Selling managed print services and managed services is not brain science, it's more like Rocket Surgery.
What year is this, 1989?
Maybe you know of these, maybe not. The point is, I'm hearing more and more about how the better MPS selling organizations are replacing failed existing MPS engagements. The losers are not covering the basics like toner delivery, prompt service and correct billing let alone workflows and business acumen.
As always, these are my views and mine alone - take 'em or leave 'em.
It isn't that difficult...to sell managed services. As a matter of fact, selling managed services is a lot easier than convincing a 'board of elders' to lease your new color device...with saddle stitch, no less.
First things first, if your leadership is so wrapped up in themselves they think:
A) copiers will be around forever or
B) Managed services is akin to adding a duplexer or fax board
- keep your resume up to date.
Unless you're in some backwater market where they still lease copiers for 72 months, hardware sales are about to fall off a cliff (slight exaggeration). Maybe your guys don't see it coming - it is already here, so the sooner you get your personal act together about services, not hardware, the better.
Just between you and I, there are hundreds of hints and tips around selling managed services. In the end, the advice is nothing more than a shuffle of what you've already been told.
There isn't ONE training course, consultant or "MNS" expert who will mention any one of these tips:
1. Stop being afraid
2. Forget everything you know about hardware
3. Ignore your quota and in some cases...Ignore your boss
Your Fears
If there's one thing I've seen from coast to coast is whenever somebody on the copier side starts to talk about Managed IT Services, they backtrack into, "well, I need to know more about that business before I dive in..." Horse Pucky.
Who would buy a product which openly insults?
We're taught to believe that the computer guys know so much more than we. We've got memories of feeling dumb because we called IT only to have them come up, reboot and head back.
"Reboot? That's it????!...arrrrg..."
IT folks were strange, anti-social, and difficult to understand. They fixed our problems and they made us feel like dummies.
Stop worrying about what you think you don't know, stop Facebooking and use the inter-web to learn about what CIOs think is important.
"You know what Mr. Prospect...every, single, copier is exactly the same..."
Yeah, we used that line all the time at IKON. Of course, we sold almost every brand back then...
The same goes for servers, cloud, backup disaster recovery, switches, firewalls, help desk, anti-virus - your prospect does not care how many awards your hardware has earned. They do not care how much you've invested in R/D or how long you've been in the industry.
They don't...and when your OEM rep tells you to build credibility by dropping their name, let the words go in one ear and out the other.
Tell your prospect how your stuff solves problems. Printers, copiers, luxury submersibles and can openers solve problems. If you can find a problem duplexing solves, I'm sure you can find an issue BDR(googlitize it) addresses.
Stop Selling and Start Solving.
Ignore Your Boss - "On the 1st of the Month we Sell Solutions. On the 20th, we push boxes..."
Careful here.
If I had a dime for every sales manager I've met, that wasn't worth a dime, I'd have a lot of dimes - a March of Dimes, actually. I'm not saying ALL sales managers are worthless...and I know YOUR manager is Fortune 100 material. I am not recommending you blatantly mock your boss - not overtly - just understand his perspective.
Here's the deal, typical sales managers are compensated on the team's hardware sales and most dealerships are driven to quota by their OEM - it is the way of things.
When you hear your manager say things like, "Everybody better start learning MNS, because these copiers aren't going to be around for long...""its a numbers game, kid..." or "you can't sign deals on the phone..." or "...why don't you get a new car/suit/wife/credit card/house..." take it with a grain of salt.
Don't get me wrong, if this style matches your core values, stop reading and get back to those 100 dials, 10 contacts, 1 appointment - there's a church out there dying to buy a copier!
Otherwise, let's talk about you.
I've always said and felt that pure managed print services has little to do devices and nothing related to logo's - its a service, not a cartridge or machine. Managed services is an extension of the same ideal, its a service not a server or firewall.
Most managers do not understand this because they are not compensated for services. Indeed, some ignore services all together figuring that's "the service department's responsibility" - point, missed.
I know you didn't grow up wanting to be a copier rep - NOBODY DOES. I understand how difficult it can be describing what you do to your parents - been there, done that, got the therapy to prove it.
