Tagged With "Direct Channel"
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Re: New Ricoh Signature Series Color MFP's on the Web
I received an email from someone today, that because of this blog and the comments, this was escalated to the Dealer Council. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
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Re: New Ricoh Signature Series Color MFP's on the Web
Will be interesting to see what, if anything, ever comes of it. We have talked a lot before about leads from the manufacturer. Maybe, just maybe, that request a quote will be shared with dealers as well. Of course with is being a Savin dealer I won't hold my breath that "Ricoh" will send us leads. I've gotten a couple in the last few years but they came from the Savin website requests. Not sure what I've gotten from Ricoh lately except heartburn and stress.
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Re: Technology is Transforming Communication
As usual, Ray, you're perfectly right. I add something totally in that mood. It happened just yesterday and, maybe, 2 or 3 people missed the history in the making. Over the English Channel, a man made a flight. https://www.lemonde.fr/interna...he_5496464_3210.html https://youtu.be/d9PFPLEC6tw I totally understand your reference to the Communicator in Space Trek. And this one is clearly about Marty McFly's hoverboard in Back to the Future. Dreams made reality!
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Re: HP should Buy Xerox
Appreciate the comments. However, your arguments regarding A4 vs. A3 pertain to what’s good for you. Industries which are going through disruption or when an industry’s particular product or its services become less valuable to those once dependent on them. The disease of Product-Centric thinking will infect those with a stubbornness to modify. It is not up to those who sell a product or service to determine its value. Its value is determined by those who buy the product or service.
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Re: HP should Buy Xerox
There is little to no margin in A4. Folks who want those products are just going to buy on-line. Let them. Best bet is focus on areas where you can still make money. Let other people chase the race to the bottom stuff.
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Re: This Copier Changed My Sales Life 15 Years Ago this Week!
Those were good times indeed. Big commissions and big points on the Ricoh credit card to boot. Very short lived though. I was doing one or two wide formats a month in addition to all of the mid-volume color machines that customers were buying. By 2008 it was over and the wide format market has never recovered. In the past 12 months I've sold 4 wide formats and only one was a brand new unit.
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Re: This Copier Changed My Sales Life 15 Years Ago this Week!
I agree with you, by 2008 the big Aficio points and the big commissions were gone. All of the other manufacturers caught up with the technology. In addition Ricoh rested on their laurels with the 240W and waited way to long to bring an upgrade to the market place. I average about 1.5 new wide formats per month, GP is significantly down, but it's now a decent revenue generator. The Ricoh MP W6700SP is now three years old and needs a refresh. What does Ricoh have in the works?
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Re: This Copier Changed My Sales Life 15 Years Ago this Week!
Hopefully whatever they replace the 6700 with is another compact machine that can be carried up a flight of stairs like the old 240 was.
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Re: ManagingThe Imaging Channel's Crisis
Anders, You read this the way you wanted. I am by far NOT predicting the end of the world. I am predicting the end of customers in the Imaging Channel being oversold based on outdated business processes. The technologies being exposed to organizations today will change their business processess and cause a speed up to the SMB's digitization. Regarding NEXERA they are the only organization in the world with data on service activity based on nearly 5 million devices. The article was written to...
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Re: HP should Buy Xerox
It’s about the realities of data. Over 80% of the current A3 placements fit into the volumes you discuss. The facts in the data also show that A3 equipment takes three service interactions to only one service interaction on A4 running comparable volumes. All dealers need to reach out to BEI Services and understand the realities of the total service cost, especially as DaaS becomes the new billing model. In the near future, the customers will have new options more than likely which will come...
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Imaging Channel, 2019 the year of DaaS - My suggestions to help you Implement.
