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10 Years in the Cloud

Sales

I Had an Awesome Day and Didn't Sell A Copier aka Print Device

I'm thinking it was 2006 when I first met Dave. 

Dave had this really cool setup for printing color envelopes on one of the first Oki color A3 laser print engines.   At that time Dave definitely had one printer running and If I remember correctly had a few more that were primed for back ups.

Back in 2006 it was quite uncommon to see a color laser printer that would feed envelopes without wrinkling them.  Could have also been because I only carried the Ricoh brand and back in 2006 they were not so good with feeding envelopes.

I'm a hardware junkie, show me a print device that prints something new and my mind starts to spin out of control.  I knew I needed to learn more about the process and thought at some time in the future that I may have a print device that I could sell Dave.

Each year thereafter for the next thirteen years I would pay Dave a visit at least once or twice a year.  I was really thankful when he moved his business closer to where I lived. 

Over that time frame I gleaned a lot of information from Dave when it came to ink based printers that could run envelopes. In recent years the choice of print engines that Dave used leaned more towards ink printers with the Memjet Waterfall print head.   From time to time he would also have a few of the HP's ink based printers with the Page Wide Technology.  For me, Dave was the guru of envelope printing, he had so much knowledge that manufacturers actually sent him print devices to evaluate.

From time to time Dave allowed me to demonstrate of couple of ink print devices. Alas I never had a product that could meet all of his needs with low ink cost, quality and speed. I usually had one or the other but never had the complete package.  Since I knew many print shops in my territory I was more than happy to tell him about those DM's. From time to time I was able to throw some leads his way.

Over those thirteen years Dave and I never did any business. To tell you the truth that was probably a good thing since you never know how some print devices will perform.  Usually when they don't perform is when the relationship can sour.  But, I enjoyed stopping and talking shop with Dave, I would comment on new technology and he would give me the low down on some of the really neat print devices that he had. His knowledge helped me with other clients that were in the market for color envelope presses.

I think it was about 18 months ago that Dave told me he was going to sell the business and move out of state. He had his reasons and they were legit but I'm not going to mention them here.  Still I stopped in from time to time to see how he was and where he was at with his plans.

Dave emailed me over the weekend and stated that he would like to take me to lunch sometime this week.  I agreed and we had lunch today. We had a great chat about my new found brother and Dave told me that he has two adopted children (that's awesome). I then asked how he was doing with the sale of the business. Dave stated that this was the last few days, he had sold all of his equipment and would be moving in the next few weeks.

We had a great time at lunch and was probably one of the first times we didn't talk shop.  We developed a great relationship and respect for each other over those years.  On the way out Dave handed me an envelope, inside that envelope was an awesome thank you card for all of the time we spent together.

I know that Dave reads my blogs and I'm hoping he reads this one. I will miss our technology chats, I will miss our chats about our families and miss the time that we spent together.



-=Good Selling=-

A Funny Thing Happened After My Sales Appointment

Just a short blog for all tonight.  It was a little over a week ago that I scheduled an appointment for a quarterly review with one of my clients.  The appointment was to review costs, volume of prints and what's changed with my client in the last 12 months.

I did my bit and then asked what's changed beside the recent move.  To my surprise the client was interesting in upgrading their existing wide format to one that could print and copy in color.

Thus, I led the client through the pro's and con's of the device I had in mind, along with answering many additional questions from the client. My meeting ended with creating an opportunity along with providing a quote as soon as possible.

Within a few days I had delivered the quote. Within another day or so I received an email with a few additional questions. One statement that worried me was "we're just not sure if the extra $75 per month was worth need for color". The client also explained that they would get back to me quickly with an decision. There was a little bit more to the email, however something I'm not going to post here. I did take the time to address their concerns with two additional emails.

It was another 72 hours and I received an email that they would like to move forward with the order. I developed the doc's, delivered them via email. The next day I had the signed documents return via email with a special PS at the end of of the email.

Here's what it read.

Ps - Before making the final decision, I was doing a little more homework online on ink jet vs toner plotters.  I came across a helpful article, only to notice after reading that you were the author!  Brandi and I got a kick out of that.  So basically you already answered some of my questions. 

I read this one, and also one on 10 FAQ’s about the Ricoh MP CW2201SP. 
I've been writing content on my wide format site for a couple of years now. Over those two years I received a fair amount of leads and have closed some orders for net new clients.  I was not surprised that the client did some additional research, but I was elated that my content showed up in their search efforts.
Just goes to show you that writing content is still king and pull marketing make more sense that dialing for dollars.
-=Good Selling=-

Extra Innings with Polek & Polek (baseball free agents, sales peeps)

Chris Polek and I are huge fans of baseball.  Chris is a lifelong fan of the Yankees and the same for me except I'm a big fan of the Mets.  You'd think that a Yankee fan and a Met fan would do some trash talking, but that's not the case since we are both avid fans of baseball.

During the off-season two of the biggest free agents out on the market were Manny Machado (signed with Padres) and Bryce Harper (signed with Phillies). Both are players are very capable of putting the team on their back and stacking up countless wins.  All that winning does come at a price though.  Machado with a 10 year guaranteed for $300 million and Harper with a 13 years with a guaranteed $330 million.

Both players are 26 years old, both players probably won't make the end of their contracts and both have career batting averages under .285.  When it comes to offense that means they fail more than 7 times out of ten where they do not get a hit.  Dang, if I failed 7 out of ten times with prospects, I'd probably be looking for another job.

While Chris and I were chatting the other day we thought we would share some points about signing or not signing that superstar salesperson. That gal or guy that can put the team on their back and help the time meet and exceed their goals.

Okay, so let's get into to it. Chris Polek will give us his thoughts and I'll chime in with a few of my own. 

