"Autonomy is the market leader in the provision of software that automates the analysis of unstructured data, whether in the form of text, audio, images or video." - UBS, July 2008
The other day, I sat in on a webinar. The fine folks at Lyra were presenting "Printing supplies market trends MPS" - yeah, I know, who the hell would sit in on one of these?
MpS Geeks, that's who.
Of course, the data presented has been fodder for DOTC for the past year; we will never get back the placement levels of 2008, A3 devices are dying(ahem), any recovery will be linked directly to the surviving dealership's ability to focus on workflow, not the box. We know this, correct?
Then a funny thing came up - OEMs are "rationalizing" their fleet offerings. They are narrowing down the number of models.
Oh boy, I am in the middle of the Anthony Robbins "Ultimate Edge...blah blah blah..." - it's good, really, I mean it and someday I want a place on Fiji right next door. So what better way than to study the dude.
He's humongous, you know.
Perhaps you don't know Anthony Robbins or what he does - in a nutshell, he helps point out the obvious to the oblivious. He sounds sincere, is the consummate selling professional - always closing - and makes an impression. He attracts - I guess that is one reason he has 'handlers' - huh. Well, the material I am visiting is dated and timeless pointing out how so unaware we walk through Life.
The waning days of Summer 2011 entice a review of my journey these last 90, a Quarterly Review of sorts - who says our clients should be the only ones to get QBRs?
This summer has been about breaking through Stage 1 and Stage 2 - wait, that's not 100% - before I could breakthrough, I needed to 'remember' Stage 1 and Stage 2...so yes, now I see S1/S2 completely. Table stakes. Temporary.
"Just over three years ago, when I started writing about copiers, MpS, technology, selling and pole dancing, I was one of three. Back then, if one were to Google “managed print services,” the dozen or so returns would’ve consisted of wedding invitation printers and “full-serve” print advertising providers.
There were few fleet monitoring alternatives and fewer proactive supplies management solutions. Hardly anyone mentioned cost reduction, business process, fleet optimization or phases. And nobody championed reducing costs by reducing prints, copies, or printers and copiers.
This isn’t to say nobody serviced printers or supplied toner. Yes, some were “optimizing” fleets, shifting volume, addressing document workflow and business process or managing hundreds of devices, but we..."
Get the rest of the story at The Imaging Channel blogs, The Imaging of Greg.
“Business Acumen” is a cool way to say, “been there, done that…got three years' financials to prove it” – I admit, it is a big word, does it scare you?
From Merriam-Webster:
Acumen: keenness and depth of perception, discernment, or discrimination especially in practical matters.
Practical Matters.
Lots of salespeople don’t think they have acumen, or that there is some special process that goes with acquiring the skill of discernment. Worse, some employers don’t believe their employees possess keenness – more than a few sales managers feel their salespeople lack depth of perception.
You know I’m right. You’ve seen it, I’ve seen it, we’ve all been there.
What to do?
Stand back, there is something going on here, something new; The New Age of Selling. It has nothing to do with the Mayan calendar although "The New Age" calls upon the collective selling skills of the past 25,000 years.
Woah, heavy.
I know it’s difficult to see, but the current economic “Charlie Foxtrot” will someday be in our rear view mirror. When the recovery does start, for real, the new selling professional will lead the way. I believe that our industry, our sales people, in the trenches, will be examples of success, role models.
The New Way demands more from you, the Selling Professional:
Collaboration – be open to working with everyone, yesterday’s rivals could be today’s partner
Engagement/Intent – work with your clients, partners, peers at a deeper level, with High Intent
Growth – thrive on change, bring change, be the agent for change
The New Way also exists in a new environment, a business context that has never existed:
Information is everywhere – Content and data are universal and will permeate
Power is shifting down – from the OEMs to the cube farms, personal power is increasing
Technology is mundane – your refrigerator will talk with your toaster
“Citizen Mobil” – brick and mortar is dead. Smartphones, tablets, wireless and G4 networks, you, your clients, and clients’ family and kids are processing business everywhere. Think Cold Calls from the beach.