Well, it happened some pioneers in the print industry are delivering an as a Service model. The Participates of the Imaging Channel must respond and deliver print equipment, its supplies, it’s parts, and its labor to repair in this as a Service model. A fixed cost for a product which eats consumables. Some in the industry are beside themselves and will more than likely lose control in how they proceed unless of course, they move forward timely based on knowledge over desperation caused by...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 10 Years Ago, The First Week in January 2009
Ten years ago this week and what was on our minds? It was the Great Recession. I remember it all too well. Many of my accounts were in the AEC market, remember losing almost 30% of that business because of bankruptcies, companies closing and companies just buying their device once they came to the end of the lease. Hope I never have to go through that again! Enjoy the threads from ten year ago this week! Weekend Copier Notes from 1/4/09 Neal · 1/5/097:19 AM According to survey of printshops...
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Wide Format Technology Update -The New Canon TM Series Wide Format Technical Series
Wide Format Technology Update -The New Canon TM Series Wide Format Technical Series Having just completed one of our most successful quarters ever, I can confidently say that one of the main reasons for our sales success in Q4 was the new Canon TM Series printers and MFP systems. This series was introduced by Canon to replace the very successful 78x series which had anchored the Canon iPF wide format line for the last number of years. The 78x series was overdue to be replaced and the...
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How Well Are You Creating Visibility? My Journey To Outbound 2019!
Those close to me, who know the real me, know I have no problem asking for help. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It's an opportunity to expand your horizons. I'm simply amazed by the amount of people who simply fail to ask for help. I've made it my mission to educate, engage and excite all those inside the sales world. Sales leaders and their sales teams must stand up, unite and transform how they go to market in a world full of sales mediocrity (I'm being nice). I believe every...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 15 Years Ago, The Last Week in January 2004
In the next day or so I'll be blogging about the new Ricoh IMC MFP series. There's a lot of new stuff and I'm chomping at the bit to get my hands on one. Enjoy these threads from 15 years ago this week! Peerless Systems Announces Everest Family of MFP Controllers; New Controllers Based on Sierra Techno Boston Mike · 1/28/046:58 AM document products rely on a core set of imaging software and supporting electronics, collectively known as an imaging controller. Peerless' broad line of scalable...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 5 Years Ago, The Last Week in January 2014
Dang, there's a ton of content here! Check out the blog series for 31 Ways to Close More Copier Sales #25 of 31 , there are 31 in total and I'm trying to get them all in a collection for us. Enjoy these threads from 5 years ago this week! This Week in the Copier/Office Equipment Industry 10 Years Ago 4thWeek of January 2004 Art Post · 1/26/142:19 PM the new product.http://support. ricoh .com/bb/html/dr_ut_e/rc2/model/ c 32_38/ c 32_38en.htmJG Toshiba America Business Solutions Introduces The...
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Time To Wake Up Imaging Channel!!
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ConnectWise, Continuum, and Thoma Bravo. Oh, the possibilities are becoming probable
Well, it’s not just Office Supply and Print Service Resellers who are witnessing changes which pose both opportunities, and threats to their Status Quo. When Sycamore Partners the Private equity firm who owns Staples bought the office supply wholesaler Essendant - many office products re-sellers became gravely ill knowing that their product’s wholesaler was now owned by their competitor. As the dust was settling on the Essendant deal. Staples buys DEX Imaging a mega copy/print dealer. It is...
