FEATURE ARTICLES
10
18
Smart Moves
Dealers share opportunities & strategies for 2025
Compiled by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine
What do you believe will be the greatest opportunities for office technology dealers in 2025? What do you believe will be the best strategies for success in pursuing those opportunities? Recently, Office Technology magazine asked these questions of dealers in an email survey.
Future Reflections
Lessons from my 40 years in the industry by Bob Doucette Smart Technologies of Florida
In any industry, looking back offers not just perspective, but clarity — a chance to ask the questions that lead us forward. The questions we ask shape the direction we go. For example, did we achieve our goals for the year? And if not, why? These questions are the keys to unlocking the future.
Surviving the Tabbed Inbox
How Apple’s iOS update affects your email strategy by Jenna Miller Emerald Strategic Marketing
It finally happened. Apple officially joined the tabbed inbox game in September 2024. But why is Apple’s latest update worth noting? With emails being sorted automatically for recipients, it means your marketing emails have yet another obstacle to overcome before they are seen and opened. 22
DEALERS HELPING DEALERS
24 Training & Development
Who is responsible & what resources do dealers use?
Compiled by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine
This feature includes several related questions submitted by a dealer member as part of BTA’s Dealers Helping Dealers resource and many of the answers received. These answers and others — as well as additional Q&As — can be found in the members-only section of the BTA website.
Changes Ahead
Watch out for new administration’s evolving rules by Greg Goldberg
BTA General Counsel
The arrival of a new year and a new presidential administration means big changes are on the horizon for business owners. Watch this space as the policy priorities of the new administration come into focus and courts continue to insert their own judgment in place of agency experts.
PRINCIPAL ISSUES
EPEAT Criteria Updates
Will decades of fierce competition finally end? by
Tricia Judge International Imaging Technology Council
The EPEAT Technical Committee for imaging equipment and consumables convenes to try and reach an agreement on how to make printers and printer supplies better for the environment. For the past year, the committee has met for two hours every few weeks to achieve that goal.
SELLING SOLUTIONS
29
He Knew His Market
Serve a need & consider your clients’ best interests by Reena Philpot
Reena Philpot Sales Coaching
A sale is not about pushing things that people do not need or are not interested in purchasing. Even if you are a used car salesman, you can meet a need or solve a problem. There is nothing wrong with selling anything if you are serving a need and have the client’s best interests at heart.
ProFinance 3.0 Dates Announced for 2025
TExecutive Director/BTA
Editor/Office Technology
Brent Hoskins brent@bta.org (816) 303-4040
Associate Editor Elizabeth Marvel elizabeth@bta.org (816) 303-4060
Contributing Writers
Bob Doucette, Smart Technologies of Florida www.smarttechfl.com
Greg Goldberg, BTA General Counsel Business Technology Association
he Business Technology Association (BTA) recently announced 2025 dates for its popular and longest-running educational workshop, ProFinance 3.0. If you have not attended ProFinance and are looking to better understand the financial health of your dealership, I encourage you to register for one of the 2025 workshops today.
Taught by John Hey and Todd Johnson of Strategic Business Associates, ProFinance teaches you the industry model — which includes more than 30 key benchmarks — and will help you and your team achieve doubledigit operating income. During the oneand-a-half-day workshop, John and Todd share their knowledge from many years of building some of the largest dealerships in North America and their experience advising many of the most successful companies in the industry.
