“I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think.” — Socrates
The world is full of advice. Our little industry is chock full of articles, studies, trade shows, blogs, podcasts, and analyst reports — not to mention more marketing materials than you can shake a stick at.
In fact, there are so many marketing materials it is difficult for prospects to sift through. Combine this with the day-to-day business stresses, and it is almost impossible for you to distill data streams into relevant information. The same goes for your prospects. How can you learn to do so and help your prospects do the same? It is a daunting task, but one that separates you from the rest of the selling pack.
So, this is my idea – I suggest you employ the Socratic Method as a foundational philosophy.
I know what you’re asking. “How the heck can the Socratic Method help me sell more copiers?” Good question.
The Socratic method is a way of thinking and using probing questions to stimulate thought, expose assumptions, and reveal deeper insights.
This is not just a tool for philosophers; it’s a practical and powerful approach that will significantly enhance your business acumen and selling process.
- by James T. Kirk, Captain of Starship Enterprise
Navigate the Universe of Copier Sales - Propel Your Sales Career to Stellar Heights
Stardate 9678.3.
Over a glass of Saurian brandy in the lounge of the starship Enterprise, I found myself engaged in lively discourse with a few dealers and sales personnel about the current trajectory of sales and trading across this vast quadrant of space.
"...they(your prospects) entrusted me with the responsibility to generate a scope document, examine vendor proposals, participate in sales conferences, provide feedback on candidates, and oversee the implementation of the chosen solution..."
It was like a temporal loop - similar conversations had taken place light years before.
For more than a decade, I have been heralding change, echoing through the cosmos to dealers and original equipment manufacturers about the course ahead. It isn't about creating patterns of light on a page, or the latest software from the Daystrom Institute. The route to successful selling lies in the wisdom of our ancestors:
AI: Because who doesn't love a side of existential dread with their efficiency?
Greg's Words
I'm sure you're not as immersed as I am in the whole AI/ChatGPT thing. I'm also confident my friends, family, and some colleagues are getting sick of me talking about AI, Nvidia, Microsoft, OpenAI, Musk, the commercial real estate bubble, dying cities, the fear of covid, digitized workflow, and artificial intelligence.
So be it.
I talk with business owners, end-users, and OEMs in many different industries - from manufacturing to CBE - and I've noticed a dichotomy in AI knowledge; either somebody knows a great deal or absolutely nothing about how AI helps companies reduce costs, grow sales and increase profits.
And that's okay.
Sure, with a bit of study, the current AI can help marketing, service, and sales digest and create proposals and correspondence, interface with customers, and produce expert-level, acumen-based content for your professional sales team. All of this impacts the cost side of the equation.
It is too early for an Office Technology provider to bring anything to market besides knowledge and advice gleaned from using AI. As far as a resellable service, or MRR SaaS model, there are no SKUs and very few experts. Yet, at the current pace of innovation, it won't be long.
Some of the "fog" around an AI-based product to Office Technology includes ethical questions we typically haven't had to face.
It would be normally prudent to suggest that bringing AI to your existing copier customers is five years away. From the historic view, you would be correct to think this, but this isn't normal, we aren't normal, we left Normalville about four years ago. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few AI systems in beta or ready to sell by year's end; say Q1, 2024.
The clock is running, and time is the fire we all burn in, for now, feast upon a conglomeration of articles about AI, languages, and the end of the world.
Enjoy.
Executive Summary:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making tremendous strides in streamlining global communication and enhancing productivity in sectors like manufacturing, bringing forth unparalleled time-saving benefits.
As we embrace AI's advancements, we're also faced with significant ethical concerns, notably regarding AI datasets and accountability, as well as the chilling possibility of a 'runaway AI' scenario.
Recognizing and balancing these dual aspects of AI – its transformative potential and its ethical and existential risks – is important as we navigate the era of AI.
Title: "Khan Academy is using ChatGPT to bring one-on-one teaching to scale."
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Date: May 21, 2023
Greg's Words
We're still looking for AI's impact on revenue while it starts to penetrate the cost reduction side of the balance sheet.
Meanwhile, on the education front, fear is giving way to innovation. One school is utilizing ChatGPT to enhance its educational journey.