Chris: These are certainly big bets by these teams, and just like in business, there is always risk. You know the saying: “No risk, no reward”

While it is easy for people to start calculating how many dollars per home run or plate appearances that adds up to, you know the owners of these teams weighed on benefits outside of the player’s stats to justify that investment. Things like more ticket sales, which equals more concessions sales. How many more people want to buy that player’s jersey?

Art: Yup, I can see that. By adding that top sale rep to the team, that person and their performance can enhance the sales team. That’s accomplished with the pecking order moving a down a notch or two with the other sales people on the team. Top sales people don’t like to be anything but first. Quoting from Talledega Nights, “if you’re not first you’re last”.

Chris: And what about the rest of team players? How excited are they to work with an impact player like that? Will they raise their level of play that these teams are playoff contenders? Believe me; these owners were looking to buy more value that just how many dollars each plate appearance cost.

Art: Acquiring that top sales person will inspire others. Other sales people on the team will raise their levels because they need and want to compete. Plain and simple we like to win.

Chris: Pay in sales is different compared to these guaranteed baseball contracts though. In sales the top players are making the big paycheck, because they are bringing in the results. As a business owner, if you are concerned that you are paying your salespeople too much money, you probably haven’t instituted the correct compensation plan. When you pay your salespeople record breaking paychecks, it means you should be having record breaking financial performance in your company.

Art: Agreed, you can’t sell Jersey’s with the names of your top salespeople on the back. But you can ride the backs of the those top performers.

Chris: Although Bryce Harper and Manny Machado were the players that were making the headlines because of the record breaking contracts, what happened after these signings was even more noteworthy. It seems that baseball owners realized something about free agency: it is expensive.

Baseball owners decided that instead of letting those loyal, good performers play out their contracts, and become a free agent, it was better to tear up that contract, and sign them to an extension of 5 or 7 years. These weren’t the pay levels of Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, or even Mike Trout, but all very comfortable and fair contracts to keep that loyalty and production from those players such as: Chris Sale, Jacob deGrom, Luis Severino, Xander Bogaerts, Ronald Acuna Jr., Aaron Hicks to name a few.

The point is those sales people or employees that are there for you through thick and thin, you need to make sure that you take care of them. Sometimes it is money, or new computers, but what goes farthest for a business owner is making sure that you genuinely appreciate the hard work and value that they bring to your organization. Your employees value that recognition over and above the paycheck. Your “A” players will stick with you when they know they are appreciated versus leaving you for a pay increase.

Art: It's all about investment. Invest in your team in order to reap the rewards. Adding a top player (salesperson) will improve the overall performance of the team, as only as you don’t treat them differently. Just getting away from baseball for a second. In New York we had a player by the name of Beckham, who is an awesome talent. Problem was he was not disciplined by the coaching staff, ultimately it lead to the demise of a season and Beckham getting traded.

Chris: That superstar sales person can be that final piece of the puzzle that makes your company a contender; perhaps a World Champion. That one person will not determine success alone. As a business owner, you need to continually invest in taking care of your loyal employees, and providing them the tools to bring successful results for your company. It will create a culture of loyalty, hard work, discipline, and the desire to succeed.

That superstar salesperson is the finishing touch, and the culture of your team is the foundation. If you don’t have the proper culture in place at your company, there is a bigger possibility that huge free agent contract will turn into buyer’s remorse. That superstar sales person will look like the answer, and you need to have the right culture in place for them to fit.

It is like having the key to your success, but you have the wrong keyhole. That will cause frustration, and will lead to a losing season. So focus on getting your company culture rock solid, then adding that superstar sales person can set you up for a season that takes you to the World Series!

Art:  Chris and I enjoyed writing this blog. If you enjoyed reading it please share and like.  Chris Polek is President of Polek & Polek. Polek & Polek is a 2nd generation wholesale distributor of toner, toner cartridges, drums, mfp, copier, printer supplies, parts, staples, power protection and more. Visit thier web site here

-=Good Selling=-

When Sales Are Good What Do You Do To Get Your Groot On?

It's a very short month for me this month. In fact my month ends on the 18th.  On the 19th I'll start the Easter celebration and on Monday it's off to Vegas for ITEX 2019 along with meeting my new brother!

We put the effort in every day and we can only hope that all of the hard work gets us to where we want or need to be at the end of the month. Thus, I knew that if I didn't put the extra time in this month I would put up a stinker (sales month). Stinkers are not an option, but they can happen.

After received multiple orders over the last few days I'm just about where I want to be with two days left. Do I celebrate now, yes you're damn straight I do.  One of my ways to celebrate is to put on some of my favorite music. One song in particular does it for me.

Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra is my fav!  It's upbeat, live and the lyrics scream with the life of a sales person. If you're not familiar with Mr. Blue Sky it was recently the opening song for the opening scene for Guardians of the Galaxy 2. This is where the cute and cool little Groot does his happy dance.  At times I will imitate Groot and do my own happy dance.

I'm sure everyone has that kind of song, and if you don't I urge you to find one, make it your own and use it when things are slamming.  Hey, maybe if things aren't slamming it use is as a pick me up, motivator, whatever floats your boat.

Check out these cool lyrics from Mr. Blue Sky

Morning! Today's forecast calls for blue skies

The sun is shining in the sky
There ain’t a cloud in sight
It's stopped raining, everybody's in the play
And don’t you know, it's a beautiful new day, hey
Running down the Avenue
See how the sun shines brightly
In the city, on the streets where once was pity
Mr. Blue Sky is living here today, hey

Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long, so long
Where did we go wrong?
Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long, so long
Where did we go wrong?

