Does anyone have any competitive info. about this machine. I have a 1224 proposed and I'm wondering how they compare and what the MSRP is on the Konica.
Thanks
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I am a Konica & Ricoh dealer. The two units do not compare at all!! The MSRP is a little higher on the bizhub C350, but the quality and reliability is VERY superior to the 1224. I have sold (2) C350's in my market directly from an in-house demo. The C350's MSRP is below the new 2232/2238 from Ricoh and is still better in quality (in my opinion). The only negative is the C350 does not have a fax option available.
Hopefully your Konica/Minolta competition isn't up to speed and doesn't sell it correctly because if they get it in front of the customer, you will probably not get a chance - Sorry. Obviously this all depends on the customer's needs because if price is more of an issue than quality, then you will have a better chance. Good Luck!!
Hopefully your Konica/Minolta competition isn't up to speed and doesn't sell it correctly because if they get it in front of the customer, you will probably not get a chance - Sorry. Obviously this all depends on the customer's needs because if price is more of an issue than quality, then you will have a better chance. Good Luck!!
From my experience I have not had a lot of luck competing with a 2238 against the BizHub when it comes down to the nots and bolts of copiers and not price.
It seems as if that unit out performs, and out specs us in this market. Brad, could you provide some insight from what you have seen more recently in thie field with the BIZHUB.
It seems as if that unit out performs, and out specs us in this market. Brad, could you provide some insight from what you have seen more recently in thie field with the BIZHUB.
Haven't run up against this yet, so I'm not really sure of the exact specs. I would probably mention little things like RPCS driver, Smart Device Monitor, Document Server, etc...
But when I run into a spec war I try to sell service and prepare the most thorough proposal and demonstration if at all possible.
I try to keep in mind that people buy from the vendor they feel the most comfortable with and who has the most knowledge of their product and benefits. Fortunately, most of my competitors don't pay as much attention to detail as I do. Often , they have the same or better features but fail to convey them or convey them but only as features and not as benefits. I try to remember Feature, Advantage, Benefit, Trial Close.
"While the bizhub offers a 100 page feeder, it's optional. The Ricoh machine may have a smaller 80 page feeder, but with the convenient batch mode, the feeder is virtually limitless allowing you to build a job and scan the largest of documents." "I believe what you're saying is you don't want to be slowed down with the need to create separate jobs and lose the ability to collate and finish even large runs, isn't that right Mr. Prospect? If your machine could process these jobs and finish them easily would that help you meet your deadlines easier?" (chances are the bizhub offers this too, but the competition sold the feature of 100 vs. 80 and gave up as the winner, now the table is turned and they have to play me too.)
Another benefit I would hit on is the fact that Ricoh has moved the Duplex unit to the left of the machine where it is most productive. This allows full speed output of 2 sided copying where the competitions machine slows to half the speed.
Hard drive is optional, in the past on other machines, most of my competitors have left this out in order to be more price competitive.
I would also point out that the Duplex on the Ricoh machine has been moved to the left to
The bottom line is you can't always win on features, you have to sell yourself and your company.
I know this is common sense and practice, but the discipline of selling is the hardest part. Who wants to win on price? That will only leave you broke and busy helping people who don't appreciate your professionalism or your time.
Good luck, and I hope someone else will contribute on the benefits of the Ricoh machines, I've found the Konica-Minolta machines look good on paper, but put them side by side and you'll see the difference. Push for a demo if you can!
But when I run into a spec war I try to sell service and prepare the most thorough proposal and demonstration if at all possible.
I try to keep in mind that people buy from the vendor they feel the most comfortable with and who has the most knowledge of their product and benefits. Fortunately, most of my competitors don't pay as much attention to detail as I do. Often , they have the same or better features but fail to convey them or convey them but only as features and not as benefits. I try to remember Feature, Advantage, Benefit, Trial Close.
"While the bizhub offers a 100 page feeder, it's optional. The Ricoh machine may have a smaller 80 page feeder, but with the convenient batch mode, the feeder is virtually limitless allowing you to build a job and scan the largest of documents." "I believe what you're saying is you don't want to be slowed down with the need to create separate jobs and lose the ability to collate and finish even large runs, isn't that right Mr. Prospect? If your machine could process these jobs and finish them easily would that help you meet your deadlines easier?" (chances are the bizhub offers this too, but the competition sold the feature of 100 vs. 80 and gave up as the winner, now the table is turned and they have to play me too.)