You must correctly present and follow up – to build trust. This may be new, but you still need to handle your shit. The basics – I won’t say ‘blocking and tackling’ – I loathe clichés, but I just did, didn’t I?
The times are different and personal acumen is more relevant, you are much more relevant, and in context.
One more thing: There are No Academic Experts. We're making this up as we go - and because this is all new, dynamic, and changing every 30 days, formal, teaching experts are simply rehashing history - not projecting
The New Selling, not Sales 2.0 or 3.1, let’s call it, Sales X dot XX - “Sales X.Xx"
In view humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi now vacant, vanished.
However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin, vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.
The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.
Verily this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that its my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V."
Yeah, I know, the electric paper trick has been around for decades.
Below is the latest:
"I think the greatest breakthrough was that traditional display devices usually require electricity to write, but our technology made it closer to how we would use normal paper," said John Chen, Vice President of the Institute and general director of the Display Technology Center.
The more interesting advancement revolves around micro-robots.
In our little industry, one can live or die on the difference between 3% and 8%.
The white spaces between the toner, Fact and Fiction, Vision and Reality.
Between all those Silo's.
I first saw Peter's presentation online, from the MPS Conference in Barcelona.
My impressions were, "...who the hell is this guy? A shorter version of T. Robbins only from New Zealand?"
I know, its Australia...and everyone is shorter than Anthony Robbins.
I jest!
Peter's conversation was geared toward innovation, technology and miscalculations. He talked about how our beliefs and more importantly, how our successful past, holds us back. He talked about the silo's that keep us separated and how the cracks present the best opportunities.
Years ago, software like PrintAudit, FMAudit, PrintFleet, and even the most expensive 'free' software you will ever own, WebJet Admin, was the cat's meow.
We assessed everything we could see, solving the problems our industry created and nurtured for decades. It was like hunting big game, with a TriCorder.
DCA's, servers, pie charts, security concerns, volume and fleet analysis, proactive service and desk-side toner delivery, automated meter reads, remote monitoring, and Quarterly Reviews were all considered "new and innovative".
And then, suddenly, we all had a DCA: copier dudettes, VARs, office furniture salespeople, the OEMs, STAPLES, etc. - Hell, who DOESN'T sell MpS?
Today, all those super-duper, whiz-bang, features are table-stakes; either you got them, or you're a provider of little substance.
For those of us who do, now what?
It's getting crowded in here and we're all starting to sound the same. How can we temporarily separate from the pack and keep our eye on the future?
How about our run-of-the-mill BTA guy, who finally figured out how to bill for Lexmark, HP, Brother, MICR, Oki, both connected and local, color and black/white, coverage from 3% to 80% - profitably?
Is the next stop Business Process Management -head to head with IBM or EDS? Methinks not.
The answer? "One-word kid, BeMod...BeMod" - is that even a word...??
Grosse Pointe is an affluent suburb of Detroit. Where the automotive executives lived - big houses, nice lawns, and teenage kids with IROCS-Z's, 'Stangs 5.0's and MOPAR's.
This movie takes place in Grosse Pointe. Its a story of self discovery, cloaked in a goofy, dark comedy about international hit men; a ten year class reunion as a backdrop.
It is a great movie, nice actors, guns and good music. Too cool.
So what is the MpS/Selling tie in? Self-Actualization, Focus and the Integrated Real Life(IRL).
Visualize what, or in Martin Blank's case, who you want, know who you are and all interruptions will be ignored. Those who seek your failure, will melt into the past. Or end up wearing a TV party hat.
Its only 8 minutes long...turn down the volume, and let it rip.
"...organic connection between all living things..."
MpS, Selling, and You - Integrate.
Once you know who you are, the essence of you, it becomes easier to see your place in the world; even better, it is easier to make your place in the world.
Everything is connected, all the "components and processes associated with creating, moving, storing and presenting", yourself are inter-related, connected - you are the Nexus.
IMF - and MpS - It's a team building kind of thing. Undeniable Teams.