A quick overview of the workshop gives you an idea of what you will learn each day. Highlights from day one include:
n An overview of the financial model, its history, principles and application
n The MFP and MPS benchmark model and its components
n Details behind the benchmarks and how to apply them to your business
n A problem-solving session with sample problems and solutions
n A review of the day and Q&A
Highlights from day two:
n A review of the previous day and general discussion
n Sales compensation strategies
n Managed network services and imaging dealer strategies
n A discussion on leadership and company culture
n A review of all the information covered and Q&A
The 2025 ProFinance workshop dates and BTA member locations:
n March 12-13 — Modern Office Methods, Cincinnati, Ohio
n June 25-26 — Distribution Management, St. Charles, Missouri (a St. Louis suburb)
n Oct. 8-9 — Kelley Create, Kent, Washington (a Seattle suburb)
The workshop has received many positive reviews since its start in 2001. Some recent feedback from attendees:
n “The financial benchmarking and profitability model were the most helpful to me. It gave a more in-depth look at the numbers we need to be at to be a more profitable company. I appreciate the help and knowledge both John and Todd bring with their years of experience and expertise in this industry. I would recommend this course to others in leadership roles in this industry.” — Brett Maxwell, KOMAX Business Systems, South Charleston, West Virginia
n “The course was impactful and I’m excited to implement ideas driven from the information shared. The framework of classification of revenue and cost was phenomenal. The data-based information generated a wealth of communication and strategies we can implement to drive stronger profitability.” — Monica Wilmore, Virginia Business Systems, Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
The principles taught in ProFinance have dramatically improved the performance of hundreds of dealerships over the years. Will your dealership be the next to gain a competitive edge? If you are a previous attendee and would like to attend again and learn about the updated model, you can return for 50% off. Learn more and register today at www.bta.org/ProFinance. n — Brent Hoskins
Tricia Judge, International Imaging Technology Council https://i-itc.org
Jenna Miller, Emerald Strategic Marketing www.emeraldstrategicmarketing.com
Reena Philpot, Reena Philpot Sales Coaching www.reenaphilpot.com
Business Technology Association 12411 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64145 (816) 941-3100 www.bta.org
Member Services: (800) 505-2821 BTA Legal Hotline: (847) 922-0945
Valerie Briseno Marketing Director valerie@bta.org
Brian Smith Membership Sales Representative brian@bta.org
Brooke Barker Administrative Assistant brooke@bta.org
Photo Credits: Adobe Stock. Cover created by Bruce Quade, Brand X Studio. ©2025 by the Business Technology Association. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of published material. However, the publisher assumes no liability for errors in articles nor are opinions expressed necessarily those of the publisher.
FLASHBACK
The association’s magazine cover 49 years ago this month — the NOMDA Spokesman, January 1976.
Attend Spring Break March 6-8 in Orlando
T2024-2025 Board of Directors
President
Adam Gregory Advanced Business Solutions LLC St. Augustine, Florida adam@goabsinc.com
President-Elect
Debra Dennis CopyPro Inc. Greenville, North Carolina ddennis@copypro.net
Vice President
his year, the Business Technology Association (BTA) will host two future-forward events for office technology dealers, giving them a chance to learn from industry experts, and network with their fellow dealers and industry vendors. The first event, Spring Break, will be held March 6-8 at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, Florida.
On Thursday, March 6, e-automate users can attend “e-automate Elevate: A BTA Dealers Helping Dealers Best Practices Event.” The goal of Elevate is to facilitate a conversation among a broad range of eautomate users, touching on a variety of topics — from product functionality and common concerns to troubleshooting best practices. e-automate Elevate will include educational sessions in several tracks: Accounting, CEO Juice, Contracts, Inventory, Order Processing, Service and System Admin. The last session of the day will be an Ask the Experts session with all of the presenters, who will answer your questions.
The e-automate Elevate presenters will include: Barbara Bragger of B&B Professional Consulting; Richie Creech and Adam Jones of CopyPro Inc.; Jack Duncan of Jack Duncan Consulting; and Mike Kirkpatrick and Gary Lavin of CEO Juice.
Registration for e-automate Elevate is $299, which also includes registration to the Spring Break event. If you register by Jan. 20, you’ll get a $50 early-bird discount, so learn more and register now at www. bta.org/eautoElevate.
