Peter Sheahan - "Rule The White Spaces"

"no, no, no..its THE Death of the Copier..."

Page Coverage.

In our little industry, one can live or die on the difference between 3% and 8%.  

The white spaces between the toner, Fact and Fiction, Vision and Reality.

Between all those Silo's.

I first saw Peter's presentation online,  from the MPS Conference in Barcelona.

My impressions were, "...who the hell is this guy? A shorter version of T. Robbins only from New Zealand?"

I know, its Australia...and everyone is shorter than Anthony Robbins.

I jest!

Peter's conversation was geared toward innovation, technology and miscalculations.  He talked about how our beliefs and more importantly, how our successful past, holds us back.  He talked about the silo's that keep us separated and how the cracks present the best opportunities.

That's cool.

"We will eliminate the position of President and CEO, Ricoh U.S..."

Ricoh US vs. Ricoh Americas: Integration or Consolidation?

Last year, Convergence 2010- April, 2010.

"...Togashi then addressed what was most likely the number one concern of the dealers in the room – the recent appointment of several senior IKON executives to high-level positions at Ricoh. Citing the need to expedite the Ricoh-IKON integration process, Togashi outlined some of the appointments. These included Matt Espe, the new chairman and CEO of Ricoh Americas Corporation (responsible for operations in North, Central and South America, including IKON); Martin Brodigan, the new executive vice president and CFO of Ricoh Americas Corporation; and, Jeffrey Hickling, the new president and CEO of Ricoh U.S..."

Most Recently:

Dear Ricoh Family Group Dealers,

Over the past two years, we have been working to integrate and align Ricoh Americas Corporation (RAC) to further strengthen Ricoh's position as an industry leader and best meet our customers’ needs. This has included a focus on both our Direct distribution and Dealer channels, as well as improved collaboration between the two channels.

After careful review, I have decided to further align the RAC organization with Ricoh U.S. to leverage our synergies and the strength of the U.S. organization. With this decision, we will eliminate the position of President and CEO, Ricoh U.S. and align the U.S. sales and operational leadership under RAC through my direction. And as a result of this decision Jeff Hickling will be leaving the organization. Jeff will continue in his role through July 15 to facilitate a smooth transition of U.S. sales and operations functions.

I want to thank Jeff for his leadership with both the IKON and Ricoh organizations over the past six years. Since Ricoh’s acquisition of IKON, Jeff has been instrumental in building an effective integrated leadership team in the U.S. and has had a positive impact with our Dealer community by building stronger collaborative relationships and increasing market share across all channels. We will continue to build upon these successes as we move into the next phases of our integration. I want to reassure you that we will continue our commitment to the Dealer channel as we work to strengthen the collaboration across channels.
Please join me in thanking Jeff for his many contributions to IKON, Ricoh and RFG dealers which will benefit us as we move forward, and wish him continued success in his future endeavors.

Thank you,


Kevin Togashi
Chairman and CEO
Ricoh Americas Corporation

A good view of Convergence 2011.

The Greg_Walters, DOTC, Top 27 Posts of 2011 - 2012

From 201-

Christmas in June.

Whenever writers find themselves getting a little behind, unable to get the flow of creativity, they rehash old subject matter and content.

Enjoy:

1. Managed Print Services Engagements vs. Copier Service Agreements - Tell me Again, why we don't comp copier Reps on Service contracts?
2. Managed Print Services Another DOTC Leopard - ReDux - Jennifer Shutwell. How to Steal MPS Clients
   
