What Will Happen to Managed Print Services When Aliens Land on Earth?

9/2014

Long ago, before the Star Wars Generation grew old, people who discussed alien planets, time travel, robots with brains, or life created in a petri dish would be labeled as "off", "introvert", odd, strange, socially awkward, clumsy, etc.

Not today.  Today, it's not so geeky to talk about anything in the context of science fiction.

Signs -

In the 2002 movie "Signs" Mel Gibson plays a reverend who after losing his wife, rejects God and Faith.  Aliens play cat and mouse for a few days utilizing crop circles as navigation symbols.  The invasion is concentrated around these designs; Mel's family lives on a farm and has recently been a victim of other worldly graffiti.  As more and more indicators reveal themselves families begin to suspect the worse.

The movie is a tapestry of past, present, and future events all woven together leading to the ultimate ending where all the pieces fall into place; hindsight is 20/20.  Everybody saw the signs, but nobody put them all together until the very end.

With this in mind I pose this question with all seriousness and grace - in a cold and analytical manner:

Do you See The Signs?

If not, let me point out a few of the Crop Circles in our cornfield:

• Recharger: Gone
• Lay-offs: Prevalent, secular
• 3D Printing: The latest 'Adjacency' does not make marks on paper
• IBM sells off Servers - "...its the Cloud, stupid..."
• Dealers offering Coffee and Water Services - no, really, its true
• Old Content - We're telling each other the same thing again and again, expecting new results
• Self-implemented MpS engagements; fewer clients need our services
• MIF reductions - If your numbers are up, you're simply trading MIF with a competitor
• Financial: Sharp, Panasonic, Kodak, HP - if the exchange rate wobbles, look out
• Show attendance:  ITEX, Recharger, BTA; each was much bigger than they are now
• Paper plants closing: International Paper announced the closure of one of its biggest plants in 2013 - primary output was 8.5x11
• IBM sells off SDN - googlitize it
• IPad: Almost as many sold as cases of paper, just kidding, but you get the point
• E Signatures - from car loans, to insurance forms, to lease payments everybody is doing it except you
• Google sells off Motorola - patents more valuable than the hardware
• Kids these days - all Thumbs and not a newspaper to be seen
• Lawsuits - desperation; it's like hoping for a penalty when you are down 3 points, late in the game.

There Are Two Groups -

"People break down into two groups when they experience something lucky. Group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence, that there is someone up there, watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck.

Just a happy turn of chance.

I'm sure the people in Group number two are looking at those fourteen lights in a very suspicious way. For them, the situation isn't fifty-fifty. Could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they're on their own.

And that fills them with fear. Yeah, there are those people. But there's a whole lot of people in Group number one.

When they see those fourteen lights, they're looking at a miracle. And deep down, they feel that whatever's going to happen, there will be someone there to help them. And that fills them with hope.

See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky?"

Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?"

"Swing Away, Merrill"

What signs are you ignoring?  Do you see crop circles, but blame the "kids down the street" for little late-night shenanigans?

Is it a coincidence that International Paper is shutting down paper plants, that HP refers to IPG as the "once cash cow", newspapers and magazines shift away from print, that industry show attendance dwindles, MIF falls off lease, and dealers now provide toner and coffee services, all while hardware margins shrink?

It's not so cryptic. The more difficult conundrum is figuring out which group you're in...

"Do you believe it because it's true or is it true because you believe it?"

#Managed print Services - TheDeathOfRelationship Selling

Original post, 10/3/11

"...Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over

But had me believing it was always something that I'd done

But I don't wanna live that way

Reading into every word you say

You said that you could let it go

And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know..."

All those original MPS Engagements are about to come up for renewal soon, aren't they?  Or do yours all have auto-renew's? Nice.

Are you setting yourself apart and building value into your relationship?  Or are you screwing them over, blaming them?

They'll figure it out, waking up one day and making you 'somebody that they used to know...'

MpS'es I speak with report a customer retention rate of 99.9999%, mentioning their depth of client relationship as one of the supporting pillars.

Relationships. That's what it is all about - but how do you define a "relationship"?

Quarterly Business Reviews? Weekly client meetings? Lunch and learns? Bondage and Rapport? "Nice Fish".  That was then, this is Now.

-- Read the Rest Here --





Click to email me.

Stop Doing These Four Things & Sell More Managed Print Services

Selling managed print services and managed services is not brain science, it's more like Rocket Surgery.