When MpS moves from fiction to fact, the firebrands, early adapters, and trail blazers will have outlived their usefulness. Visionaries no longer needed.
Disavowed.
The establishment tolerates change once every 200 years or so. After following the path of the explorers, those softly molded trails are paved over, stakes driven into the ground, a grand tent erected. Those who came before, only remind of past mistakes and short sight. Intolerable.
The establishment never makes mistakes. The establishment brands forward thinkers as those out to "insight".
It's the infamous, IKON iceberg. Won't this thing EVER melt?
When the MPSA struggled for months to determine the definition of MpS we stumbled and bumbled our way in the dark.
Each of us had different views and perspectives: OEM's, Independent dealers, toner reman's, parts suppliers, consultants, and end users. Oh, and ONE VAR.(Jus sayin)
I was impatient - we needed something NOW and I had a definition ready to go.
My version did not include reference to hardware, but the MPSA had to include 'devices'.
I didn't want the word 'print' but quickly acquiesced agreeing that 'print' allowed the concept to be easily identifiable.
Here is what we, the MPSA came up with:
"Managed print services is the active management and optimization of document output devices and related business processes." - MPSA, July, 2010
"...the act of managing components and processes associated with moving, saving and presenting information in the form of documents..." - DOTC, March, 2010
And here is my current definition of MOS(MpS):
"...the act of managing the optimization of resources and processes associated with information ..." - GRW, 5/9/2011
Why would I be so insistent about leaving 'hardware' out of the equation? I don't want to be pigeon-holed, I don't think real MpS has anything to do with hardware or even PRINT.
Most importantly, I didn't want those who felt like I, to find this weakness and project above the MPSA definition.
Well, I'll tell you why - you see what the movie doesn't explain is the chimps and apes were being modified to become better MpS schleps. That's right, the best way to make MpS so easy a chimp can do it, was to improve upon the chimp, not make MpS simpler.
Ergo, Caesar, leader of the MpS chimps.
Its true. After so many failed attempts to implement the 'F6 Protocol', otherwise known as the one button assessment-proposal-quarterly business review generator, the super suppliers of the day turned to something more hideous. Switching from combining databases, creating algorithms and automating selling, these companies invested R/D dollars in perfecting the MpS Sales Person.
Unlike Captain America, failed lab-chimps(Abby Normal?) became recombinant DNA test patients via augmented, third party toner infusions.
The results were devastating.
"Get your stinking paws off my printer, you damn, dirty ape!"
As I explore the MpS Galaxy, I can't help but notice the generation gaps. Like the gaps between Brady Bunch and The Hills; between Lost In Space and BSG.
Gaps in the way our clients, OEMs, and we see our position in this digital realm; IRL.
We, and by we, I mean us in MpS old enough to remember ditto machines, blackboards, automobiles with ashtrays, 73 cents/gallon gasoline, Schoolhouse Rock, and Iron Eyes Cody, are so deep into how technology affects the corporate world, we sometimes miss the point.
Too deep in the forest to see the trees.
It can't be helped, we see things through a lens ground into shape by our personal past.
Mind the Gap -
Up until 3 days ago, I had only heard the name, Thirty Seconds to Mars, not their music. This song caught my ear, while listening to the Sirius Top 45 countdown. I wasn't overly impressed, but interested enough to look them up on YouTube.
Its almost cliche:
There is a young, U2 feel. I saw one or two Billy Idol moves; the gloves are Billy all the way - or Duran Duran.
Angst? Hell yes, but didn't every single generation think their time was 'the end of the World'? Don't all kids feel Lost and circle themselves together?
Since Elvis, music has attracted like-minded. Like spirited. Counter-insurgents, Contrarians, the idealistic youth.
This generation is no different than all others before them with one exception - the full integration of technology into every corner of their world. Closer to The Edge.
Which, is, of course, our world too, Closer to The Edge.
The MpS train is well down the tracks, the ship has left the dock, Jupiter 1 is Jupiter 2.
Clicks are being captured, fleets of single-function devices automatically fed and cared for - maybe even ripped and replaced - I wonder.