Another benefit I would hit on is the fact that Ricoh has moved the Duplex unit to the left of the machine where it is most productive. This allows full speed output of 2 sided copying where the competitions machine slows to half the speed.
Hard drive is optional, in the past on other machines, most of my competitors have left this out in order to be more price competitive.
I would also point out that the Duplex on the Ricoh machine has been moved to the left to
The bottom line is you can't always win on features, you have to sell yourself and your company.
I know this is common sense and practice, but the discipline of selling is the hardest part. Who wants to win on price? That will only leave you broke and busy helping people who don't appreciate your professionalism or your time.
Good luck, and I hope someone else will contribute on the benefits of the Ricoh machines, I've found the Konica-Minolta machines look good on paper, but put them side by side and you'll see the difference. Push for a demo if you can!
I would also try to get the Konica/Minolta in the client to demo. The fiery is a pain in the....well, you know where. I have gone against the bizhub a number of times and have lost once and that was the only deal that the customer went to the office to see the bizhub where they controlled the environment. get the fiery into the customer and it's a no brainer...at least it has been here
I'm not up to date on the Savin/Ricoh line of color copiers so correct me if I'm wrong. The 1224 is a B&W machine with color capability. Meaning it can print color, but this is not what it is designed for. This machine is designed for the customer that prints the occasional color document. The Bizhub is a color copier printer that is designed for printing color on a regular basis. Both machines are good machines and it does come down to who can market thier wares better.
Bill:
The 1224 is designed for mostly black & white. The main problem is that this system has a frequent image cycle where it checks colors and image quality. This happens even when making black & white copies and if I recall correctly is about every 50 or 100 copies. The problem is when the user follows someone that just made a bunch of copies the first copy out can be very slow.
Image quality leaves a lot to be desired.
But the new B2C machines from Ricoh are razor sharp and I'd put their quality up against any competitor.
The 1224 was the first B2C machine and I believe in an effort to be first was compromised. I don't propose it anymore, I'd rather have a satisfied customer with no question.
But, we have placed about a half a dozen of the 1224's and when they are proposed in the right environment with realistic expectations they are good.
The 1224 is designed for mostly black & white. The main problem is that this system has a frequent image cycle where it checks colors and image quality. This happens even when making black & white copies and if I recall correctly is about every 50 or 100 copies. The problem is when the user follows someone that just made a bunch of copies the first copy out can be very slow.
Image quality leaves a lot to be desired.
But the new B2C machines from Ricoh are razor sharp and I'd put their quality up against any competitor.
The 1224 was the first B2C machine and I believe in an effort to be first was compromised. I don't propose it anymore, I'd rather have a satisfied customer with no question.
But, we have placed about a half a dozen of the 1224's and when they are proposed in the right environment with realistic expectations they are good.
Bill:
Some of this post refers to one machine, some another. The 1224 is the inferior product, the other Ricoh products are rock solid.
Some of this post refers to one machine, some another. The 1224 is the inferior product, the other Ricoh products are rock solid.
Allow me to clarify, I'm not trying to put down the Savin/Ricoh color machine. We have sold Several of the C3224 & C2820 machines. We even have a couple of the C3210 series put in by Savin major accounts. We have had nearly no problems compared to the CF2002/3102 series from KonicaMinolta. We have not carried the C350 yet but was told that is changing. The Savin and the KonicaMinolta both have their places in the customer's office. I'm just saying as long as the sales team puts the right machine in the right place. A prime example is I have a CF3102 running 34k a month in a print shop doing 98% full color. I do not see a Savin C3224 handling this. Not with it's 16 grades of color gradation compared to 256 grades of gradation. Correct machine in the correct environment is the key. I do like the Savin machines and they do have good color and are very low maintenance. A good box and I'm sure that Savin/Ricoh has a better box to compete against the C350 but head to head this box is not it. The sales person will make the differance.