New to Copier Sales: The Three Levels of Prospects, P1

I once believed selling was selling — that no matter where I lived, or what I was peddling, the act of selling was the same.  From personal computers and insurance in mid-Michigan to corporate identity programs and copiers in Southern California, I was told by many learned sales managers, trainers, and “experts” that “sales is sales is sales.”  They were wrong.

Of course, there are differences across the selling spectrum. Geography, local economics, and social norms impact decision-making on a varied and personal level.  To treat everybody the same is an injustice.  Advanced B2B selling has moved beyond a cookie-cutter methodology.

As far as I see it, there are three levels of B2B prospects:

Read the rest, here.

"Chips Are the New Oil"

The copier industry strikes again. 

We were one of the first to implement M2M in our assets. 

We were a premiere user of remote data collection - yes, even before 'probes' were all the rage. 

You may ask yourself, "How are microchips produced, and is there a parallel with copiers?" 

You may ask yourself, "How did I get here?" - that answer is for other content... 

Anyway - Behold.  The projection of light, creating an image, upon a surface. 

Look a little familiar?

The Biden administration is continuing the weaponization of silicon - it all started back in the 60s - this issue has global and historical ramifications, much like the lack of oil for Japan spurred WWII, cutting off the chip pipeline has economic and strategic implications.

Wars have started for less.

LAUSD Gets Hacked, Does Not Pay, "Secret and Confidential" Data is Released.

Is Anyone Surprised?

From a LinkedIn post by Michael Bruner, Technology Consultant, Managed Print and Content Services, Flex Technology Group.

"I'll just leave this here...

Los Angeles School District gets hacked?

I've called on ALOT of school districts and .GOV letting them know I'd like to meet and talk about the potential security vulnerability of their desktop printers and MFP's. #itsecurity #managedprintservices

What will it take to understand this is a serious threat?"

###

Of course, I chimed in...

New to Copier Sales: The Three Levels of Prospects, Part 1

I once believed selling was selling — that no matter where I lived, or what I was peddling, the act of selling was the same.  From personal computers and insurance in mid-Michigan to corporate identity programs and copiers in Southern California, I was told by many learned sales managers, trainers, and “experts” that “sales is sales is sales.”  

They were wrong.

Of course, there are differences across the selling spectrum. Geography, local economics, and social norms impact decision-making on a varied and personal level.  To treat everybody the same is an injustice.  Advanced B2B selling has moved beyond a cookie-cutter methodology.

As far as I see it, there are three levels of B2B prospects:

Here.

Remember When Twitter Banned anyone Talking about Fouci

Remember all those neighbors calling the police because there "are people standing in a line outside a bar..." or "...there are too many people sitting in the park, next to each other..." or "...that business is open during a pandemic..."

Citizens trusted the government and they believed the talking heads, the experts, on the evening news. Why wouldn't they?  

Well for one reason, the experts lie.  All the time.

Remember when aliens and spacemen from other planets were fake?  Not anymore - UFOs are real - and now everything is in question.  

For 60 years flying saucers were the subject of 'crazy people' nothing but swamp gas and weather balloons.  The pandemic was worse.  It is like the gov't telling us to believe in flying saucers and shame those who do not. If you don't believe in little green men, you can't go to work or leave your home, and your 'friends' ridicule you as a UFO Denier - follow the science.

How to drink like Greg Walters...

I wish...

Ricoh Speaks with Andy - October, 2022.

I RARELY do this. But this video is good. 

Nuggets - 

1. Chips are freeing up (A3 devices only?). 
2. They've found a West/East passage through the Panama Canal. 
3. The numbers are Good and the future of Ricoh includes output devices. 

Caveat One - 

Ricoh is comparing THEIR pre-covid numbers to current...which is like saying, "Last year I had one hit, this year I had 3, so I increased by 300%." Meanwhile, the competition went from 300 hits to 250, showing a decrease and still leagues ahead of you... 

Caveat Two- 

Listen to the narrative in the attached video(8:46) and tell me it wouldn't fly pre-Covid or even in 1999. 

 I like Ricoh. 

 

"Number Two always tries harder."

 

Bloomberg Asks - "Is the #Office More Important than Ever Before?"

Bloomberg posted a veiled 'back to the office' commercial highlighting Accenture and the importance of a centrally located, geographically common area for workers to adhere to corporate policies.

Commonly known as the 'office' - albeit the office of the late 20th century.

A $19 billion, one-hundred-year-old, global real estate advisory and investment firm, recognizes we are "...no longer living in a 9 to 5, 40-hour week work profile..." and the "Omni-connected world is defined by being in an office..." 

They also question the productivity of hybrid meetings.   How does anyone know if"hybrid meetings are underperforming..."? Compared to what, pre-Covid meetings? 

This is a nicely produced, visually attractive piece that lost credibility and my attention at the mention of ESG. Mentioning ESG is like the President recommending a Covid shot in preparation for a hurricane. 

Buyers Put Procurement on a Faster Horse

A new report from Amazon, reflecting a survey of 440 respondents from four sectors, says most everyone in the B2B world wants to buy from Amazon.  

Go figure.

There are plenty of EComm advocates proclaiming digital buying the savior of a dying industry and to be fair, E-Commerce is the way of a future - maybe not yours.

Steer away from summary articles and agenda-supported opinions. The entire report is worth a visit. It is here.

But I must ask, "Does anyone besides me see this as another step into 'commoditization'?  Am I the only one?"

Walt's Weekly Words - Week 15 - July 15

Walt's Spin

"What's old is new." A statement uttered by countless generations before and leagues to come. For me, and I am sure many timeline-compatriots, today's world seems eerily reminiscent. Certainly not identical, and more than nostalgic. 

More like a Renaissance.

Managed Print Services is still alive and experiencing a bump. Partly due to some pent-up demand and a reduction of IT resources.

The demand is provisional. I still believe pivoting into IT services is possible, not strictly because of an existing print-centric relationship as much as the supporting infrastructure of MPS practices is a solid foundation for the transition.

Sales and marketing will shift demographics and talk tracks, but needs assessments and proposals are parallel paths. But again, the demand for IT services has a shelf life.

Consolidation runs rampant, and the larger, establishments remain overconfident in their temporary position.

#Bloomberg Headline Misleads: "Amazon Will Close All But One US Customer Call Center"

Looks like another layoff announcement, doesn't it? 

But it isn't.  

The news is GOOD NEWS, especially if you're a proponent of #WFA - which as we know, Bloomberg is not.

When driving more 'clicks' outweighs journalistic value, sensational headlines carry the day. 

"Bloomberg reported Wednesday on Amazon’s plan to shift call-center employees from offices to work from home and close the Kennewick site. An Amazon spokesman declined to comment about any planned office closings, but on Wednesday confirmed the shift to remote work."

New Flash: Paper Output Increases 500% at the Offices of Greg Walters, Inc.

HP printer experiences "More volume in 30 days than in the last 11 years..."

As F1000 and F100 firms cajole employees back to the fields, many on the supply side of office technology await a spike in laptop, stapler, and paper sales.

One company is pulling its weight and splitting open reams of paper like it in 1999.

"The last time I was involved in a paper usage study was back in 2012.  Our print volume decreased 97% from 1999 to 2012."

So far this week, the offices have printed five A4-sized documents; and increase of 500%.  

Unfortunately, the number of A3 documents remains at zero.