What year is this, 1989?

Maybe you know of these, maybe not.  The point is, I'm hearing more and more about how the better MPS selling organizations are replacing failed existing MPS engagements.  The losers are not covering the basics like toner delivery, prompt service and correct billing let alone workflows and business acumen.

As always, these are my views and mine alone - take 'em or leave 'em.

The Death of the Internet, Paper...and Single Payer Healthcare

9/2014

Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant Sequoia groves, and biological diversity. Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness - most visitors focus on the seven square miles of the valley.  If you haven't seen the valley from Tunnel view, you should.

For all its rough exterior and dangerous trek possibilities, I was amazed at the ease of access to almost every waterfall - paths have been constructed suitable for wheelchairs.

When Apple released the iPhone 5Si the A7 chip set immediately attracted our attention - in essence, the A7 promised delivery of transparent connectivity between all (Apple) devices AND capturing sensitive data in the device - NOT THE CLOUD.

When I open an email on my iPhone, my MacBook knows and I can continue to read it on the laptop...or tablet; they are all connected.  That means, when a call comes into my iPhone, I will be able to answer on my MacBook;  I'll check voicemail, on my iPad.

When texting from my iPhone, I'll be able to attach voice and video to the IM and regulate how long that message exists - it will self-destruct in three minutes or exist forever.

As far as security, all our information, passwords, credit card numbers, bank account information would be held on our personal devices behind security hardware and fingerprint scanners.

By connecting to other devices directly thereby utilizing them as sensors, the iPhone is positioning to become the nexus of all things connected.

"One word, kid, apps..."

The connectivity of everyone is impressive, but that's just a fraction of the story; the key has always been the software.  Today we buy 99 cent solutions to our million dollar challenges, in the near future, we will all simply write our own apps as we need.

The Shape of Things to Come (respect to TR7), a list of the next hierarchies to transform - enjoy:

The Death of Nationalized Healthcare -  In this new walled garden, we control our health from blood sugar monitoring to the latest cancer treatment.  But here is the kicker, with smarter devices connected privately to whoever we want, without 'cookies', our health data is ours.  We won't need 'clearing houses' or central databases to store immunizations history.  What's more, a great percentage of diagnosis equipment testing labs will be obsolete.  If you stop and think, it is easy to see.

The Death of the Search Engine - We search the mesh directly, not up and down

The Death of the Internet - who needs the internet when all devices connect through a web of personal servers.

The Death of Apps - We will write our own, ad-hoc

The Death of the Internet of Things - Connected people, not things

The Death of Spreadsheets - BI is an app that connects to billions of other apps/sensors

The Death of Cell Services - The Mesh will carry voice and video

The Death of Cable Companies - We are the Cable Company

The Death of ISP - No need for an internet service provider

The Death of VoiP - Just as homes are getting rid of the phone-on-the-wall, so to shall B2B

The Death of MSP - Self-healing systems, simpler and easily affordable(free) technology

The Death of Paper - Information moves faster than print

The Death of Hierarchies - everything will flatten

The BIG Transformation - The Death of Hardware

The Convergence is progressing to a point where our decision processes will be supported by software/apps instantaneous and dynamically.

Apps are nothing more than thoughts frozen in time, converted into repeatable algorithms, manipulating a stream(or streams) of inputs. The old ways meant this processing was static - the algorithm doesn't change directly.

This too, shall change...

Click to email me.

DOTC Prime - TheDeathOfTheConsultants

...this is a rant...good for the soul...from July 6, 2013

During the first 12 months, of our incorporation, we've explored the many nooks and crannies of a sector of our niche typically haunted by trainers, coaches, advisers, analysts, gurus, sages, and prophets.

Often, when we attempt to tell people what it is we do for a living, we get one or more of the following responses:

• "Oh, you must be consultants like Photizo..." - understood, but no.
• "Oh, you work with end-users, helping them weed out MpS programs..." - goodness, no.
• "Oh, you're trainers like Strategy Development..." - nope.
• "Oh, you're providers like Preo..." - huh?
• "Oh, you're an MpS Practice, like OnePrint..." - sorta, only not.
• "Oh, you're analysts like IDC..." - not even close.
• "Oh, you're recruiters..." - again, sorta, only not.
• "Oh, you're writers..." - isn't EVERYONE?

