copious of solutions for resellers to manage individual deliverables. The imaging channel resellers, managed IT service resellers, or our friends delivering office products. These reseller groups are in-fact consolidating and even converging into each other's spaces. This...
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Post-Virus We Must Defeat The Zombie Companies!
We have all watched our share of post-apocalypse movies. However, not too many saw themselves being chased by Zombies. The battle for the customer will be fought viciously by what I describe as "Zombie Companies." "A Zombie Company" is one in which its leaders continue attempting to deliver goods and services through DEAD concepts. In other words, organizations who fight against today's new market realities in hopes of lengthening the tenure of yesterday's relevance. This pandemic was an...
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“When I get old, I hope I remember my copier salesman days.”
I'm not sure if Ray and I have ever met, however, we've been connected on LinkedIn for quit a few years. Ray, is also one of those old copier dogs like me. Just the other day he posted a blog about the good old days of selling copiers. Thus, I asked Ray if I could re-post that blog here. We've got Ray's permission to re-post the blog. Enjoy! “When I get old, I hope I remember my copier salesman days.” I thought it might be fun to share some stories from my career as a copier guy. I will...
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Recognizing Disruption
What we see is only visualized after our mind translates the image. In business, our actions can easily be highjack by what we conditioned ourselves to see. Why is it that some can look through things and some only see things as painted with no interpretation? I remember years ago there was a poster the picture was a bunch of squiggly lines. As you stared at the picture squinting your eyes just right, the squiggly lines would come to life as a recognizable image of a person or thing. It...
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What if Mark Zuckerberg and Henry Ford changed birthdays?
I was sitting in the lounge at the car dealership a few days ago, waiting on my free oil change. Well, they call it ‘free’ - it was probably included in the price somewhere on line 267 of all that car paperwork. Anyway, the lounge is actually very nice, and everyone waiting with me had at least one thing common. If you’re not sure what that is, please stop reading. Even though my car is not a Ford and my wife’s T-Bird wasn’t ready for an oil change, maybe it was the fact the car dealership...
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Building Corporate Culture: Avoid Conformity and Complacency
Over my career, I have heard and played party to many of the buzz words and trends that regularly sweep the world of business. What we thought was the path to success yesterday takes a new turn today. For the most part though, many things that contribute to an organization's success remain the same. It does seem, however, that drive and ambition are strongest when organizations are born. New companies have a complete understanding that it takes customer satisfaction to grow, and they are...
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Canon Congratulates Authorized Canon Dealer Ray Morgan Company on 60 Years of Business
MELVILLE, N.Y. , Sept. 28, 2016 -- Canon U.S.A. , Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today proudly announced that Ray Morgan Company, an authorized Canon dealer, is in its 60th year of business and has once again secured status as a Canon Advanced Partner. Established in 1956, Ray Morgan Company simplifies the complexity and management of office technology solutions for more than 25,000 organizations nationwide through predictable budgeting, efficient workflows, robust security...
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You can't Manage Tranformation it must be Enthusiastically Led
Over the last few months, I have been deciding on the next stop of my transitioning career. When you’re in your fifties and haven’t filled out an application in many, many years, it’s not a search for a job position. It’s a search for a place where you can create positive business outcomes based on your experiences. When you’re in your fifties, it’s not your college transcripts that defines you. The transcripts of my past are a collection of experiences that most people do not have (and I’m...
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Is "Tired of Trying" an Excuse Not to Innovate?
Is “Tired of Trying” an Excuse Not to Innovate? I was talking with a friend the other day and realized just how infectious complacency is within organizations that stifle ideas and squash team members’ enthusiasms. These organizations have pushed their best asset -- their people -- into what I call the “ Tired of Trying Zone.” It seems anymore that all organization large or small believe they are innovative, cutting edge or some other tired phrase. The reality is innovative organizations are...
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HP, Samsung and the Uber Factor
HP, Samsung and the Uber Factor I am reminded of how Status Quo thinking is so attached to one's emotions. As you read this give your imagination power over your perceived reality. This will spark things you might not want to think about, but probably should. I have argued the point that it’s not about how many pages experts say are printed. The disruption coming quicker—well it’s here!—is based on how many manufacturers can survive the consolidation, how technology will reshape the printing...