3. Managed print Services Tunnel Vision - Are You Focusing On One Thing
4. Managed Print Services - Practice What You Preach
5. Managed Print Services, the Copier and the Traditional Copier Dealer : End of Days
6. CIO's: What to Look for In A Managed Print Services Company. The Perfect 10.
7. Achieve Managed Print Services Immortality "...Simply By Doing One...Great...Thing..." - Keep Walking
8. Repeat After Me: "Managed Print Services is Business Process Management, MPS is BPM, MPS is BPM"" - FireWork
9. "If You Don't Stand for Something, You'll Fall for Anything..."
10. Managed Print Services Practices Managers: Are You Selling MPS Internally ? - Over and Over again.
11. CNET Needs Managed Print Services - So Says Molly Wood
12. Skylar, Dr. Dre, Em, and Ri - On and Off Stage, an Orchestra, Lights, Video - Lot's of Moving Parts. Just Like Managed Print Services
13. Managed Services: Let's Have a Cold Call Blitz!!
14. You're Not In Managed Print Services If -
15. The Separation Begins: Managed Print Services True Believers Leaving the Pack
16. Who is Everything Channel and Why Are They Important to You?
17. The Future of Managed Print Services: Look Back to IBM and See Your Future
18. HP to Purchase Xerox. Joins CISCO, IBM & MicroSoft in move offshore. Upside Down World.
19. History - Study It, or be Doomed to Repeat It...
20. Managed Print Services, Stage IV: What the Hell is Managed Network Services(MNS)? You're Kidding, right?
21. Ricoh Announces Purchase of White Castle - Strengthen Channel with "Bags of Sliders"
22. I use to think Managed Print Services would be a sub-set of MSP, but maybe it will end up the other way around.
23. Samsung Snags World's Largest ElectroWetting Company. What about the Silver Nanoparticles?
24. Managed Print Services Stuck in Stage 1&2 - And I Know Why...
25. "The Things We Think And Do Not Say. The Future of Our Business...", Managed Optimization Services
26. Does Your MpS World Reside in Toner & Service? Your Scale is small, Depth Shallow, and Vision Stunted. Buh Bye.
27. Another DOTC Leopard: 2011 MPSA MPS Leadership Award Winner, Kevin DeYoung, QualPath

Click to email me.

The Old Guys are Getting (back) Into Managed Print Services - And I thought MPS Trainers were Bad...

"...Everything dies baby that's a fact 

But maybe everything that dies someday comes back 

Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty and meet me tonight in Atlantic City..."

It's not the same scale as the gang-wars of New Jersey, but there is something here.

If you've been in this nutty industry for more than five years, you've probably heard tell of the mythic millionaire copier dealer who built a dealership and sold out.

He waited in siege around the non-compete, got back in, built up another dealership, sold out once again.

A millionaire, twice over.

Hey, this is America and there is nothing wrong with doing what you do well, and getting paid to do so. Capitalism at its best. I love it.

Yet, after talking with a couple of these new/old comers,  I walked away feeling the need for a shower.

Slick, sly, oily...ummm...gross.

Another Consultant in The Making: Edward McLaughlin To Step Down As President Of Sharp Electronics Corporation

Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC) Chairman and CEO Kozo Takahashi and Edward McLaughlin today said that they have reached an agreement concerning Mr. McLaughlin’s decision to step down as President of Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA) and as a Director of SEC. Mr. McLaughlin will assist in the search for his successor, which is now underway.

Once SIICA’s new President has been appointed, Mr. McLaughlin will remain with SEC where he will serve as a senior advisor to SEC and to SIICA. This advisory role will include, among other projects, working to ensure a seamless transition to SIICA’s new leadership.

Mr. McLaughlin also expects to begin to pursue new business opportunities as an independent consultant to companies in the field of office automation, focusing on designing, developing and managing projects that would employ his deep expertise and more than 35 years of industry experience. He and Sharp have agreed that, during this period, he will not enter into consulting or other engagements that would conflict with Sharp’s business objectives.

The MpS Ecosystem Contracts: Who could be next? I See...software and hardware...merging as One.

So he says to me, "Greg, what the hell happened in Orlando? Since then, it seems DOTC has been watered down on the hot babes."

Point Taken. So instead of watering them down, let's break out the oil, pop cycles, and champagne.

And for good measure, throw in a goofy, baggy-crotched pants guy, sporting a wicked, Tourette-like twitch.

Caution - Kitchen counters are slippery when wet.

Perfect.
-----
I am certain the acquisition wave is not completely ashore, just yet - but who is next?

Shall we spread a rumor about White Castle buying Canon?

Can you see Lexmark part of anybody once her patents run out? (didn't know about that one, did you?)

Or should we focus on the fact that Ricoh is going to lay off enough employees to form a separate MDS company?

No. I'm scaling down my vision and looking to the east. East Coast of the U.S. that is...oh, and a bit north. Into Canada...


Machine to Machine(M2M) communication refers to one machine communicating with another. Telemetry in the old days.

We in MpS are familiar with this as it is part and parcel of every remote monitoring software out here. My fleet of machines"report" back to me.  More appropriately, back to a server/machine.