These responses make sense because folks think of us as people who have answers. To be fair, with a combined 40 years in this nutty business, we easily slip into the consultant role.

I keep telling you, the 'p' is getting smaller! I have seen the Future of MpS...

Original 11/30/11

"Hello little Printer"

Is your MiF shrinking?

Is your OEM hammering you for year-end commitments and next year's forecasts?

Are MDF and back-end rebates heading right to your bottom line? Or are we finally counting both as top-line revenue? (LOL!)

How's that mobility practice going? Selling many mobile print engagements? To Commercial accounts?

Is that new Xerox 'just too darn big to fit into all your SOHO leads?

Fear not, fragile traveler. The Future of MpS is upon us.

Follow me printing? Sure thing.

Increase in 'clicks'?  Nope.  A new model, "Cost Per Inch".

 "Are those your keys?" she asked, "No...it's your new mobile printing solution, say hello to my little friend..." 

0.00000000000012/inch - ...I frickin love this business!
  
Click to email me.

The Death of The Internet

Originally posted on Walters & Shutwell, April 11, 2014.

This month marks the 25th anniversary of the addressing vehicle for the internet, the "World Wide Web". The internet, as it is defined, has been around 40 years, created in 1973.  The thing is, I don't see the internet surviving another 40, let alone 10 years.

No really, I'm calling it, we are witnessing the very beginning of the Death of the Internet.

Indicators:

1. MSFT releases iOffice - One of the largest technology hierarchies cries "Uncle!"
2. The Snowden Effect - the internet is a centrally located sieve 
3. The US gives up ICANN - addresses are irrelevant
4. Bio/Nano technology - not 'smaller' technology but 'closer' technology
5. Apple implements 'beam' and wire-less mesh for messaging...(Someday, very soon, Apple will be bigger than the internet)

Expansion and contraction are natural ways of business technology and social evolution.  For instance, the glass rooms of mainframes moved to the desktop with the PC, then to our laptops, notebooks, tablets, smartphones - smaller yet more powerful computing expanded the reach boundaries of connectivity.

MpS: The Unifying Theory & Convergence

Originally posted, 7/11/11

Oh, what could have been.  Reading these words today is more than nostalgic.  How can an article written in 2011 have relevance, if not foretell the future, today?

Enjoy.

Just over three years ago (four now), 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 a few fleet monitoring alternatives and fewer proactive supply 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 processes, or managing hundreds of devices, but we inhabited our own little silo.

Xerox, IKON, Canon, Océ, and Pitney Bowes all had their FM division – each conducting site surveys and usage analysis as well as working with colored dots and floor plans.

Silo 1.
The bane of OEMs, third-party cartridge manufacturers, lived their existence in the dark on the periphery of the ecosystem, struggling from legality to legitimacy.

Silo 2.
Liberty, Kofax, and other software companies were conducting user interviews, charting document flows, developing Statements of Work, and evangelizing paper to digital.

Silo 3.
Copier reps walking the streets were suggesting ROI, lower lease costs, TCO, and the benefits of color to purchasing agents and church deacons alike. They were churning, flexing, and otherwise landing gear, giving “more for less” and pitching scan-once-print-many (keyword being “many”).

Silo 4.
The OEMs were flush – seemingly changing models every 90 days. Corporate marketing departments were shoving quotas down the channel, and the channel responded obediently, floor-planning and filling show floors.

Silo 5.
Back then, VARs were executing thousands of transactions a day – servers, desktops, laptops, networks, data centers – and yes, tens of thousands of printers flew off the dock into waiting cubicles.

Silo 6.
I am simplifying by stating only six silos. We may have discovered as many as 11 silos or dimensions over the past two decades inside what can be called the imaging/technology industry.

The number doesn’t matter. Mere acknowledgment is important. Always there, unobserved until now. You see, even though these functions and organizations existed and thrived, there was never a recognized commonality. There was no unifying factor.

Until now.

If you envision these silos standing individually, what could be the common ground? More aptly, what would be the white spaces between the columns?

Managed print Services, the M-theory – that’s what.

Think about it. As we move through the stages of MpS into MS, the “P” fades and other factors, the other columns, illuminate – from third-party toner to scan-to-file, storage, mobility, and EDM – once unique and isolated, now pulled together as one overarching system.

The players haven’t changed, but the game is all different. Those of us who can now ”see” the ecosystem will thrive.
There’s more.

