Tagged With "Knocking on Doors"
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Re: Will outside Sales Rep's go away?
I'll chime in. Like TML I'm in my early 30's and have been selling copy hardware for nearly 10 years. I think good sales people as a whole are quickly becoming scarce. Millennials don't seem to like to interact with others if they don't have to and as most "print" decisions move to IT, online buying is already what they know. Overall it is a convenience factor, they don't have to submit a form to a website and wait a couple days for salesperson to try and up-sell them to an A3 MFP. They...
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Re: When did you first learn about the industry
Honestly, it was when I walked in the door for my first interview. I remember the individual interviewing me mentioning that they sold Ricoh equipment, & the only frame of reference I had is that Ricoh sponsored the "Call to the Bullpen" on MLB games at the time. Before I got into the industry, I could not make a straight copy on the first try if you paid me, because I never thought to use the document feeder & could never get the original lined up on the glass. I knew about all of...
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Re: Copier Parts & Accessories China Tariff Starts in 9 Working Days
" Whatever money the Trump Administration gave away to its citizens in its tax cuts of 2017 it is now going to claw back with higher taxes disguised as tariffs. " When one door closes another door opens. Many US companies can benefit from the higher tariffs placed on goods from China. In fact I spoke to one of those companies last Thursday. I disagree that the tax cuts are going to claw their way back with higher taxes disguised as tariffs. In the end, what Trump wants is fair trade practice...
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Re: A Few Copier Vignettes from the Late Eighties & Nineties
Art, You and I are from similar professional backgrounds and times. We started in 1980 selling Sharp and Juki typewriters. Everything sold near MSRP. Then the fax boom came and we caught that wave perfectly. We sold Ricoh thermal faxes for full list ($2995.00). The only issue was cash flow; we sold them faster than we could order and purchase them. Copier Maintenance agreements went from .022 up to .035 and did not include drums, developer, toner, fuser rollers or lamps! Also, like your...
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Re: A Few Copier Vignettes from the Late Eighties & Nineties
Yup we have the same issues with cash flow. It was a great problem to have. The Hunt for Red October was a great book, even found the movie awesome too! Ty for the comment, we should connect for lunch one day
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Re: A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Copier Demo/Appointment
I received a telephone help call from one of our clients who had a malfunction code on their new copier. To clear these malfunction codes it’s usually a case of opening the front door for a few seconds and then closing it again. I asked the client to do this and then come back to the telephone. He returned a few moments later and asked “now what” I asked what happened when he opened and shut the front door, did it clear the code. “no’ was the reply, “it just got colder in here” He’d opened...
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Re: Things to Think About!
Thanks Art. This is very good info for all. Also the garage door opener is a hot commodity. Remember a thief does not need a GPS in order to find you. How many people have a some mail or a document that has their home address on it. We don't think of these things. Also how many have the garage door opener out in the open for all to see. We all do it for convenience but it a very dangerous. Remember to use common sense! Lets all be safe out there.
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Re: Things to Think About!
So, I'm browsing through the new Readers Digest (okay, old fashioned yes, what can I say?!) this weekend, and lo and behold that very advice about the GPS and remote and the texting and the pin was in it. The story is called "How to Find Anything." This brings up a bigger rant, and if you'll bear with me a second.... I'm getting very tired of Internet foolishness getting passed along as actual truth by legitimate media who no longer bother to take the time to validate their stories. Whatever...
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Re: Time in business requirements
JasonR, you are on a roll. We could then mix the "bad" leases in a little at a time with pools of "good" leases, buy insurance on them, and sell those. We'd try not to think about the fact that those would be further mixed with more "bad" and "good" leases... To make this REALLY roll though, we'd need Congress to step up. Follow the pattern of the 90s, and punish any leasing company that insists on only writing leases with customers who can repay. Block the merges of those leasing companies,...
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Re: Industrial Label Printers
We sold two copiers recently to a Window & Door Manufacturer. One of the copiers had 4k clicks on it in less than a week so we thought we would have a good revenue stream. I have been thinking about these Label printers so I asked the client about how they use the ones that they already have. I was floored when the client told me that they plan to spend $100k this year on labels alone.
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Re: Possibly moving to Ricoh....
Thank you to everyone for your input. I was offered the position and accepted. I will now be selling RICOHs, but I have the option to also sell Sharps. To fisher: I understand what you are saying. However, my current boss has provided neither my co-worker nor myself any real sales training. He won't even demonstrate how to sell (we think it's because he can't). I have also learned that we are being underbid by the other Sharp dealer in town, and our service dept head has said our prices are...
