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10 Years in the Cloud

Sales

Chasing GOLD: A Journey from Childhood Adventures to Sales Prospecting

So, what the heck is a 'head full of hope'? Caught wind of this phrase while binge-watching the 'Klondike' miniseries. Yep, guilty as charged – I'm a GOLD Rush freak!

I get a kick out of watching these guys prospect, and it hits close to home because, well, prospecting is my daily grind. But let's be real, stumbling upon GOLD beats making 50 calls and scoring a lead any day.

Back in the day, as a kid, I'd venture solo into the woods of Iselin, NJ, exploring like it was my job. There was this mystical place called Fossil Rock, nestled next to the Parkway. The rumor mill swore that if you found this rock, you'd strike fossil gold. Spoiler alert: never found the rock, never found the fossils. What I did discover were smaller rocks, perfect hideouts for critters – mainly snakes. Hand-turning rocks got me in trouble when, one day, a colossal snake nearly gave me a heart attack! Switched to a big stick after that, I mean, come on, I was 10 or 11, on a mission to find whatever I could.

Back then, I guess you could say I had a 'head full of hope.' Each morning, I'd set out believing I'd uncover old coins, treasure, snakes, or critters. Most days, I'd return with good-looking rocks that I thought might be worth something. Yup, I was operating with a 'head full of hope.'

Even today, that 'head full of hope' vibe still kicks in when I'm prospecting. Looking back, prospecting has always been my thing. Turn over enough metaphorical rocks, and you're bound to find something valuable, cool, or downright scary (had a few prospects scarier than that snake).

Same principle applies to hunting for new customers – make those calls, send emails, throw in some mailers, and boom, you've got prospects. Sure, some won't pan out, others will vanish off the face of the earth (we know the drill), but there's always a few who'll buy from you!

Today in the office, I threw the title of this blog at Ricky and gave him the lowdown. His response? 'When you think about it, I was always prospecting before I got into sales.' 'How's that?' I asked. Turns out, in his pre-marriage days, he'd hit up clubs to meet new women. Classic prospecting move, right? Goes to show, all of us have some sales traits, unknowingly.

Now, I'm harboring a 'head full of hope' for the Imaging Business. Convinced paper won't vanish into thin air, but I'll admit, prints from printers and copiers are on the decline. There, I said it out loud!

Yet, my 'head full of hope' is banking on new technologies keeping us relevant in the Office Technology game. Essentially, we're still prospecting for hardware, software, and tech that'll help our clients and prospects do more with less, save time, amp up efficiency, and cut down costs.

-=Good Selling=-

What I Like About Discovery in the Sales Process

Just an FYI, going through my worst drought in the last 13 months.  Nothing on the books, a crap load of opportunities and 3 days left in the month.  What does one do?  Go out and find more opportunities.  Fill the bucket t0 the brim and then some more.  Sooner or later the bucket will explode.

Tonight's blog is not about my crappy month, but about the steps that are required to get your self to final step of winning or losing.

Some Tough Years

In a two months I'll start my 43rd year of down the street sales with office equipment aka copiers.  The first couple years were tough and at times I thought I could relax when I thought there was nothing to do.  In our industry there is never nothing to do. When I've made all my calls, set the appointments for the week and prepared the quotes you may think what's next?

I made mention today to a friend in the industry that many reps do not read the brochures of the products that they sell. In fact I would bet dollars to doughnuts that 80% of the reps in the industry can't explain how the print process works with our laser print devices.  Is the print process something they need to know? Probably not, but most can't speak to the client about FAB (features, advantage and benefit) of the device they are selling. I'm sorry to say FAB is almost a lost art in our industry.

Discovery

Discovery is one of the keys that you need to prefect to win the order.  If you perform a great list of questions for the client, the answers and comments from the client will get you to the closing table.  Using discovery and getting to the closing table means you're a sales person whether you win or lose. If you're the type of sales person that has a poor discovery process or you assume the client needs the same type of device that they have, then you're nothing more than an order taker even if you get to the closing table.

Discovery is more about building your case to put your product in the best light for the client.  Of course discovery is all about asking the right questions.

Wide Format Discovery Questions

Since wide format is my forte I'll put some down some questions that I'll ask when I'm in for the appointment.

  • How long has you had your present device?
    • Do you own or lease your device?
    • If lease, how many months are left on your lease
      • Who is the leasing company
      • Can I see a copy of the lease
    • Do you pay insurance on your current lease
    • Is there anything you don't like or like about your current device
    • Prior to your current device that what was the device you had before this one
  • Do you have a maintenance/supply agreement in place?
    • What is the name if your vendor that provides support
      • Can I get a copy of your current maintenance agreement
    • Are you happy with their support/service
    • Is there anything you like or dislike with your current vendor
    • With your previous device, did you do business with the same support vendor
  • Are you the decision maker?
    • If not can you tell me how the process works for choosing the right vendor
    • When are you looking to make a decision
    • Where you looking to lease or buy
  • Besides paper is there anything else you have to purchase for your device?
    • Do you use any special media/substrates
    • Do you outsource any prints/drawings
      • if so, tell me more about what you outsource
    • If so, do you know what your average cost per month is
    • If so, do you know how many square feet is outsourced each month



Build a Strong Case

These are just a few of the questions I'll ask for wide format discovery and the most important in my book.  Once I have this information I can build a strong case for my devices and services.