The MpS ecosystem is in balance, the OEMs are playing nice, they know their place in the world, and the channel(s) all have well-established, benchmarked agnostic, and profitable MpS programs.
My network of friends and colleagues expand from RiKON to Xerox, HP to LexMark and the wave is reporting a disconnect.
A 'white space' between the yearly shows, 12-week/12-step MpS mentoring (my DOTC mentoring program will be simply 10.5 weeks and include sessions in front of a refrigerator, but I digress), corporate-sponsored MpS training programs, and You. We go to class, and forget everything three steps out the door.
More troubling, we buy into the vision, understand ourselves, and recognize a great future only to arrive back in the office face to face with the Sales Manager's funnel report, or marketing's latest telemarketing talk track.
"How many contracts are you going to write this month?"
"What accounts are up for renewal? "
"Do you have your elevator speech memorized?" Poof!
It is the old wound.
Do you still demo copiers or devices?
How many of us sat in on training sessions that were nothing but rolling product commercials?
Or is the solution selling training around a piece of hardware? You remember, "add value...show an ROI by reducing the monthly payment..." etc., etc. Circa 1999, 1984, 1975...just like back then, retention is difficult and post-training support non-existent.
It's worse - there isn't any real motivation to maintain. Your management, your ownership, is in survival not visionary mode.
Do not let them fool you - they are.
I have seen just about every, single Managed print Services program out there; been given the up-skirt view, as it were...from Encompass to PagePack, MDS(Ricoh) to...well, MDS(Canon).
They're all good. Well thought out. White boarded to detail and not reaching potential.
Here's the opportunity:
I hear from OPS, Canon, Oce, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Ikon, and Indy dealers from all over North America. New York, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Iowa, Oregon, and Canada.
Even though MpS is established and 'mainstream for smart people, all the great slide shows and nifty programs aren't getting to the field. The message is garbled, complicated, and ignored.
It comes back to the same old mantra, "MpS is different" - so how can we expect the same training and support models of yesteryear to provide an ROI in today's increasingly sophisticated and accelerating business environment?
We can't.
I was NOT a big fan of all those long-term MpS 'mentoring' programs just a year ago. It wasn't that I was resistant to the framework or mechanics of those program types, I was repulsed by the content.
The Content sucked then, but change has come to MpS. Real TRANSFORMATION is out here.
I point to the recently announced chaMPS program, the ever oscillating program that is PagePack, and the mythical, over-the-horizon, OPS/Printillegent HP MPS Channel.
PagePack has a 12-week mentor program.
chaMPS has a long-term program to assist in dealer transformation.
HP WILL have a Printillegent-Like hybrid program.
Neither is perfect, each progressing, but the bulk of responsibility for success rests squarely in the hands of the participants in each program.
It doesn't matter if co-op or MDF pays for the program, the commitment kicks in after the class and once your organization fully commits. Sound familiar?
"Change or Die." - again. For the dealer channels as well as the individual, MpS Selling professional - Power is coming down to you, to us the individuals. The world and market are moving from "Push" marketing to "Pull" leverage. More on that later
I suggest now is the time to really commit to one of these programs - whichever one fits your world, now is the time.
Points to consider-
For the Dealer:
Rethink everything
Consider cutting overhead. Get lean(er)
Commit, commit, commit
Pay all your reps the same way
For you, real-live, customer-facing folks:
Rethink everything
Consider cutting overhead. Get Smarter.
Commit, commit, commit
Acknowledge that EVERYBODY in your organization works FOR YOU.
Your boss, the owner, your OEM and their rep., and your distributors all have an agenda and plan. As a matter of fact, EVERYBODY has a plan. Even Robinson's Lost In Space had a plan - you should too - It's Your Ship.
goofy sales guy starts blog...
he writes about what he sees, as a hobby...
somehow, people of like mind and people not so like minded find, read and follow...
Although sales guy never asked friends, family and general well to do-ers, push goofy guy to 'monotize' his hobby...
He does not...
He never 'blogs' what he had for breakfast or what stunt the neighbor's cat just performed...