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Re: New Samsung 11 x 17" Colour MFPs due Oct 01 USA
Yes, I agree, we only picked up the Sammies for monochrome no color, we've stuck with Ricoh for that. I just hoping Ricoh doesn't screw it up with higher cpp than the A3 color machines.....something is telling me that the A4 color will be higher, however I hope I'm wrong. If A4 color price is higher than A3 color, that leaves the door open for someone to develop a color A4 with A3 cpp pricing.
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Re: Customer Appreciation
We also do a December party that we invite our good customers to. Other things we do is sponsor holes at their golf outings, donate door prizes for their own events, pro baseball/football outings. Any activity we can include them in, we do. That type of contact goes much further than the tired fruit baskets and trinkets ever will.
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Re: KYOCERA MITA ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE TRANSITION
More importantly, what's being said between the lines. Do you think these execs are really leaving entirely because of their own decision to, or is it more about being shown a door they can walk out of (or be thrown out of)?
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Re: A Day That Will Never Be Forgotten
I heard the same "small commuter plane" thing from my Digital Pager (ha) news alerts. I thought that sounded strange and turned on CNN in time to see the second plane hit. I also went to a customer to do training (in Nashville, TN), but when I arrived, their doors were locked. I knocked and someone inside peeked out. They opened the door, I explained why I was there and they said they had sent all the employees home. I had a friend who worked in WTC Building 7. He decided to call in sick on...
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Re: A Day That Will Never Be Forgotten
Out here in Wisconsin, I was getting ready for work and listening to the radio, as I usually did then. The deejay interrupted the song that was playing, and I will always remember the stunned tone in his voice and his unusual words. He said, "If you are not watching TV, you need to turn it on NOW." What kind of weird thing is that for a radio deejay to say?! So, I did what he said and that's how I found out about the planes hitting the towers. In the time it took me to drive to work, the...
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Re: MOM Sues OSU for $1M over COMDOC Secret...
An office-company filed a lawsuit against Ohio State, saying the university wrongly awarded a potential $24 million printer and copier contract to a competitor. Modern Office Methods filed the lawsuit on Sept. 26 in the Court of Claims, requesting that OSU set aside its recently awarded contract with ComDoc, Inc. and rebid it. According to the documents, Modern Office Methods said a ComDoc employee met with an OSU employee, unknowingly to the other top-two competitors, Modern Office Methods...
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Re: Proximity Card Reader
There are several ways that you can do this. Are you planning to use the HOTEL door cards? You will have to verify what type of card they are using. These might not be prox cards. Please provide more info to better help you. The best way to know for sure is get a card and test it. Not all cards work. 1) Dept ID's, those will have to be set up on the fly for clients. 2) AAProx with Tracker. AAProx is the card reader and Tracker is the software that allows charge back. 3) You can use...
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Re: Proximity Card Reader
It would be awesome if the door cards were able to be used. They're using Kaba LLCO cards. Talked with a technician there and he asked if our readers where compatabile to the MIFARE cards so the door cards might work. I have a followup meeting setup for Thursday with the GM. I'll get a card from him so we can do a trial run, before offering the complete solution. Thanks for your input. Sounds like I got some homework to do.
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Re: 101 Ways to Close MFP Sales
Here's one that was emailed to me from Jake: You try your last close and get up to go. As you close the door behind you, you stop, and come back in and explain you are new to sales. Ask what you could have done differently, what would have made them buy. Whatever they say, concede if you can. It's tough to tell someone no when they just told you they would buy from you if you did "this" and then you do it.
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Re: BTA East 2012 District Event
There were 36 vendors at this event. I'll be posting a blog titled" my top 5 solutions/products of the event in the next day or so. Kyocera: Besides Nori have a heavy japanese accent, he was at times very hard to understand what he was saying, thank goodness for the power point slides. However, it seems that all of the manufacturers are now sharing the same slides! Business Process Optimization, find the pain, be a consultant to solve workflow and business problems with the use of software,...
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Re: Aficio MP C305SPF
Thanks TX. Are these moving out the door as fast as the MP C300/400 for you? Are they moving faster than your other A4 color Boxes? What type of hardware prices are you getting for the MP C305SPF?
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Re: How do you feel about the industry?
As a new sales rep with no prior outside sales experience this industry is insane. Going door to door cold calling isn't working. I don't know if it is just my approach or buyers have changed but the sellers haven't. My dealer is super old school. I asked for a recommendation on some crm software and they said use you're brain and a rollodex. Technology had dramatically changed the service side of things but the sales side is still in the 1950s.