There's another secret to my madness

You have to be the guru of your device!

You have to know what your device can and can't do.  If you don't know the closing table is not yours to go to.  In addition you'll also need to know as much about their current device like you do for yours.  In fact you'll also need to know your competitions devices as well.  Sales is not an easy job and sales is not 9AM-5PM.  For those that have the desire to learn and do the research are those that will also be at the closing table.

-=Good Selling=-

P4P Hotel Shorts "I Do This After Every Propecting Call I Make"

P4P Hotel Shorts

I'll send an email or a message/tag then via Linkedin

Yes, most do not answer phones, however most will at lease look at the subject line of your email and that's when you need to capture their attention.  My fav is "Sorry I Missed You".

If I don't have their email I will send then an inmail vai Linkedin with the same subject.  If I'm not connected and can't connect I will post information and or something I think will resonate and then tag them.

-=Good Selling=-

#1

Thus What Does One Due When You Want to Win?

"Any man can learn anything he will, but no man can teach except to those who want to learn." by Henry Ford

Yes, one of my favorite quotes. After all of these years I enjoy helping and teaching others and without a doubt I still have that desire to learn more.

Today,  I tried something new with an MFP proposal.  From my discover process the potential net new client was going to be a power user of print.  The annual volume will be around 150K of color per year.  After taking a trip to their web site I knew that speed would be one of their needs. In addition a little birdy told me that they are very price conscious. I was being nice with the price conscious line, they are CHEAP.

Thus what does one due when you want to win?

Well, it's time to change up the rules like Kirk did with the Kobayashi Maru exercise with Starfleet.

I took a piece of wide format print speeds and applied that to the 60PPM A3 color that I quoted.  If you're read wide format brochures most will state prints per hour rather than prints per minute.  I really know now why that's done unless it's to make the devices look like they print faster.  A typical toner based wide format will have a print speed of 6"D" per minute. The hourly print speed works about to 360 "D" size per minute.  Yup, it does sound faster.

Thus I quoted the speed of the my 60PPM A3 color at 3,600 pages per hour!  I felt like I needed to be different.  Rather than quote pages per minute, I went to the extreme because in a sea of quotes (which there will be) I believe the 3,600 will stand out.

Additional changes

If I'm going to quote print speeds per hour I might as well go all the way and do that for scanning as well.  At my standard speed of 300 per minute (duplex), I quoted 18,000 pages per hour.  Yes, another stat that will stand out.  Again, I just need my quote to stand out amongst the other.

Will it work?

I'm no soothsayer, but I feel that by changing the rules I've given my self a better change to win.  In addition I'm not floating in a sea a sameness with all of the other players.

-=Good Selling=-

Would love to hear from others how they have changed the rules with your quotes an proposals! I would love to know

Selling Copiers " Six Ways to Maximize GP"

This blog is from 15 years ago, I changed up a few items with some of today's offerings for us. Enjoy!

Selling Copiers "How to Maximize GP"

Thought about this the other day in car, made myself pull over and jotted down a few notes for everyone. I've complied a laundry list of points that I have adhered to in order to maximize Gross Profit.

Over the years I've also concentrated on moving boxes no matter what the cost. I will address this in a blog later this month.

Maximize GP

1.   Stay away from Clients who are just looking to replace a box. If you are aware there are multiple players quoting, be prepared to get a low GP and not get the deal. These Clients are buying on price, it will take an extra special effort to get the deal and also get a decent GP. Do you have the time or the fortitude to hang in there? Why not set your sites on sales that will pay the bills.

2.    Search for Clients who are NOT in the market! While cold calling in person, take a good look at how they do things. Ask the receptionist if they are scanning, LAN Faxing, printing to inkjets etc... Try to get an appointment to introduce yourself and when you're there and don't about replacing a piece of hardware. Do ask if they are experiencing document problems, such as lost documents, making too many copies, high maintenance bills, excess breakdown of hardware, how their document workflow is conducted. Selling like this enables you to find their pain and may help you introduce a solution that can be bundled with a new piece of hardware.

3.   Sell the Extras! As you are writing the order or as you are drawing up the lease ask again about any accessories that may benefit the customer. Finishing, Paper-trays, 3-Hole Punching, cloud scanning, scan worflows,  etc... the Client will be more apt to spend the extra money at this time to conclude the order.

