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Monday, June 15, 2009

Lyra's Senior Analyst Cortney Kasuba Presents 'The Evolution of MPS: A Look Ahead' at Recharger Magazine's 2009 Managed Print Summit

I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Cortney at this year's Lyra Conference in Palm Springs.

She is engaging and will provide some very good information. Information derived from a large pool of data - 100,000 devices.

I recommend checking out this MPS Summit.


Press Release:

Newton, MA (PRWEB) June 15, 2009

Lyra Research announces that Lyra Senior Analyst Cortney Kasuba will present The Evolution of MPS: A Look Ahead, at the 2009 Managed Print Summit, a frontrunner event to Recharger Magazine's World Expo.

The inaugural Managed Print Summit will take place on August 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The summit shines the spotlight on managed print services (MPS) for aftermarket companies.

During her discussion, Kasuba will compare the MPS program offerings of select OEMs, supplies vendors, and channel players, and provide analysis on program strengths and weaknesses. She will also examine MPS implementations in a few select vertical markets. Utilizing real-world installed-base and print-volume data from Lyra's Office Print Monitor (OPM) information service, Kasuba will deliver examples of which verticals are best suited for MPS programs and insight into how MPS vendors can enhance their customer programs to create bottom-line results.

"We value the opportunity to be part of the Recharger's first Managed Print Summit and to share Lyra's analysis of both the more traditional MPS providers and some of the new players," said Kasuba. "We also appreciate the chance to provide the Summit's aftermarket audience with an understanding of the nuances of vertical markets and 'real-world' printing trends to help them create high-impact MPS programs."

Scheduling an Analyst Meeting during the Event -

To schedule an analyst meeting with Ms. Kasuba during the conference, please contact Kasuba at 617-454-2662 or ckasuba(at)lyra.com.

About Office Print Monitor

Lyra's Office Print Monitor information service helps printer and copier vendors track changes regarding where and how hard copy is output. The OPM service also enhances Lyra's coverage of office printing by combining real-world corporate printing data, powered by PrintFleet, with Lyra's strategic analysis, forecast and installed-base data, and detailed hard copy specifications.

Through its relationship with PrintFleet, Lyra has established an ever-expanding panel of hard copy devices that are monitored in real time. The current panel consists of more than 100,000 hard copy devices in nearly 5,000 corporations throughout North America.

OPM includes five components--expert consultation, snapshots of specific corporate printing attributes, in-depth analysis reports of key trends, indexes, and optional client-defined customized data reports.

For more information on this service, please contact Tom Sandock at 617-454-2621 or tsandock(at)lyra.com.

Lyra Research: The Digital Imaging Authority

Lyra Research collaborates with imaging industry decision makers worldwide, enabling clients to strengthen their market position and achieve profitable growth. Lyra's expert analysts and editors help clients devise and implement creative solutions to business challenges, arming them with competitive intelligence, strategic and tactical advice, news and analysis, and market forecasts.

Since 1991, Lyra's custom research and consulting, advisory services, award-winning journals, and innovative events have set the standard for analysis of imaging hardware, consumables, and digital photography markets.

Visit www.lyra.com to learn more about how Lyra can be your strategic business partner.

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Saturday, June 13, 2009

Weekend is Time for Fun: The Blue Angels from inside the Cockpit

I occasionally run into video that is pretty interesting - this one is cool. But has nothing to do with MPS:

Check it:





Friday, June 12, 2009

The Managed Print Service Party Has Started: Endless Summer or Summer of Discontent?

Yes, I know - the original quote is "Winter of Discontent" - my apologies to the "Bard"

A post on the "Adventures in Office Imaging" blog by Expert Laser Services piqued my interest because it was about a post on the Photizo blog and related to "MPS Newbies".

While adding the "Adventures..." blog to my roll it struck me, there was a time when I had just 3 blogs on my roll - because they were the only ones talking Managed Print Services - that was just over a year ago.

Today, hundreds if not thousands of us are betting on an Endless Summer.

For better or worse, the MPS party is getting crowded and everyone is trying to dance to the music.

In the past 30 days there have been so many Managed Print Services related announcements my Google New Alerts nearly burnt up.

