Education, Managed Print Services and Reducing Costs? It Will Never Work.

Managed Print Services Market Shows Strong Commitment to North American MPS Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 15, 2010

Sold-out exhibits, expanded sessions signal enthusiastic interest from MPS end users and providers

LEXINGTON, KY -- The managed print services market continues to command attention from channel pros and end users alike, and the North American market has long been one of the most active arenas, with a history of over ten years of MPS engagements. North America accounted for 50 percent of the total global MPS market in 2008, and it continues to grow at a healthy 27 percent compounded annual growth rate.

To keep the momentum, MPS end users and providers have sought and found information and contacts at forums like the annual MPS Conferences. The market has responded enthusiastically to the upcoming 2010 North American MPS Conference May 3-5 in San Antonio, TX. Exhibit space is sold out, and the agenda has been expanded to three speaking tracks to accommodate increased attendance and interest.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 15, 2010

Sold-out exhibits, expanded sessions signal enthusiastic interest from MPS end users and providers

LEXINGTON, KY -- The managed print services market continues to command attention from channel pros and end users alike, and the North American market has long been one of the most active arenas, with a history of over ten years of MPS engagements. North America accounted for 50 percent of the total global MPS market in 2008, and it continues to grow at a healthy 27 percent compounded annual growth rate.

To keep the momentum, MPS end users and providers have sought and found information and contacts at forums like the annual MPS Conferences. The market has responded enthusiastically to the upcoming 2010 North American MPS Conference May 3-5 in San Antonio, TX. Exhibit space is sold out, and the agenda has been expanded to three speaking tracks to accommodate increased attendance and interest.

The second annual North American MPS Conference focuses on the theme: “MPS: The Next Stage” and offers case studies, techniques, and ideas for moving to the next stage of MPS engagements. MPS decision makers, vendors and channel partners have signed up in record numbers to benefit from a rich agenda of relevant topics. Photizo Group, the leading research firm specializing in the printing and imaging industry, hosts the popular MPS Conference series, which have brought educational programs to MPS markets around the world.
Stellar Line Up of Industry Professionals

The North American MPS Conference promises a stellar line up of speakers, with multiple keynote presentations, as well as the definitive “State of the Industry” session delivered by Ed Crowley of Photizo Group. The keynote presenters are:

· Mark Boelhouwer, Vice President of Strategic Marketing, Ricoh Americas Corporation

· Dena Bernard, Director, Customer Satisfaction and Services, Oki Data Americas, Inc.

· Jason Evans, founding partner and CEO of PEQ Service + Solutions (which was acquired by Buchanan Technologies last year) and recently featured in MPSmentor

Chasing Customers, Outrunning Competitors

According to the Photizo Group, the most significant growth factors during the next two years will be evolution of distribution channels, continued focus on cost savings and aggressive vendor programs. The MPS Conference agenda provides a number of sessions geared to these information needs. The expanded three-track format offers targeted education covering a number of MPS areas. A diverse range of managed print services topics such as best practices in implementing managed print services, sales and marketing best practices, change management, transforming the dealership, and selling into the SMB market are all part of the industry’s only dedicated MPS conference.

“Expanding the agenda gives attendees ample opportunities to attend all the sessions they want. With much at stake for participants in this multi-billion dollar industry, it’s important to adjust and accommodate their educational needs and interests,” said Photizo Group CEO Ed Crowley. Photizo Group estimates that the MPS market is currently worth over $25 billion globally and projects it will be a $60 billion market by 2013. “Channel professionals and vendors are also coming on board in record numbers. With the nearly sold out exhibit area, attendees are sure to find solutions and advice to support their MPS goals. The across-the-board enthusiasm and support signal strong interest in the red-hot managed print services market, and the conference is designed to provide the information necessary for success.”

Best Practices, Best Networking

The conference features case studies, panels, exhibitions and interactive sessions that highlight successful approaches and valuable takeaways from actual MPS engagements. Some of the practical topics covered at the San Antonio Conference are managing RFPs and contracts, financial models for MPS providers, and sales and marketing best practices. Decision makers, vendors and channel partners can also network and share their insights and experiences with MPS engagements.

Registration details and other conference information are available at http://www.mpsconference.com.

# # #
Click to email me.

MPS Job Openings Drop: Copier Sales Rep Want Ads Increase - Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot?

A want ad, specifically for MPS Sales, prompted me to take a quick look at the graphs provided by Indeed, and located at the bottom of this blog.

Stark contrast between "MPS Sales" and "Copier Sales" demand - as MPS Sales openings apparently tumble, the need for Copier Sales people has sky rocketed.

This is certainly not a scientific study but the graphs contribute fodder for discussion.

MPS Sales jobs listed here.

managed Print services sales Job Trends

Managed Print services sales jobs

copier sales Job Trends

copier sales jobs

Click to email me.

Bruce Dahlgren Defines Managed Print Services

"Bringing order to chaos.

There's a huge infrastructure that's built up inside the office environment composed of printers, copiers, scanners and fax machines. Firms have no real single view as to its cost and how much [physically] of it there is."


The article/advertisement is here.


Click to email me.

As of Today, Edgeline is Gone: The beginning of the End Started in Vancouver

Just under three years ago, Edgeline hit the market.

At the time, all the hoopla and programs felt like a plan, a strategy - not simply wishful thinking.