Hey, you with the pretty face
Welcome to the human race
A celebration, Mr. Blue Sky's up there waiting
And today is the day we've waited for

Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long, so long
Where did we go wrong?
Hey there, Mr. Blue
We're so pleased to be with you
Look around, see what you do
Everybody smiles at you
Hey there, Mr. Blue
We're so pleased to be with you
Look around, see what you do
Everybody smiles at you

Mister Blue Sky
Mister Blue Sky
Mister Blue Sky-yiy

Mr. Blue, you did it right
But soon comes Mr. Night
Creeping over, now his hand is on your shoulder
Never mind, I'll remember you this
I'll remember you this way

Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long, so long
Where did we go wrong?
Hey there, Mr. Blue (sky)
We’re so pleased to be with you (sky)
Look around, see what you do (blue)
Everybody smiles at you

It's awesome, especially the verse of "on the streets where there was once pity", how often can we relate to that in our sales life?  But, now Mr. Blue Sky is here and it's the day we've waited for. We're always making things happen to get to the days that we're waiting for.  

See, our sales life is lived in days, weeks and months. We are measured in those days, weeks and months. In most cases we're only as good as our last month, our last quarter or year. Our life is more about what have you done for me lately!

Get your Groot on take the time to treat yourself, and you'll feel refreshed and read to start the grin all over again.

Here's the video. GOOD SELLING!

Invest in Yourself and Get Outstanding Sales Results

First, I'd like to give kudos to the person on Linkedin who made mention of "investing" in yourself.  Can't remember who it was and it might have been Earl Everson. Earl, if it was you thanx for giving me the idea to write about "investing in your sales career". If it wasn't you, I'll have to make sure that I thank that person.

Okay, first, I'm not much for doing video's. I like video's but don't enjoy seeing my-self in them. Does anyone else feel that way?  I guess I just like to write.

Do you invest in your in yourself for to further your sales career? 

Investing in yourself can come in many flavors. Purchasing sales books, hiring a sales coach (something I never did, nor did I want to, guess I'm hard headed), purchasing software, new notebook, set up a home office, the list goes on and on.  One of the biggest investments you can make is on how to spend your time wisely. I recently caught a tip on Linkedin that every thing you do should be calendared. Setting a time for each task, whether it's 5 minutes, or 30 minutes will help you stay on track.

Through out the years I've never shied away from investing in something that will help me get better at what I do I love to do.  One of my recent purchases is with the Perfect Copier Quoting tool. This cool program will help me save tremendous amounts of time for the proposal/quoting process.  It's just something I did lately to help my self. I'm hoping it will give me additional time to prospect, because you can never ever stop prospecting.

What have you done to help yourself?

I'm amazed at how many sales people in our industry don't make the investments that can lead them to the top of sales success. The opportunities are out there and a small monthly investment of only one hundred bucks a per month or less can be the difference of always being at or above quota. 

  • When was the last time you attending and industry event?
  • When was the last time you wrote some type of content?
  • When was the last time you used Linkedin to increase your connections?
  • When was the last time you posted something on Linkedin?
  • Why don't you have a client email list and send them educational content each week or each month?
  • When was the last time you sent a client a thank you note for that recent order?
  • When was the last time you gave a shout out for one of your favorite clients on Linkedin?
  • When was the last time you asked a client for referrals?

Most of the above questions only involve your time, why not take some time before or after work hours to invest in your sales career?

Constant Contact

Did you know that you can get a free 60 day trial for Constant Contact?  After the first 60 days the cost is only twenty bucks a month for 1-500 email addresses.  Think, it's only 75 cents or so a day! If you ask, Constant Contact will actually do your first template for FREE. I've been using that same template for five years now. Once a week I send more than 2,000 emails to our Print4Pay Hotel members.  Once a month I send to 30 of my top Stratix accounts. These are the accounts that I need to stay in front of.  Out of sight equals out of mind!

Linkedin Pulse

It's free!  A place to write and share you blogs on Linkedin. I know at least six people that write a blog each week on Linkedin. Not me, because I do it here, but all of these peeps have kept at it week in and week out.  Those peeps are now very successful an have developed some outstanding number of followers an connection.  What's the key?  Commitment, week in week out, set aside the time and don't stop after three months. It's a long term commitment, but after 12 months you'll probably gain thousands of connections and followers.

Video

Getting more and more popular ever day. Still not sure if video is for me, but I've been toying with the idea.  Check out Earl Everson, Larry Levine, or Dale Dupree they've all made the time commitment and dedication to "keep on posting" (ah, that should me my line). Each one of them has thousand if not ten thousand connections. It's not easy, but what the heck in this life is easy?

You Owe it to Yourself

Why am I in sales? Have you ever asked yourself that question? I certainly have and the answers keep coming back the same.

  • I love helping clients
  • I enjoy solving problems
  • I enjoy making what I want when I want
  • I'm in control of my own finances

Make the investments whether it's time, a product, a book, a coach, a trip, software, it will be worth it's weight in GOLD.

-=Good Selling=-

My Top Secret for Sales Success

If you're on Linkedin as much as I am, then you'll see dozens if not hundreds of people willing to entertain you with thier top secrets for sales success. 

One such linkedin thread yesterday inspired me to write about those top sales secrets.

I've been selling for copiers for almost forty years and another 2 for years with other sales positions. Over those years I can't remember one secret that I read from a so called sales guru that impacted my sales career. Yes, there have been some good tips but no secrets.

Becoming successful is the time and effort you put into to it. It also helps to have the desire, determination and dedication to succeed every day. The Three DDD's of selling is desire, determination and dedication.

Here's my top secret for sales success.

THERE IS NO SECRET!

There's no golden goose, no Midas touch, and no holy grail that will give you that immediate boost to sales success.