4.   Lead With Solution Software! Look at what your manufacturer has to offer for embedded solutions along with third party solutions that your dealership has to offer. Lead with offerings for embedded print management, document management and LAN Fax solutions. Here you are setting yourself apart from the BOX seller (trust me, there are too many reps that still just sell boxes).

5.   Upgrade Your Account Base Early! Do not wait for them to call you or for the last 90 days of the lease. You've got to be in there at lease one year or more prior to the end of the lease. If you're not, then someone else is,

6.  Become an Expert in Secondary Systems! Specialize in Wide Format, Digital Duplicators, Envelope Presses, Standalone scanners if your company offers these hardware solutions. There is is less competition and less reps who are competent with the solutions that come with these system. Take the time to learn your Vertical Markets for AEC, Print4Pay, Schools and Religion Accounts. Once you become an expert, you will stand out among the crowd.

In order to be successful you have to be the best at what you are doing. Put your self in opportunities to succeed and make a move to break away from the pack. Our job can be very rewarding, however being an order taker and just relying on Clients who are in the market will be the kiss of death.

-=Good Selling=-

This Week in the Copier Industry 5 Years Ago

This Week in the Copier Industry Five Years Ago

Second Week of September 2017

sponsored by

Some of you reading this have probably been in sales longer than I’ve been alive.  If that’s the case, some of you are really, really old!  Some of you reading this could be new to a career in selling and looking for ways to increase your wins.  Either way, you are lucky enough to be in one of the most incredible careers you could have hoped for.  No 2 days will be the same, the money can be phenomenal, and you’re an entrepreneur to the core.  Fact is, most people are in sales and they don’t even know it.  The difference is we do and we take it seriously and intend to become top sales professionals.

Enjoy These Awesome Copier Threads

Canon, Konica Minolta, and Xerox Win BLI PRO Awards

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. BLI’s 2018 PRO Awards go to the following exceptional devices*: Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE C7580i with ColorPASS GX500 External EFI Controller Outstanding Color Entry-Level CRD Production Device Canon varioPRINT 140 Series with PRISMAsync Print Controller (includes the varioPRINT 140, varioPRINT 130, and varioPRINT 115) Outstanding Light/Mid-Volume Production Device Konica Minolta AccurioPress C6100 with Fiery IC-315 EFI Controller Outstanding Color Mid-Volume Production Device Xerox Versant 180
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Konica Minolta Showcases One-Stop Solution Technology Portfolio at Print 17 for the Evolving Graphic Communications Industry

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platform for process development in Printed Electronics and Smart 3D Printing for advanced circuitry development of applications such as RFID, NFC and OLED technologies. Features include a patented, rotative “plug play” inkjet head-holder, full curing area, in-situ characterization devices and analytic software suite. The CeraPrinter X-Serie received a Print 17 “MUST SEE ‘EM Award” in the special “Future of Print” Category. EFI Pro 16h LED UV hybrid inkjet printer - Konica Minolta has teamed up
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Konica Minolta Expands Wide Format Printer Offerings With EFI Pro 16h LED UV Hybrid Inkjet Printer

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-format arena,” said Dino Pagliarello, Vice President, Product Management and Planning. “In addition, it comes from EFI, our strategic partner which has very high visibility in the worldwide market and high customer awareness. So we’re very confident in these truly unique solutions.” About Konica Minolta Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is a leader in industrial and commercial printing and packaging solutions. With a comprehensive portfolio of production print offerings, it delivers
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Konica Minolta Launches The New AccurioPress C6100 / C6085 Series of Full Colour Digital Production Presses

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-changing IQ-501 Intelligent Quality Optimizer enables Konica Minolta to create a stronger presence for commercial print businesses,” said Norm Bussolaro, Senior Director, Marketing, Konica Minolta. “Together, they offer incredible performance and value, allowing our clients to take their print businesses to the next level.” Both the AccurioPress series of printers and the IQ-501 Intelligent Quality Optimizer are designed and offered to the market exclusively by Konica Minolta. The Konica
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Konica Minolta Expands Enterprise Content Management Capacity with the Acquisition of DSSI

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Konica Minolta’s expanded ECM solutions portfolio for both the enterprise and mid markets. “This acquisition supports Konica Minolta’s growing ECM practice with a specialty in scanning, enabling us to better serve our customers who are looking to digitize and ultimately manage content for greater efficiency as well as a smarter work environment,” said Kevin Kern, Senior Vice President, Business Intelligence Services and Product Planning, Konica Minolta. “Businesses are realizing that they need
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EFI to Showcase Portfolio of New Automation and Production Innovations at Print 17

