Who loves the Big Apple, The Center of the Universe, The Capital of the World, The City That Never Sleeps, Gotham, The Melting Pot and Empire City?

All of the above are nicknames for New York City.  In less than 30 days BTA Grand Slam Event will be off and running in one of the coolest cities in the world.

More impressive about this years event is that the conference will be held in the heart of Times Square at the Times Square Sheraton.  Equally as impressive will be the spectacular evening event at ONE Mix/Dine, a bar and restaurant located on the 101st floor of One World Trade Center, on a mezzanine overlooking the public observatory.  This should be spectacular!  Kudos to Polek and Polek for being the ONE Mix/Dine Sponsor.

Another thing I like is the kick-off time of the event. Gran Slam event starts at 2:30 PM which allows everyone more than enough time to fly in, drive in or even take the ferry (that's me).  From 6:15-7:45PM you'll be able to attend the welcoming reception and have some fun time to chat with friends, associates and vendors.

Friday starts with breakfast at 7AM and it's off to the races with some really cool educational sessions, breaks and lunch.  The closing comments and prize drawings will start at 3PM.  Then later that evening all will e wised away to OE Mix/Dine for a incredible food and floor-to-ceiling views of Manhattan.

What's In IT For You?

• Keynote Address by Chris Messina, technologist & inventor of the hashtag
• How Dealers are Growing Net-New Business (dealer panel moderated by Darrell Amy and panelists Robert Hilyard, Samantha Lahey, and Harry Spaight
• The Crucial Role of Sales & Marketing Alignment to Your Dealership's Future presented by my two of my favorite peeps from Great America, Lindsay Bohon amd Josie Heskje
• Vendors Find the Urge to Merge Irresistible brought to you from Charles Brewer, president and founder of Actionable Intelligence
• Highlights from the BPO Research Dealer Survey presenting is John McIntyre, senior analyst BPO Media
• Cybersecurity-as-a-Service with John Suerth, Technology Assurance Group
• Coaching for Results brings Brad Roderick to the platform from TonerCycle/InkCycle

I'm especially interested to hear about CaaS along with the billing model.  See even an old dog like me can continue to learn, adapt and change.  Change is good!

As with all BTA events, they can't happen without the vendors.  I know I'll be spending time with Polek & Polek, Arlington, Muratec, NEXERA who are all Print4Pay Hotel sponsors. In addition I'm making a special trip to go see my good friend Greg Walters that will be with TonerCycle/InkCycle to get a real good look at the ArcDrive.

Hope to see everyone there, there's still time to register! Register Here

-=Good Selling=-

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

I'm not sure that was a quote from the Bible but was something that I learned in Sunday School.  While growing up in Iselin, NJ.,  my family and I attended Episcopal Church every Sunday, following the Mass was Sunday School. Can't remember if that happened a certain time of year or not and I don't believe it was all year long.

However I understood that phrase to mean that treat other people with the concern and kindness you would like them to show toward you.  It's sad that I find a lot of that missing in today's world, and I'm afraid it may someday maybe lost to future generations. 

Today I had an hour long chat with Darrell Leven today while driving back to the office from one of my appointments.  The last time I chatted with Darrell was earlier this year at ITEX 2019.  Darrell had reached out to me via email earlier and asked if I had some time to chat and I responded with "yes, please call me on he cell".

Darrell is now the COO for Preo Analytics, Inc.,  Darrell used to be a copier guy like most of us and was selling copiers back in the seventies and eighties.  Darrell has me by two years with industry service.  He at 41 an I've got 39, yes we've had some great stories about the past, present and future of our industry. Seems like we both have no chance of retiring soon because we both love what we do.

Today's talk track was more about "users".  Now "users" is somewhat of a new term for me especially when I've only really known the copier world for all of these years.  Darrell made mention that sometime in the near future GDPR (general data protection regulation) will be making it's way to the United States (currently it is in force in the EU). I can see that with recent news events for FaceBook, Google, Apple and Amazon on Capitol Hill.

Many companies in the near future will need to have data on their users to be in compliance: 

• Who is printing
• What are they printing
• Where they are printing
• When was the document printed
• Who can have access to certain files

"Ink on paper can be a costly liability if the printed documents is not properly tracked, secure or prevented"

Preo offers end point activity management and reporting, their PrintIntelligence provides dashboard for detailed reporting of managing and analyzing the computer network end point environment. Now I can't remember the entire conversation (cause I'm old), but we did speak about quarterly business reports and how cool it would be to offer the client a complete review of all printing all printing devices and provide all of the above.  In addition PrintIntelligence will provide automated reports for all networked endpoints.

