Yes, paper-less offices are real. "And they're Spectacular."

2017

In an episode of Seinfeld, Jerry's gorgeous new girlfriend's lovely breasts become the subject of conjecture; are they real or implants. Elaine thinks they're fake so Jerry decides not to see her again. Elaine changes her mind after tripping and falling into the ample bosom. 

Again, the "paperless office will never exist" debate is grabbing headlines and copy.  Good stuff, if not factually spun.

I've been face-to-face with organizations that significantly reduced the number of copiers, printers, and reams of paper utilized.  

• A major retail company went from 100 or so devices to 10
• Health network(s) go from huge file rooms to no filing cabinets at all
• Manufactures shifted away from paper-based job jackets to digital files

These companies didn't feel compelled to save the trees or Chewbaccas.  Prospects tell me they squeeze paper out of the process because "paper slows everything."

Men/Women: Equal and Different.

I'm the douchebag...again.

Her name is Shannon and she is one of the first women to fly Apache helicopters. She served on three continents, led two flight platoons and a line company.

She is a great storyteller; visual and engaging she spun tails and related her history to an audience of risk-taking, aggressive, selling professionals. #ImpactNetworking

The fit was perfect.

Shannon told how she encountered sexism in the military, facing the wind and climbing to the pinnacle - against the odds. She expressed the tension felt while flying night missions in South Korea and leading soldiers. How in order to lead others well, one needs to own their personal story.

Know thyself.

Writer, pilot, leader, mother, wife - Shannon took us on a journey around the world.

Once finished, she opened the floor to questions.

At first, nobody spoke - we've all experienced that awkward segment of silence - hands finally took flight, banal questions flew: "...how did it feel...", "...what is it like...", and my favorite, "...what is your favorite missile?", "Well, the HellFire, of course," she answered.

Gotta love the Hellfire.

I was moving from boredom to angst.

Here we had a bonafide American Hero, a female who led men in military missions speaking to a group of technology professionals - an industry heavily populated by men - and the best we could come up with is "What's your favorite missile?"

So, in the silence just before the speaker asks, "are there any final questions?" my hand shot up and I asked,

"Can you give me three differences between female leaders and male leaders?" 

I heard a few nervous giggles, as a broad smile spread across Shannon's face - I knew she got it.

Her response, "First, I feel it's the individual, not the gender." - I'm paraphrasing, but you get the point. Her answer was the necessary one, eliciting requisite applauds.

Still, I felt the cool gaze of many - it felt good.

Her second and final answer is more powerful and like a Hellfire, flew over most heads - which I find disappointing.

Shannon put on her game face, looked me in the eye, and said,

"One thing I've noticed is that men tend to volunteer for missions before and even though, they are not necessarily prepared. Where women tend to train and prepare to a point they feel 100% ready for a mission."

I didn't ask the question to get the room in an uproar or receive, "You're a douchebag for asking that question." statements.

No.

Today, there are more women decision-makers, and insight into how women leaders may operate differently than their male counterparts, I felt, would be relevant.

Her answer was perfect.

So yeah, after she left the stage and during the bio-break, sales professionals, comrades-in-arms, expressed a bit of shock. Some saying, folks were remarking,

"Who asked that dick-head question about male and female leaders?"

Wow.

In this age of the eternally offended, I guess assuming men are from Mars and women from Venus, is considered a microaggression.  So, at the very least my question made some uncomfortable and might have actually offended others.  HUH?

I didn't ask, "Who are better leaders men or women?"  The underlying sensitivity, in my opinion, is the current generation's misunderstanding of equal and identical.

I guess it does need saying, "Men and Women are different."  I said it, I meant it, I'm here to represent it.

Strategic Selling -

If we assume Shannon's observation can be translated into the business realm, would you approach a female decision-maker/leader differently?

Or would you feel the need to find a safe place, squeeze Play-doh, and tear down 100-year-old statues?

911

For as long as I can remember, I've played this video on 9/11.  Super Bowl 2002, months after the attack, our country was numb and jumpy.

Well before self-loathing americans started calling our movements in the middle-east "invasion" and "occupation", patriotism was on every street corner.