This point in history is unique. This is a time of technological convergence, time compression, and shifting control from a central authority to the individual. MpS is a vehicle for change at this moment. Again, not everyone will see the opportunities or the pitfalls; it takes a wider perspective and pure intent, but those who stay could be champions.


Posted by Greg Walters on 07/11/2011

"I shall call him, Mini-Pad and His Big Sister shall be Maxi -" #Apple

Originally posted 7/9/12

Kindle, schmindle, I want a PC in the form of an iPAD!

I want the comfort of Windows 1.0 and enough ports to plug in my optical mouse AND trackball- while you're at it, throw in parallel port to boot.

And I want it to print to any and every printer in the world. Dare I say, an Epson LQ-2550 and an IBM 4019 Laser printer.

Yeah, print to those, you goofy, goof-ball.

Those Win8, hockey pucks won't print.Not because they can't, because NOBODY WILL WANT TO PRINT.

Will Win8 be a bust?  Will it lock up, like every other Windows version? Has there been a history of new interfaces confusing the hell out of everyone? Whatever.

Pascal's Triangle & The Digitization of the Office - 1/3/2014

2014

In the Beginning -

The workplace has been evolving since the beginning of time. We've moved from farms to churches to castles, to high-rise office buildings and mega-cities. As communication shifted from handwritten documents to print to electronic, so too, did the office and the way we conduct day-to-day business.

Some consider the process started sometime in the 90s - while others imagine true digitization kicked off with the advent of the IPad. 

My observations and research reveal the shift has been occurring since the late 1600s starting with a device invented and built by an 18-year-old, French kid. The mechanism performed addition, subtraction, and multiplication through the manipulation of gears and dials. The teen was helping his father calculate bigger numbers when performing French tax accounting. 

Who is The World's Best Managed Print Services...in the World

I love the phrase, "It ain't bragging if its true..." - my high school football coach used it often.

I've noticed a trend over the past few months in our little niche: Robo-Boasting.

Self-promotion is great.  I get that and if you're proud of your MpS, I say get that story out there.  But don't do it through a robotic channel.

Bragging -

So many software, OEMs, dealers, toner pirates, distributors, consultants and analysts either claim to be or report to know the best Managed Print Services something-or-other.  The twitter-feed is chock-full of MPS robo-brags and self-promotion, it is blinding.  Observed from the outside it looks like one huge Love-fest. (I was going to use 'circle-jerk' but that might seem offensive)

Toner For Tablets - March, 2012 "The New #iPad Will Kill Printed Documents"

Originally posted, March 4, 2012

"One of the iPad's biggest competitors has been paper," said Nick Bilton, a tech columnist at The New York Times, "and now this is better than paper."

So many books and so little printing-

I was somewhat dismayed to learn Britannica is no longer going to print its encyclopedia.

I was a bit vexed when I read that printed,  pulp-erotica isn't as hot as it once was.

My confusion cleared upon discovering the hottest thing on  E*Readers is ladies' romance/erotica - women and their dirty little Nook's. This makes perfect sense; nobody can tell what you're reading while sucking a caramel macchiato, head down on a Kindle.  Poor Fabio.

Even Conde Nest is moving out of print and into the online subscription business.

Half of YOU will Be A #Freelancer - And Won't Print #paperless

Getting up early to fight the traffic.  Fast food lunches, office politics, 'walk around management', empty Monday morning meetings, and equally nauseating, re-cap meetings Friday at 4:00 PM.

Ah, the modern, cube-rat life. Sick of it? You're not the only one.

There is good news - studies suggest by 2020, 50% of us will be freelancers.  All of us, not just writers and out-of-work salespeople will either be or know somebody who is an independent, hired gun, freelancer.  Everyone from CEO to Controller will have the opportunity to work 24/7, from anywhere in the solar system.

Before you say, "I couldn't concentrate at home..." I'm not just talking physically at home.  Besides, you can concentrate anywhere.    Consider the monthly costs your employer carries to put a roof over your head, phone in your hand, and connect you to the interweb.

For Five Six years this U2 video has played.  Seems like it happened yesterday.

2014

2013

#Apple September 9, 2014 #IOS8, #AppleWatch #APPL

It was about the A8. It was about calls shifting from wireless to cell, seamlessly.

It was a bigger phone with more Sensors, new gyroscope better camera.

NFC - Pay without Cash
Pay at McDonalds, Disney, Apple, etc.