I didn't know the term"end points", thus I thought it would be good to share the knowledge. 

An endpoint is a remote computing device that communicates back and forth with a network to which is it connected. Examples of endpoints include: Desktops; Laptops; Smartphones; Tablets; Servers; Workstations; Endpoints represent key vulnerable points of entry for cybercriminals.

While many are looking for ways to re-invent the wheel with printing, I found it refreshing that Preo offers a program to dealers that allows them help their clients with "user" management and reporting.  Seems to me that there are many clients that can use this service.  I'm no expert in all of this and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn!

I've attach some documents on this blog and if you's lie to learn more, please give my good friend Darrell Leven a call.

Do unto to others as you would have them do to you

PS

PrintIntelligence you can turn a decent profit with (SaaS)

-=Good Selling=-

BTW Preo is not an advertiser/sponsor for the Print4Pay Hotel. I thought it would be nice to lend a helping hand and get the word out.

During the disruption, those being disrupted have only two choices. Attempt fate and stay in the past or, transition to the future relevance. It is easy to see which choice the actors take. Just show up at their meetings.

I attend many meetings in the technology sector, and I wanted to share some thoughts regarding what I believe to be a severe threat to my friends in the Imaging Channel. That threat is an obsession to make everyone comfortable. As I attend the industry's events, it seems as the painful discussion associated with growth are anesthetized by the comforts related to what I describe as complacency talk. The conversations void of addressing challenges.

The channel is choking itself by continuing in past business models, and past meeting models. Let’s face it what’s changed in the meeting format regarding the presenters, the locations, or the material? The industry is still promoting the 20 year old print management concepts, and many in the industry still denying the overselling of A3. The gatherings discuss the need to diversifying yet the industry's diversification still represents less than 10% of the deliverable. Of course no one discusses diversification as a percentage. Maybe if the industry did it actors would react to the realities.

Too much whitewashing in hopes that discussing market realities can be avoided.

Why do most who speak at industry events spend the first 25% of their presentation telling the audience how relevant print is. The speaker will ramble on about the potential growth in print management. More than likely these speakers will throw out some miscalculated number derived from a past fantasy. Explaining what managed print services will bill in the year 2025. I concluded in 2025 it won't even be called MPS. It will be DaaS or Device as a Service or, something delivered through an innovative platform. Also in reality what ever number the experts say is irrelevant to the realities of a declining deliverable. Even if the whole world has a print management agreement. From the day they sign it they will print less everyday forward.

During the disruption of any industry, the time to gather and have cheerleading sessions for the past must end. The gatherings must be about the future, and the speakers educating on the future must not care of the past’s relevance, and the audience must be willing to listen to that which scares them. Quite frankly, during disruptive times, the listers should fear the talk of complacency’s comfort, more than the perceived threats of an uncomfortable future.

 “Leaving the comfort of complacency can be exasperating to those attempting to abandon yesterday’s relevance.”

These safe havens of yesterday’s relevance will continue to stifle all the good intentions for progress if not challenged. So, I am challenging my friends in the Imaging Channel. To challenge the industry to stop propelling the past to the future.

"A company becomes obsolete when they focus on delivering the past to the future instead of delivering the future to the present."

I recently heard a comment from an executive outside the industry which echoed something I and many others believed for over a decade.

His comment was. “It seems Most of The Imaging Channel’s analysis is propaganda” I would add to that; it seems as our industry’s information always brings the past to the future and hardly ever discusses the future injecting itself into the present. The analyst seem to always see more of the same in the future and never account for any innovative disruptions. As we all know the future deliverable of this industry will be most upsetting to its present one. Unfortunately ignoring it or whitewashing its threats will prove to be way more upsetting to the industry's future. 

When did the Imaging Channel tell its advisors to tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear? Or, was it the advisors insecurities, which led to this insanity?  

My friends, our industry will not survive as it once was, we all know this. So, I will ask some questions that no one else seems to be asking.

 1)  Is our industry willing to stop its obsession in making everyone comfortable in status quo? Next time you are with a group of peers listen for the arguments of change and if those arguments are silenced by complacency, stand up and argue for change.