I'm not going to list out all the announcements, that isn't important.

What is important is how the market is responding - is it?

Are prospects calling you asking you for Managed Print Service advice?

Are they begging for an "Assessment"? No?

Are they still worried about first copy out time?

The buzz has been building since ITex - and now it seems that we(all of us on this side of the desk) have locked and loaded- ready to rock the MPS world.

The way I see it, the current iteration of Managed Print Services began around 2006.

And as much as some say they "...have been doing MPS for 20 years..." the application of asset and life cycle management, work flow analysis, right-sizing and work flow optimization to office output, are recent additions to the original definition of MPS.

The dust is settling. The Second Wave of MPS execution is beginning in earnest.

And still, we struggle.

The BTA is desperately seeking Alpha.

MPS Sales Classes are no doubt filling up.

Have we gotten to the point where the only ones making money in MPS are the "consultants", the "MPS Marketing" firms and the "MPS Sales Training" companies?

When the music stops, who will still have a chair and will the hangover be more then we can bear?




Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Death of the Mouse



We are usually talking about output or presented information - but for every output there is some input.

The Mouse is Dead - Long live the mouse.

Check this out.


Monday, June 8, 2009

Nikkei Sees 40% decrease in combined Profits:Canon, Ricoh, Fuji, Konica Minolta


Profits Fade At Top Copier Makers As Toner Sales Thin

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Japan's four leading precision machinery makers -- Canon Inc. (7751), Ricoh Co. (7752), Fujifilm Holdings Corp. (4901) and Konica Minolta Holdings Inc. (4902) -- are expected to see their combined operating profits sink 40% in fiscal 2009 as sales of toner and other high-margin office supplies languish.

Couple this report with information back in May from Erupoe:

"...British companies selling and leasing Japanese manufactured goods have been forced to up their prices after negative GBP to Euro and Euro to Yen exchange rate trends worsen, forcing­ an ­inc­rea­se in cost prices..."


And...

"Genuine parts?­­­-

The cost price increase inclu­des all genuine parts and toner supplied by the photocopier manufacturers. This means businesses offering leasing of copiers are suddenly seeing substantially increased costs to replace toner and service these devices. Some companies might be tempted to use sub-standard parts and toner to try to keep costs down.

Many of the parts and toners that are not genuine brands are manufactured outside Japan and so do not have the same problems of negative exchange rate trends. These products therefore remain cheap to purchase. However,­ most reputable and reliable photocopier companies would only ever use genuine parts and toner.

Non-genuine parts and toner can not only make the manufacturer's warranty invalid but are often of sub-standard quality meaning that the prints they create are of a poor standard and they may ruin the device or decrease its lifespan.­.."

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Managed Print Services Assessments - They Do Not Work, Stop Doing Them

2/2009

My first assessment was for 1,100 units. The next one was for 823. And my third assessment was for 523 devices.

A 25 machines assessment took 30 days.

That was over a year ago.

Insanity.

You would think I would have learned.

An early Photizo study revealed that doing an assessment gave you a 50% chance of closing the engagement.

While at the Managed Print Services Conference in San Antonio I agreed with this statistic and mentioned that I closed 50% of the studies/assessments that I performed.

I neglected to say that after no longer doing Assessments, my closing rate went up to 94%.

Interesting, eh?

With just about everybody pitching MPS and free assessments - one needs to ask how much value can something that is free honestly carry?

And let me tell you this, if I do get into a position to be the "second" one in a deal, I get all the data that the person before me obtained - all of it, the spreadsheet, costs, and everything.

So what to do, what to do...

Ask questions, don't do an "assessment".

Take a tour of the complex, don't perform a "survey".

Install your "Supplies Monitoring" software, not your "Data Collection Agent".

Write your findings down and discuss them with your client, in two pages or less; don't let your software generate a stodgy, canned, boilerplate with spreadsheets. Run from PowerPoint.

Use your brain. Use your mind, not a spreadsheet. Present ideas, not proposals.

Just my 0.020 worth, but after all, it is my blog.

Sell-On!

The Single Most Important Tool In Managed Print Services


Click to email me.



Thursday, June 4, 2009

Tank Man : Remember this?

What are you complaining about today?