Over a year ago, January 27, 2009, I reported the shuttering of the Edgeline group in Vancouver.

I knew then.

For the last 12-15 months I have been counseling clients on this development and making plans.

Last month, I installed 15 Edgelines.

Between now and the end of May, I have five for sure and another 17 possible.

HP should discontinue product (and not tell anyone) more often.

Parts and supplies will be support for five years.

From InfoTrends InfoBlog, Robert Palmer writes:

"These types of MFPs are typically leased under a click-based service contract, and HP’s reseller channel is simply not equipped to support that type of sales/service motion..."

"...HP admitted as much when the Edgeline-based MFPs were announced, noting that the products would primarily be sold through direct engagements with large corporate accounts. The CM8050 and CM8060 served an important role for HP in its initial forray into Managed Print Services (MPS)..."

"...In short, HP does not have an adequate channel to move the volumes needed to support the Edgeline platform long term..."

That last sentence pretty much summed it up.

It was fun while it lasted, and the Edgeline technology will live on.

Today, it can be said, that HP is out of the copier business.

How much longer before HP evacuates the printing, hardware business all together?

See More Here.

Click to email me.

The Death of Printers: I've Been Saying It For Over a Year - HP Will Not Be Selling Printers

In an article by Jon Fortt, at Brainstorm Tech, HP's Bruce Dahlgren illustrates a future without printers; without printer sales people.

Indeed, Jon's article, title, "The death of a (printer) salesman" is ominous.

If not a bit cosmic.

I had a conversation the other day with an MPS Visionary who is starting to think that not only is MPS changing the copier channel, it is changing the Selling Model - Wow.

As sited here on DOTC, the shift has been underway from copier sales to more Business Acumen ever since MPS got "hot".

Here is the article, enjoy.

The death of a (printer) salesman
Posted by Jon Fortt, senior writer
March 30, 2010 7:00 AM

"In the near future, most big businesses won't actually buy printers. The shocker: HP is looking forward to that.


Enterprise printers aren't going away. But soon, most big companies will pay for the output, not the box. Photo: HP.

Bruce Dahlgren's job at Hewlett-Packard is to sell printers to big customers. Well, sort of. During a recent huddle in a conference room at Hewlett-Packard headquarters in Palo Alto, he was talking about what will happen when big customers stop actually buying printers.

Sound unthinkable? It’s not. Rather than purchase equipment that gets old and breaks down, these days a growing number of companies would rather let someone else own and manage the office copiers and printers — make sure they’re up-to-date, stocked with supplies and arranged in the most efficient way — and instead just pay for the work the equipment does. The model is called managed print services, and it’s all the rage.

In fact, it’s a big part of the reason Dahlgren is at HP (HPQ) in the first place.

Soon after HP CEO Mark Hurd arrived at the company five years ago, he recognized that the vaunted imaging and printing group wasn’t doing a great job with large businesses. Part of the problem: IPG executives were used to marketing to consumers, and lacked deep experience in enterprise sales.

Vyomesh Joshi, the printing group’s executive vice president, once told me that it was humbling, but he realized he needed Hurd's help to turn things around.

In a controversial move, Hurd brought in Dahlgren, a former colleague at NCR (NCR), to lead the enterprise printing business and spearhead managed print services. (Because of a legal dustup with previous employer Lexmark (LXK) regarding a non-compete agreement, he had to take some time overseeing Europe before settling into the role.) Since then, Dahlgren has been scrapping with the likes of Xerox (XRX) for share in the market.

So far the services business has grown to the point where HP manages 19 billion pages per year. The total value of all managed print services contracts stands at about $5.5 billion. Revenues have recently gotten large enough that HP executives review it separately from the other printing operations.

A race to print money

The spoils of the managed print services war should be considerable. Photizo Group, a research firm, estimates that by 2013 it will more than double into a $60 billion global market, and more than half of all enterprise printing devices will be under a services contract. Dahlgren says that today, only about a third of HP’s enterprise customers have begun using managed print services at all, and another third are evaluating it. “So I don’t shy away from a $1 million contract,” Dahlgren says. “Because I know that once we get in there, this thing really expands.”

In this environment, the company that locks up the most market share could eventually wield decisive influence over which enterprise printer and copier brands thrive. If HP wins, it gets to eat a big piece of Xerox’s business. If Xerox wins, it gets to do the same to HP.

So it makes sense for the printing giants to jockey for market share grab now, especially since businesses don’t want to buy equipment anyway and companies like HP can promise coveted cost savings from switching to the services model. But what happens when that stage is over, and investors still want profit growth in the imaging and printing segment?

Dahlgren has an idea of how it might work. He offers a customer as an example: HP had begun managing most printers and copiers for a hospital when someone noticed that the station for printing the hospital’s ID wristbands was located right near the admissions station. That would make it possible to print each patient’s picture, in color, right on the wristband.

Not only would it make it easier for hospital staff to check them, it would add a valuable layer of security. And in the print services contract, HP can charge more for the new wristband-printing service — similar to the way the cable company charges more for premium channels. Says Dahlgren: “Wouldn’t it be cool — we’re not there yet — but wouldn’t it be cool if when a doctor printed out a patient’s information, there was actually a picture there?”

It would be cool. And apparently profitable for HP, too."
----------------

Click to email me.