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.

Business Acumen - Another Contribution from Leopard David Ramos. "The World of Selling"

4/24/2011

By Dave Ramos

I was listening to this consultant/trainer speak at a national show this past week and he made the statement “The world of selling hasn’t changed much in recent years.” Then he continued to dole out the same old tired advice, instructions, and stupid clichés that were taught decades ago…at least the guy is consistent (see, I always spin it in the positive).

The only problem with his philosophy is that those teachings are the reasons, that today, so many salespeople more than ever are struggling to survive.

Here is what I know. The world of business, in general, has changed DRAMATICALLY. Yet for whatever reason, one area of business that has been remarkably stagnant and continues to fiercely resist change is sales.


Make 2011 about your personal development in your sales profession. Leave the stale, crusty, techniques of the past behind. Focus on effective techniques and self-education that will truly have an impact on your career. Focus on building and expanding your business network. If the CIO is your target in the MS or MPS world, then you should understand the network CIOs live in and connect wherever you can.

1. CIO’s team – cultivate relationships inside the circle. Learn who their staff is and learn to leverage contacts one level removed.
2. CIO’s peers – they are trusted more than any other source of information. References and referrals count. Learn how to ask for them and leverage them.
3. Also other relationships they might have with trusted supplier partners, consultants, etc...

Next, learn to do some research people. Did you know the #2 annoyance of technology buyers is reps showing up unprepared for meetings? Un-freaking-believable!!! You mean to tell me we go through all this effort to get a meeting then show up unprepared?! Here is a basic checklist that I use to test sales reps on their accounts prior to them engaging a prospect or client on an appointment.

1. Who is the account’s CEO, president or owner? Who are the key contacts by department?
2. What is the company’s highest priority goal or objective?
3. What is their mission/ vision/core values?
4. What is their key product or service?
5. Who is their toughest competitor?
6. What is the biggest problem they face in their industry?
7. Is there pending legislation that will affect their industry?
8. What is their greatest strength?
9. What is their strategy: a) Low-Cost b) Differentiation c) Niche Player?
10. Who is their largest customer?

Lastly, develop some business acumen. Business acumen can be described as an understanding of how a business works and what it takes to make it profitable. It is about comprehending topics such as amortization, assets, balance sheets, book value, cash flow, fixed assets, liquidity, margin and return on assets, to name just a few.

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Reading business publications and watch specific business channels can provide current information about business trends, markets, or economic factors affecting various businesses and industries.
2. Join a professional networking organization (there it is again, networking, sorry cold call lovers!) and association dedicated to sharing business information with their members can offer networking events, conferences, and seminars.
3. Attending evening or weekend courses focusing on business topics can build one’s knowledge on matters such as understanding financial statements and P&L (Profit & Loss), cash generation, or revenue growth.
4. Finding a mentor with a strong business understanding is a great way to learn how businesses operate. The mentor can be a co-worker, a former boss, or someone who is a member of the same professional association that you joined to do NETWORKING.

In today’s fast-moving world, we may face some of the same challenges, but the answers are constantly changing. If you do not continue your learning curve and have an open mind to alternative ideas and approaches, you will be left behind. Those who continually adapt are better at getting ahead, while those who insist on clinging to their old, “right” answers will become obsolete.

About the author: David Ramos is a sales operations consultant for Strategy Development, an industry management consulting and advance sales training firm providing sales, sales management, service & MPS information.  He also instructs a selling skills workshop called “Sell With Success”. You can reach him at ramos@strategydevelopment.com.

Click to email me. 

Jack's Back - "...you can sleep when you're dead...push on!"

May 20th...

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:

You're Not In Managed Print Services If -

...if you look to 'refresh the fleet'...

...if you don't know what a NOC is...

...if you use  'monthly cleanings' in your value prop...

...if you can't show your client how much you've decreased volume...

...if you still work with Purchasing...

...if you can't tell your client what percentage of their output is 11x17...

...if you don't compare the above with the percentage of the fleet 11x17 capable...

...if you have the phrase, "Powered By..." right under your MPS Brand...

...if instead of eliminating a machine, you provide your client with a re-furb'd unit...

...if you think a fax server is the beginning and end of Stage 3...

...if you don't know your replacement ratio, for your entire fleet...(4 machines removed for every 1 placed, 4:1)

...if you don't see how dual-monitors in your clients' Order Entry department is MPS...

...if you don't pay your copier reps the same way as your MPS reps...

...if your comp plan is 3 pages long...

...if you sell MPS as "Green"...

...if you sell 'cloud printing'...

...if you separate copiers from MPS...

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.