To be successful you'll need be a :

Work your ass off, that's right nothing is going to be handed to you on a silver platter. You'll need to put in mega hours if you want to be the best at what you do.  Ours is not a 9-5 job, rather it's working your tail off and putting the time in to be the best at what you do.

Never ever stop prospecting. Once you're in sales everywhere you go and everyone that you meet could present prospecting opportunities.  Even driving the highway can present you with new prospects. Spotting a company that you never knew existed or just reading commercial vehicles with thier corporate lettering can create opportunities.

Educate yourself, become the guru of your industry. Read your brochures, read your operators manuals, read your product guides and when you've finished all of them read them again. Know your products features, be able to tell your client the advantage of having that feature, then explain how your client will benefit from those features. FAB (features, advantages and benefits)

Put in your own words how one or many features of your product can improve the way they do business or how that feature can save time or reduce costs.

Be creative, just because everyone else did it that way doesn't mean you have to. It's okay to be different, people like different. Ask yourself, if I was a gatekeeper what would get my attention or why would I pass on the information you handed off to the powers to be. Then go out it try those methods, change them up and see what works best.

Become an excellent listener, it took me a long time to figure this out. For years I would do all the talking and push what I thought was right for the client. It wasn't until I became a better listener that I realized the clients would tell me what they wanted, how they wanted it and when they wanted it.

Keep in mind that if you're not working hard then someone else is going to ot work you!

-=Good Selling=-

BTW, there is nothing new in sales

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 bad, the point is that there are people just like you and me that are willing to share their knowledge of the industry.

My specialty is wide format, production and AEC (Architect, Engineers Construction). However when it comes to other verticals I may need some help. While I may not be an expert in the legal market I can go the forums and find and copier expert that can help me my questions.  Those answers can help me with opportunities that I can bring to a close.  Likewise I'm more than willing to help others with wide format & AEC info.  It's all about sharing our knowledge and helping each other so that we can close more orders and support our families.

1) Expand your network:  Whether you're a Dealer Principal, VP Sales, Sales Manager or an Account Rep (like me). You'll have access to the forums to search threads (more than 50K), read threads, ask questions, answer questions and maybe you might have a rant or two. You can even take some threads private. You have the opportunity to lean on others for product information or general sales help.

2) Blogs:  Each week we post 4-6 blogs about the industry.  Blogs that I write, blogs from Ray S and Larry Levine.  When you're a member you'll receive immediate notification when a new blog has been posted. In addition you'll have permissions to "like" it, reply with a comment or question.  Between Larry, Ray Stasieczko an myself we have more than 100 years of experience in the industry. Thus you'll get to read some pretty cool stuff and catch some video content.

3) Our sponsors: Sometimes you just need to click the banner to see what's out there. There are times when we go about our business with blinders on, and we're not looking around so see what's new and different.  There are times when what's new and different can make that extra sale. There are products and accessories for our industry that I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that you aren't aware of. What this means is that the reps or dealers that know about these products will eat your lunch.  Just today, I received a top secret accessory to do a test run from one of our sponsors.

4) Our Documents and Pics: Over the years I've developed many documents that can help those in our industry with cold calls, side by sides, discovery documents, ROI's for wide format, you name it and it's more than likely posted on the site. We've also develop quite the museum of pictures and brochures of copiers, fax and typewriters from the past. If you're curious about the past of the copier industry the "clips" section of our site is a great place to start.

5) Premium/VIP: The secret sauce as we like to call it.  Premium/VIP gives you access to all of our sales help documents, premium blogs (my secret stuff), surveys, leads that we've acquired and the Premium/VIP forum (your secret stuff). 

The five I listed are just a few of the awesome features of our site. We'd like to extend a personal invitation to you to join our 3,000 plus members. There is no cost for the basic membership.

However, for all new members we'll through in a 30 day comp of the Premium/VIP Membership. No credit card required. Use it abuse if you like you can email me for a renewal, if not Premium/VIP will cease after 30 days.

Here's the link to join and we're looking forward to seeing you on the forums and the site

-=Good Selling=-

Seven Great Reason Why I Love Working @ Stratix Systems

It's a late night for me just like many other nights.  While I was walking our dog, a little light snow began to fall here in Highlands, NJ.  At this time of year, along with not much traffic I can hear the rumble of the waves that are peppering the beach.  Sometimes it's times it's nights like these that I get to remember about how good things are and how fortunate I've been through out the years.

A little more than ten years ago the copier company that I worked for was bought by Stratix Systems.  Coming from a small dealership and having access to the decision makers didn't make things easy in the beginning.  I was not used to having a sales manager, was not used to towing a straight line and had to get used to a new comp plan.

I didn't run like the three other sales people did when the Century was bought. I stayed because something told me that was the right thing to do. There were some difficult times, times when I wanted to leave, however I looked back at my-self and thought,  is that what I do when things are tough? I run? I also thought that maybe just maybe it was the curmudgeon in me that did not want to change.  I've always knew that change is good, but sometimes it is hard to break the old you.

Thus, I stayed and made changes that I'm really happy with. I thought I'd like to give the shout out to Stratix and let them and others know that change is good and you can change if you want to.

1)  I truly enjoy the people I work with, I know I can be a little tough at times but it's because I want us all to succeed. Some peeps I've worked with for twenty years and some only a few years.  I enjoy the relationships that we've built over the years and the new ones that will be forged.

2) I love the fact that we invest in a demo fleet. At any time I can have access to most of our copiers and can score placing a copier in a clients office for a demo. 