The Spring Break event will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, March 7, with opening comments and the keynote address, “Lessons From the Ledge,” presented by Alison
Levine, leadership expert, polar explorer and mountaineer. After the keynote, lunch will be held, followed by the second main stage educational session, “Sales Team Improvement,” presented by Kate Kingston of Kingston Training Group. A break allowing dealers to network with their peers and exhibiting sponsors will follow. After the break, dealers can choose to learn more about the exhibitors’ products and services, or attend one of three breakout sessions: (1) “Sales Performance Solutions,” presented by Nate Berkhoudt of PathShare HR Services; (2) “The Road Map to Service Success,” presented by Duncan and Creech; and (3) “Review, Realign & Recap,” presented by John Eckstrom, former president of Carolina Business Equipment Inc., now a Novatech company.
After the breakouts, another break will be held, followed by a dealer panel on workflow solutions. Patricia Ames of BPO Media will moderate the panel, “Cracking the Code: Successfully Selling Workflow Solutions.” The panelists will include Zak Danison of Modern Office Methods, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Brent Wesler of PiF Technologies, Hooksett, New Hampshire. The first day will wrap up from 5:30 to 7 p.m. with a cocktail reception.
The second day of Spring Break will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, with breakfast, followed by another round of the breakout sessions. After the breakouts, the fourth main stage session will be held. Laura Blackmer of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. will present, “Dealers & the Profit Dilemma — How to Get Help From Your Manufacturers.” After Laura’s session, the event will wrap up with closing comments and prize drawings.
Two-for-one dealer registration for Spring Break is only $199, so I encourage you to register today. Learn more and sign up at www. bta.org/SpringBreak. n
— Adam Gregory
Mike Boyle BASE Technologies Inc. Bethel, Connecticut mboyle@baseinc.com
Immediate Past President
Don Risser DCS Technologies Corp. Franklin, Ohio don.risser@dcs-tech.com
BTA East
Joe Dellaposta Doing Better Business Hagerstown, Maryland jvd@doingbetterbusiness.com
Chip Denlinger DCS Technologies Corp. Franklin, Ohio chip.denlinger@dcs-tech.com
BTA Mid-America
Greg Quirk JQ Office Equipment Omaha, Nebraska gquirk@jqoffice.com
Brett Blake Corporate Business Systems LLC Madison, Wisconsin bblake@corpbussystems.com
BTA Southeast
Mike Hicks
Electronic Business Machines Inc. Lexington, Kentucky mhicks@ebmky.com
Blake Renegar Kelly Office Solutions Winston-Salem, North Carolina tbrenegar@kellyofficesolutions.com
BTA West
Kevin Marshall Copy Link Inc. Chula Vista, California kevin@copylink.net
Scott Reynolds Imagine Technology Group LLC Chandler, Arizona sreynolds@itgarizona.com
Ex-Officio/General Counsel
Greg Goldberg
Barta | Goldberg West Hollywood, California ggoldberg@bartagoldberg.com
Smart Moves
Dealers share opportunities & strategies for 2025
Compiled by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine
What do you believe will be the greatest opportunities for office technology dealers in 2025? What do you believe will be the best strategies for success in pursuing those opportunities? Recently, Office Technology magazine asked these questions of dealers in an email survey. Following are a number of the responses received. Additional responses can be found at www.bta.org/2025Opportunities. Perhaps comments shared by your fellow dealers will provide some guidance to help you in the year ahead.
Opportunities: For Plus Inc., our greatest opportunities for long-term sustainability are IT services contracts along with all the software that goes with them (e.g., Microsoft 365, antivirus-EDR, off-site backup and firewalls). Phone systems, production print, flatbeds and wide format [are also opportunities]. The greatest growth opportunities in 2025 are production print and net-new copier/printer accounts. All of this would be through organic growth. Strategies: Getting more feet on the street along with more educational blogs and webinars, and doing monthly events in our showroom. Also, getting our website optimized for more hits, as well as making social media posts.