And here we are, in the heart of the jungle...
Do anything to improve yourself every, single day. Polish up on your knowledge of the Cloud, nod during your next sales training session, and then go buy my book. Write in the margins, read it from your iPad on the bus ride home...(?). Cut and paste passages into emails and Tweets - put the cover on your desktop.
We will be in Vegas, at the Wynn, Monday June 11 and 12th.
I will not be attending the Ricoh show(huh?) - but will be in the Casino, around the pool or at a bar,
that is if the Wynn has a bar, not sure on that one...
If you're in town, and want to talk about how to pick a Managed Print Services program, technology in our world, the social ramifications of Space 1999, or the Four Screens of Life - drop me a note.
I may even have a nifty, cool, MPSA hat for you...
If you've been in this industry for any period of time over 3 years, you either know or have heard of what I call a "Roaming Gnome" - there may even be one a couple of cubes over.
That sales rep who travels from dealer to dealer, employer to employer in search of the perfect sales position. Bringing with him years of experience, a Rolodex chock full of purchasing agents and expiration dates. A pocket full of promises and a wheelbarrow full of "Bravo Sierra".
It's legend - copier reps jump from Ricoh to Ikon to Konica Minolta to Toshiba. Or get out of Toshiba/Ikon/Xerox only to return in a few years.
Old, cromagnum sales interviews start with, "how big of a sales book can you bring with you from "fill in the blank/your current employer"?
Before you go off all half-cocked, accusing me of not understanding, I know this occurs in every industry, especially with salespeople. It is not illegal and it is not uncommon.
As a matter of fact, selling expertise and business acumen can only flourish under the light of many different Suns. And those who grow over time are professionals.
Switching companies isn't normally a bad thing. I am not criticizing the practice, only the occasional method.
The hacks I refer to as "Travelling Copier Gnome" carry not only baggage but character flaws.
They inflict more harm than good, perpetuating the shady side of selling.
In today's economically challenging MPS universe, many MPS and copier reps are looking for jobs; a quick search reveals IKON hiring MPS specialists like crazy all over the country. A floating deckchair in a turbulent sea?
As with most good articles on this tome, writing from personal experience supplants therapy and, I have found, generates plenty of "the same thing happened to me..." emails.
So, I feel the experience of one of my colleagues may have some relevance. An MPS Practice I know of has gone through major metamorphosis - to date, its third. This recent iteration was characterized as a "bloodbath" resulting in major personnel changes.
People were let go and people left.
It's no secret that I bash the bad in our industry. It's a target-rich environment - there is plenty to bash.
However, I hold a special place, a bull's eye, for the "typical copier sales person".
That churn and burn, rip and replace, 60-month lease recommending, sour-grapes, decision challenging, slick, schlocky, box-moving, toner delivering, non-customer-centric, closed-minded, a square peg in a round hole, never going to change, FUD using, gear slinging, never attracting always selling, jolly, hard-closing, Traveling Gnome types.
Case in point, recently, one of the sales reps, at my colleague's MPS practice, decided to move to greener pastures.
Nothing wrong with that, right?. We've all done it.
As matter of fact, picking up and leaving is a decisive act any one of us can execute. Changing employers is like turning the page, ending another chapter in the book of your life. No biggie.
And when done correctly, there is honor in this; an opportunity to either show some class or reveal to the world your true, sliminess.
Character is what you do when nobody is looking most often exposed under pressure - think about the last time you experienced a death in the family or any other high-stress event. Who remained calm and focused, and who "cracked".
Or how about the last time something went wrong with a customer - who ran around with their hair on fire and who acted like they had been there before?
Character.
Your character is exposed not only in bad times but also in good. Can anyone remember the last time a running back scored a touchdown and simply handed the ball to the ref?
Act like you've been there before.
Back to my colleague.
He found himself in quite a pickle - all the client files were missing.
And by client files, he means, assessments, SOWs, proposals, spreadsheets, orders, quotes, contact records, notes, databases, and laptops.