MWA Intelligence is a company on the hardware side. Developing M2M apparatus.

PrintFleet created software that reads the MIB and reports back to a server.

I dunno - maybe somin happens, the way things usually do, and baddah bing, baddah boom - Mike's chocolate is in Brian's peanut butter...

I'm jus sayin, stranger things have happened, capeesh? For-get 'bout it...

Honestly, I have no idea, no evidence, nobody tells me anything.

Click to email me.

Does Your MpS World Reside in Toner & Service?

6/1/2011

This is a three minute advertisement. Unfortunately, Oracle hasn't paid me a dime.

The statistics within are stunning - reflecting a huge scale and compressed timeline like never, ever before. Moore's Law applied to content.

I love the folks who argue "...paper will never go away..." or "...MPS is only about devices, toner remote monitoring and increasing volume..."

Well, sit back, watch this three minute reflection and projection - and listen to all those 'clicks' fade...away...

Content is increasing, not prints...


Prezi on steroids!


Click to email me.

Xerox/NewFieldIT - HP/Printillegent...Cloak and Dagger Information

5/2011

DOTC Operatives stationed in Orlando, NYC, Portland, Imperial, California and elsewhere are reporting in.

By carrier pigeon, encrypted satellite transmission and smoke signals, a solid shape is taking form.

Big interest in the HP/Printellegent arena:

Is HP buying a channel?  If so, who is next?

Will the devoted and committed, remaining OPS partners find themselves competing with a bigger, broader, potent HP/Printellegent with a global footprint?

Xerox/NewFieldIT:

What will happen with NewField's current customer list?
How does this effect PagePack? Does it at all?
Will the tool be scaled up? Down?

...interesting...

HP is not buying a channel.

HP will dump assets into the Printellegent model, assimilating, expanding and scaling out as a platform for the channel.

Yes - FOR THE CHANNEL. Of course, we may be redefining "channel".

By mid-June, Printellegent will be no more; "I am Locutus, of Borg"


Xerox will use AssetDB as the 'face' of XPS, and rounds out the tool set.
NewField may lose their inroads to other OEMs as well as some existing customers, but the deal with Xerox out weighs any possible loss.

There will be more assimilation - PrintFleet is being mentioned.


...continuing...


Click to email me.

Managed print Services - As The World Turns: First HP/Printelligent today Xerox/Newfield

5/2011

Whose Next?

WOW!

A few of my acquaintances, wait they are more than people I simply know, two close, MPS Pioneers, have now become part of the Machine. In a good way.

Congrats to Robert and his team at NewfieldIt and congrats to Greg, Rob, Lawton and the entire crew at Printelligent.

Well done, well deserved - good luck.

Okay - Now What? This is almost as exciting as when Ricoh bought Ikon.

Questions, questions...

Nature moves in 3's, is there a third shoe to drop?

HP Buys Printelligent - Whadda Think 'bout THAT?

DOTC 5/2011

From an article on CRN -

"Founded in 1988, Printelligent was an early mover in the managed print space, launching its first MPS solution in 1993. Once the deal closes, Printelligent’s work force and technology assets will become part of the LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions unit within HP's Imaging and Printing Group."

This makes it sound like the integration will be at the enterprise level...but then...

"This acquisition puts us even further ahead by strengthening our ability to deliver services and solutions through our channel partners to SMB customers,” said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of HP's Imaging and Printing Group, in a statement.

Joshi makes it look like this is a channel move.

Time will tell, it always does.

I will say this; the OPS channel is chuck full of MPS training and content.

I know the guys at Printelligent (congrats!) - they are smart. They understand Stage 3/4.

If this is a move to replace the channel, look out.

If this is a move to improve the channel, look out.

Very, very interesting.


OverLords assemble - the Big Three descending.

Childhood's End.

Click to email me. 

Managed Print Services Global Con - "Leopard One" Speaks

The jig is up, the news is out the time has come.

The MPS Global Conference is literally hours away - next stop Brazil.

I am humbled and honored to be part of this year's show.

My contribution includes pontifications about:

Global Managed Print Con, 2011 - Behind the scenes...

Deep within the bowels of the DOTC bunker, Western Command, a vast array of intelligence collecting apparatus hums 24/7.

Intercepting encoded messages revealing secret MFP plans. This machine sees all that is important.