3) I believe I can still help Stratix company grow, even at my advanced age. I still have ideas, still passionate about the industry and still passionate for Stratix to grow and grow. Who knows maybe one day I'll be doing the training for all of the new reps. I know they'll be thinking look at that old fart, WTF does he know.  Yes, grasshopper you have much to learn in the "art" of sales.

4) Helping others. I enjoying sharing my knowledge of sales, the industry and the hardware. Thus, the reason for the Print4Pay Hotel (share our knowledge). What I enjoy the most is helping someone and then seeing them succeed with the information I provided the, I would not give this up for the world.

5) Believe it or not, I still have something to prove.  Probably not to others but to me. I can't stand being second best. Ricky stated "If you're not first you're last". Boy do I hate being last! I've got 39 years in and hoping for at least another for or 5 more to add.

6) I still enjoy selling, especially when it comes to copiers. Yes, it's not as easy as it used to be, but isn't that a good thing?  You become more creative, think out of the box and find new ways to present, demo and engage. Plus, I still get a charge when I receive an order.  All orders are awesome big or small because I know the support after the sale will enable lifetime client relationships.

7) Ah, number 7 the BIG ONE.  I've found this so easy to write tonight. I guess when you're passionate about someone, something or some company the words just seem to flow endlessly will the fingers move across the keyboard.

My VP of Sales is an incredible! I think he's been with us for six or seven years now. It was a little shaky at the start.  Which was probably most my fault, however he believed in me and gave me enough rope to do what I do best. So, believing in someone is good, it breeds that bond of trust in each other. Forming excellent relationships needs the foundation of trust.  If and when I retire I will miss the chats, the tips, the lunches, and the laughs. Tim, if you're reading this I'm not gone yet, and hoping for many more years of working with you.

There it is. Got it out there and hope that many others P4P'ers can be as happy as I am with where I work and the peeps I work with.

-=Good Selling=-

Seven Items You'll Need to Make Your Own Copier Survival Kit

"I cannot tell a lie! If it were not for some Dale Dupree threads on LinkedIn, I wouldn't have remembered the 'gifts' I used for cold calling (old-fashioned knocking on doors) in the eighties. Dale calls them 'copier survival kits,' and he's well-known for doing some creative old-fashioned knocking on doors with his survival kits. Kinda reminds me of myself back in the day—be creative, think outside the box, and throw enough stuff on the wall to see what sticks.

Back in the eighties, we would package a small bottle of isopropyl alcohol, a small bottle of fuser oil (fuser oil was excellent for cleaning the covers and rollers of any copiers), a half dozen Q-tips (excellent for cleaning the copiers that used fiber optics), a glass cleaning cloth, and a toner wipe. The toner wipe was usually a big hit because everyone spilled the toner. With some copiers, you had to pour the toner into the hopper; with others, you had to pull a plastic seal (always got a puff of toner when you stripped the seal); and with yet others, you had to remove a hard plastic sleeve and then tap the cartridge. Yes, and we didn't forget the business card that went with every gift.

Today, it's still not a bad idea to make your own copier survival kit. Thirty-some years later, and I would change just one item from the eighties list. I'd swap out the small bottle of fuser oil for a desiccant bag. The main reason for adding a desiccant bag is that clients can put this in the paper tray of the copiers or printers to remove moisture from the paper. Larger bags are also good for wide format copiers to reduce the moisture in the paper rolls. Oh, and there's another reason for the swap—fuser oil is a little bit harder to find these days. However, I was able to find some old IBM 3900 fuser oil on Amazon. You can find just about anything on Amazon.

Here's the list of items you can use for your Copier Survival Kit:

  • Desiccant bag
  • Glass microfiber (make sure you brand it with your logo & phone number)
  • Small plastic bottle (you'll want to brand this as well; a label maker would be adequate)
  • Toner Wipe (use one)
  • Tape Measure for those large wide format MFPs
  • Isopropyl alcohol (buy the larger size and disperse into bottles)
  • Branded Pouch to put all of the above in
  • Business card

The key is to have everything branded (except the desiccant bag). From what I'm seeing with quantity, you can probably make these with the branding for as little as $4 each.

One hundred of these would set you back $400, of course, you're not going to hand them out willy-nilly. But you are going to hand them out to the accounts that have three plus copiers. You have to make the decision on who to give them to. When knocking on doors, you should know the DM's name and ask that the item gets delivered to them. On the other hand, you could have it FedExed, mailed, or UPSed to the DM. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that they would take your call.

Being unique and different is something Dale Dupree does often. I've been there also. I can remember buying my own golf bags kits (balls, tees, cloth). In fact, one year I bought a couple of hundred plastic waste bins with my logo on it. My pitch was simple; it went something like this: 'Hi, my name is Art with Atlantic Office Systems. I'd drop off a few brochures for Mr. or Mrs. Right; could you please make sure they get these? If you're not interested, here's a new waste can (branded, of course) so you can dispose of them.' I read that in a book a long time ago. Did they work? Hell yes, the follow-ups were interesting, and I recouped my investment back in a few months. Shhh, I still have a few in my home office.

Salespeople do not get remembered if you're average; salespeople do get remembered if you're unique and different. Pave your own way; just because no one else hasn't done it doesn't mean you can't do it"

YOU CAN DO IT!

-=Good Selling=-

Why Copier Sales People Still Need to Demonstrate MFP's & Wide Format Devices

This week, I was stationed in Atlantic City for an Association event spanning three days. While being away from home for such a duration isn't my preference, the Association event serves as a robust platform for gathering leads for potential new prospects.

From 7 AM to 7 PM on Thursday, with half-day commitments on Wednesday and Friday, the schedule can be quite taxing for anyone. Thankfully, I had backup representatives assisting me on Wednesday and Thursday.