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Fiery DFE driving the Xerox iGen 5, new and updated EFI Fiery DFEs are present throughout the show floor driving additional digital presses and printers from Canon®, Konica Minolta®, OKI, Ricoh®, RISO, Sharp® and Xerox. Customers at Print 17 can also capture profitable wide-format graphics production opportunities with the EFI Pro 16hLED wide-format hybrid printer, a 65-inch device presented at the show by Konica Minolta in booth 2031 and Ricoh in booth 2022. The printer – which was recently
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Print-O-Stat Adds to its Robust Fleet with Installation of the Canon imagePRESS C10000VP

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willing to adapt and embrace the changes, and Print-O-Stat does that as good as any other company in the industry. It's a privilege to continue to grow alongside our valued customer." Combining proven imagePRESS features and new print technologies, the Canon imagePRESS C10000VP/C8000VP Color Digital Press has been engineered to deliver production printing excellence for the business advantage of its users. It can help commercial printers, in-plants, production hubs, direct mail, and transaction
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Ringdale Announces FollowMe® Availability on Lexmark's Latest A3 Printers and MFPs

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and has continued to be at the forefront of the industry for over three decades. With offices in the United States , United Kingdom , Singapore and Japan , Ringdale has a strong global partner network and relationships with the world's leading printing manufacturers including Brother, Canon, Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Konica Minolta, Kyocera Mita, Oce, OKI, Ricoh, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba and Xerox. About Lexmark Founded in 1991, Lexmark is recognised as a global leader in imaging and output
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Canon Solutions America Announces Partnership with OneVision Software

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," said Shawn Lowe , vice president of Sales at One Vision. "As printers look for advantages over their competitors, with more flexibility, and automation, along with cost savings, and efficiency, and consistent quality, they will find this partnership will help enable them to do so." To learn more about the OneVision and Canon Solutions America offering, be sure to visit Canon at booth # 1213 during PRINT 17. About Canon Solutions America, Inc. Canon Solutions America provides industry leading
Blog Post

Top Ten Copier Quotes & Proposals for August 2017

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Special thanx to all of those Print4Pay Hotel members that emailed me these quotes and proposals! I lost a potential order the other day. I lost because I was not aware of what my competitors practices were with escalating service rates. You know what I'm talking about, we all have them, we all don't speak about them unless the topic is brought up. In this case, the topic was brought up and I answered with the appropriate response. After obtaining a copy of the proposal, I found out why I lost
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Konica Minolta Donates Funds and Technology to Red Cross Hurricane Relief Efforts

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comprehensive portfolio, we deliver solutions to leverage mobility, cloud services, and optimize business processes with workflow automation.Our All Covered IT Services division offers a range of IT strategy, support, and network security solutions across all verticals.Konica Minoltahas been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for 10 consecutive years and is proud to be ranked on theForbes 2017 America's Best Employers list.Konica Minolta
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Ricoh partners with Idealliance to advance production standards across the industry

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the commercial and industrial print market, please visit www.ricoh-usa.com/rpp , @RicohProPrint on Twitter and Ricoh USA Production Print on LinkedIn. | About Ricoh | Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services enabling individuals to work smarter. For more than 80 years, Ricoh has been driving innovation and is a leading provider of document management solutions, IT services, commercial and industrial printing, digital cameras, and industrial systems
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Ricoh to replace metal tooling with Stratasys 3D printed equivalents

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a different example use case inPortugal, Volkswagen Autoeuropa were able to save$160,000 in tooling costs by switching over to 3D printed jigs and fixtures. Closing a statement on Ricoh’s integration, Sakaki says “Now with Stratasys 3D printing, we are able to customize the tools according to the part and produce them on demand which is helping us restructure and modernize our production process.” Featured image:Stratasys 3D printed ABS fixtures on the Ricoh assembly line. Photo via Stratasys
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Canon U.S.A. to Show New Digital Printing Technologies, Solutions at PRINT 17

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of the Printing News 2017 Readers’ Choice Product Award in the Output Devices: Wide-Format Roll-to-Roll Inkjet Printers Printer category. Integral to the Colorado is Canon’s UVgel technology, which allows the ink to instantly gel on contact with media and facilitates saving customers 30 to 50 percent on ink running costs. The Océ Arizona 2200 Series large format UV flatbed printer will also display its ability to print photo-quality images on virtually any type of media, no matter how
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Canon Solutions America Supports Postal Center International’s Shift to Inkjet

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BW Variable and Transactional Digital Printing to its line of services in 1992. Keeping pace with technology, PCI positioned itself as a solution-driven business, leveraging its knowledge of the marketplace and its purchasing power with like-minded companies like Canon Solutions America, a leader at the forefront of the latest print technology, to deliver a consistent end-to-end client experience from strategic planning through market delivery. “Postal Center International has long been
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Ricoh is named "Vendor of the Year" by AlphaGraphics