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Re: How do you feel about the industry?
If you're looking for CRM support then I suggest you find another dealer that is using a CRM program, your old school dealer will not last much longer. Going door to door is more about picking and choosing who you want to visit. I will only pay them a visit now when I can't get anywhere with phone calls, email, social media and regular mail.
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Re: How do you feel about the industry?
So buy one ACT is $150. Excel is free comes with Office.
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Re: How do you feel about the industry?
I use a crm called highrise for the print4pay hotel, it's cloud based on $19 or so per month, it's actually quite good!
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Re: How do you feel about the industry?
Yes...all this "you have to provide solutions" talk is all fine and good but it's still a numbers game. However, you have to make each call effective by getting information that will help you someday get in the door. What they have (or who they call for service should tell you what they have), whether they own or lease, are they 100% satisfied, and who makes the decisions. Your questions can't come across as an interrogation or you won't get any info from the receptionist. But if you are...
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Re: How True!
Born in '64, dittos on the stroll. Rode my bike everywhere until I could drive. Even rode it into parked car once and dented the fender. I owned up (because that's what we were supposed to do) and went to the door and told the man. My dad paid for the repair, and I had to work it off with dad. I was more afraid of what my parents would do to me than the police. Only had to worry about grades if I made lower than "B", 'cause that was failing in my parent's eyes. No need for a cell phone or...
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Re: CAMP NO-BE-BO-SCO
I can't believe you posted this! I stayed there for a whole week. AFTER THE MOVIE CAME OUT. And, we all knew that was where Friday the 13th was filmed. The funny part about it was every morning we would leave the cabin for breakfast, in the "dead" of winter, with lots of snow on the ground, there was very little WHITE snow along the wall next to the door of the cabin. ...the outhouse was about 50 yards away on the edge of the woodline. That brings back memories!
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Re: For HP, Copiers May Not Be A Cinch
bmiller Your reply to the HP article is very real. I would offer that you must truly take each situation on it's own. As soon as you walk out of one door and into another door, the players, preferences and attitudes change with the lock on the door knob. I have worked environments that have stayed the course with HP printers and lost the connectivity aspect. I have not yet lost to a copier, and I've been in two that were very heated. Frankly, I view Canon as more of a challenge than HP will...
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Re: Sales Tips
Why "traditional" marketing doesn't work Even though the field of advertising, promotion, and public relations has evolved, many businesses keep doing things the old way. They push their message upon their prospects with high frequency campaigns. While these attempts once worked well, their overuse in the markets has diminished the effect. This technique is used to force customers to remember the product after hearing about it multiple times. This message "pushing" is now just pushing the...
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Re: Email from Canon P4P'er "Ricoh Direct Pricing"
It is sad that Ricoh has laid open the market and is allowing the direct reps to compete in current RFG business. The direct operation for Konica Minolta has been put on notice that if they walk into a current KM customer, then they are to turn around and walk out the door. That's from tRick Taylor himself. That doesn't mean if you're a duel line dealer and have non Konica Minolta equipment in there, then it's fair game, but KM is trying to protect its dealer side.
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Re: What's New MPC 4000/5000
It reminds me of a sign I once saw above the door of auto repair shop I went many years ago. it read: Quality Service Price - Pick two of the three
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Re: Panasonic Dumps Dealers, Keeps all but a handful!!!!
A Sharp P4P'er PM'd me this today (alot of stuff here from a tech MB) There had been rumors circulating that Panasonic was in dire straits. Some rumors said that Panasonic was getting out of the game altogether, some said that Panasonic would continue to make SOHO machines, but was dumping the commercial-grade WORKiO line. Some said Panasonic was just dumping printers. All of these I discarded, because Panasonic just recently announced two new WORKiO models, and will be shipping new color...
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Re: How to Win Against Direct"
What on God's green Earth are you smoking? Despite the lack of acceptable customer support and decent Service, and with a revolving door of Direct Sales Reps, 'Direct' wins on price almost every time. Now, IKON joins in on that fun with support from the manufacturer. The key for Independents with such cut-throat competition in saturated marketplaces with too much distribution, is to revolt now. Seek a second Product Line or switch to another Vendor while dropping a Product Line when you...
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Re: How to Win Against Direct"
How about this one. "The Savin/Gestetner/Lanier product is an inferior product made with cheaper parts and is often reboxed factory seconds." I have encountered this one several times. On one occasion we had to take pictures of the boxes in the wharehouse for the customer to prove that in fact the Ricoh Gestetner Savin and Lanier all come from the same box and the only difference is the sticker on the front door.