 2)  Will the Imaging Channel continue managing to comfort or lead for innovative growth? All entrepreneurial leaders welcome the pain of growth. Unfortunately, managers rarely ever do. So, today, the industry must stop attempting to manage their innovation and begin leading it. The industry’s managers need a big shot of entrepreneurialism.   

 3)  Can the channel move past yesterday’s alliances if those alliances are counterproductive to innovation? This question is fundamental. The products we currently use and those relationships can never outweigh your customers’ current and future needs. As industries consolidate, many relationships will be strained, and unfortunately many of the subjects will indeed take things personally. Remember we are in business to serve our customers first, then our vendors, but only if those vendors are relevant to today’s market realities.

 4)  Will the boards which govern the industry’s associations ever resemble the future the industry hopes to reach? The Imaging Channel, like other reseller channels, is converging and our boards are not. As long as those who guide are the same, the guidance will, in fact, reflect them. Nothing new can ever be discovered if all those who are looking came from the same place and refuse to look in new places. 

Who agrees?  

Those who agree must stop sitting in silence. Niccolo Machiavelli described Lukewarm defenders of innovation as a significant threat to continued relevance. My friends, I say that Lukewarm defenders stifle what could be, based on what should be. The industry pacifism is killing the desires for change. In the next year or two, the imaging Channel will have decided their fate. In a fast approaching future, the Imaging Channel will meet either for relevance or remembrance. I intend to show up for relevance. Do you? 

 Those wishing for relevance lets connect and together make that happen.

 “Status Quo is the killer of all that will be invented.”

 Ray Stasieczko

If you wish to connect, here on LinkedIn send an invite, and I welcome all to subscribe to my YouTube Channel  

https://www.youtube.com/channe...A?view_as=subscriber

"There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up."

John Andres Holmes

When it comes to your taking care of your clients, Are You Building Relationships Or Burning Bridges? 

Are you focused on building authentic and credible relationships with your clients?

You can be credible, reliable and loving but if it’s painfully obvious you only have your own interests at heart people will see through your charade. They will call you out for what you are, an empty suit.

How many believe relationships matter? Of course they do. Meaningful and credible relationships matter even more in business today.

Here's the deal... I'm keeping it real folks, I'm massively concerned with the weak relational skill set that many have in sales.

Do you have good relationships with your clients or great relationships?

How many of you walk around or should I say strut around saying, "My clients love me""I have rock solid relationships with my clients" And then you get the dreaded call. We know the call. 

CREDIBLE RELATIONSHIPS

Trust. You can't form a credible and healthy relationship without it. Trust is the driving catalyst and this is at the center of establishing credible relationships.

Your ability to build trust and credibility is mission critical to maintaining healthy relationships. Lack of credibility and how believable you are, will cause your clients to withhold trust. Lack of trust in a business relationship costs you your clients and diminishes your ability to consistently succeed in sales.

Credibility = Trust + Expertise + Authenticity

Building and keeping credible relationships is not simple and straightforward. You must authentically invest in order to build a credible relationship. This means it takes careful planning, consistency, discipline and heart to nurture relationships in order to become an integral part of your clients' lives.

You simply can't do this with a monthly call, a quarterly visit, a semi-annual visit or the classics... "I'm checking in with you" or "Just touching base."

Care + Compassion = Connection

If you fail to continually enhance the client experience, don't be surprised if they look elsewhere for new experiences.

MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS MATTER

Heartfelt sales professionals build meaningful relationships with their clients. They get it! To build meaningful relationships, they understand as humans we crave and value relationships.

Credibility and true meaning provides:

• Connectivity (knowing we're in this together)
• Support (knowing we're helping each other)
• Validation (knowing we feel the same way)

Relationships are a part of human nature. It's wired in our DNA.

"The more you give, ultimately the more you receive."

Are you personally engaging with your clients?

Are you authentically investing in building meaningful relationships?

THE CLIENT LITMUS TEST

Sales professionals build rock solid and massively credible relationships layers deep inside their client base.

They bring their heart to their clients. They get the people aspect. The more they know the more they grow with your clients.

REAL

In a business world full of empty suits and sales facades, being real and transparent with your clients is completely nonnegotiable. I believe without this one can be labeled a commodity.

I sincerely believe transparency and being real:

• Creates the foundational layers of trust
• Creates a strong positive relationship where you can build loyalty

Without loyalty, you're a commodity

Transparency and being real is intentionally baring your soul to your clients by showing the true version of yourself. Many in sales have lost their identity do to fear of rejection, lack of self-confidence, a broken sales heart, or lack of fulfillment.