He sticks to a simple plan, "Write What You Would Read...put in some music you would listen to, and sprinkle in some hotties."
He attracts good friends, colleagues, more readers and haters but really no rivals...
Three years slip by...
One day, notoriety shines in his direction; people take notice and offer to pay for his words.
It's like we share a brain, except DOTC doesn't have a staff and was on this page 12 months ago...Yeah, I know, I have self-esteem issues.
An article posted on The Imaging Channel caught my eye, "Managed Print Services: OEM Strategies". The headline piqued but the source engaged - Lyra.
Of all the research groups I know, only two command my attention. One is Lyra. I trust their opinion, to be honest. Sometimes, I may not agree with their observations but that is okay.
If you are an MpS'r from way back, say 24 months(!), what the Big 3 say is of no surprise; if you are a steady reader of DOTC, again, no surprise.
Lyra spoke with Xerox, HP, and Ricoh during the first half of 2011. The article is a reflection of all three.
The caveat is these discussions orbit around enterprise-level MPS engagements - not that there is no value - it's just that when interviewing at this level, the information is more proactive than responsive - the OEMs projecting their view of MPS, not necessarily reflecting the real MpS.
Ricoh US vs. Ricoh Americas: Integration or Consolidation?
Last year, Convergence 2010- April, 2010.
"...Togashi then addressed what was most likely the number one concern of the dealers in the room – the recent appointment of several senior IKON executives to high-level positions at Ricoh. Citing the need to expedite the Ricoh-IKON integration process, Togashi outlined some of the appointments. These included Matt Espe, the new chairman and CEO of Ricoh Americas Corporation (responsible for operations in North, Central and South America, including IKON); Martin Brodigan, the new executive vice president and CFO of Ricoh Americas Corporation; and, Jeffrey Hickling, the new president and CEO of Ricoh U.S..."
Most Recently:
Dear Ricoh Family Group Dealers,
Over the past two years, we have been working to integrate and align Ricoh Americas Corporation (RAC) to further strengthen Ricoh's position as an industry leader and best meet our customers’ needs. This has included a focus on both our Direct distribution and Dealer channels, as well as improved collaboration between the two channels.
After careful review, I have decided to further align the RAC organization with Ricoh U.S. to leverage our synergies and the strength of the U.S. organization. With this decision, we will eliminate the position of President and CEO, Ricoh U.S. and align the U.S. sales and operational leadership under RAC through my direction. And as a result of this decision Jeff Hickling will be leaving the organization. Jeff will continue in his role through July 15 to facilitate a smooth transition of U.S. sales and operations functions.
I want to thank Jeff for his leadership with both the IKON and Ricoh organizations over the past six years. Since Ricoh’s acquisition of IKON, Jeff has been instrumental in building an effective integrated leadership team in the U.S. and has had a positive impact with our Dealer community by building stronger collaborative relationships and increasing market share across all channels. We will continue to build upon these successes as we move into the next phases of our integration. I want to reassure you that we will continue our commitment to the Dealer channel as we work to strengthen the collaboration across channels.
Please join me in thanking Jeff for his many contributions to IKON, Ricoh and RFG dealers which will benefit us as we move forward, and wish him continued success in his future endeavors.
Thank you,
Kevin Togashi
Chairman and CEO
Ricoh Americas Corporation
And in the burst of light that blinded every angel
as if the sky had blown the heavens into stars
you felt the gravity of temper grace falling into empty space
no one there to catch you in their arms...
let it go, let it go, let it go, let it go
6/30/2011
The evolution of MpS is thick. Everybody scurrying around, grabbing all the clicks/prints/toner sales possible; Finally.
We're making a living now in MpS - even those of us settling into Stage 1 and Stage 2. The Big Guys have taken up their purchased positions, Xerox, HP, Ricoh, have or are committing to an MpS Channel program. Others, Konica, Kyocera, Lexmark, Dell, Okidata, Muratec, etc. stubbed their toe and are taking a second swing at Mps.