But as every intelligence organization knows, human assets, feet on the ground, are most efficient and valuable.

And so it is with DOTC.

One of our 'assets' has been buried for years working as a lowly videographer at Photizo.

Let's just call her, Agent 99.

Eagerly awaiting activation, her GO code was issued April 1.

She has been covertly collecting 'behind the scenes' evidence of untold awesomeness.

Beware dear reader.  What you are about to witness is chilling.

2011 Global Manage Print Conference - DOTC "Great Expectations"

The North American MPS Conference, Orlando, May 2-4 2011.

This will be the third MPS conference, the last two held in San Antonio, TX - "Remember the Alamo". I believe at the first conference, 140 or so folks attended. Last year, nearly double that.

Three years ago, if one were to Google "managed print services" two or three names would come up, Photizo, TheDeathOfTheCopier, and ChangeForge.

The other day, reports (in2) say that "managed print services" was searched 550,000 times last month on Google.

It seems everybody is into MPS, and almost impossible to believe, the MPS buzz is bigger then ever.

What a difference a few years make.

Managed Print Services - Another DOTC Leopard Speaks, Sarah Henderson

4/21/2011

The DOTC throng continues to grow -  there be Leopards about.

I would like to welcome Sarah Henderson, from Great America to the fray.

Sarah chimes in with some insight around branding.

Enjoy.

----------------------------------
Where is the Brand?

By Sarah Henderson
Director, Strategic Marketing
GreatAmerica Leasing Corporation

So you are a copier dealership, consumables reseller or IT VAR who have made the decision to offer Managed Print Services (MPS)….welcome to the table! During the past few years, I have the privilege of working with providers of MPS through the Navigator program, attending and teaching at industry events. This experience working hands-on with your peers implementing MPS has demonstrated a lack of attention to the MPS marketing message that leaves customers confused and asking “Where is the Brand?”

The MPS marketplace is maturing and I see few markets where end-users have not been exposed to some form of MPS messaging or offer for a “print assessment”. From the big box stores, IT VARs, Copier Dealers, OEMs, print resellers and office suppliers, there seems to be an MPS offering available on every corner. This places pressure on you to not only build an MPS program but also brand it in a way that is unique in your marketplace. In the midst of building your MPS program, don’t get in such a hurry you skip over some important considerations for your program roll out and marketing plan.

Enjoy this drive-thru review of how MPS program structure and messaging impacts brand:

The Separation Begins: Managed Print Services True Believers Leaving the Pack

4/2011

It's in your DNA.

We knew it, you knew it, there should be no surprises.

Nobody grows up wanting to be a "copier salesperson". (I read this somewhere.)

We had higher hopes and dreams; future policemen, Presidents of the United States, Firemen, Doctors, or Nurses - but someone who "sells"?

A "fast-talking", pushy, slippery salesman? Proprietors of Office Equipment, no less?

Thirty, forty years later, you're lucky not to be living in a van, down by the river.

But here you are now, selling copiers and moving into MPS - the "final frontier" in imaging.

Today, you are faced with another choice.  The MPS Ecosystem is moving on, the players separating.

Which way do you go?  To whom do you travel? 

What is best for YOU - not your boss, owner, VP, company, or industry.  "They" don't want you to think this way.

"They" want you to stay in a box until you're in a box - the final box - the most patient box.

It's all about YOU.  Well, no, that's not entirely correct - In here, it's all about me.

2011 North American Managed Print Services Conference - Ken Stewart

Fellow DOTC Leopard and Photizo guru, Ken Stewart will be presenting at the 2011 North American MPS Conference.

Looks like he and his crew, are going to get real and put forward some everyday, proven information.

The day-long session is being held May 2.
This pre-conference workshop "will provide MPS dealers, resellers and IT VARs with fundamental information for MPS success."

Should be great.
--------------------------
Ask yourself this:

"Are you tired of seminars promising the secrets to your fortune in MPS?"

I hear all too often, quick phrases  are leading to empty promises.

Then get real & learn how the pro’s get it done.

Ken's  hands-on day is all about  being effective with your customer. No theory. Just lessons from pro's who get it done.

• You'll learn effective ways to reach & retain your customers – including branding techniques & social media tactics.
• Unlock your differentiators, learn how to stratify your customers & run effective Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs).
• You can't get there if you don't plan to...create your own unique 10-step business success.
• What about after the sale?  Uncover the real secrets to running effective deal implementations & look like a hero in front of your customer.