Being real, being genuine, being authentic... isn't this what your clients crave? Authentic sales professionals know who they are. They don’t masquerade around as someone they’re not. They're willing to let down their guard and let their clients see it.

What can you implement to become more transparent and real?

RELATABLE

Connecting with your clients is vital. You must make them feel like you really care and this means stop looking at them through your dollar signed glasses.

When was the last time you shared with one of your clients how you really felt?

We as human beings want to be heard, we want to know that we matter and we just want to be loved (or even just liked). When we feel accepted we perform better, we become a bit more relaxed and we don't come across as being insecure.

Can you relate?

I believe being relatable in sales will allow you to stand out from the competition. I believe your clients are waiting for you to show them who you really are and to share your story.

When you’re relatable, it’s easy to spark a conversation.

When you're having conversations, be present and be there. Sales professionals make their clients feel like they're the only thing that matters. They speak from their heart. So many can smell sincerity the minute you open your mouth but smell the odors of commission breathjust as fast.

When you start communicating with authenticity you'll find that the trust and relatability factors soar.

Show your human side and your real story, you'll be surprised at how well you may connect.

What can you do to become more relatable?

RELEVANT

Relevancy is not an option

Many of you in sales wrap yourself up with self-delusional thoughts regarding how much your clients love you. Walk in their shoes, think about the pressures they're under. Imagine what they’re feeling right now. Empathize with them. Help them!

Now ask yourself... just how relevant am I right now to my clients?

In this highly competitive digitally driven business environment, it is mission critical to stay relevant, competitive, marketable and yes, desirable. You MUST make sure that you’re continuously improving and evaluating yourself regularly.

"Truth is in the eye of the beholder"

Sales professionals become relevant and differentiate themselves by leading with insight.

I encourage you to look in the mirror and ask yourself...

• Am I going the extra distance for my clients?
• Am I serving others?
• Am I serving the cause?
• Am I developing a deep, genuine concern for my clients?

What are you going to do to become RELEVANT? Now think about this through your client's eyes. This may hurt if you're honest with yourself.

So, here's the question again... Do you have good relationships or great relationships? 

SHOW YOU CARE

"If you truly care about your clients, then they’ll care about you"

In an environment that is becoming increasingly competitive, you must focus on building meaningful relationships with your clients.

• You must become genuinely interested in their business
• You must be on the lookout to help them do better business
• You must connect with meaning rather than just contacting them to sell them something or waiting for them to contact you.

Think of the following relationship equation with each and every one of your clients.

Engage + Excite/Conversation x Caring = Meaningful relationship

Meaningful relationships do matter! Discover the power of relational selling at Selling From the Heart.

MSP & MSSP Industry Notes

August 10th, 2019

Wachtell, Fenwick Lead Broadcom's $10.7B Symantec Biz Buy

• Law360,com reported on Thursday that Broadcom led by Watchell Lipton offer $10.7 billion cash for the Symantec’s enterprise security business
• The tech giant is looking to grow its own infrastructure tech platform

Dresener Partners Advised Ntixa o the Acquisition of HigherGround Managed Services  

• Dresner Partners based in Chicago, a FINRA registered, middle market investment bank
• Dresber advised Ntiva, Inc., on the acquisition of HigherGround Managed Services
• Terms were not disclosed
• Ntiva based in McClean, Virginia is a provider of managed IT, cloud hosting, unified communications and strategic consulting services
• HigherGround based in Rolling Meadows, Illinois offers a full service IT and consulting firm with entrepreneurs and SMB organizations

Insight Introduces Array of Managed Workplace Solutions to Optimize End-User Experience

• Insight a Fortune 500 global solution integrator announced a new collection of managed workplace service
• Device as a Service
• Managed Desktop
• Managed Office 365
• Productivity Application Service
• Workplace Services
• Managed Security
• Insight based in Tempe. Arizona

Amdocs and XL Axiata Expand Partnership with Long-term Managed Digital Transformation

• Amdocs, based in Saint Louis, a provider of software and services to communication and media companies
• Announces that X Axiata (based in Indonesia) will deploy the amdocsONE consumer experience and monetization solution under a multi-year managed digital transformation agreement

CareWorx Fully Managed Announces Partnership with Cliniconex to Bring Automated Resident Family Engagement to Senior Care