Selling technology to education is a pain - isn't it? Bids, low technical skill, and no business acumen in the decision-making process make the effort singularly based on price, not results.
It's a tough gig, but every now and then, an innovative project comes up overcoming systemic fear and the 'cover your ass' mentality.
This may be one such event.
Key highlights:
Khan Academy is developing an artificial intelligence-based tool, "Khanmigo," aiming to personalize and revolutionize education by integrating OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Khanmigo enables students to ask questions during lessons or videos, offering personalized and contextually aware responses.
Khan Academy launched a limited rollout of Khanmigo in March 2023, with wider availability planned for June 15.
As artificial intelligence evolves, businesses are leveraging powerful generative AI tools to revolutionize B2B sales, creative work, and office technology
Revolutionizing Sales: Greg's Word
The AI landscape is expanding rapidly, with countless applications and a deluge of information flooding the digital sphere by the minute.
In this ever-evolving context, I've decided to contribute my perspective.
The sales industry has been experiencing significant transformation over the past few decades, as the balance of power shifts from supply to demand. Today's prospects are more informed than ever, sometimes even possessing greater knowledge about your offerings than you do.
This is the dawn of a new era, where the internet has granted unparalleled access to information that was once exclusive to sales professionals. No longer.
The meteoric rise and widespread adoption of AI, AGI, and ChatGPT have brought forth an era of unprecedented challenges and unparalleled opportunities. In this rapidly changing landscape, there are no experts.
Sales, as a discipline, has evolved into a realm of professional engagement. AI is revolutionizing the field, weeding out mediocrity and elevating the best to even greater heights.
The myriad of sources and opinions on selling in this brave new world can be overwhelming, rendering the task of covering even a small fraction seemingly futile.
“Overall, most business leaders are impressed by ChatGPT’s work,” ResumeBuilder.com wrote in a news release. “Fifty-five percent say the quality of work produced by ChatGPT is ‘excellent,’ while 34% say it’s ‘very good.'”
“Accountants, factory workers, truckers, paralegals, and radiologists — just to name a few — will be confronted by a disruption akin to that faced by farmers during the Industrial Revolution,”
A recent article in Fortune talks about the elimination of jobs due to artificial intelligence.
Not in ten years or even ten minutes - it is already happing. The article starts out, "In the 10 or so days since its grand entrance, ChatGPT has been everywhere:..."
10 Days.
The article goes on to say, "Business leaders already using ChatGPT told ResumeBuilders.com say their companies already use ChatGPT for a variety of reasons, including 66% for writing code, 58% for copywriting and content creation, 57% for customer support, and 52% for meeting summaries and other documents."
The shift to remote work is leading to a decline in demand for traditional office space and an increase in vacancies.
This trend means that businesses will reevaluate their office space requirements and look for ways to reduce real estate costs.
There will be an increased demand for technologies that enable remote work, which helps office technology salespeople tailor solutions to meet the changing needs of your customers.
This indicates a fundamental shift in the way businesses use office space. With more employees working from home, the demand for traditional office space is declining, leading to a significant increase in vacancies.
As a result, there may be an increased demand for technologies that enable remote work, such as video conferencing tools, collaboration software, and cloud-based storage solutions.
"Five Skills College Students Will Need for Their Future Careers" - WSJ. #Paywall: but come on!
New classes in AI ethics, climate-friendly design and how to be an entrepreneur in the metaverse are coming to campus
No Way is higher education future-ready by promoting TOPICAL curriculum. By the time the TA gets a syllabus together, it is obsolete.
Arm your students by teaching them the basics. Teach them HOW TO LEARN real world, on the street, business acumen, instead of empty course work designed to increase tuition, and sell professor's books.
Maybe the fall semester should include, "How to deal with a Recession.", "How to lay off employees during an economic downturn." or "Keeping the Social and Business Issues Separate."
"Whereof what's past is prologue; what to come, In yours and my discharge..."
The die was cast a decade ago; the rise, fall, and rise again of managed print services was foreseen. Even as office printing wanes, and withers, we are amid a Managed Print Services (MpS) Renaissance and age of enlightenment.