David Carson, president Plus Inc., Greenville, South Carolina
Opportunities: I believe dealers must continue to evolve their own individual unique selling propositions. In what core areas have you already differentiated yourself from your competition? We are very aware that we must continue to expand IT services into more profitable areas like security as a service. Cyberattacks are always evolving, and now artificial intelligence (AI) has elevated the sophistication of attacks to a whole new level. Business owners are starting to understand that they can no longer avoid this conversation. We are also looking at surveillance as a service. We are planning to begin providing cloud-based surveillance solutions. I believe there is a wide-open opportunity to migrate older
legacy systems to the more versatile and lowercost cloud solutions. Conference room collaboration and presentation technologies are evolving. We have already begun to see very nice activity in this area. There is significant room to grow here. Business phone systems will continue to be an area that provides consistent growth for us, as well as providing a solid opportunity to offer bundled IT solutions along with our telecom offering.
Strategies: The best strategies for success are to be strategic, bold and innovative. Pick strategic verticals that your business already excels in and become the expert technical advisor in those fields. Do not go after anything and everything. This is a buckshot strategy that seldom works effectively. Be the trusted experts that your customers can rely on for expert advice as they navigate a highly competitive and challenging technological world.
Wayne Piskin, vice president & co-owner
CCP Solutions, Farmingdale, New York
Opportunities: I think the greatest opportunities are emerging technologies, such as AI. It can be used for anything — from rewriting contracts to automating any sort of in-house processes — and the list goes on. Cloud services, even though it has been commoditized, is still a good gateway to other services. There are many clients of all sizes out there that just need help establishing SharePoint, etc. As far as products are concerned, for those who have not delved into security cameras, etc., I think AI-powered video security will be a good market.
Strategies: Sales 101. Start with your existing clients and push for referrals.
Mark Van Den Hoek, president
The Office Advantage, Mitchell, South Dakota
Opportunities: The greatest opportunity lies in fully integrating AI into our businesses. By leveraging AI, we can reduce costs, improve efficiency and drive profitability, positioning ourselves to thrive in an increasingly competitive
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market. Beyond operational advantages, AI will revolutionize how we communicate with prospects and customers, enabling us to deliver more personalized, timely and impactful connections.
Strategies: To capitalize on these opportunities, businesses in our industry must begin incorporating AI immediately. This means dedicating resources to understanding AI’s capabilities, testing its applications and embedding it into day-to-day operations. Companies that resist adapting to this transformative technology risk being left behind. Adopting AI is no longer optional — it is a necessity for staying relevant and competitive in 2025 and beyond. We must embrace this evolution with urgency and commitment.
Keven Ellison, vice president of marketing AIS, North Las Vegas, Nevada
“Adopting AI is no longer optional — it is a necessity for staying relevant and competitive in 2025 and beyond. We must embrace this evolution ... ”
Second, look to diversify into other recurring-revenue technology businesses. We believe security is a key growth opportunity and we are investing in our physical security (e.g., cameras, access control) and network cybersecurity businesses.
Strategies: For solidifying our core print business, we are looking for experts in our industry to help improve our people/processes and drive out costs. For our MSP and security business, we have partnered with Technology Assurance Group to help us improve processes and be more profitable.
Mike Williams, president iTech, Parkersburg, West Virginia
Opportunities: In 2025, our focus is on managed IT; selling and servicing on a month-to-month basis.
Opportunities: This is a tough one. We are still seeing really good opportunities in optimizing and rightsizing fleets with fleet analysis tools and secure print release software. Also, addressing security. We are focused on automation solutions like DocuWare, Docusign, workflow software, etc. These solutions work, gain customer satisfaction and get us very sticky in our accounts.
Strategies: Dealers need to invest in their people and make sure the expertise is inside — do not rely on your provider. Then you have to put in compensation programs for the geographic reps to hunt leads for the product specialists. We have proven this works. The ongoing revenue of the software licenses has large capacity and good margins.
Nick Lioce, president
The Lioce Group, Huntsville, Alabama
Opportunities: We see huge opportunities for growth in every area of our business in 2025 and beyond. Managed IT services and production print are both growing at projected levels, and managed print is exceeding projected expectations. People are more interested than ever in understanding their complete print environments.
Strategies: Training our people and giving them all the support they need to be their best and, in turn, expecting them to do the same for our customers.