Apple Pay 
"Will forever change the way we pay for things.  Online Transactions - Pay with a Finger"

Target, Uber, Open Table and more.  Pay online with your fingerprint and keep all your credit card information in the palm of your hand or on your wrist.

There Are No SEO Experts - #SToPiT!

#managedprintservices, #gregwalters, #mps, #sales, #seo, #searchengineoptimization, #traffic, #mysterymeansmargin, #pleasegoviral, #keywordsorcontent. #mysteryinSEO, #theSEOConspiracy, #UrNotReadinThis

I know this is going to ruffle some feathers, but my latest foray into the world that is the interweb has lead me to the above conclusion. Let me be even more precise: There is no such thing as an SEO expert in our industry. That’s going to hurt the few who claim to be guru’s and pundits - sorry.

It has been, and still is my belief that pure content is the best way to attract an audience. Google agrees. Their search algorithm seeks out fresh, organic content.

Traveling the world of content marketing and marketing content, I see parallels between this realm and the early days of managed print services.(MpS)

In the beginning, nobody really knew what MpS was or how to sell and support a profitable program - some still don't. Back then, there was a great deal of mystery in MpS so anyone who had the slightest insight vaulted to the rank of 'expert' - take it from me. Back then, one needed to have a few weeks more experience than everyone else.

Why No Experts, Greg?

How Cloud Computing Will Change Your Business in the Future

From Workintelligent.ly, Aug 27, 2014.

As we know, the cloud is a platform that allows you to store and process data away from your personal device. The resulting information can then be presented to that or other devices.

This is not a new concept. It’s the way computing originated. Programs originally ran on mainframes, mirroring sessions to terminals throughout an organization. But these were expensive options. In the very early days of personal computing, businesses could only afford to provide CFO’s and controllers with spreadsheet applications and $10,000 PCs.

How to Get Better at Managed Print Services Assessments: 3 Points

Here's a quickie...

For decades, MPS assessments have been a cornerstone to almost every engagement. Even when a 30-Second assessment is popped off, as light as it its, its still an assessment.

Indeed, every sales rep assesses the situation upon entering into a conversation - its only natural. You're measuring the opportunity to be embarrassed or rejected in the first seven seconds. Think back to 7th grade and asking 'whats-her-name' to dance. Or is it just me?

Good Workflow Kills Paper - The Once and Future Managed Print Services

From The Imaging Channel.

Passing notes in class used to result in a disciplinary action. Back then, the most efficient method of conveying information or querying a prospect was to scratch a simple question on a scrap of paper and ask your neighbor pass it along. “Do you like me? Do you want to be my friend? Check yes or no." In the early days of business, like those notes in third grade, sales orders were hand written on paper with a pen.

As time went by, more advanced order-entry processes developed around carbon and carbonless paper and forms. One instance of data entry, writing information down on the order, would create three or four copies, which you’d just peel apart and forward a copy to the appropriate department — original into daily sales, yellow to the warehouse, goldenrod over to accounting as an open order, and the pink gets thrown away. (As an aside, do you remember how challenging it was for some copiers to make a copy of a yellow background, carbonless form? That’s right, we were making copies of copies.)

Sales Reps(Copier): Pie Is Not Sexxy. Stop with Goofy Marketing, Unless it Works.

We've gone from Gorilla Marketing to Goofy Marketing.

In the old days, we would send one baby shoe with a note, "Are companies make a great pair."  Get it?

Later, we would send a radio-controlled car with an offer to deliver the remote control, when given an appointment. 

I've seen it all, crumbled letters, newspaper articles writing about how your prospect did something famous(or infamous), singing telegrams, lunch in a box, and yes even fresh apple pie in exchange for a signature.

I can't believe I still hear about these techniques.

_________

This account is based on a True Story.  The names and locations are changed to protect the ignorant.
------

The sharp-dressed, well-seasoned sales manager sauntered in five minutes late. He's read somewhere, that a strong entry is important when motivating the troops and this month's sales figures are in need of some heavy stimulation.

"All right ladies, " he starts, ignoring the fact that only two of the 18 salespeople in the room are female, "as you know, this is the last week of the month.  You've all committed to numbers that none of you have delivered.  Not one."

Initiate spontaneous, mutual sphincter contractions.

#AppL & #IBM: Keep Em Separated?