"Remote work is accelerating the A4 shift at lightning speed, ransomware and bad actors heighten the need for analog backups (paper), user authentication and print tracking/control are becoming normal, and that all adds up to new ways of doing business and new opportunities to manage that print."
Those survivors stand at yet another precipice:
Do we move forward with managed print services, or do we leave it in the dustpan of history?
Much is being said about how the work-from-home movement will negatively impact the corporate culture.
What is Corporate Culture:
"Corporate culture refers to the beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company's employees and management interact and handle outside business transactions. Often, corporate culture is implied, not expressly defined, and develops organically over time from the cumulative traits of the people the company hires." - Investopedia
Long established and organically grown, corporate culture resists outside influences - you, as a salesperson are an outside influence, especially in the post-Covid age.
Today, implemented managed print services still presents a shock to the system and a threat to the 'how we've always done it' position.
Visualize an MpS implementation as an enhancement to your customer's existing workflow.
How can you cut through the fear of change, when that fear is on the global pandemic level? Go with the flow.
One of the first articles I wrote was about implementing a managed print services program and the risks of ignoring corporate culture in the process.
Back then, we were concerned about the impact of reducing devices on the way people felt about their jobs. MpS engagements were new; they changed the way toner was ordered and revealed how the number and location of devices could be a shock to the system.
Today, implementing new services is a shock to the system because it threatens the 'how we've always done it' position.
Visualize an MpS implementation as an enhancement to your customer's existing workflowand be 'like water.'
Workflow is about optimizing the processes of everyday business tasks. In other words, it’s how work gets done. Change is guaranteed, and the corporate culture at the organizational, departmental, or personal level can’t help but be influenced.
I once heard a really smart guy say, “Culture kills process every day.” It’s something we should all keep in mind.
After years of talking about it, we now have the opportunity to do what we said we would be never did...
"Business Acumen and Professional Selling", I believe is the next stage in sales - inside and outside of the imaging niche.
Customers and prospects demand and deserve more. They want more than data, knowledge, experience, and wisdom.
Join us for a riveting conversation around this subject and start your journey.
For decades, at least since the 70's, sales reps have been posing their products as "solutions to problems". From Wiki:
"Frank Watts developed the sales process dubbed "solution selling" in 1975. Watts perfected his method at Wang Laboratories. He began teaching solution selling as an independent consultant in 1982."
This was big through the '80s, 90's and still stands today. Yet, "Solution sales" has become little more than a slogan. Closer to the truth, "Solution Sales: As long as the solution is my product or services."
Don't get me wrong, solution selling was a great advancement in the field of B2B sales. Solution selling is foundational in professional selling. Billions of dollars have traded hands based on this approach. Anything I promote rests on the shoulders of people greater than I.
Evolution happens. I believe an enhancement to solution selling is Business Acumen Selling. (BAS)
BAS is not about working leads through the selling cycle, understanding your leasing strategies, building good cases and presentations. It does not refer to a salesperson's ability to demonstrate a device or piece of software nor does BAS have anything to do with how well you update the CRM or forecast the next 90 days.
Business Acumen for Selling is:
Understanding - Recognizing the business model your prospects work within, understanding if you have and exactly where your place in their model resides, and the impact of your presence.
Comparative Analysis - Consistently acquiring knowledge, building acumen across commercial industries, vertical markets, and niches, and utilizing that knowledge.
Deep Conversations - Conveying your understanding of the existing environment and articulating your value within their ecosystem.
Most seasoned professionals have a sense of BAS honed through years of fieldwork and thousands of appointments. My goal is to formalize and shorten the timeline required to learn and apply BAS; especially for the new sales representative.
Our courses are designed to give selling professionals the tools necessary to gain knowledge, distill knowledge into acumen and articulate both an understanding of prospects' environment and the impact of adding the sales reps offering into the client's business model.
"We have to start doing what was said we were doing but never did."
We're all talking about the "new" ways to sell.
Covid19 is forcing galactic shifts in the way we do business; from the back-office to the sales trenches. What I find striking is the more we talk about what needs to be done in a post Covid19 sales engagement, the more we find the basic selling skills apply more than ever.