And then there is Samsung. Mysteriously lurking just over the horizon. Literally. Heck, it isn't MpS, but even MemJet appears to be getting off the ground!
So what is next? Stage 3, that's what is next. But how to go about jumping from the hardware as a service into software as a service realm.
Stage 3 incorporates software. Though S1/S2 engagements utilize some sort of software package, most of us aren't yet comfortable with the whole "EDM/Managed Services" thing.
If only there were a 'bridge' from S2 to S3, an 'on-ramp'. A platform that doesn't require a staff of specialists, installers, engineers, and training staff, yet provides actionable information.
Wouldn't that be nifty?
Let not your heart be troubled, I see that bridge. It's been in front of us all along and its mantra is "...manage the behavior, not the print..."
This Unprovoked Attack on Me, is an Attack on You.
From my friends at CRN - Computer Reseller News, no less.
I have no idea how I even popped up on their radar, but apparently, I ruffled some back room feathers. I am an easy target, my name is all over my blog, unlike the fictitious "Paige Coverage"; an obvious Xerox marketing creation, and yes, I actually have real pictures of me.
Thank goodness I didn't post pics of my children, for they would have been thrown under the bus with me.
What befuddles me, beyond comprehension, is what nerve have I struck?
Perhaps the Xerox folks I have been working with for the last year, evaluating PagePack and ColorCube as possible offerings here at SIGMAnet, will be able to answer that question.
Perhaps the members from TeamXerox, who I met with last week during a Synnex event, can help me understand why I would consider moving forward, or even recommend anything from Xerox to my executives, prospects, clients, members of the MPSA, or the thousands of DOTC readers.
Read and tread lightly for this isn't just an attack on me. No, this goes deeper. Much.
What Paige/Xerox has done is shown its colors - they don't like, they don't want, dissension.
THEY FEAR CHANGE, THEY FEAR YOU, THEY FEAR US.
Paige is a creation, like the Monkeys and a shill for Xerox. Paige represents the will and vision of the Big X. For all we know, Paige Coverage is Ursala Burns. In the end, Paige is Ursala.
The Summer of 2011 DOTC vs. X - un-fuking believable. Oh the fun we are going to have...
And yes, I know this is all a sham to get more hits on their small, pathetic site - God, I love this country.
Read on...
Greg Walters Leaves a Trail of His Own Ignorance
Posted by Paige Coverage on Jun 21, 2011 11:27:02 AM
When he's not parading past you his music library or posting You Tube videos on his site, Greg Walters hacks out a confounding and scattershot blog called "The Death of The Copier is the Death of MPS."
Presently he's mourning the sad and premature death of E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, but he'll soon be back to getting his facts wrong, and contradicting himself with his bizarre attempts to frighten you out of a business he himself claims to be successful in: Managed Print Services (MPS).
Like spotting someone you've placed a restraining order on, I was reminded of Greg when a colleague forwarded me this rusting blog of his from December.
In it, Walters rekindles his addiction to managed print defamation by claiming that:
“Just as everyone figures out how to spell MPS, industry pundits kill it. Photizo called heavy growth rates in MPS Engagements through 2015 - of course this was back in the "olden days" - 2009! Last year at Lyra, consultants and statisticians explained that we will never return to the same levels of units (copier) sold, pre-2009.”
Same level of copier units sold? This is not an argument for the death of managed print services.
And Walters – who describes himself as “an MPS Practice Manager at medium-sized west coast VAR/MSP (whose) GP is consistently at 48% - fleet is doubling year to year, my goal is to quadruple in 2011” – should know this.
Managed print services is not about pushing boxes, anymore than managed IT services are about selling more PCs, or virtualization is about selling more servers, or cloud computing is about selling more storage hardware. A managed service is about optimizing existing resources. Sure it’s nice to sell some hardware, and everyone does. But service dollars outdistance hardware and software sales by a country mile, and have so increasingly for years.
Walters’ blog post goes on to feature quotes from those either too unsure of themselves to enter the managed print market, or are under the misconception that “it will make us millions on printer revenue.”