I remember that night; I remember seeing it live.  I can't tell you the football teams playing, but I can say it was one of the deepest, moving TV moments, ever.

U2 - that Irish rock band, stood up on the world stage, honoring the greatest country on earth and her fallen citizens.  Names float to the sky, as the rousing "Where the Streets Have No Name" beats on.  The song, second of the half-time set,  was written about a place without class stigma, where the distinction between religions and income are no more; a World Without Sin?

Bono ends the tune exposing the Stars and Stripes - Triumph.

Here we are, 15 years laters - The Twin Towers, replaced by that defiant Freedom Tower, slip deeper into fog with each passing 911.  The threat remains the same, if not more pronounced.

Do you honestly feel safer now than you did that faithful day of empty skies, September 12, 2001?

Day of cogitation: What have we learned?

On this day of reflection, consider not only the ones who've helped you see who you are, but remember the hearts you've "imprinted"; son's, daughters, mothers, fathers, friends, lovers and ex-lovers, customers and co-workers.

Be gratified knowing you've changed somebody's life for the better - we all have.

Take time to remember those on the 98th floor, at 8:47 AM, sipping a Starbucks, considering a sales forecast or the regret of not saying "I love you, I always will..." on that morning, 14 years ago.

"I want to run

I want to hide

I want to tear down the walls

That hold me inside

I wanna reach out

And touch the flame

Where the streets have no name..."

Role Playing at its best...How to Manage Your Manager

The Office - Dwight and Jim's imaginary sales call from Orion on Vimeo.

The Secret to Better Sales: Stop Reading Sales Books

"We are made of matter and nothing more, just another tiny, momentary spec within an indifferent Universe."

Open your Eye.

Today, the sales profession drowns in self-help tomes, and big-tent evangelical, esteem-building events.  From redefining selling, establishing social sales, and seeking disruption, the new professional is inundated with seemingly fresh advice.

Just like copiers, the books and classes are now, and always have been, the same; Universal.  

Everything has been said before.

Cutaway the self-indulgence, fluff, psychobabble, and nascent veneer, what's left is basic, simple core behaviors.  First-rate selling approaches possess timeless notions.

Here are three:

1. Unchecked Ego is bad
2. Going with the Flow is good
3. Your Competition isn't Fear of Change or lower pricing

"Silence Your Ego..."

Ego - 

Our manipulators bank on the thought of the Ego driving behavior. Why so many contests, glass trophies, stack rankings, and business plans?  Every 'win' feeds the Ego - we need Ego, without it, we dry up, wither and fade. Sell more, no matter the cost to your pride, standards, or personal values.

Everybody does it.  We sell answers, as long as the solution sports our logo.  You know what I say is true.

Too much ego leads to unfulfilled expectations, and insecurity causing lives to "skyrocket downward"; long work hours, missed anniversaries and divorce.  The experts don't tell you that, do they?

Can you be a successful selling professional and balance the ego?  I say the Greatest Salespeople do.

• Treat others nicely and be Polite...
• Ask permission
• Don't speak unless spoken to...You've got two ears, one mouth.
• Sincerity
• Solve, don't Sell

Flow -

"You cannot beat a river into submission. You have to surrender to its current, and use its power as your own. "

We call it the Funnel, the Submarine, The Sales Process - and we fight it every, single day of the month.

"On the 1st we sell solutions, on the 15th, we're moving boxes..." 

Yes, you are responsible for a projection and filling quota - you're compensated on hardware. Yet focusing on the 30 days, is like looking at life through a keyhole. Broaden your view.

I'm not advocating sacrificing the short term, I'd suggest expanding the view to include everything.

Be the river, not the stone.

Get to know EVERY lead in your territory.  Own it through research, face-to-face engagements, and total immersion of the environment.  Forget about networking groups like the chamber of commerce - you're not doing MLM, are you?  Get to know the ebb and feel of how decisions are made inside your clients, prospects and even YOUR DEALERSHIP.

This is not easy.  This is not taught. People will think you're crazy.  This will elevate you over your peers and management.

Find the flow of your world then master the tides.   It is not impossible.