Photizo Group CEO keynote helps CXOs learn about managed print services corporate benefits

Print & Imaging Summit Keynote Explains MPS Trifecta: Saving Time, Money and the Environment

Highlights:

     

     Photizo CEO Edward Crowley shares study results that validate corporate MPS advantages of cost savings, environmental benefits, IT productive 

     

      MPS can help companies cut costs by up to 30 percent and regain up to 10 percent of IT time

      Photizo Group is strategic event partner for Print and Imaging Summit

April 12, 2011, Midway, KY -- Organizations considering a move into managed print services (MPS) have a lot to gain -- and a lot to learn. The average firm cuts cost by 30 percent, but these MPS savings do not happen overnight. 

MPS is a more complex and far-reaching undertaking than most realize. In his Print and Imaging Summit keynote, Photizo Group CEO Edward Crowley helps CXO executives understand the complex issues – and powerful advantages – of a corporate MPS initiative.

Crowley is founder and CEO of Photizo, the worldwide authority on MPS trends and techniques, and the leader in MPS data collection, analysis and reporting. In the opening keynote on Tuesday, May 3, 4:15 – 5 PM, he brings valuable guidance and perspective to the corporate market. He will introduce MPS concepts, explain the challenges of embarking on MPS projects and acquaint the audience with benefits they may not have considered, such as reducing CO2 emissions and improving IT productivity. He will also share insights on what's next in convergence of IT outsourcing and MPS, with IT and business process optimization.

2011 Managed Print Services Global Conference: MPS Purity, Pure Content, Pure Energy

What's the difference between a Conference/Trade Show and an Educational Conference?

The trade floor.

Remember when COMDEX was the shit?

How about the North American Auto Show, held each year in Detroit?

Or the Boat Show here in L.A.?

Does one attend any of these shows expecting to learn more than what the handout says?

Do I hear battle-stories from the trenches articulated by any of the booth-babes? Would I care?

Granted, one can learn something at each.

A new MPS players can glean insight off a marketing slick, establish a new working partnership and possibly find his new soul-mate.  Possibly.

Soul mates aside, the 2011 North American MPS Conference is striving to make their more educational and less sales-like.

I had a conversation with Misty Hamel, Director of Marketing with Photizo the other day and she calls out the difference between a trade show and educational conference - "Content".

Agreed. I push one step closer to the Edge and call it "High Intent".

High Intent + Educational Content = Pure Energy

Photizo Managed Print Services Conference 2011 - Look to Yesterday and See Tomorrow

This year the North American MPS Conference is going to be huge - attendance up, interest in MPS common, the niche now firmly established as an industry.

Why should you go?

Maybe you don't want to be the last person on your block selling copiers. No doubt to the surviving collection of people who don't care about value, costs or spending our money: Public Sector.

Do you think this "Hot New MPS Thing" will finally catch on next year?

Perhaps you're such a output-geek, friends and family are starting to put you in the same class as "Trekies"(for the record, its "Trekor"). Fewer people stick around once you get going on "scan once, print many".

And maybe approaching a three-some like the one above, intimidates you.

Ok, that has little to do with MPS; more to do with DOTC_AfterDark.

If you're into Managed Print Services, see a future beyond Stage 4, and reside out here with me 'to the right of the bell curve', this is our time.  Come.

The Jig is Up, The News is Out, IT Budgets Grow in 2011 - More Managed Print Services Opportunities?

I just read a great article over at CRN here, regarding The Everything Channel survey of VAR's and service providers.

The study was conducted back in November and surveyed 384 senior level managers within VARs/IT providers.

The survey calls the available North American IT market for solution providers at $428.1 billion in 2010, up more than 6 percent from $402.1 billion in 2009.

Remember, the North American MPS market is calculated at around $25b(Photizo).

The channel accounted for 68 percent of IT sales, and direct sales making up the remaining 32 percent.

The survey found that many VARs are dependent on a small number of SMB customers for a majority of their business.

"...Nearly 30 percent of solution providers had fewer than 25 customers while 10.9 percent had between 25 and 49 customers, 9.9 percent had 50 to 99 customers and 9.9 percent had 100 to 149 customers. Only 20.1 percent had 250 or more customers..."