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Value Prop Out of Alignment? Disruptors bet on that
It seems when looking at disrupted industries you see the familiarity of a false sense of comfort. When products decline in need, they also decline in value. Those two things are tied together. Value propositions are hypnotic; they can hijack the common-sense of reality during market shifts causing the disease of Product-Centric Thinking. The speed of innovation disrupting a deliverables current circumstances continues increasing. Today innovation not only changes the customer’s desired...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 5 Years Ago, The First Week in December 2013
Okay, we're back to doing three of these a wee. Where we look back on the threads from, 5, 10 & 15 years ago Enjoy these threads from 5 years ago this week! Canon U.S.A. Unveils Océ VarioPrint 6000+ Series of High-Speed, High-Volume Digital Production Printers Art Post · 12/5/139:45 PM deliver critical savings to print providers. This black-and-white printer is ideal for burgeoning industries -- such as on-demand, digital book printing -- due to its registration accuracy, outstanding...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 5 Years Ago, The Second Week in January 2014
One of my goals for this year is to garner more leads. You can do that with generating educational documents. I wrote this blog a few years ago, hope this helps. 31 Ways to Garner Net New Copier & Managed IT Business (2 of 31) Enjoy the threads from 5 years ago this week! This Week in the Copier/Office Equipment Industry 10 Years Ago (2nd Week of January 2004) Art Post · 1/12/143:32 PM it... Ricoh Dealer Meeting 1/8/04 9:48 AM Topic by Boston Mike Ricoh Dealer Meeting - Las Vegas, NV...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 15 Years Ago, The Second Week in January 2004
Fifteen years ago I was not blogging about our industry. Most of what you'll see below is threads from P4P'ers asking and answering questions. The Print4Pay Hotel forums offers our members the opportunity to post questions, answers, news or maybe you want to blow off some steam. If you do here's a link to our forums. Enjoy the threads from 15 years ago this week! Ricoh Demonstrates Its Dedication 1/9/049:25 AM manufacturing, distribution, use and the recycling of its products. Sustainable...
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Imaging Channel, DEX Imaging and Staples oh, Imagine the Probabilities
Thanks for chatting with Staples. Yes, Sir, we can deliver the New A4 you bought online. How’s Tuesday? Can we bring it with your supply order? Yes, one more question can you pick up and dispose of my old copier? Yes, we can let's discuss that when we come out to perform your managed print assessment. Thanks again for choosing Staples. End of Chat For Now!! 2019 is indeed starting with a bang. The Imaging Channel changed on Friday the 8th of February. Well, that’s what some will say. In...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 15 Years Ago, The Third Week in September 2003
BTA National Event was last week in NYC @ the Stewart Hotel. With members and vendors I heard there were 345 attendees. That's a great showing! What was the most popular talked about theme behind the scenes? Yup, it was the One Rate or Flat Rate. More to come on this during the week. Enjoy the threads from 15 years ago this week! Fuji-Xerox merges 9/17/038:48 PM Fuji- Xerox merges internally Byron Connolly, CRN Wednesday, 02 April 2003 Fuji- Xerox will audit its printer -distribution channel...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 10 Years Ago, The Third Week in September 2003
There's a great thread below "Print Management" Truth and Lies". It's a compilation of threads from members about best and worst practices. Check it out if you have the time. Enjoy the threads from ten years ago this week! Weekend Copier Notes from 09/14/08 Neal · 9/16/087:20 AM 11% annually o copy volumes are declining 2% annually o HP sold 60 million printers last year o Xerox sold 3 million printers last year o Kyocera only sold 115,000 printers last year o Average print volume for a...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 10 Years Ago, The First Week in October 2003
In the office on Friday we had a chat about the manufacturers in the industry. My thoughts centered around KonicaMinolta and the great job they're doing with diversifying. Ricoh was at the bottom of the list. Enjoy the threads from ten years ago this week: Ricoh Offers Managed Print Services to Reduce Printing Complexity 10/2/0811:10 PM . In the past, printing was simple as everyone either shared one device or had a personal printer . Now the printing landscape is more complex with multiple...
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3 Confidence Building Tips To Become The Best Sales Version Of You!