Competition  -

"All Things Age.  All Things Die.  People think in terms of good and evil...when really Time is the true Enemy of us all.  Time kills everything"

Learning how to sell is complicated - systems, techniques, objections, rejection - all play a part, let alone talking to strangers who do not believe a word that comes out of your mouth.

It's a tough racket.

Our number one obstacle isn't an ornery gatekeeper, amorphous board of directors, aloof C-Level know-it-alls, or fear of change.

No.

Our enemy is Time. Time, both finite and infinite, consumes All.  But like the river, we cannot overcome Time.  Can you manage Time?  No.  Can Time be bent to our will? No.

We can control what we concentrate on during our stay on this plane.  It comes down to qualification. Not just the qualification of your prospects, co-workers, colleagues, and bosses.  

Who deserves your Time?

I say again, "Who Deserves Your Time?"



Dark Forces will beguile with unspeakable treasures.

Take heed, for many sorcerers hunger for the souls of the living.  They will say things like, "It's a numbers game, kid." or "work the process, it's how this company was built" and "this is how we've always done it..."  This is insidious. Inside each statement, shards of truth entice.

• It is true that the more people you contact, the better chances you have of acquiring a client.
• It is true that the process is proven.
• It is true repeating a known and proven flow delivers results.

The trick is equilibrium, not resistance.  Attend all the classes your employer will fund. Dutifully, jot down soon forgotten notes.  Then go out into the world, discover something new and find problems to solve.

Beware.  The imbalance will be your demise.

P.S.

There are three books about selling, I strongly recommend for beginner or seasoned veterans:

Miller Heiman

Stephan Schiffman

Napoleon Hill

Three books about writing, DOTC approved:

On Writing Well

On Writing - A Memoir of the Craft

The Element of Style

Cheers!

g

The Future of Copiers - The Wookie in The Room

by Greg Walters | 12/8/14

I'm writing this three weeks after the Executive Connection Summit and I’m still feeling the effects. Intel, SAP, Cisco — foundational members of the technology industry, stalwart believers in all things connected, came to speak here in our backyard. To be sure, it stands as the best show in the industry, with superior content. As Gavin Williams said, “The goal was really to educate as much of the industry as possible about the innovation available today.” The bar is officially higher, but there’s something more recondite just under the surface.

I comment about the players at center stage, but I’ve always enjoyed getting a feel for what the attendees find attractive - the dialogue between the talks. That’s the gold.

I thought of the Internet of Things conversations, how independent dealers are capitalizing on the technology not only in implementing but offering those same services to clients. It wasn’t until I remembered an onstage conversation when things started to click.

After one panelist on stage lamented the challenges of converting to a new accounting system, I chatted with a few people about moving to different CRMs and the difficulty of data conversion. One company decided to operate both the old and the new systems in parallel as legacy data is weaned over to the new system. Another is hiring a staff of “keypunch operators” to input all existing contracts and customer information into Forza.

The underlining tension, the Wookie in the Room, was simple: People know a better accounting system is out there, but getting to it is difficult because of our old school investments. Time and again, I spoke with people who recognized the need to switch but anticipated huge costs in labor and time with the transitional project of moving to a new CRM/accounting system. The tension was palpable.

Imagine needing to have a leg broken and reset because the original setting was primitive. At one time, healing a broken limb was as easy as tying the bone together with tree branches and twine. Years later,

read the rest at The Imaging Channel, here.

Impact Named 2017 Perfect Image Award Winner: Managed print Services

Las Vegas, NV –

Impact Networking received the 2017 ITEX Perfect Image Award for Outstanding Managed Print Service Program.

“Each award recipient demonstrated exceptional innovation and outstanding performance,” said Mark Spring, deja-vu owner of the once monolithic gathering. “We applaud Impact Networking...”

“It is a great honor to receive the Perfect Image MPS Dealer of the Year award twice in a row", said Vice President of Managed Print Services Jeremy Fordemwalt. " Reception of this award  demonstrates our MPS team and company are on the right path to continue succeeding in this space along with providing clients a top tier program helping them control and manage the entire document ecosystem.”

###

Soooooo...

Impact MpS is growing in breadth and scope. The number of users supported has increased. Services layered on top of the traditional MpS idea help clients reduce the costs associated with moving data.