8/2014

"...IBM and Apple sittin in a tree...K-I-S-S-I-N-G...first comes love, then comes marriage, then little Siri-Watson in a baby carriage..."

The last #APPLE announcement was revealing in terms of technology because of the A7 chipset and the deal with Beats.  The upcoming #APPL announcement this September , has much in store, here are just a few:

1. New iPHONE 6
2. The A8
3. New wearable(s)
4. Yosemite 
5. IBM

iPhone 6
By now, we know the new iphone is always awesome. This time, the new phone will set extend Apple's lead in the market, all others will begin to look old-fashioned.  The timing is right for upgrades but some who bought the 5 last year will be slamming phones on Ebay looking to replace with a 6.

Why?  The new processor.

Y O S E M I T E

The buzz and anticipation around the op-sys roll out would be enough of an accomplishment for any major, technology company.  Imagine how happy #MSFT and all those Windows users would be if their OS were 50% of what Apple brings.  Yosemite is going to set the bar so high, others will get nosebleeds contemplating the dire situation.

Why?

Yosemite will blow the doors off of every other operating system - EVER.

I've seen things - the square mouse that was DOS 4.0, the smooth, out of this world, not ready for prime-time, pre-emptive multitasking OS/2 from IBM and the shear marketing and social goliath called Windows 3.0(1).

When I look at all the Mac OS/X, the actual operational tasks melt into the background - which is exactly what you and I want.  Thoughtless operation.  Support me, no matter how many applications I open.  Don't make me learn about .TMP files and wait 20 minutes for my machine to start up.

Why in  the world do any of us know what the phrase, "blue screen of death" pertains too?  Why should I know this?

I want to be able to share my current app on my MacBookPro, iPad and iPhone automatically -handing off to each device as needed. Impossible? No. El Capitan? Yes.

I want to answer my phone on my MBPro - madness? Half Dome? Yes.

You know what else, I'd like the same op-sys on all my devices...jus saying.  Craziness? Well, yes and coming.

The transparency between apps and platforms, dare I say the "non-fragmented", congruent approach of Yosemite is one of the biggest shifts in technology, ever.  As with most Apple products, the device or operating system does not try to dictate our personal workflow - it pairs up and works with me.

Why do I need to tell Windows I don't want to upgrade in the middle of every Powerpoint presentation?

WeAReAbLeS

Healthkit, iWatch, whatever...love them or hate them, #Apple is about to crack the seal on the atrocious healthcare system.

How about I get to keep all my health records, secured in my iPhone?  And how about instead of going in for tests, or scans, my watch is monitoring all that 7x24, data ready to be shared when I want with whomever I want?

Yeah, that's coming.

GUESS Who's Coming to Dinner? IBM.

The very first rivalry in the personal technology realm was between IBM and Apple - it was more  of a feud, really.  If you wanted to add up numbers and create DBII applications(what?!!), you owned a PC.  A 'clone' if you couldn't afford an IBM Model 70.  On the other hand, if you considered yourself 'artsy' or academic, a MAC was your status symbol.

Back then, it seem the two would never meet.

It's different now.

The last two powerhouses standing are getting together; soon the accounting firms,  engineering companies and manufactures will all be sporting "iSomethings".  CRM's,  materials planners and project managers will be flicking charts all over the place, from iPAD to AppleTV, to the iMACs in accounting.

This is transactional communications transforming into BI - is a another vista, waiting out there for everyone.  But that is for another set of blogs.

Wow.

"The Things We Think And Do Not Say. The Future of Our Business..."

"I began writing what's known as a Mission Statement...Fewer Clients, Less Money..."

During the 2011 MPS Conference, at the end of the MPS Expert Panel session titled, The Best MPS Program, I gave a little bit of what I like to call, the Jerry Maguire Experience.

Some of these panels end up being all 'doom and gloom'. You know, people get to say "I did it this way, so you should too" and "change or die", "the sky is falling".

Ken was wrapping up, the urge was there, I couldn't help it.

I wanted - no,  I felt, words were needed. Good words, positive energy let out for the world.

I have no idea if anybody heard what I said or if anyone remembers - and that's okay.  It was about the moment, a chance criss-cross of time and place.

An opportunity like that doesn't come along very often. I seized it.

"So much to say, and no one to listen..."

The words stumbled out and into the air, drifting.