Here are a few of the concepts and skills presented over the decades regarding sales and selling:
Build Trust
Attract Like-Minded Prospects
Consult
Be the Trusted advisor
Increase Your Business Acumen
The books, lectures, and classes of the past decades all told us to be more a consultant and experts in our industry. Lately, in the last decade, salespeople have been told to become thought leaders, create content, find a 'good match', and help the prospect in their purchasing journey.
We've been saying it for decades. These are basic skills. Now is the time to ACTUALLY do what we have been saying we do. Engage the basics, and get to the root of the art of selling. Once we do this, virtual selling will return to 'Selling'.
The past few months, paid ‘experts’ yelled “change or die”. It’s been a broken record for decades. In the end, no matter how loud and often these pundits shout, “You are not changing!”, you HAVE changed – you ARE changed. It is inevitable – everyone and everything transforms.
Instructing us to change is nostalgic.
Today, in the turbulence that is Covid19 are the ways of 2019 still viable? Your customers have changed. They now wish for fewer face to face meetings, prefer working with an existing relationship, and no longer consider “remote” a dirty word. Many companies are moving to a remote working relationship with employees.
Today, every dealer is looking for a way to deal with a declining industry by offering new services, or through merger or acquisition, and when it comes to attracting outside funding or merger candidates, the window is closing.
And that’s OK; it is the way of things.
Here are some ideas for a newbie to copier sales:
“Ignorance is bliss”
I’m not recommending you shove your head in the sand and ignore the reality that is the copier industry circa 2019 — we are ALL experiencing external pressures on our everyday lives. Focusing on what we can influence, like cold calls and presentations, has always been the best approach. Go about your routines and keep an ear to the ground. Establish a network of contacts inside and outside the industry and always be improving your personal business acumen. If you are working for a family-owned dealership but are not in the family, keep your options open.
“Business as usual”
Staff reductions and reduced real-estate footprints are frequent. Smaller dealers are being gobbled up by bigger organizations every day. Still, the standard press release after a merger or acquisition relates something along the lines of, “We look forward to offering our clients exceptional service during this transition,” which is a true statement. But looking back in time, it’s easy to find examples of mergers and acquisitions initially removing redundant functions, then ultimately reducing costs through staff write-downs; it is a consistent formula.
Concentrate on your 30-day cycle — that’s the best thing to do. Keep the sales coming in, and maintain your personal standing. But don’t stop there. Build out your LinkedIn presence and be more than just a lurker.
Contribute on social media without being a sycophant, and crystalize your personal brand, not your current employer.
“Will I have a job 12 months from now?”
In copier sales there is a magical milestone: to see if you can make it through the first 12 months of your copier sales career. So make it through. Sell stuff while learning your business processes and client digital transformation experiences. Work with your...
Another theme in the recent "sales revolution" is "differentiation".
I remember back in the olden days of sales, whenever a trainer would ask a new sales rep, "What makes your company different from your competitors?" undoubtably, the newbie would spit out, "My company has me as your sales person. The biggest difference between my company and my competitors is Me!"
Back then, this response was a major Fail.
Irony -
Today, building your personal brand is more important than building your employer's brand. Today, when you become an "expert in your field" YOU add value to your employer.
So, if every other sales rep become more authentic, more serving, and less speeds and feeds oriented, one day, everyone will still be saying the same thing in the same manner.
For the ultimate diversification, I go back to acquiring Business Acumen. Acumen cannot be commoditized - your specific history, the path you've traveled while acquiring knowledge is yours and yours alone.
Do this:
Learn from all your prospects
Read general business books
Study impact of technology on your dealership
If you haven't started acquiring knowledge, get to it, today.
“Business acumen” (BA) selling is what your prospects want today.
You’ve heard them all:
“Tell a story.”
“Use LinkedIn.”
“Sell the sizzle.”
“Sell our solutions.”
“Cold calling works.”
“It’s a numbers game.”
“Put that coffee down.”
“Email follow-up works.”
“Sell on social networks.”
“Research your prospects.”
“Reach the decision maker.”
“Present like a professional.”
“Increase your efforts by 10.”
“Become the trusted advisor.”
“Develop your personal brand.”
“Learn how to demo your devices.”
“Enhance the customer experience.”
“Probe for weaknesses, confirm, trial close, handle objections and present our solution.”