Mike Steinhoff, president
Rhyme, Portage, Wisconsin
Opportunities: For iTech, I believe the greatest opportunities will be to first solidify our core print business by improving the processes and people, and driving as much expense out of our print division as possible to maximize our profits.
Strategies: We first came up with our ideal client. This is the client that utilizes all of our products and services. From there, we developed a marketing program around providing managed IT services. We email, cold call, warm call, do cocktail hours, etc., with just clients that fit our ideal client profile.
Mick Dean, president SaraMana Business Products Inc., Sarasota, Florida
Opportunities: I believe there are a great number of former OEM corporate employees who can add valuable talent to an existing smaller dealership. They were either IRIFed [involuntary reduction in force] or forced into early retirement. They need to be vetted, but there are some who still have some important years left in them to produce and mentor your 40-somethings to become better faster. I think some are upset and have some great fight in them. The institutional memory of their former clients is invaluable.
Strategies: Find them via just asking around and knowing your market. You just must be clear on your vision and expectations (i.e., they need to take out their own trash and they do not get their own executive assistants). Challenge them to use their decades of experience and commitment to paint the picture they want and leave the industry on a high note of success.
Tim Stanley, CEO/owner/problem solver
TDSiT,
Lowell, Arkansas
Opportunities: I believe that the biggest opportunity involves planning for future products and services. It takes a while to bring on new manufacturers and get people trained on products that they may never have seen before. There must be ownership from the front office to the shipping and receiving dock. If you are a legacy dealership, look around your building and see what products and services you use (e.g.,
cameras, Wi-Fi, shredding, document storage, etc.) and pick two. Find out who the manufacturers are and bring them in. Find out how their distribution works. How long does it take to get onboarded? What type of sales channel model do they have? Map all of this out and then have your salespeople go out and presell the products. Take a simple survey in person. Find out what they like and dislike about their current products that you are interested in selling. Document every call and be very specific. That to me is the greatest opportunity. Looking ahead!
“For managed IT services, having an in-house team is crucial ... To truly own what you are selling, you need the operations team to be in-house.”
Strategies: I believe in selling on the front end. Find out where the other players are in your chosen product set. Are these products represented by a long-distance manufacturer? Is there a service organization at the manufacturer level? What is its sales support? Then sell it to yourself. Practice the pitch internally and implement the solutions that you choose. Map out the project management; does it need site surveys?
Thomas Mitchell, president Connected Office Technologies, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Opportunities: Expanding our MFP base, video displays and associated services, managed IT and related services, and managed print services and print production.
Strategies: Two things: (1) Focus on expansion with our current account base; and (2) Net new with big hits.
Les Harris, vice president of sales & marketing UTEC, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Opportunities: I believe physical security will be a key product area for expansion. There are multiple reasons. One is that there are industries where the government requires better control of the security of your physical environment. Another reason is that the technology is at a level where the ease of entry into the space is not the vertical climb it once was and, subsequently, the functionality for the end user is not as intimidating as in the past.
Strategies: [Strategies for success include] marketing through the normal channels, sales reps looking to cross sell, your website and using search engines to get leads. Partnering with your vendor to complete the transaction is another key to success.
Dan Strull, founder & CEO
GoodSuite, Woodland Hills, California
Opportunities: The greatest opportunity lies in selling more units to new customers, particularly color machines. Managed print services (MPS) would be the second opportunity, followed by offering additional services to current
customers, such as software, VoIP or managed service provider (MSP) solutions.
Strategies: Our strategy includes hiring the right sales representatives and parting ways with those who do not meet our standards. We plan to work closely with our new reps and Derek [Shebby] to ensure we stay on track. We are pushing our reps to achieve a 27% contribution margin. If a rep falls below a certain level, he (or she) will enter a performance improvement plan (PIP) and if his performance does not improve, we will need to let him go.
Additionally, we must provide exceptional service, which we are already doing, but we need to improve our ability to sell at a higher price based on the value we offer, similar to what other dealers are successfully doing.
Tyler Best, president
Abadan, Richland, Washington
Opportunities: I think managed IT services offers the largest opportunity for dealers in 2025. I also think that the companies that are agile enough to handle any possible supply chain disruptions or price increases will benefit immensely.