That's correct, inspection showed very few signed original agreements - nothing left behind, uh, oh.
Again, little surprise, nothing too far out of line, seen it before, been there, got the coffee mug.
But then, they received their first notice of service cancellation.
A quick look into E*Automate revealed this defector-client had been "stocking up" on supplies over the past 3 weeks -capitalizing on confusion and the vacuum - it was obvious the customer had been coached.
And then, this ex-sales ne'er-do-well started reaching out to "his" old clients who are now part of my colleague's current base. Huh.
Again, sad and unprofessional and not at all surprising.
You see, when we sell with passion and believe in the product, service, and company, we can become blinded, falsely believing the client relationship is with us - it's our Ego talking - not reality.
The client relationship, no matter how personal the sales professional makes it, is between the client and company; not the selling professional.
We forget that sometimes, don't we? We fall into the trap of thinking "we" are the only reason clients work with our company.
How foolish, how naive, and how very old-fashioned - quaint, almost.
So, who is at fault here?
The destructive Sales-schmo, The Roaming Gnome? For sure.
"Greener Pastures and New Beginnings" mean just that; a New Beginning can only happen after an Ending of a "period" not a comma. Get over it, move on, and begin fresh. Show some class.
The new employer, absolutely.
What kind of loser organization still hires Sales people under these beliefs? Can this really be? Are we still in the '70s? Has Selling devolved? PUT THAT COFFEE DOWN! Did I miss THAT memo? Show some class.
Any client who follows him? These imbeciles are just as unscrupulous.
I mean really, it's just business, I know, but this is pretty lame.
The Lesson, if there is one?
We in the selling profession take a beating from our prospects, customers, sales managers, and family for engaging in something we love to do; meet new people, take on new challenges and create something out of nothing.
It's a shame when some of us lie to clients, trap customers into deals, push our agenda, and do harm. The bigger shame is these instances hurt all of us in sales.
This sort of thing may never change, unless we start calling out the evil-doers, exposing this ilk for the sham artists and hypocrites they are.
“Business Acumen” is a cool way to say, “been there, done that…got three years' financials to prove it” – I admit, it is a big word, does it scare you?
From Merriam-Webster:
Acumen: keenness and depth of perception, discernment, or discrimination especially in practical matters.
Practical Matters.
Lots of salespeople don’t think they have acumen, or that there is some special process that goes with acquiring the skill of discernment. Worse, some employers don’t believe their employees possess keenness – more than a few sales managers feel their salespeople lack depth of perception.
You know I’m right. You’ve seen it, I’ve seen it, we’ve all been there.
What to do?
Stand back, there is something going on here, something new; The New Age of Selling. It has nothing to do with the Mayan calendar although "The New Age" calls upon the collective selling skills of the past 25,000 years.
Woah, heavy.
I know it’s difficult to see, but the current economic “Charlie Foxtrot” will someday be in our rear view mirror. When the recovery does start, for real, the new selling professional will lead the way. I believe that our industry, our sales people, in the trenches, will be examples of success, role models.
The New Way demands more from you, the Selling Professional:
Collaboration – be open to working with everyone, yesterday’s rivals could be today’s partner
Engagement/Intent – work with your clients, partners, peers at a deeper level, with High Intent
Growth – thrive on change, bring change, be the agent for change
The New Way also exists in a new environment, a business context that has never existed:
Information is everywhere – Content and data are universal and will permeate
Power is shifting down – from the OEMs to the cube farms, personal power is increasing
Technology is mundane – your refrigerator will talk with your toaster
“Citizen Mobil” – brick and mortar is dead. Smartphones, tablets, wireless and G4 networks, you, your clients, and clients’ family and kids are processing business everywhere. Think Cold Calls from the beach.
The times are different and personal acumen is more relevant, you are much more relevant, and in context.
One more thing: There are No Academic Experts. We're making this up as we go - and because this is all new, dynamic, and changing every 30 days, formal, teaching experts are simply rehashing history - not projecting
The New Selling, not Sales 2.0 or 3.1, let’s call it, Sales X dot XX - “Sales X.Xx"
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