As a new copier rep, you’ll be forced to endure hours of being taught every selling technique ever created. You may find them new, but these schemes are timeless; repeated through the eons. And that is the problem. These standards are not nostalgic or even proven — they are old-fashioned. Prospects today learn product details without attending manufacturer-sponsored classes. The basic elements of a sale remain the same: We exchange value for the value given. This will never change. What has transformed is the volume of relevant information available to your prospects.
Sure, to be successful you’ve got to understand your product. But viewing your clients’ businesses holistically and effectively communicating your real-world understanding of them is the way forward. The future is business acumen selling.
This is a high-end concept, and it becomes more relevant every day. As prospects gain knowledge, the typical salesperson degrades in value.
So don’t be typical.
Knowing good business practices, basic operational procedures and... read the rest here.
The latest thing in MpS, not necessarily the newest thing, is "Workflow". You should be picking up more chatter about workflow - you may even hear, "if you don't get into workflow, your dealership will die..." (Insert grain of salt, here.)
What does this all mean? What impact will this movement have upon the imaging industry, if at all? Is this more hype, like color, digital, connected, and MpS? Weren't we just evangelizing "managed network services"? (there is no such thing in the IT world, BTW)
As we did so many years ago learning the ways of MpS, let's start with the basics: a standard, run of the mill, definition of 'workflow' -
"Workflow is a term used to describe the tasks, procedural steps, organizations or people involved, required input and output information, and tools needed for each step in a business process." - SearchCIO
Notice this does not specifically, or exclusively, refer to production printing workflow - Job submission can be represented as a workflow, but it is NOT the only example of workflow.
To some, the idea of defining how one does their job and daily business functions may sound complicated. Throw in the notion that workflow is usually expressed in the form of flowcharts, and the concept seems even more unreachable.
All one does is determine how a process is completed, document the observed steps, and investigate bottlenecks. As a matter of fact, if you've been selling copiers or printers or even MpS for any amount of time, I'm guessing you've embarked on the beginnings of workflow.
Let's take a look at an example, a purchase requisition (yawwwwwn). The following chart reflects a very basic process from requisition to purchase order:
This is a pretty straightforward flow with no deviation. Notice how the arrows suggest a motion or flow from one rectangle to the next. All flowchart shapes carry specific meaning - rectangles are processes, diamonds decision points, and so on.
Of course, workflow diagrams can become pretty complex and detailed. Below is a workflow chart for a system relating to data entry.
You can imagine how detailed a workflow diagram can get.
For me, it was always easier to jot down a quick workflow on the clipboard, binder, or today, on the tablet.
Here is an illustration of the decision process involved in installing a DCA, outlined on the Pad:
It makes sense to me so converting to Visio is a snap:
Approximate time to create, 12 minutes.
This isn't rocket surgery, scratching out drawings is just the beginning. Apply your business acumen, a little software, and professional consultation into the equation, ultimately exchanging your knowledge for value.
How do you develop the ability to recommend and provide workflow systems to your existing MpS clients? Is it too much to get into? Can be. One thing is for sure, this isn't "hype" or "noise" - those who say so, do not get it - fain attention, then go back to work.
Welcome to the beginnings of Workflow. You won't get this stuff at the Monday morning sales meeting.
Copiers, printers, scanners, fax, print servers, cloud print, duplex, scan-once-print-many, color, analog to digital, laser, inkjet, managed print services, to managed services...our turbulent path has crossed many borders, hills, and valleys.
Lots of things have changed since Chester pulled together his seven steps and yet, much remains the same. The print world moves slowly. Like a river cutting the Grand Canyon, a real, significant change occurs over decades(which seem like eons).
For the Change Agents, this is the apogee of frustration. We saw the true meaning of managed print services and the future of print. The signs were there before the HP split, before the debacle that was Xerox/Fuji.
We predicted the need to shift from selling from boxes to solutions to business acumen, in 2007. We saw the "P" change to "p" in MpS. The time was then.
Along the way, a few early adopters burned the ships. Back then, what we saw as secular most experts called a fad. I remember presenting the Internet of Things back in 2012. Interesting and way ahead of the curve.