Prior to the event, I ensured we had two Ricoh digital whiteboards and a Ricoh CXW 2201SP wide format printer/scanner/copier on hand. Last year, relying solely on the Ricoh whiteboards felt limiting as we missed out on opportunities due to the lack of a wide format presentation option. Hence, the decision to include a wide format device this time.

Last year's event was unique as we were the only technology company present. While the whiteboards garnered significant interest, unfortunately, we didn't secure any orders from those leads. This year, I aimed for a different outcome by still showcasing the whiteboards but adding the CW2201SP to our arsenal to highlight our wide format capabilities.

Our Ricoh CW2201 arrived just before the vendor set-up deadline. As it was being wheeled to my booth, I was surprised to see another wide format device arriving right behind it. Another wide format vendor? Quite unexpected!

After overcoming the initial shock of the competition, I focused on highlighting what makes our device unique compared to the Canon TX series, which turned out to be the competing product.

Features of the Canon TX series included:

  • Lower purchase price (Dealer & MSRP)
  • High-quality graphics production capability
  • Best image quality on inkjet paper
  • On-board Windows 10 controller
  • Copy/Scan/Print GUI via Software on Windows 10 controller
  • Optional additional paper roll (up to 600-foot rolls)
  • 5 ink colors
  • Color Scan
  • Scan & print from and to USB Drive
  • Pigment inks (resistant to running or smearing when wet)

In comparison, here's how the Ricoh CW 2201SP device stacked up:

  • Higher purchase price (Dealer & MSRP)
  • Inability to produce high-quality graphics
  • Gel ink Technology (resistant to running or smearing when wet)
  • Good imaging on bond paper
  • No Windows controller required
  • No need to access software for Copy/Scan/Print
  • Optional additional paper roll (up to 590-foot roll)
  • Scan & Print to and from USB & SD Card
  • Print from Hard Drive Library

Recognizing the strengths and weaknesses, I devised a plan to showcase the uniqueness of our product. I pre-printed about 16 color 24x36 plans and placed them strategically on the Ricoh, along with a small cup of water on the other side. This setup aimed to demonstrate the resilience of our prints to water damage.

Engaging attendees, I highlighted the water-resistant feature of our prints, emphasizing that our device is ideal for color CAD printing, offering cost-effective solutions with large paper rolls and lower ink costs. Demonstrating various functionalities such as printing from USB drives and ease of copying further reinforced our product's value proposition.

Despite facing some challenges with pricing and one potential lead ghosting, I'm content knowing that we delivered an exceptional demonstration, evident from the positive feedback received. Even though the competition boasted water-resistant prints, our focus on delivering a compelling demonstration ensured we stood out.

On the final day, a visit to the Canon booth reaffirmed the effectiveness of our approach. With no water demonstration or pre-printed drawings, and difficulties in showcasing interface functionalities, it became evident that our demonstration strategy had effectively communicated the superiority of our product.

-=Good Selling=-

Why We Decided to Make Our Own Copier Quoting Tool

Why We Decided to Make Our Own Copier Quoting Tool

Getting clients good information is critical to a sales process and we have taken a lot of time and energy to create quotes that are easy for us to make, and give the client a good feeling about the options they are choosing.  I would not want to go to a car dealership and have them only want to show me one car, or to a realtor and only see one house.  We like to see options when we buy stuff, so I thought about how can it be easy for clients to also get options.
We had a new sales rep, let's call him Brett, because that was his name.  Anyway, Brett was driving me crazy because as a Millennial sales rep, he wanted to give every option on every quote so doing 1 quote became a process of doing 10 quotes.  Here were some of the items "Brett" wanted itemized.
  • The client wants to see 1,2,3,4 and 5 year rates, both FMV and $1 out.
  • The client wants to know how fax, staple, etc will affect the numbers, 1,2,3,4, and 5 years
  • The client changed their mind, they no longer need 11X17, now they just want Letter/Legal quotes.
  • The client changed their mind, they no longer think Letter/Legal works, they need 11 X 17
  • There is a lease buyout, how much do I need to add?
  • What do I add for install on this deal?
  • What specs does this copier have for paper handling?
  • etc...
For about a month or two, I tried to help him, then he quit and I had to hire another gal.  When that happened, I realized we are going through all the same issues, questions and numbers.  It seemed to be time to establish a goal.  Here is what I decided on: 
I want to be able to make a side by side quote in under 2 minutes that looks nice and that is easy to explain to a new rep or a new client.   
This is where my obsession with building a great system for our team was born.   When I am driving from client A to client B, can I create a quote on my cell phone that looks nice at a red light in Denver (as we do not suggest quoting copiers while you drive, though I cannot pass a lie detector that I have never done it...)
Anyway, that being said, it has made the number of mistakes reps have made way lower and the consistency much higher in terms of generating a quality looking quote.  Since we started, we have made dashboards and added some brands, and then making it so it can be used by any dealer in under a day where all their reps could make quotes in under 2 minutes as well.  It is constantly being improved, but I am proud of where we are and how flexible we have made the tool for our partners.  We would love to have a dealership or two in every city in the USA use this tool!  We hope you can attend a webinar, if not, we can call at a time that works for you.  We are here to help make the marketing of copiers super simple for your dealership!
-=Good Selling=-

A Recent Copier Appointment That Went From Bad to Good

My second appointment of the day proved to one of the most enjoyable appointments I've had in recent memory. It was with an existing account that was in the last 3 months of a 36 month lease for an A3 color MFP. The account only has one, but so do most of my accounts. I'd like to say I flourish with onesies and twosies.  

Just a tip for some of you that may be new in the copier business. When quoting leasing always lead with a 36 month lease.  There are two well maybe three reasons for that. One, is the upgrade time comes around a whole heck of a lot sooner than 60 months. Two, if you have to drop price then drop by the lease term for the lower price. The third reason is if your dealership has auto escalators in the maintenance and supply agreements. 