I said,  "Now is the time.  This is the place.  An opportunity to remember.  To remember why you got in this crazy industry in the first place. Those times, the way it felt to get that first sale, install those devices...

To remember what it was like to NOT know. To guess, to make it up as you went along.

To remember when your existence wasn't dictated by the beliefs and dogma of the few.

Do you remember? Do you remember that blind jump, that a Leap of Faith?

To be young, to be amazed, to just...be.

It's here.  It's here for us now.  This very second.  How happy are you with your place in the world? The World is moving."

As much as I love having the mic, I know that the Global 2011 MPS Conference does not approach the scale and gravity of a major motion picture, arguably one of the best American films ever released.

Or does it?

"Breakdown. Breakthrough."

What are we here to discover?  What are the simple pleasures we look for and endeavor to find?

Direction? Validation?  Yes.

It's okay to sell copiers.  It's okay to sell MPS.  It's okay to sell.   It's okay to try and fail.  To tumble.  Get up, do it again.

MPS isn't the end-all, it isn't the only reason to exist - it never has been.  Still, with everybody getting in and as many as 50% failing, what now?

With all the OEMs defining MPS as S1/S2 and reclassifying direct accounts how can we continue?

Touch More.

More Human Touch.  Less PowerPoint.  No more WebEx meetings, toss the 50 slide business summaries.  Instead, press the flesh.  Draw on a napkin.

Do that thing we do as sales professionals, look him in the eye and say "thank you, what more can we do, today?"

"Oddest, most unexpected thing..."

Success and change are hardly the results of design.  Innovation encroaches from another direction; from the left as we look right, from behind as we look ahead. Few ever see it coming.

So it is today.  As some deny the paperless revolution is near, companies like Alaska Air outfit their 1,400 pilots with iPads.  Apple is making the textbook obsolete and banks now accept pictures of checks for deposits.  Your kids, don't call each other anymore, they use their thumbs.

From social media to MpS, everything is new and scarcely predicted - there are no experts - the world is moving faster.  No benchmarks, no 'metrics', no comparison, no rules.

Waiting for the revolution?  It's already here.

"The Me I always wanted to be" - Trust

Trust. It is a very big word and one of the first MPS Conference keynote speaker attempted to rally behind stating, "...Trust is something this industry has got to reclaim."

He is new.  He doesn't see that to reclaim something, one must have first possessed it.

Again, now is the time.  This Great Financial Crisis is secular, not cyclical - everything is changed and in flux. Now is the time to get out and see your clients re-establishing yourself as a trusted advisor, a Business Partner.

Be you.

"I had lost the ability to bullshit, ..."

Our journey continues.

The path is less bumpy when we build partnerships. Partnerships are easier to forge over a foundation of truth.  Can you be true?

Can you lose the ability to bullshit? If not to your prospects, at least with yourself.  Or are you just another shark in a suit?

Can you see the entire ecosystem?

How about instead of optimizing a smidgen of hardware and some toner, you envision Optimizing Everything.

That's right, everything.   Managed Optimization Services. 

"That's how you become great, man. Hang your balls out there."

GET MORE LIKE THIS, IN THE BOOK - HERE.

One of the absolute best reviews of Jerry Maguire.  Started, 4/30/2011

Originally, 5/16/11

Click to email me.

DOTC Leopard & MPSA MPS Leadership Winner, Kevin DeYoung, @QualPath

first aired, 5/19/11

Kevin 'burned the ships in the bay' a few years back, jumping headlong into MPS.

I have had many lively conversations with Kevin.

He is an MPS Evangelist, an MPS Purist, a true believer and his team at QualPath deserve the MPSA Leadership Award.

We here at DOTC are honored to have Kevin contribute as a guest writer, joining the 'Spotted ranks'.

Enjoy.

Three Reasons Your Web Site Should Lead With Your Blog

I've been traveling cyber-land since the days of 1200 baud, BBS, and the MiRC was the only IM in the world. One thing I've seen again and again is how something is popular one moment then thirty seconds later, drab and mundane.  The connected world builds loves obsolescence especially with advertising/marketing.

Because of the internet, gone are the days when a Yellow Page ad or 12 year old billboard out front attracted customers.  Today, for now, its all about 'social media', 'keywords' and 'SEO Experts'.

I know, I know - you've listened to all the pundits (moi aussi) tell you to take those copier pics off and stop pitching logo's.  Great. Your clients don't care about logo's or brand names.