No longer frustration; we're morose. It is sad to look at the missed opportunities. Volumes are dropping so how can an OEM still release 13 or more new models?
Is it ignorance? No, everybody is printing less and has been for a decade. It's not a secret.
Is it stupidity? No, back in the day, these folks were THE technology innovators.
Is it the continued propagation of a bygone belief that if you build it, they will buy? Yes. More succinctly, it is the undying grip on the past, unrelenting fear of change, and stubborn faith that if "we can hang on, we'll flourish".
Although purchasing devices, customers are placing a reduced number - worse, if there is a copier on every floor, nobody is using it. Volumes are down to around 2,000 images a month.
The consolidation continues, independent dealers coagulate and OEMs dissolve, as the niche works through its annihilation.
Options are getting scarce, but there are painful opportunities: Medical equipment, BI, Energy Management, and more. We've just got to let go.
Fortunately, we see the end is near.
We can make plans, see friends, write letters and move to the next stage, confident and aware.
Long ago, a decade seemed like forever; "1999" was a far-off party, and 2001 was so distant, that it was science fiction.
When I was young, I couldn't imagine where'd I be beyond 2008. Today, decades fade away, "like tears in the rain..."
Ten revolutions around the Sun
120 Months
521.4 Weeks 3,650 Days
87,000 Hours
At its peak, The Death of the Copier was coveted; worth stealing. Not for the plain talk, but for the audience.
In 2008, we were busy back-slapping and congratulating ourselves for selling machines like popcorn. The future was bright; it was never going to end.
Ikon was a huge channel of 'independent' dealers.
Xerox was like Kleenex.
Ricoh and Canon punched it out for the second and third position.
HP was on the edge with Edgeline.
The rest of the pack was just that, a pack.
Back then, few were 'blogging' about copiers. Out here on the inter-webs, nobody was talking about workflow, managed print services, IT, or business acumen. Newsletters, magazines, and trade shows were the vehicles of delivery.
On this 10th year anniversary, I've traveled back to the future, re-visiting stories of the love, toner, blood, and tragedy that is DOTC.
"5. LinkedIn - MySpace is all grown up. Much more mature than Facebook with real contacts and real business and NO high school moms pretending to be CEOs...well, maybe. Quite by chance, I fell into LinkedIn. Early, I joined MySpace, Facebook, Plaxo, etc. - but LinkedIn, for some reason has held my attention and gets most of my input when it comes to "social networking"."- 2008.
I talked about Managed Print Services, how copier reps won't naturally progress into the niche, how real MpS requires IT and copier knowledge, and something called Business Acumen. It was like speaking Latin.
"A copier salesperson does not directly translate into an MPS specialist.
Nor does an IT Services salesperson translate into an MPS Specialist. It takes both IT experience and copier experience and a great deal of general, C-level, business experience. That holy grail of Professional Selling, "Business Acumen". Someone with the "Big Picture" insight and manage the details of a solution."
Honestly, the more things change, the more they stay the same. It's been ten years and we're still struggling to find managed print nirvana.
We still sell copiers.
How about this one from 2011? Inspired by the movie Jerry McGuire -
"MPS isn't the end-all, it isn't the only reason to exist - it never has been. Still, with everybody getting in and as many as 50% failing, what now? With all the OEMs defining MPS ... and reclassifying direct accounts, how can we continue? Touch More. More Human Touch. Less PowerPoint. No WebEx meetings, toss the 50 slide business summaries. Instead, press the flesh. Draw on a napkin. Do that thing we do as sales professionals, look him in the eye and say "thank you, what more can we do, today?" "Oddest, most unexpected thing..." Success and change aren't always a result of design. Innovation encroaches from another direction; from the left as we look right, from behind as we look ahead. Few ever see it coming. So it is today. As some deny the paperless revolution is near, companies like Alaska Air outfit their 1,400 pilots with iPads. Apple is making the textbook obsolete and banks accept pictures of checks for deposits. Your kids, don't call each other anymore, they use their thumbs. From social media to MpS, everything is new and unpredicted - there are no experts - the world moves faster than ever before. No benchmarks, no 'metrics', no comparison, no rules. Waiting for the revolution? It's already here. "The Me I always wanted to be" - Trust Trust. It is a big word and one of the first MPS Conference keynote speaker attempted to rally behind stating,
"..Trust is something this industry has got to reclaim."