• CareWorx is supplier for 24/7 IT support and senior care solutions in Ottowa, Canada
• Announced partnership with Cliniconex which provides resident family engagement designed to return time and care through workflow automation.
• Cliniconex a healthcare software provider. Has more than 5,000 medial professionals and senior care providers utilizing their services

NexusTek Names Bill Wosilius Chief Executive Officer

• NexusTek a national provider of IT services based in Denver, Colorado
• Announces Bill Wosilius as new CEO, replaces Mike Jenner who vacated the position for other opportunities
• Wosilius spent 5 years as VP of Global Management Solutions for Optiv Security
• In December 2017 NexusTek was recapitalized by Abry Partners
• Prior to career in IT, Wosilius eight years as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Air Force

Secureworks® Extends Red Cloak™ TDR with Managed Services to Help More Companies Leverage the Power of Its Cloud-Native Software

• Secureworks a cyber security company based in Las Vegas, Nevada
• Red Cloak TDR is now available with a 24/7 service option
• Red Cloak TDR TDR is differentiated by expert threat intelligence, expanded through ongoing incident response experience, and enabled via relevant telemetry from a variety of network, endpoint, cloud, and business systems across Secureworks’ entire global customer base.

TPx Taps Nancy Estrada as Service Delivery Manager for Exclusive Partner Provisioning Group

• TPx managed service provider based in Los Angeles, California
• Hires Nancy Estrada as Service Delivery Manager
• Estrada has fifteen years of experience supporting channel partners
• TPx founder in 1998, provider for UCaaS, Managed IT services ad Managed Connectivity services

UK Managed Services & Hosting Summit North 2019 announced

• London, IT Europa and Angle Business Communications announces Managed Services and Hosting Summit North on October 30^th, 2019
• Event to bring leading hardware/software vendors, hosting providers, telecom, mobile operators and web service providers together with MSPs and re-sellers
• Theme for the event is Creating Value with Managed Services
• IT Europa provides business intelligence news and analysis to the European IT marketplace
• Angel Business Communications is an industry publisher and conference organizer

UK IT services provider Acora acquires Plan-Net, announces new contract

• Acora a 24/7 IT service provider located in London, England
• Announced acquisition of Plan-Net

Proficio Partners with Qualys to Expand its Managed Detection and Response Services

• Proficio a global MSSP announced partnership with Qualys a provider of cloud-based security and compliance solutions
• Proficio clients now get access to Qualys apps which include
  • Vulnerability Management
  • Asset Inventory Cloud Agents
  • File Integrity Monitoring
  • Policy Compliance
• Threat Protection
• Proficio founded in 2019 provides MSSP 24/7 services
• Qualys provider of cloud-based security and compliance solutions with more the 12,200 clients

VirtualArmour Wins $330K Project that Includes Network Audit with Global Service Provider

• VirtualAmour based in Centennial, Colorado a global cyber security services provider
• Expands security services with global satellite service provider
• Has closed almost $2M in additional hardware, software and services since January 2019

see attached pdf file

-=Good Selling=-

Still watching the Mets doing this blog in advance.

Enjoy these awesome threads from 15 years ago this week!

-=Good Selling=-

No story tonight, watching the Mets Vs Nationals, Mets down by 2 top 8

Enjoy these awesome threads from 19 years ago this week!

Some what of an interesting day today I arrived about 645Am to the office.  Had to prep for a 10AM, 1PM and 4PM appointment,  All were closing opportunities, thus I wanted to have all of the documentation ready to sign.

First appointment needed to "think about it", not worried been doing business with him for 20 plus years and that's just what he does. But, I also delivered a side by comparison via email later in the day (stated he might be looking at another copier from another vendor). I'm sure the side by side comparison floored him when he saw that the device he was looking at did not meet his needs.

Second appointment reschedule, third appointment signed the docs.  Thus with two weeks left I'm at quota, and now need to start prospecting again. The prospecting never ends! #neverstopprospecting

Enjoy these threads from 5 years ago this week!

Ten Commandments of Selling Copiers

Thou shall honor thy the client

Thou shall always be prospecting

Thou shall always be educating the client

Remember that if you don’t know the answer to a question, then tell the client you will get back to them

Thou shall not tell false truths

Thou shall always have a great work ethic

Remember that ours is not a 9-5 job

Thou shall always be educating thy self

Thou shall be a great listener

Thou shall always walk and speak with a great attitude

Note from Art:  Feel free to add more or create your own, would love to hear from others on this!