Sales is hard . It’s not for the weak at heart. It requires the right mindset to really be successful. One massively overlooked factor to becoming a great sales professional is the confidence you have in yourself. If you fail to build sales confidence, you’ll consistently struggle to effectively sell. By 'confidence' per say, I'm not referring to fake it until you make it. I'm talking a deep, down inside of you confidence to become the best version of YOU. CONFIDENCE IS CRITICAL Did you know...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 10 Years Ago, The Last Week in October 2008
We're in to the last 8 weeks of the year. Prospecting that was done in July & August will now start to pay dividends and carry you through the end of the year. If you're just prospecting now for November and December then you're toast! Enjoy the threads from ten years ago this week! Weekend Copier Notes from 10/26/08 Neal · 10/27/087:45 AM WEEKEND MFP INDUSTRY NOTES 10-26-08 The following is a quick review of copier/MFP industry news from industry publications. Kodak ’s print controller...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 15 Years Ago, The Last Week in October 2003
Wile reading through the threads I re-read a post that I wrote about my brother fifteen years ago. It was this week fifteen years ago that he passed away. Even though we had our differences he is missed. Enjoy the threads from 15 years ago this week! Scan & Capture From the Copier 10/28/036:57 PM alike. When scans replace printouts and copies, it often translates into lower lease charges for dealers and diminished (high-margin) consumables revenue. In addition, selling and integrating...
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Wide Format Technology Update- The Canon TX Series printers and MFP Systems
Just about a year ago, Canon USA released their new TX Series of Wide Format inkjet printers and MFP Systems. Canon has positioned the TX Series as a higher volume solution to capture opportunities on the production side of the aqueous inkjet technical documents market. There are two basic TX Series models available, the TX 3000 and TX 4000. The difference in these models is their supported print width, the 3000 being a 36” printer and the 4000 is a 44” printer. Both TX printers are single...
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Transitioning From Your Print and Copier Roots to Get Ahead of Competition
Note from Art: This blog was not written by me, however, I received permission from FP to repost on our site, I thought this would be a good read for everyone. Enjoy! To quote Brent Hoskins, Executive Director and BTA Editor, “Our industry [business technology] has a rich history of significant transitions…the inherent nature of change is that new, lucrative opportunities abound.” I couldn’t agree with this sentiment more. Change means new opportunity and in the business technology industry...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 10 Years Ago, The Fourth Week in July 2008
Last week seemed to be pretty interesting. I've been working on an order for about six months and was told the paperwork was ready to pick up tomorrow. As soon as I have the docs in hand I'll be writing about this, till then mums is the word. Weekend Copier Notes from 07/27/08 Neal · 7/28/0810:46 AM Russian investors are considering acquiring the company. - Kodak announced it has sold a NexPress 2500 production color system to Mailings Unlimited, a print and mailing house in Portland, Maine.
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This Week in the Copier Industry 15 Years Ago, The Third Week in August 2003
Seems like I may have misplaced a week. Last weeks thread was the first week of August, however I had notes in from the second week. Well, it's time for the third week in August notes from 15 years ago. Check out the awesome story from Old Glory below or click here Remember the 1035 Scanner/copier story? High-Speed Copiers: 8/19/037:29 PM begin? Does it require a dedicated salesperson ? Who are the best prospects? What are the best selling strategies? Perhaps any discussion of the topic...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 10 Years Ago, The Second Week in August 2008
One of the last threads in this blog is Sales Tips , that was an ongoing thread ten years ago, I just read a lot of those threads and it's worth the time to pat those threads a visit. Enjoy the threads from ten years ago this week! Weekend Copier Notes from 08/17/08 Neal · 8/21/086:53 AM attributed to an un-named IKON sales rep; “At the beginning of the month, we sell solutions (Documentum, Captaris RightFax, Objectif Lune, etc.), but by the end of the month we just sell copiers ( Canon...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 10 Years Ago, The Last Week in August 2008
Well it was ten years ago this week that the news broke about Ricoh purchasing Ikon. Ten years later the Ikon purchase was a bust with Ricoh writing off millions in future profit & revenue. That's what happens when you purchase a company that can't spin a profit. Enjoy the threads from ten years ago this week! Weekend Copier Notes from 08/24/08 Neal · 8/28/087:52 AM in the United States: o The current Digital Print Center (DPC) sales & marketing division will be disbanded § This...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 10 Years Ago, The Second Week in September 2003
I took the time to re-read and correct some of the grammar and spelling issues that plagued me from many years ago. I'm a copier sales person and not an English major. Please excuse typo's or grammar. Anyway, I must have wrote this after the Ricoh purchase of Ikon and the title "MFP Wars". After the re-read, I realized that we're still fighting the MFP Wars, whether it's the low cost per pages that are low balled or the continuing battle of A3 vs A4. Somethings never change. Enjoy the...