Strategies: For managed IT services, having an in-house team is crucial. There are some great partners out there, but to truly own what you are selling, you need the operations team to be in-house. To minimize potential supply chain risks and price increases, improved forecasting, better coordination with your manufacturers and strong internal controls will be key.
Rogers Coxe, CEO
Dove Technologies, Florence, South Carolina
Opportunities: We are looking at a few options as discussed on BTA calls, but more than any new particular technology or service, we believe that the best opportunities are to expand what we are actually delivering to our customers from our current offerings. Most clients have one or even a couple of the products and services we provide, but most all still have opportunities for us to expand on these existing relationships.
Strategies: Marketing and communication to expand awareness, and comp plans for reps that motivate them to go the extra step to explore broader opportunities. Some carrot and some stick.
Matt Nix, president
Duplicating Products Inc., Gainesville, Georgia
Opportunities: I think there is a big opportunity for water coolers going forward. We recently started selling them and we are starting to have some success with them. People
“People are starting to prioritize healthier drinking water ... This is a good market for ... dealers since they can install and service the coolers as well.”
are starting to prioritize healthier drinking water and they love the cooler that can also produce ice. This is a good market for office technology dealers since they can install and service the coolers as well. If current copier customers trust you, they will go to you for water as well.
Strategies: I think the best strategies are having a rep or team of reps that focuses on selling water coolers and growing that part of the business. Talk about them to all of your existing customers first and then expand to new prospects, maybe leading with water instead of other products and services. It is a much shorter sales cycle than a lot of other office technology products.
Brett Maxwell, client relationship specialist & office technology advisor
KOMAX Business Systems, South Charleston, West Virginia
Opportunities: We see our growth in IT services, mail and telephone systems.
Strategies: Our plan is to sell into our customer base with these services.
Peter Napolitano, client manager
United Business Systems, Buffalo, New York
Opportunities: [We are] focusing on our core business, but continue to look for new opportunities. That said, AI is at the forefront of our thinking and the media. It holds great promise for new efficiencies — efficiencies that may eliminate your next hire.
Strategies: Spend the next months learning and implementing AI efficiencies that will help you become more competitive. Obvious areas are accounts receivable or accounts payable. Once you become proficient, you may decide to “take it on the road” and offer the services to your customers.
Robert Moore, owner
Lockwood Moore Inc., Reno, Nevada
Opportunities: Office automation and software as a service (SaaS) — more software solutions.
Strategies: Relying on the Business Technology Association (BTA) to provide the pathways through new vendors, concepts and education.
Don Risser, automation specialist
DCS Technologies Corp., Franklin, Ohio
Opportunities: First, managed print services (MPS). Instead of simply selling a copier/MFP, the focus should be on providing a full-service solution. This could include offering devices with a set number of prints or taking over entire print environments for large companies. Although this concept has been discussed for years, MPS will continue to be one of the biggest growth drivers and a source of new business in the coming years.
“Train and focus sales reps on more than just speeds and feeds — we need to utilize AI and bridge the gap in technology with our customers ... “
Second, high-touch service. As businesses are asked to do more with fewer people, there will be a greater demand for premium, high-touch services. Clients are willing to pay a higher price for a solution that removes the burden of managing things themselves. They prefer to call someone to handle the problem, allowing them to focus on their core business without worry.
Additionally, I believe AI will continue to be a gamechanger, driving significant improvements in business speed and efficiency. AI solutions, like ChatGPT, are already
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transforming processes and this trend will only accelerate in the years to come.
Kevin Marshall, president
Copy Link Inc., Chula Vista, California
Opportunities: Cloud-based print document management solutions to streamline workflows and enhance productivity. Focus on remote monitoring with AI-powered predictive diagnostics for better customer support.
Strategies: Train and focus sales reps on more than just speeds and feeds — we need to utilize AI and bridge the gap in technology with our customers and equipment.