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, services and solutions for the commercial and industrial print market, can be found by visiting www.ricoh-usa.com/rpp , @RicohProPrint on Twitter and Ricoh USA Production Print on LinkedIn. | About Ricoh | Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services enabling individuals to work smarter. For more than 80 years, Ricoh has been driving innovation and is a leading provider of document management solutions, IT services, commercial and industrial printing
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MCA NetPub, Inc. expands into inkjet with Ricoh to serve evolving book-manufacturing and direct mail markets

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represents an opportunity to learn more about innovations and capabilities with inkjet and helps us push the industry further." For more information on Ricoh at PRINT 17, visit www.TakeALookAtRicoh.com or follow along and engage on Twitter via the hashtag #LookAtRicoh. Further details on Ricoh's full line of products, services and solutions for the commercial and industrial print market can be found by visiting www.ricoh-usa.com/rpp , @RicohProPrint on Twitter and Ricoh USA Production Print on
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Cirrus Visual increases revenues, expands operations with Ricoh partnership

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form of success stories like Cirrus', it adds another proof point, both for our offerings and our approach." For more information on Ricoh at PRINT 17, visit www.TakeALookAtRicoh.com or follow along and engage on Twitter via the hashtag #LookAtRicoh. Further details on Ricoh's full line of products, services and solutions for the commercial and industrial print market can be found by visiting www.ricoh-usa.com/rpp , @RicohProPrint on Twitter and Ricoh USA Production Print on LinkedIn
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Sign Works One of First Printers in U.S. to Install an Océ Colorado 1640 Printer

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the Océ Colorado 1640 printer, as independently validated. By using the next-generation UVgel inks, users are able to experience significant ink cost-savings compared to competitive technologies. Cost-savings have reached as high as 30%-50% compared to solvent and latex roll-to-roll printers. The foundation of this key industry collaboration is built around the long-term relationship between Sign Works and Canon Solutions America. From the service and sales teams to the executive level, Canon
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Ricoh collaborates with customers to shape future of inkjet and unlock new business opportunities

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, traditionally reserved for book printing, to attract new commercial print customers and create additional revenue streams. OSG has significantly grown its ability to handle high-quality, high-volume jobs, operating simultaneously in several locations. Heeter leverages Ricoh's expertise with inkjet and sheet-fed products, as well as offering vibrant, consistent color to clients across various channels and devices through the use of Ricoh Color Management Services. These three successes demonstrate
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Plockmatic BLM50/35 Booklet-Makers Expand Application Offerings for the Canon imagePRESS C850 Series

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MELVILLE, N.Y. , Sept. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Broadening the range of inline bindery solutions available to production print customers, Canon U.S.A. , Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, has announced the addition of the Plockmatic Group's BLM50 and BLM35 Professional Booklet-Makers to the finishing line-up of its imagePRESS C850 Series digital color production presses. By combining Plockmatic's modular devices with Canon's imaging technology, imagePRESS users can now have the
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FLEXPRINT MANAGED PRINT SOLUTIONS LANDS #11 SPOT IN NATIONAL ’50 BEST COMPANIES TO SELL FOR’ LIST

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Phoenix, AZ/September 7, 2017 ( STL.News ) – FlexPrint Managed Print Solutions, a Mesa-based, full-service managed print services company that delivers consistent, custom-tailored strategic solutions to satisfy any organization’s printing needs, this week was excitedly named to the “50 Best Companies to Sell For” list in 2017. Coming in with the #11 ranking out of 50 esteemed entities, FlexPrint Managed Print Solutions was recognized by Selling Power Magazine for their employee compensation and
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National / AZON Appoints National Account Representative

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technical expertise to National / AZON’s current product offerings and will a ssist in strengthening the competitive advantage provided to its reseller base. With over 30 years of experience in wide format printing, product distribution and reseller partnerships with manufacturers like Canon, Contex and Gfp; Art brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the National / AZON team. " I am very pleased and excited to join the National / AZON sales team as a National Account Representative. I
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Canon Announces Latest Innovation to its VarioPrint i-series Platform with new Océ iQuarius High Performance Inks

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, including matte, silk and gloss offset coated substrates, along with providing the ability to print on inkjet treated and uncoated media. Together with other Océ iQuarius technologies, Canon customers can look forward to benefiting from superior inkjet sheetfed application flexibility, costs, and productivity. High Speed Inkjet. On Sheets. As the high-speed inkjet printing market continues to grow, this launch solidifies Canon's commitment to offering a range of new application options and
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Xerox and Fujifilm North America Partner to Expand Inkjet Portfolios

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, with full support for variable data and personalization. “The Fujifilm J Press 720S has had strong success in the B2-format digital print category,” said Jeff Hayes, managing director, Keypoint Intelligence (InfoTrends). “A combination of high quality levels and a rugged design has made the J Press popular, particularly with commercial printers.” According to InfoTrends, placements of B2 format digital printing devices will grow at a CAGR of 17.4 percent from 2016 to 2021 in the U.S. and Western
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Canon Solutions America and Aleyant Collaborate to Provide Intuitive and Comprehensive Job Submission and Management Solution