Right, back to our meeting.  

Everything was going quite well with presenting the reasons for upgrading to a new A3 color MFP. We reviewed the ROI, their existing annual costs for thier lease, the existing annual cost for the maintenance agreement. Heck I even developed a spreadsheet as to what thier annual costs would be if they did nothing (always have a back up plan). 

Like I stated all was well until one of the two clients shot me a question about the color print quality of existing Ricoh A3 MFP.  He stated we've had a couple of issues with color quality and is the Ricoh quality suppose to have a "muddled" appearance? I though okay where is this going, perhaps they weren't happy with the quality of the Ricoh?

Within a few moments the one client came back to table with a color 11x17 document that was printed from an Excel spreadsheet.  Sure enough the colors not consistent, not vibrant, and had a lot of whiteness in the color. The client then stated that this document was printed back in October and then showed me another print that was perfect that was printed in December.

Okay, at this time I thought it was best to tell them about my back ground as tech back in the eighties. This story got a few chuckles and lightened the seriousness of the print quality for now. This existing client has many wide format ink based printers (can't tell you anymore), I explained that wide format printers only have two consumables which is ink and printheads, correct?  Both agreed and I then went to explain how the print process works with laser based MFPs.  I went into depth about how the process works for printing and then explained the major consumable components of the MFP. The last component I spoke about was the color transfer belt and how that works. I stated that most likely the transfer belt had failed and the replacement belt solved the issue (yes, I was patting my self on the back). 

The client then stated that a tech never replaced anything and the MFP had fixed it self.  Okay, I went back to muddled print and the client confirmed it was printed back in October, and the other print was from December and no service had been rendered.  Now, I'm thinking about whiteness in the image, I picked up document and I asked the client if they ever had any humidity issues in the building? I explained that humid paper can sometimes cause poor print quality. The other client (he was doing a great job at listening) then asked the guy when was that document printed? He stated October, and said do you remember what happened in October? I saw the other client nodding in agreement.  

Let me back track a bit. When I pulled into the lot, one of the items that I noticed was that some trees where recently cut down by the building. I was then told about a tree that had crashed through the roof during a storm in October.  I was like well there's the reason why you had the poor print quality and the MFP fixed it self. Not damp or humid paper means great color quality. Boy was I relieved, I nailed it with on the second attempt! 

There's some additional quoting that has to be done in the next few days. I feel that my knowledge of the print process, the ability to explain the process and to have an idea of what might be wrong made then feel comfortable that another Ricoh MFP is in thier future.

After leaving the account and heading back to the office my thoughts were centered about what if. What if a new rep had to go to this account? What if they did not know the print process, what if they couldn't find the reason for the poor prints? I'm not trying to toot my own horn. What I do know is that 80-90% of the reps that I go up against could not explain the print process, nor would they have any idea of what is wrong.

Thus, you could have the super sales skills, and the best coaching in the world and it would not have mattered because you're trying to sell something that you have no clue how it works.

I would urge all of the newbies to learn more about the print process and each component so that you could explain the process of color print if you have too.

-=Good Selling=-

5 Tips to Help You Increase Your Sales in 2019

I started to title this blog and then stopped because I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with this.   I wanted to write about the start of the new year and what reps can do to increase their skills and sales from last year.

The first thing we need to do is to forget about last year.  Whether you were a winner or a loser last year is over!  An old saying in sales "is that you're only as good as your last month". Now is the time to forget about last year, now is the time to set your sales goals and find a way to get to where you want to be at the end of the year.

August of this year will be the start of my 39th year of office technology (copiers, fax, printers, wide format, IT, content) and this year I plan to change a few things to try and get me to where I want to be at the end of the 2019.  

1. I'm going to write more blogs for my jerseyplotters.com this year. I was a little lax last year, however this year I plan to post one a week.  I'm thinking this should gain me an additional 2-3 leads per month.  

2. I fracking hate cold calling via phone.  Thus this year I'm going back to planning 20-25 stop in cold calls every Thursday.  The reason I pick Thursday is because most Holidays we have a Monday off.  Tus scheduling for Thursdays means I won't lose a day in the field.

3. For those special accounts that I haven't been able to crack, I'm going to invest a little bit of cash and send them via Fed-Ex a care package designed especially for them.  I'll write more about this in another blog, it's going to be something different and unique. Thus when I do make the phone call, I'm sure I'll get the chance to speak to the DM.

4. I'm going to lean on my existing relationships and ask for referrals that I can reach out to.  When I'm in the office tomorrow, I'll print out an 11x17 document as a reminder to ask everyone.

5. Extra focus for selling content, even if it means lengthening the sales cycle. What I'm finding is that most reps are still focused only on selling the box and couldn't care less about content. 

There is a recession coming in the near future, now is the time to plan ahead.  For me this means that I need to increase my net new business while building my current business. All of that can be accomplished with the 5 steps I've addressed above.

New to Sales?

For those of you that are new to sales here's some quotes that I've relied on over the years to help me get through the good and the bad

  • Winners Make Things Happen and Losers Wait for Things to Happen
  • Prospect by Day and Quote by Night
  • The Hardier You Work the Luckier You Get (thanx Jack)
  • Assume the Order

Feel free to use this tips, if you have any additional questions PM me on this site or post a reply and I'd be happy to help.

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers "The Rep that BS's the Prospect"

I apologize for not being able to write as much as I usually do.  December was a rather busy month, in fact the busiest December in years. Cheers to that!