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Master Service Providers Face New Competition
Most MSP technology resellers who are increasingly delivering IT Security Services, understand they will outsource the heavy lifting associated with IT Security, compliance, and education. I think the time has come that there will be a new competition which will challenge Master Service Providers, especially those with limited resources. Two thousand nineteen will be the year of new options and game-changing competitors. Some will re-invent themselves becoming the new competitor, and some...
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Leasing Companies are not Exempt from Changes
Those in the technology industry face many challenges caused by innovation, new competitors, and changing buyer habits. Regardless of your core function in the technology deliverable whether you are a manufacturer, software provider, lessor or a reseller who delivers equipment and its services to the end-users, no one can assume yesterday’s circumstances will remain relevant tomorrow. Today all leasing companies in the channel are delivery models based on a monthly payment where hardware is...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 5 Years Ago (Third Week of March 2014)
Wow! Hard to believe that the end of the first quarter is a mere two weeks away. Twenty five gone and Seventy five percent of the year left. How is your first quarter going? Would love to hear from you in the reply section of this blog! These were the top threads from 5 years ago this week. Enjoy Konica Minolta Honors Pacific Office Automation of Beaverton, Oregon with 2014 Pro-Tech Service Award for Service Excellence Art Post · 3/19/1410:16 PM Colorado. The company is also one of the...
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New Players, New Rules, New Game.
One thing few in the Imaging Channel want to discuss is the innovative processes which will replace much of the old way’s deliverable. The glory days of selling print equipment and its services are just beginning for some innovative thinkers and ending for some others. All things do in-fact change. Even those who refuse, eventually are forced to change. No one can circumvent progress regardless of their marketing strategies or their hopes that current circumstances remain a little longer.
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The Print Equipment and Services Industry must separate their deliverable.
Recently I had an opportunity to speak at ITEX, An Industry event for technology resellers. During that talk, I discussed the three types of deliverables or more importantly the three types of end-user customers within the print equipment and its services industry. This industry is strangling their full profit potential as they continue to deliver these different types of customers with the same processes. Here are the three equipment customer types: 1. High-Volume segments 6,7, and 8...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 10 Years Ago, The Third Week in October 2008
I like to start these updates with some interesting things that happen to me in the last week or so. I received two leads and closed both of them from Linkedin. It was net new clients reaching out to me via Linkedin and requesting to set a meeting. Yes, this was the first I ever had two in one week. So I keep moving forward and keep growing my connections because you just never know when one of those calls might be for 20, 100 or 1,000 MFP's #nevergiveup Enjoy the threads from ten years ago...
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This Week in the Copier/Office Equipment Industry 15 Years Ago (Last Week of February 2004)
Just a short story from an order I had last week. The client was an existing account, almost five years ago it was net new. Thus I had some promo's I could throw at the client in order to secure the order. Now it comes time for the renewal almost 5 years later, there are some payments left in the lease. There is no way I can sell them at the same lease price per month. I also made an early mistake on the pricing when I met with the client. I never presented the lease price for the new...
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This Week in the Copier Industry 10 Years Ago (First Week of March 2009)
Rules of thumb...sell nothing but the need for an appointment on a phone call or initial call. Also never "sell" during your fact-finding for several reasons: 1.) The fact-finding process gets interrupted or stopped. 2.) You come across like a dog salivating over fresh meat. 3.) You tip your hand and lose some of the thunder you will get from your proposal. 4.) You inspire additional questions and thought processes that the prospect will then discuss with competitors. read the rest in the...