Impact's MpS program integrates their Strategic Services(BPO), Production, Managed IT Services, and Creative Services departments creating Print Policies that adhere to ITAM and speak ITIL.

As the universal list of MpS providers shrinks, Impact is attracting net new opportunities and converting competitively supported, disgruntled MpS customers into long-term, business relationships.

It really isn't a surprise to be recognized.

More to come in 2018...

Impact Named 2015 Perfect Image Award Winner

I have seen the future of Managed print Services.

From the press release:

"The Impact MPS Program, led by Vide President of Managed Print Services Jeremy Fordemwalt, has grown more than 55% year-over-year for three years running. The MPS team assesses client office environments to uncover inefficiencies in the way users print, store and retrieve documents. They use that information to create solutions that improve processes, reduce documents, increase office productivity and contribute to increased profitability.  The department continues to add additional solutions based on client demand..."

Full release, here. ###

Jeremy is an industry veteran in managed print services and has managed to build a true, customer-centric, managed print services powerhouse.  Impact MPS travels together with clients formulating plans to assist in the natural move away from the printed document. 

Utilizing Impact's proven, market driven specialties in Creative Services, Managed IT, Production printing and document management, Impact MPS weaves a tapestry of solutions designed specifically for each client.  The MPS program has evolved beyond automatic toner fulfillment and service delivery into a cutting edge, paper-to-digital transformation force.

More to come -

The OEM DeadPool - 2017

1. Toshiba
2. Sharp
3. Ricoh
4. Xerox
5. Lexmark
6.  ?

RIP

Kodak
Panasonic
OCE
Lanier

It's Over and HP Wins

4/21/2017

If copier OEMs are Missionary, HP is Reverse Cowgirl. It's Over and HP Wins

Anyone who knows me, remembers me lambasting HP for past gaffs and missteps: Hawk and Ikon, The "Long March" that was Edgeline, firing Hurd, Leo, and the all too infamous, TouchPad.

And who can forget "The Great Toner Purge of 2013"

During my talk at the Photizo conference back in 2012, I was asked if I thought HP would survive.  My quick answer was "No, not as we know her today."   That was then, this is now and HP ain't what she used to be.

Which brings me to my point: HP is going to win the war for the remaining clicks.  HP will beat Canon, Ricoh, Xerox, and those who attempt to overtake her as the predominant provider of MpS and devices.

Why?  Three reasons:

Who's going to #ITEX 2017? WHY?

Love that off-line stapler

I've been there before.

I've spoken there, and pulled a camera crew along.

I've criticized and mocked the event. I've promoted and exclaimed the value of the show.

They've hosted MPSA events for us.

I just don't know what to make of it today.

New leadership with promises of "being different" yet every scrap of news makes me feel like Tom Cruise in The Edge of Forever.

The schedule looks the same.  The venue looks the same.  The class structure looks the same.

What has changed?

Is it better? Does it matter? Is the show RELEVANT?

Looking at the agenda and training classes(Let's see if you get trained or sold)there are few I recommend:

How to Earn an A+ on Assessments for MPS (MPSA Exclusive Content)
Learn from successful dealers who have increased their net income by adding complimentary business solutions such as Managed IT, 3D, and VOIP

Aldo Spensieri

VP MPS Solutions, Clover Imaging Group

New Blood: How the Kids are Taking Dad’s Dealership to the Next Level
This panel of new blood owners discusses dealer culture, millennials and how these dealers built on the success of their parents and are taking their companies to the next level.

Andy Slawetsky

President, Industry Analysts, Inc.

Tyson Stargel

VP, Stargel Office Solutions

Ryan Jones

Executive VP, Advance Business Systems

Johnathan Garlow

President & Owner, Ford Business

The keys to successfully incorporate Infrastructure, Platform and Software into your Managed IT Services
Learn how to make money, add value, maintain ownership and still deliver best in class on-premise and cloud solutions, all while offering your services as a 100% operational expense.