It all started a few weeks ago when  received a lead (yippee) that was labeled "looking to lease a printer" .  I wasn't excited about the word "printer".  However, a lead is a lead and follow up has to be immediate when you get a new lead.

The Call

I was able to connect with the prospect that day on the phone.  I was asked if I sold Canon, I stated I did not and made reference to Ricoh.  My prospect went on to tell me that he had received a quote for a used (are you kidding me, used) Canon imageRUNNER Advance C5240. The prospect also stated that the C5240 also had a fiery.

While my prospect was telling me more about the Canon. I googled "Canon C5240 brochure".  I wanted to know about the print speed, paper size and substrate (paper weight) of the device. The Canon brochure is now displayed on my other screen and the prospect tells me that the Canon sales person stated the C5240 is only two years old. I was like WHAT?  I stated to the prospect "it cant be only two years old", he then replied "why". I immediately scrolled down to the bottom of the Canon brochure and there it was, the Canon brochure had a copyright date of 2012.

I then explained to the prospect that the C5240 (not the A version) has to be 4 to six years old and that he was being snowed by the sales person.  I then explained that copier models are usually only last 18-24 months before the manufactured upgrades that model.  I then countered with that the C5240 was upgraded in 2014 with the new C5240A version. By now I could sense that my prospect was now questioning everything he was told by the Canon rep. While I was on the phone with our prospect I had already emailed him the Canon brochure I was referencing.

I then dragged the Fiery in to the conversation.  I asked, "do you know what you're getting into with a Fiery that is four to six years old?". I went on to educate my prospect about the age of the hard drive on the fiery and stated that hard drives don't last forever. In addition I pointed out that the Fiery will need updated patches for the software and most likely does not come with a current license. I topped all of that off with the fact that he will have to calibrate the Fiery and you can't do that with out spectrophotometer. 

Alright, I poked enough holes in the Canon sales rep authenticity and created many concerns about the older Canon device. It was time to move on and that's when I asked him if he might consider something new?  My prospect was open to hearing more and I went on to give him the details about a new Ricoh C4504ex which had a little higher print speed than the Canon.  In addition I explained it was the end of the year, the end of the month, the end of the quarter and he was a new account which entitled him to an additional discount. 

It's been almost 40 minutes (we agreed that there was no need for a Fiery) into the conversation and it's now after 5PM at the office.  My prospect was somewhat on board with the pricing and the features (need bookletmaker) but non committal.  Through out the entire conversation I was also closing for a meeting to bring print samples and a brochure. Every time I asked I was shot down. 

Changing Gears

I decided to change gears because my prospect was looking at something used which meant that his price tag was somewhere around $5-6K, and I couldn't match that price point with the C4504. I then posed two questions to my prospect.

1.  Do you have a device at your office that will scan?  He stated yes

2.  Do you have a device that will make copies?  Another yes came out of him.

I stated, "Well this is a horse of a different color (I had watched the Wizard of Oz last night) we have two color printers that will print at 45 and 62 pages a minute and the pricing should be right in your wheel house"  Another 20 minutes had passed, my client was now leaning heavily towards the color A3 print with a bookletmaker. We scheduled an appointment for next week to me.

Next week I'm at the prospects office we reviewed the brochure, reviewed the specs for the bookletmaker, the duplex substrate specs and the pricing.  We then arranged for a demonstration at our office for a few days later.

My prospect is now in my office, we greeting each other.  He then tells me that the Canon rep got very mad at him on the phone and was insisting that his Canon only had 50K on the meter and was practically new. For me the keyword was "practically'", it was obvious that my prospect was all ears to me an not believing the Canon rep anymore.  Although my prospect did throw me a curve, stated the Canon rep had told him that the Ricoh machine was made out of 100% plastic while the Canon was made from heavy iron.  I went on to tell that client that was ridiculous because all of the manufactures (Canon, Ricoh. KonicaMinolta, Xerox) all use metal for thier frames and he's just grasping at straws.

We demonstrated the crap out of the C842DN, print quality, booklet making, paper sizes, and paper substrates.  Everything went well there was a few hitches with the substrate that he wanted to use.

What's the moral of the story? 

If I were on the outside looking in they would be:

1. Don't BS your prospect about the age of the device, you can find anything on the internet

2. Do push what you want to sell, rather dig deeper and help the prospect to understand thier needs better

3.  Always know that your prospect will do additional research after the first talk track

4.  Prove to your client that you are the guru in you geographical area when it comes to copiers and print devices.

5. Don't be a BS'er

Yeah, one thing I forget to mention is that the prospect mentioned that out of all the reps he had spoken to that I was the most knowledge and the most courteous. I enjoyed that compliment more that performing the demonstration.

-=Good Selling=-

Architect in New Jersey Adds Ricoh MP W7100

Ricoh MP W6700SP

front view

It’s not often that you can place a Ricoh MP W7100 in the field.  In most cases the Ricoh MP W6700SP is more popular because of the lower price point from the Ricoh MP W7100. It’s also about the print speed too.  The W7100 will print at ten pages per minute.  The Ricoh MP W6700 prints at 6.7 pages per minute.

Our existing client had an older Ricoh W2470 (owned) and the Ricoh W5140 (end of lease) in place.  However, their volume has increased to about twenty thousand square feet a month.  Initially our thoughts was to just upgrade the W5140 with the Ricoh MP W7100.  In addition the new Ricoh MP W7100 does not support the older Plot Works print software tool only worked with the W5140.

Recommendation

Our recommendation was to add our new Ricoh Print/Copy/Tool software because it would help our client manage print jobs. In addition users can print and edit any file quickly and easily, even if they didn’t have the application that was used to create the file. Ricoh Print/Copy/Tool software will also work with their existing Ricoh MP W2470 printer.

read the rest here

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