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Lessons from the Traveling Dog
As I attempted to open the front door this morning. I quickly realized that Otis, the neighbor’s bulldog, had decided to sleep in front of it. Otis occasionally visits because he likes the biscuits we give him. Dogs are matter-of-fact creatures. They figured out through evolution that if they just use their eyes, they can stare a hole through the thickest wall of resistance and gain emotional attachment. Otis likes to wander the neighborhood. He is more about what he can find than what he...
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Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving Dinner The table is dressed with the linen table cloth handed down from grandma’s grandma. The centerpiece came from grandma’s attic. The millennials’ dinner contributions come in deli containers. The baby boomers deliver theirs in Tupperware. The skittle casserole that a Gen Z cousin insisted was a secret recipe they found on the internet. Yes, some believe the internet is full of secrets and truth. I guess you could say earlier generations believed that about books: if it was...
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“A tree stops growing when it gets root bound, and so does a business.”
Over the weekend, I decided it was time to transplant a couple trees that have been growing in the sun bleached pots on my patio. As I started to pull the trees out of the pots, I noticed the dirt in each pot had almost disappeared and had been replaced with a massive root ball. I had to completely destroy the pots to get the trees out. Both trees had stopped growing a year or so ago. They did not die, they just stopped growing - they were root bound. In life or in business, if we stop...
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How is not the question which begins innovation - Why is
When we think about innovation we don’t start this thinking process in understanding how something can be better we focus on why something should be better. The why it’s needed - is our driving force. So if this is true why is it that so many organization get stuck in the how? I believe it’s because the easiest way to procrastinate moving forward is by bogging down your drive with the madness of needing absolutes. “When you stop looking for absolutes, is when you discover the excitement of...
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Reaction or Decision
Are we deciding or automatically reacting? I was at a stop sign the other day in the hot summer weather here in Nashville, and a thought emerged when I turned left; was that just a reaction to the commonality in my routine drive home, or did I actually decide to turn left? Every day we are presented with opportunities to make decisions. In reality, I think most of us are automatically reacting without really much thought - we just simply do what we make common. So as I had these thoughts, I...
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The Conference
Recently I attended a technology conference; the technology industry has never been short on having conferences. This particular conference was hosted by a manufacturer and it had roughly 800 attendees. The article I am writing today is not about the vendor or the conference host; I wanted to explore the meeting of the minds. It’s interesting to discover the way many define what they see, or what they miss, all very differently. All of us have attended conferences. The conferences within the...
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Leaders and Dogs Chasing Squirrels
I was going through the photos on my iPhone the other day. First, I should say I am glad I set up albums – apparently I take a lot of pictures. As I was looking through the millions of photos of Buddy, my Boston terrier, who recently passed, (yes, I guess my wife and I are those pet people who never had children, so our pets were spoiled absolutely rotten) the pictures reminded me of the many times Buddy would flip his head around, his ears would stand up along with all the hair on his back,...
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Emotional Collaboration
“Emotional Collaboration” , transforms an IT Managed Services deliverable, into a mutual awareness of prevention. “ All service providers must prevent and quickly respond to their customers’ crises. The depth and severity of the crisis will most definitely be defined by the one in crisis – the customer. As service providers we completely understand it’s our proactive approach in prevention, which will define our value as a service provider. What if our customers felt as passionate about...
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The Pasture of least resistance
I always find it refreshing to run from the Status Quo. The leader who if wore a t-shirt describing their persona truthfully would read this “Everything I hear which makes me do something different I have an excuse or reason why it won’t work.” And on the t-shirts back it would read this. “Really I am the reason it won’t work” We all know these people they find themselves comfortable and with this comfort they develop their protection zone. This protection zone keeps people that will...
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Will H.P. Uber the Imaging Channel
Well, with recent events everyone finally got to see some of the future. The news of Samsung selling their Printer line to H.P. defiantly captured my imagination. As I read the comments and listen to the chatter I am reminded of how Status Quo thinking is so attached to one's emotions. The title of this post is what the Imaging Channel should fear most, this article will lead you to my titles definition. As you read this give your imagination power over your perceived reality. This will...
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Imaginations are a terrible thing to ignore
Wouldn’t it be great if we humans could program our minds to dream of practical things? My answer - hell no! Although I believe many wish they could. In this information-driven world, we can learn so much today that we had no concept of yesterday. This fact is multiplied when we welcome time for our imaginations. So many of us get stuck in the routine commonality of what they do, their reality, they forget to nourish their most valuable asset their Imaginations. Things which are practical...