What's your beef?

Cold calls got you down?

Your Sales Manager is an idiot?

No RFP's come in today?

Your demo room is a mess and half the machines don't work?

Your technician is trying to sell your clients Gucci knock-offs from the Philippines?

Still looking/waiting for all that "Hope and Change"?

Is there a tank in your way? Two tanks? A column of tanks?

20 years ago, this one event changed China forever. In theory, Communism combined with Capitalism should be like the old "matter vs anti-matter" argument, the two should implode.

Well, it's officially the Land of Bizzaro, because yesterday, a Chinese manufacturer, not even an automobile manufacturer, bought Hummer from the dying "Generous Motors".

My oh my, "...How are the mighty fallen...!"



Check this pic out of Tank Man from street level - YIKES!





I may lose my Chinese readers with this one.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Fuji Xerox: to take 2-3 yrs for demand to recover

Reuters -

TOKYO, June 3 (Reuters) - Japan's Fuji Xerox Co said it will take several years for global office equipment demand to return to levels seen before the financial crisis, with the sales outlook for industrial nations particularly murky.

Fuji Xerox, a copier and printer joint venture between Fujifilm Holdings (4901.T) and Xerox Corp (XRX.N), said it plans to focus on growth areas such as digital commercial printing operations to drive sales. Digital commercial printers are used to produce such documents as product manuals and direct mail quickly and in large volume, and are a fast-growing segment of the printer market.


Asked how soon the global office machine market is likely to see a full-fledged recovery in demand, Fuji Xerox President Tadahito Yamamoto said: "My answer is 'still uncertain'.

"In Japan and the United States and Europe it's still difficult to tell. I think it will take another two to three years," Yamamoto said at a meeting with reporters on Wednesday.

Parent Fujifilm expects sales by its document solutions section, which shows Fuji Xerox's performance, to fall 7.2 percent in the year to March 2010 to 1 trillion yen ($10.5 billion).

Yamamoto said Fuji Xerox aims to double its revenues from digital commercial printing operations and document-related outsourcing to 400 billion yen by the year to March 2014.

In document-related outsourcing, Fuji Xerox carries out such tasks as brochure and direct mail design, business letter and invoice printing, and hardware maintenance for companies, schools and governments.

Shares in Fujifilm closed up 2 percent at 2,845 yen, outperforming the Nikkei average .N225, which gained 0.4 percent.

Fuji Xerox is owned 75 percent by Fujifilm and 25 percent by Xerox of the United States. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Michael Watson)

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Copier Sales People Destroy Managed Print Services Opportunities: Daily

June 2009 -

It will not matter how many "MPS Training Programs" start scrambling out of the darkness.

Hire all the "MPS Experts" in the world, it won't make a difference.

Get the hottest, newest, collection agent that can generate a highly professional appearing yet canned proposal.

Toshiba, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Samsung, Xerox, or Canon MPS training programs are doomed to fail and will result in nothing more than frustration and lost potential.

Why? Because Old dogs abhor change and Dogma flourishes.

I keep going back to this saying, "...at the beginning of the month, we all sell solutions, but in the last week of the month, we move a box..." - is the copier dealer/manufacturer sales manager's mantra.

Managed Print Services: Six "Need to Know's" from Photizo Group

This is a cut and paste, of an article from the Photizo blog - great stuff.

All points are relevant, especially for all of the "newbs" in the niche.

One point - not only are these arguments based on studies, I have seen evidence of all six, in the field.

Good read.

Six Things You Should Know About Managed Print Services

1. On average, companies save $1M (30% of total hardcopy cost), reduce hardcopy (printer, copier, and MFP) carbon emissions by 60%, and free up 10% of their IT staff who were previously devoted to supporting printers by implementing a Managed Print Services strategy.

Firms of all sizes are seeing significant benefits from implementing an MPS strategy. By outsourcing the entire ‘document production’ process including the hardcopy devices, document workflow strategy, and support services, customers are able to achieve a significant reduction in cost while achieving significant environmental benefits.