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times and productivity. "We are pleased to be selected as a web-to-print ecommerce integration partner for Canon Solutions America," said Greg Bane , channel sales manager for Aleyant. "The strength of our Pressero offering, combined with the performance and quality of Canon PRISMAdirect, gives users a unique value unequalled in the market. Whether it's an in-plant print shop or a commercial printer, customers looking for B2B storefront integration with a customer-hosted workflow automation
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Ricoh Highlights Metallics at Labelexpo

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Group, in Hall 9, stand 9B36, Ricoh will showcase the capabilities of the fifth unit on the Ricoh Pro™ C7100X digital colour sheet fed press. Application samples including labels, with silver as well as gold effects, and the brand new Neon Pink toner, will be shown on a range of media including synthetics. Erwin Busselot, Business Innovations Solutions Director, Commercial and Industrial Printing, Ricoh Europe, says: “The ability to produce predictable high quality metallic print will allow
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Xerox sued over leasing fees and business practices

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A California company has filed a federal lawsuit against Xerox Corp., seeking class-action status, claiming the global document technology company charges excessive and illegal fees for services, equipment and supplies. “Xerox induces individuals and entities to contract for equipment and supply services without disclosing the true cost of such services,” according to the 22-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Rochester on Tuesday. “Xerox also buries unconscionable and self-serving
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Ricoh SP C440dn Color printers shutting themselves off?

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Is anyone else experiencing this. The last two C440dn's that we have installed completely power down overnight. Every morning the end-user has to push the power button. Ricoh has provided several different things to try but none of them have changed anything. I went to some earlier installations of the same model and the problem does not exist. I was just curious if anyone else has had this happen.
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Apple-Backed Billionaire Makes Case to Buy Toshiba Chip Unit

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Terry Gou , the billionaire behind Apple Inc. ’s iPhone factories, is pressing his case to acquire Toshiba Corp. ’s memory chips business for 2.1 trillion yen ($19.5 billion) in a last-ditch effort to beat out two American buyout firms in the tumultuous auction. Gou’s Foxconn Technology Group has broad support for its offer from Apple , SoftBank Group Corp. and Sharp Corp. and is ready to proceed right away, said Louis Woo, a spokesman for the company, whose primary listed arm is Hon Hai
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3 Sales Traps and How To Avoid Them

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3 Sales Traps and How To Avoid Them By West McDonald, Sep 12, 2017 12:51:36 PM Some of you reading this have probably been in sales longer than I’ve been alive. If that’s the case, some of you are really, really old! Some of you reading this could be new to a career in selling and looking for ways to increase your wins. Either way, you are lucky enough to be in one of the most incredible careers you could have hoped for. No 2 days will be the same, the money can be phenomenal, and you’re an
Blog Post

Brutal Honesty: How Self Reflection Is Essential To Becoming A Better Sales Professional

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LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive copier world. With great pride I transform, challenge, coach and inspire B2B Office Technology Sales Professionals to grow new business by helping them tell their story and communicate integrating the use of social media. My commitment is to help office technology dealers thrive in a drastically changing marketplace. You can follow me on LinkedIn , Twitter , Social Sales Academy and on my podcast at Selling from the Heart .
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Benchmark Business Solutions Differentiates Itself in a $7 Billion Market

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LUBBOCK, Texas , Sept. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As the $7 billion -and-growing market for small and mid-size business managed print services attracts competitors like bears to honey, Benchmark Business Solutions has differentiated itself by earning the Accredited Master Elite MPS Partner designation from Xerox. The rigorous accreditation process required Benchmark to meet Xerox criteria for sales, consulting, operations, workflow development, management, assessment, solution design and growth
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OKI Data Americas to Demonstrate Breakthroughs in White and Color-on-Color Printing Capabilities at PRINT 17

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CHICAGO , Sept. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OKI Data Americas – a world-class printing technology leader – today announced that its best-in-class color capabilities spanning the company's light production, wide-format and textile offerings, including its groundbreaking CMYK + white solution, will be demonstrated in its booth #3218 at PRINT 17, Sept. 10-14 , in Chicago . Leading the lineup will be OKI's proColor™ C942dn printer, the company's most revolutionary machine that lays down unparalleled
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Toshiba’s Continuing Struggle to Stave off Bankruptcy

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Electronics and machinery giant Toshiba Corp. continues to flounder after massive losses in its nuclear power business in the United States came to light in December 2016, plunging the corporation into negative net worth. Toshiba’s auditor gave only qualified approval of its business results for the fiscal year ending March 2017 due to a disagreement over how Toshiba handled the losses on its balance sheet, leading to a delay in announcing its annual earnings results and filing its annual
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Lead for Fleet of Copiers in Minnesota