Walters’ opinions are just plain nonsense sprinkled with rock music lyrics, and no reputable technology reseller of any kind would allow this child to speak in front of their employees or customers.
It’s a shame that just as everyone figures out that certain blogs and social media sites can be of benefit to helping the channel drive more revenue through services, irresponsible self-promoters like Greg Walters come along to contaminate the well.
At least - by his own admission - no one is foolish enough to pay Greg Walters to write.
DOTC has grown into a personality of its own; bigger than imagined, larger than MpS. Although I rarely claim to be anything more than a 'thought leader', I am often referred to as rebellious, contrarian, and controversial.
So Be It.
The views expressed here are my own; the content for MY pleasure.
Life often sends us golden nuggets, wrapped in discomfort. Some call these moments, 'teachable'.
My recent run-in with a fellow blogger is just such a nugget and two great organizations rise above the fray.
I have accepted both and present them here for You.
Thank you to everyone who called me, emailed, offered, and posted words of support. I am humbled and grateful.
Submitted for your review:
Xerox -
Greg, I want to take this opportunity to extend our sincerest apologies for the Paige Coverage post made on biztransformcenter.com regarding you. The views in the post were made by an employee of Everything Channel and not by an MBA in a cube @ Xerox. While Xerox does sponsor the BizTransformCenter, Xerox does not review or control any posts made to this blog. Hmm…we shall review that strategy. We clearly don’t support these comments and posts by Paige and I’ll call you personally to clarify this unfortunate series of events. Sincerely, Tom Gall
----------------------------
Everything Channel
Dear Greg,
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me yesterday. I am writing to extend my deepest apologies for the June 21, 2011 blog post by Paige Coverage on the Managed Print Services Community site, which is part of the CRN Community platform. The blog entitled, “Greg Walters Leaves a Trail of His Own Ignorance,” included several negative comments about you and your blog “The Death of The Copier is The Death of MpS.”
The post was a badly misjudged attempt to stir community participation and debate. Instead, it focused on personal criticisms of you and your blog site, and was done in very poor taste.
While the opinions represented by Paige Coverage are by no means the opinion of Xerox, United Business Media, Everything Channel, or CRN, such a disclaimer does not excuse the content of the June 21 blog, which overstepped the boundaries of professional communication.
We deeply regret the over-zealousness, poor judgment, and lack of taste of the June 21 blog.
We apologize for its appearance, and any negative repercussions it may have caused you.
Sincerely,
Adelaide J. Reilly Vice President, Integrated Solutions Management Everything Channel
Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty and meet me tonight in Atlantic City..."
It's not the same scale as the gang-wars of New Jersey, but there is something here.
If you've been in this nutty industry for more than five years, you've probably heard tell of the mythic millionaire copier dealer who built a dealership and sold out.
He waited in siege around the non-compete, got back in, built up another dealership, sold out once again.
A millionaire, twice over.
Hey, this is America and there is nothing wrong with doing what you do well, and getting paid to do so. Capitalism at its best. I love it.
Yet, after talking with a couple of these new/old comers, I walked away feeling the need for a shower.
"...Barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge Drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain The rat pulls into town rolls up his pants Together they take a stab at romance and disappear down Flamingo Lane...
...And in the quick of the night they reach for their moment And try to make an honest stand but they wind up wounded, not even dead Tonight in Jungleland..."
I first saw Clarence October of 1980, during The River tour. My back was against the wall of Cobo Arena, Detroit, - I was in the very last seat.
I did not matter.
What seemed miles away, the Big Man in a white tuxedo atop two stories of speakers blaring out from what appeared to be an impossibly big golden saxophone, the sax solo to end all others was, dare I say, religious. If you've seen, you know.
Hundreds of concerts later, I still remember that Michigan autumn night. The band started just after 8PM and rocked to just before 1AM. For the last set, which I believe was the 3rd or 4th encore, all the house lights remained on. It seemed everybody in the joint was up, dancing in the isles and sweating.
That night, those few hours together, was about as human as you could get.
"Clarence lived a wonderful life," states Springsteen. "He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage.
His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years.
He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."