Greg Van De Walker

Sr Vice President - IT Channel & Services, Collabrance, LLC

Brian Wells

Director of Product Development, Collabrance, LLC

Ryan Shea

Owner, Info-Flow

SMI: Supplies Management Investigation
The aftermath of growth of MPS and the promise of just in time fulfillment may sometimes make your business processes feel like a crime scene. What are the ways dealers can clean up an often neglected area of supplies fulfillment? How can MPS Providers make changes to drive higher revenues and reduce waste? Meet your lead MPS operations investigator and dealer program leader for a rare look inside an MPS program that reduced administrative processes and eliminated waste while growing in devices being monitoring and overall revenue.

Sarah Henderson

Director - MPS Solutions, Clover Imaging Group

I'm sure the SBB session will be packed, no need to recommend.

I don't know if the show is stale or industry on a glide-path into the past, and can't judge - but I am asking.

If you have an opinion, lay it out here.  Otherwise, enjoy the sun and sin that is Las Vegas.

g

#Ricoh, The Great Purge and #SMB

So…not since the Ikon merger has so much happened to Ricoh or should we say, happened to the employees of Ricoh.

As Ricoh lifeboats slam into the waves, how do we respond? We do the thing this industry does whenever calamity hits a peer.

We send all his customers in our territory a press release designed to instill FUD.

Classy.

The “See I Told You So” moment - remember the name of this blog.

Ricoh, is getting out of the SMB.

What does this tell you?

Consider the ecosystem:

• What can be gleaned out of Xerox looking to spin off it’s equipment side?
• How can we interrupt the swallowing of Lexmark?
• What deductions come forth from Sharp and Toshiba’s woes?
• How about HP providing MpS without a channel? To the SMB?

All these signs point to one thing:

WE SHOULD GET OUT OF THE SMB.

Leave the churches, funeral homes, print for pay, non-profits, municipalities, schools, day care centers, three-person real estate and insurance offices for the five, ten and even the fifteen million dollar dealerships.  That once fertile, bottom land is transforming.  The SMB does not print like it use to and will be serviced by drones; not men and women.

“What once was our greatest strength, one day, becomes our most severe weakness”

We're great at selling to the small business owner. We use to drag machines around and demo in the lobby, not returning to the office until that unit was placed.

Not anymore.  This type of selling is losing relevance.

Sure, you’re going to hear colleagues, and sales managers say things like, “I don’t know about Ricoh, but our copier business is booming…” and “We just sold more devices than ever before!”

Here’s the dirty little secret in the SMB - they buy devices, they just don’t use them. Again, I know what you’re thinking, “Greg, all my customers are printing like crazy!” - No. No they are not. Nobody is printing like its 1999.

Nobody.  Go into any OfficeMax, Staples, if you can find open locations, and walk down the printer or toner isle.  Depressing, isn't it?

Don’t fall for the fake reports showing an increase in “print”. (books)
Don’t be bamboozled by the OEM sponsored studies evangelizing “Millennials prefer print.” (Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot?)

When your OEM rep/BDM spouts off how, “last year was our best year ever” - check out their earnings reports and remember Ricoh, Sharp, Kodak, Oce, Panasonic, and Ikon. Reflect upon the ColorCube from Xerox($7.21 a share) or HP’s($17.72/share, forever) Edgeline.

Don’t believe any of them.

If things were half as good as the pro-copier, pro-paper pundits say, HP would not have split, Xerox would be the darling of Wall Street and Lexmark still American.

I feel bad for the good folks at Ricoh, as I did for the just as good people at HP and their worthy colleagues over at Xerox when they both purged.

And the paper plant employees.
And the liquidated newspaper staff.
And the book stores.

Two Roads

The lines have been drawn for a few years now - you’re buying businesses or lining up to be sold.

That’s it.

For us still in the industry, what’s the best path?

I believe in technology, not in print. I believe in people, not corporate elevator pitches.

Today, more than ever, deciding to stay in this mixed up realm, demands you act in YOUR best interest. Not in a stingy or self-centered manner. Self improvement in terms of helping yourself and those around you. A rising tide, floats all boats and the best way to improve the world around you is to make the best of yourself.

Keep going, focus on solving, not selling.  Evolve.

Our space is turbulent, vibrant, and self-indulged.  Most of all, our world, the place of toner and fuser oil, is Hope.

"It's not an 'S'. On my world, it means Hope."