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Copier RFP Lake Superior School District is accepting bids for a 3-year contract for three color copiers. Details can be found here : http://www.isd381.k12.mn.us/wp...17/09/Copier-RFP.pdf
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Color Label Press University "Glossary of Terms" Part Two, Course One

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GP! If you have plans on attending BTA East this week in Philly, please make some time to visit Muratec. The market for full color digital labels in huge and the potential to make some serious commissions is enormous. BTW, isn't that why we're in this crazy business? Color Label Press University "Glossary for Pressure Sensitive Labels" Course One (Sponsored by Muratec a Konica Minolta Company) Adhesive, Pressure Sensitive: A type of adhesive which in dry form is aggressively tacky at room
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Color Label Press University "Glossary of Terms" Part Three, Course One

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Labels" Course One (Sponsored by Muratec a Konica Minolta Company) Autoclave: A pressurized, steam heated vessel generally used for sterilization. In label application, label must endure a cooking process by superheated steam under pressure. Back Printing: Refers to printing on the underside of a pressure sensitive substrate or laminate, i.e. on the adhesive or back of liner. Back Split: See split back. Background: The area surrounding a printed symbol. Backing: Refers to the carrier sheet
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Color Label Press University "Glossary of Terms" Part Four, Course One

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Print4Pay opportunities, or help that dealer or rep get a conversation going with an account where they have never had any traction withMFP's or IT services. In addition, the competition is ripe for takeover. Let us not forget about the GP! The market for full color digital labels in huge and the potential to make some serious commissions is enormous. BTW, isn't that why we're in this crazy business? Color Label Press University "Glossary for Pressure Sensitive Labels" Course One (Sponsored by Muratec
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PRINT 17

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Enfocus PitStop and Switch prove popular at PRINT 17

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Download the Enfocus Print 17 Press Kit Enfocus PitStop and Switch prove popular at PRINT 17. September 11, 2017 : Day one of Print 17 was a great success for the Enfocus team, and the number of demos and leads for its PitStop and Switch solutions surpassed expectations. “We’ve had a great start to the show,” explains Wim Fransen, Managing Director, Enfocus. “We have a big team out here in Chicago, including some key integration partners and our product team from Belgium. We exceeded our
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Troubled Toshiba suffering bad case of brain drain

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Troubled Toshiba suffering bad case of brain drain Rivals, recruiters poach top engineers as company's future remains uncertain Headhunters have been recruiting at Toshiba's Yokkaichi chip fabrication facilities in recent months. TOKYO -- With no end to Toshiba 's troubles yet in sight and efforts to sell its flash memory operations still at an impasse, much of the talent the company's future rests on is heading out the door. Toshiba's problems began with a 2015 accounting scandal that landed
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Re: Xerox sued over leasing fees and business practices

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I guess another question to ask is: If we are acting as consultants to our clients, is it our duty to point out the "gotchas" in the fine print for the buyer? In my opinion, that is what differentiates the consultant from the salesperson. If Xerox had asked the client to sign an acknowledgment that these items were discussed, maybe the lawsuit could be avoided.
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Re: Konica Minolta Expands Enterprise Content Management Capacity with the Acquisition of DSSI

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Very nice acquisition. Two years ago I predicted that the major players in the copier industry would start the acquisition of content/document management companies. Top Ten Copier Predictions for 2015 Top Ten Copier Imaging Industry Predictions for 2017
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Epson WorkForce Enterprise WF-C20590 & What I Heard at BTA East

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told the pricing is more like $16K with the finisher. Which is a far cry from that 10K range. With a price point of $16K and the slow down in speed many thought that there was not enough value especially if you compare theprice to a 50ppm color MFP. If the slow down is only 20%, then we would have to compare to an 80ppm color laser MFP. Print head warranty is three years right now, may change to five. But I'm thinking not since there was talk you can buy an extended warranty for the print head
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Canon CSA Lifeway Contract pricing

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Does anyone have this non profit pricing they can share? I love when CSA has a program that I can't have access to and goes to my church clients and starts using that program and there's nothing I can do to stop it because the customer shows me pricing that is about 30-40% less than my true raw cost....and of course Canon only says sorry that's a CSA contract only and remember they aren't the direct branch, they are a nationwide dealer. I mean how can you sell a 40ppm color with a booklet

Finding Suspects for Content Opportunities in Want Ads

Finding Suspects for Content Opportunities in Want Ads

I placed this comment on the forums section of this site a few minutes ago, however I wanted to get it on the blog so I could share with others.

Leads can be found almost anywhere.  Since a lot of my prospecting has changed from copiers to content I'm always on the lookout for opportunities and where the low hanging fruit is.  Going wider and deeper with your relationships can make a difference.