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Re: Recommended Movies for Sales
ACH! I almost forgot one of the best. Neal's comment about determination reminded me... "Door to Door" with William H. Macy. Patience and Perseverance!
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Re: Daily Sales Philosophy
Confucius say, "It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop." Yoshida say, "If revenue continue to go slow, you go fast out door."
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Re: Duplicator and sorting ideas
I have learned a ton while trying to sell duplicators to printers over the last 12 years and it's interesting how we have both independantly developed the same approach. Here are a few more tidbits for those of you trying to break into this tough but lucritive part of the business: A.) You need to establish early on that 100% of his output does not need to be of the highest quality...in fact he has already conceeded that (although he may have trouble admitting it) when he put in that copier.
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Re: Net New Business "How Do We Do It"?
40% of my business last year came from Schools or Government. I found a few niche pain points that almost any District or Department would experience and used that as my lead in with the appropriate person. For example, for schools, it was Common Core State Standards. Learning the implications and compliance issues got me lots of appointments and 4 new Districts. We utilize UCC Filing Data as another prospecting tool which works really well for having a leg-up when you walk in the front door...
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Re: Minolta DI620 code 0072
Mike: The toner bottle may be stuck, pull the bottle out and leave it out. Open and close the big front door to reset the code. Then let the copier runs until it stops and the reset the toner bottle. or The sub hopper motor failure, not the toner bottle motor but the one on the developer assembly. Good Luck
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Re: inside sales rep
No, we are not doing this, however this was a topic of much discussion last week. RBS has a plan like this in place, something to the tune of $800 added to the base of the equipment. we discussed adding $450 fee would cover all aspects of network installation upto 10 users, including Scan2email, scan2folder, print drivers and training for the software. The CSR (Customer Support Representative) would also have the ability to "sell the extras" once in the door. The would have a "click quota"...
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Re: Ricoh MV310
The more common 71 code is 7-71h, which is a problem with scanner movement.In this case remove the adf and platen glass to access the scanner rod and clean it with alcohol.Do not lube it. As for fuser codes 0-05h and 0-07h are common.Check the door interlock switch and then the thermostat.
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Re: CL400dn
I've sold one of these. It does work great. Accomodates heavy paper weight even when duplexing. No 11" x 17", but standard duplex and low cost per page. Here's the Savin brochure. Sold it for $1430, we sell all of our printers low and let them eat as much as they can in our market. We pummel HP with the savings once we get into an account and are in the process of putting new Savin units in all of our existing accounts using HP knowing that the word will spread and soon people will beat down...
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Re: DMAP/ ORDERING
Just in the last two weeks we have had one ship-out where the ARDF and Cabinet went straight to the end-user. On another order, the customer agreed to pay express charges to get it here as quickly as possible. Ricoh doesn't seem to know the meaning of express ship because it didn't happen. We tracked the order all the way to our door with a tracking number that ended up not having the machine as part of the shipment and when the machine did finally get here, it wasn't the S/P we ordered,...
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Re: 6513 drops black
a long time ago it happened to me in one 6513....at that time the problem seems to be door switchs....a short time ago i have the same problem in other and the problem in that time were the belt contacts and the transfer roller out of position(incorrect adjustment) trc
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Re: RICOH CORPORATION ENTERS AGREEMENT WITH D&H
Printer sales are a component in our strategy of controlling our market. The payoff may not be a high profit margin immediately, but there are many other good reasons for placing a printer. We sell printers 1) for the future toner sales and 2) more importantly, to position ourselves as the client's supplier of ALL their office equipment. If it's a new client, it helps us get in their door and build our relationship with them for future equipment sales. If it's a current client, it helps us...
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Re: 1055 wrinkled 11x17
try cheating the door and look at the way it enters the inverter section of the duplex draw
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Re: Print Mail vs. PrintShop Mail
Yes, we sell PlanetPress too. I prefer to place that in more high-volume, transactional situations or where more robust output (fax/e-mail/archive) is required. PrintShop Mail in my opinion is the better choice for promotional marketing; I find it more nimble than PlanetPress's design tool. Now that Objectif Lune owns both, they are doing a little bit of positioning and differentiation. There is an offering summary comparing the two at http://www.objectiflune.com/resellers/us/resources.htm .
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Re: Can you say Katana????
Got home (to my door) about 3AM! Had to wait almost an hour @ Newark for the luggage . Not going to the office today, going to work from home. My cell battery went dead, and just heard that you had called me to hook up for the bag of goodies. Did you bring them with you? If so maybe I can make arrangments to get them shipped.. Thanx Art