He is new. He doesn't understand to reclaim something, one must have first possessed it. "I had lost the ability to bullshit, ..." Our journey continues. The path is less bumpy when we build partnerships. Partnerships are easier to forge over a foundation of truth. Can you be true? Can you lose the ability to bullshit? If not to your prospects, at least with yourself. Or are you just another shark in a suit? Can you see the entire ecosystem? How about instead of optimizing a smidgen of hardware and some toner, you envision Optimizing Everything? That's right, everything. Managed Optimization Services.
"That's how you become great, man. Hang your balls out there."
Good Stuff.
What have WE, learned over the past ten years?
The Copier is nearly gone
Old ways die-hard
Situations rarely change, people do
My nostalgic jaunt inspired me to seek out memories from the pioneers of the copier-industry social media world.
Before Twitter. Before Instaglam. Before LI took off...there was Ken Stewart, Nathan Dube, Jim Lyons, and Art Post.
Can't remember EXACTLY how Greg and I became friends, but as what seemed like the only two bloggers in the industry back then it was inevitable we'd become friends as well as colleagues. A particular fond memory is when Greg had accepted an invitation to the Lyra Conference (Symposium) - where I'd gone from client to contributor. Greg and I had been in touch quite a bit but had never met face-to-face and several of the team (including Photizo folks in attendance, though this was before the merger) were excited to meet Mr. Death of the Copier. As we anticipated his arrival I remember enthusing that this was a very much-needed "young guy" we were welcomed into the fold!!!
Nothing stays the same, change is constant. There is nothing new in sales even though there are thousands of sales gurus on LinkedIn promoting their success when they haven't sold shit in years. There are many stubborn copier manufacturers that refuse to exit the channel. No one copies anymore. I've learned that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end of the roll, the faster it goes.
Thanks, guys, for reading DOTC and staying true.
Personally:
2008, I was married and living in the mountains of Southern California. 5,000 feet above sea level, an hour from the beach - "...things that have comforted me, I drive away..."
Since 2008, I've moved from SoCali to Charlotte to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin - "...this place that is my home, I cannot stay..."
Over 10 years, I've seen small businesses grow and flourish. I've met the best of the best and the worst of the worst - "...I come and stand at every door..."
I've Failed - "...If you've ever seen a one-legged dog then you've seen me..."
I've Succeeded - "...I always leave with less than I had before..."
I've become an expert at Starting Over - "...tell me, can you ask for anything more..."
Over the long haul, I've seen the extinction of the typewriter, witnessed the evaporation of the mini and mainframe, and bobbed along the turbulent manual-to-PC-to-network-to-internet-to-cloud waters.
I am fortunate to have a place to express myself. I'm blessed to be able to write what I would read and humbled others to find something, interesting and possibly entertaining.
10 Years. How about you?
On what field did you stand? Today, do you still stand?
Where will you be in 2028?
Two, three, four
Have you ever seen a one trick pony in the field so happy and free?
If you've ever seen a one trick pony then you've seen me
Have you ever seen a one-legged dog making his way down the street?
If you've ever seen a one-legged dog then you've seen me
Then you've seen me, I come and stand at every door
Then you've seen me, I always leave with less than I had before
Then you've seen me, bet I can make you smile when the blood, it hits the floor
Tell me, friend, can you ask for anything more?
Tell me can you ask for anything more?
Have you ever seen a scarecrow filled with nothing but dust and wheat?
If you've ever seen that scarecrow then you've seen me
Have you ever seen a one-armed man punching at nothing but the breeze?
If you've ever seen a one-armed man then you've seen me
Then you've seen me, I come and stand at every door
Then you've seen me, I always leave with less than I had before
Then you've seen me, bet I can make you smile when the blood, it hits the floor
Tell me, friend, can you ask for anything more?
Tell me can you ask for anything more?
These things that have comforted me, I drive away
This place that is my home I cannot stay
My only faith's in the broken bones and bruises I display
Have you ever seen a one-legged man trying to dance his way free?
If you've ever seen a one-legged man then you've seen me
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