Source: The Photizo Group’s analysis of 105 Managed Print Service engagements using pre-and post-MPS engagement data. Justifying MPS Webinar – February 2009


2. Managed Print Services is more than just Cost Per Copy or providing an assessment to right size the fleet. Managed Print Services (MPS) entails the outsourcing of the fleet and document strategy to ensure the customer’s business process optimization goals are met.


In order to do this, an MPS provider must act as a professional services firm which offers multiple services in order to meet the customers requirements. In fact, over 70% of all MPS engagements include all of the following components:

• Vendor returns service call in 2 hours
• Next day service response time
• Understanding color print/copy requirements
• Same day service (4-hr response)
• Device installation
• Help desk services
• Assessment provided for the initial MPS agreement
• End user training
• Parts depot close to user sites
• 24x7 customer service line
• Recommendations on device deployment
• Remote or on-site monitoring of devices

Source: The Photizo Group’s on-going study of Managed Print Service engagements in North America and Western Europe. The firm collects data from over 700 MPS decision makers each year.

3. Managed Print Services is the fastest growing segment of the imaging industry. In fact, the MPS market is growing at a compound annual growth rate of over 25% a year. In fact, the market will reach over $45B annually by 2013. By 2013 Managed Print Services will represent over 35% of the total imaging market and over 35% of all business print devices will be under a Managed Print Services contract.

Source: The Photizo Group’s 2009 MPS Market Size, Share, and Forecast Report.

4. There are three stages which customers go through in the adoption of Managed Print Services.

The first stage is to gain control of the fleet. 29% of all MPS engagements are at this stage. 47% of all MPS engagements are at the second stage, the stage of optimizing the fleet to ensure devices are deployed in the most efficient and effective manner. 23% of all MPS engagements are at the third stage of MPS, enhancing the business process. The third stage is about enhancing business processes by engaging document workflow and document management solutions.

Source: The Photizo Group’s on-going study of Managed Print Service engagements in North America and Western Europe. The firm collects data from over 700 MPS decision makers each year.

5. IT is typically the department responsible for managing the Managed Print Services engagement. In fact, 60% of the time, the IT department manages the MPS engagement.

Source: The Photizo Group’s on-going study of Managed Print Service engagements in North America and Western Europe. The firm collects data from over 700 MPS decision makers each year.

6. Hybrid dealers will dominate the Managed Print Services market. Hybrid dealers are those resellers (both dealers and IT VARs) who have transitioned from a hardware centric business model to a professional services business model based on delivering Managed Print Services. Hybrid dealers and ‘committed’ dealers (dealers who are committed to making this business model transition) make up less than 25% of all resellers and dealers. Fence sitting and ‘testing’ resellers (traditional hardware centric resellers) make up over 75% of all resellers.

The Photizo Group predicts that half of these traditional resellers will be out of business within the next five years as they fail to make the transition to the new business model.

Source: The Photizo Group’s Hybrid Dealer Report (Published January 2009)

The Photizo Group believes that Managed Print Services represents a disruptive business model which will affect all aspects of the value chain, including manufacturers, distribution channels, and other service providers.

Firms that make the transition to a professional services led business model will achieve a significant competitive advantage over firm’s which retain the traditional hardware centric business model. Understanding the evolution of this new business model is critical to all participants in the industry, including end users.

Excerpts from this article may be used as long as the Photizo Group is credited as the source.

The Photizo Group is the leading research and consulting firm in Managed Print Services, and the only research and consulting firm, which derives a majority of its revenue from the Managed Print Services market. The firm provides research, consulting, and market insights to customers, resellers, and manufacturers.

Phone: (859) 873-4518

Web




Monday, June 1, 2009

Goodbye 2008 SIX Months Later - My List of the Best Lists

"Top 10's", "Best of 2008", "Most Memorable" -

There must be 10's of thousands of year end lists.

Here are a few that I like:

The 10 Biggest HP Stories of 2008 ChannelWeb

10 Burning Questions In Print And Imaging ChannelWeb

What I Learned About Selling in 2008 Bryan Neale. Caskey sales training - I haven't attended any of their classes but I have been getting the PodCast since the very beginning - great stuff!

Adieu 2008 Andrew Keen - you don't know him? Check him out.



Contact Me

Greg Walters, Incorporated
greg@grwalters.com
262.370.4193