Below is from one of my clients that I follow on Linkedin.  These are additional responsibilities in the job requirement section


  • Research and resolve part related issues collaborating with Procurement and Operations.
  • Ensure compliance with established accounting policies and procedures related to daily operations.
  • Collaborate with Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable to ensure customer invoices and vendor purchase orders are accurate and up to date.
  • Process and apply expense reports to corresponding work orders for accurate billing.

Keywords for me:

  • policies and procedures
  • part issues and collaboration
  • AR, AP, invoices, purchase orders
  • Work orders, accurate billing

Not that I'm one for reading want ads, however after seeing this one, I'll be reading more want ads to see if they qualify as a suspect and warrant a call.

I'll be placing a call tomorrow to my contact and give him m thoughts @jdicarlo
-=Good Selling=-

Great Question to Ask Your Sales Reps

This could be and probably will be one of the shortest blogs I've ever written.  When I used to have a lot of newbies reps around I would always ask them "what type of day is it today?".

Kinda makes you think right?  I could also see the puzzled look on their faces and thinking there's got to be more than this to the weather right?  Yes, most if not all of the answers to my question was weather related. Raining, sunny, cold, hot, humid and not a one gave me the answer I was looking for.

The answer is simple and should be easy to figure out when you're in the business of selling. Ah, that key word of "selling", for those that are new they don't understand the art of selling.  Their early entry to the sales world is more about being an order taker because most don't know how or when to ask for the order.

Are we really teaching the art of sales anymore or are we just teaching reps about prospecting and finding opportunities?

Back in eighties when I learned it was all about asking for the order and we all understood that if we don't ask we don't get.  Those who didn't get the order by asking for it and still got the order were the "order takers".  Who the frak wants to be an "order taker?"

Those that listened to their clients and heard those key words; warranty, maintenance, availability, and support knew that these were buying signals and the next question of course would be the trial close.  Of course it took many orders lost for us to understand what the client was trying to tell us.  However over time we learned from listening and asked more questions that would lead to a yes.

Is there a moral to this?  Well yes and no, times have changed from those days when you had to sell a client hard and on the spot. We've learned to be a bit more patient and be more consultative in our approach.  That's a great thing, but from time to time we still need to ask those closing questions that move the order into the win column. If you don't ask you don't get.

Ah yes, the answer to the question is.  It's a Great Day to Sell Something!

-=Good Selling=-

My Corona Tales from Today

Yes, I went to the office today. Yes, traffic was light when it's normally jammed.

Cell phone disruptions were common today with many "failed calls" in or out. Thinking that's due to the higher band width usage with many peeps using phones for hot spots or just on social media. Emails from clients after sending on-line meeting requests is low, emails from a few clients stating they are not taking ANY visitors. I had four appointments on tap for this week, two cancelled altogether, two accepting on-line meeting requests. In addition I received three emails from clients stating they are not taking any meetings until Corona is cleared.

Peeps taking calls are nil next to none. Wife called and stated her Church has cancelled all masses for 30 days, and meetings by appointment only. In addition I'm concerned about her employment since they depend on donations.

Just about 4PM we had a team meeting and all reps were advised that they are to work from home until further notice.  That was probably the biggest shock for me because I do enjoy going to the office especially with orders!

Of course we were told not to refuse any orders but in these times we are all in uncharted waters.  My time will be spent updating my CRM and digging deep into the data to see if I can find additional opportunities.  In addition I will use my constant contact account to create a few emails that focus with business continuity.  I don't believe there are many businesses who adopted business continuity plans for a virus. Thus, I have a few ideas that I'm going to lay out on social media and see what happens. I'm sure it will be some trial and error but one thing I will never do is to throw in the towel.

I will admit that since I arrived back from Presidents Club in Aruba that I've been stressed to the max. Food shortages, water, veggies and and all are tough to get. Firearm and ammo sales are up 65%. New Jersey enacted a curfew that does from 8PM to 5AM until further notice.  Our National Guard may be brought out in upcoming days to help those that need assistance. In turn I will be knocking on a few neighbors doors to see if there is anything I can do.

After 8 grueling hours of work today I've come to the conclusion that the entire US needs to go on vacation for two weeks.  Essential businesses can stay open. For those that can't afford  the vacation, I would hope the feds will kick in for those peeps. It's the only way we're going to kick COVID 19s ass. We can't sustain two to four months of what's went on for the last week and half. I mention to the two to four months because that's what I'm hearing from the news. I agree maybe the news should be spreading some better stories of those recovering instead of spewing mostly gloom and doom.

In my forty years of selling I've seen nothing like this. Six or seven years ago my area went through Super Storm Sandy where there was great destruction at the Jersey Shore.  But for the most part people worked together to help rebuild, and now it's more like we're all being told to hide or self quarantine as best as we can.

I will continue to sell office technology, continue to write about what I do and what I see. Stay tuned it should be a wild ride that I hope will end in a few weeks.

-=Good Selling=-

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