Debra Dennis, vice president of support services
CopyPro Inc., Greenville, North Carolina n Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine. He can be reached at (816) 303-4040 or brent@bta.org.
Future Reflections
Lessons from my 40 years in the industry
by: Bob Doucette, Smart Technologies of Florida
In any industry, looking back offers not just perspective, but clarity — a chance to ask the questions that lead us forward. The questions we ask shape the direction we go. For example, did we achieve our goals for the year? And if not, why? More importantly, what gains did we make and what impacts did we create? What can we see today that we couldn’t see last year? These questions may seem simple, but they are the keys to unlocking the future.
As I reflect on my 40 years in the office technology industry, I am struck by how much has changed and how much remains timeless. In 2025, I will celebrate two milestones: my 40th year in this industry and the 25th anniversary of Smart Technologies, the company I founded to help businesses automate and streamline their processes.
Forty years ago, at the age of 19, I never could have imagined the profound impact of the digital revolution. Back then, the concept of a digital copier was a fledgling idea — one that did not fully reveal its transformative potential until years later. Today, that idea has evolved into the multifunction device (MFD), a centerpiece of the modern office.
The Digital Transformation & Beyond
The rise of digital technology has redefined how businesses operate. It has revolutionized the speed at which decisions are made, tasks are executed and companies scale. What started as an innovation in document handling has become a cornerstone of business process automation. These devices now serve as portals to entire ecosystems of software that integrate workflows, manage data and empower employees to be more productive than ever.
Looking back, it is clear that the decisions we made 10, 20 or even 30 years ago laid the foundation for today’s opportunities. And now, as we stand on the precipice of yet another wave of innovation — artificial intelligence (AI), cloud-based workflows and internet of things (IoT)-enabled devices — the lessons of the past have become our greatest assets.
What the Past Teaches Us About the Future
So, what can the past teach us about preparing for the
future? One critical lesson is the power of perspective. At 19, I could only see the immediate — selling and servicing devices. Today, my view has expanded to see how technology integrates into broader business goals — not just for efficiency, but for scalability, resilience and growth.
The questions we ask ourselves and our teams shape that perspective. Here are a few questions I have learned to ask over the years:
n What are we solving for? Technology is not just about functionality — it is about driving meaningful change.
n What trends are emerging today that we did not notice last year? Staying ahead means continually reassessing the landscape.
n What tools and practices are we adopting to make
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our clients’ businesses better? It is not about selling devices; it is about empowering others to succeed.
Casting a Vision for the Future
As we prepare for the next decade, I believe our focus must shift from just adopting technology to fully embracing transformation. The tools are more advanced than ever, but they are only as effective as the vision driving them. Businesses must look beyond immediate needs and consider how today’s technology will shape tomorrow’s opportunities.
We need to embrace the lessons of the past while keeping our eyes firmly fixed on the horizon. The future will belong to those who can ... clearly see ...
Digital connectivity has become a critical factor in this transformation, reaching even the most remote areas of the planet. This unprecedented access unlocks formerly untapped talent, creating opportunities for businesses to collaborate with a truly global workforce. The unlimited potential of a connected world challenges us to think bigger and act more inclusively, leveraging diverse perspectives and skills to innovate and grow.
This is where Smart Technologies excels. For more than 25 years, we have guided businesses through changes they could not foresee, helping them align their technology with their long-term goals. As we look to the future, our mission remains the same: to empower businesses to work smarter, move faster and scale bigger.
To help shape the next five years in the office technology industry, we can apply a strategic framework encompassing facts, deployment, development and discovery.
Facts (Understand the Truths and Gaps)
n Global Truths — AI will dominate workflows, personalization and sustainability, and autonomous systems will become standard.
n Industry Truths — Customers demand smarter, greener and more secure solutions. Hybrid work models will require seamless digital/physical integration.
n Business Truths — Identify where your business stands today — its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT).
n Gap Analysis — Compare your current capabilities against these truths to identify gaps in:
(1) Technology: Missing AI, IoT or automation tools
(2) Workforce: Skills needed for future systems
(3) Customer Experience: Lack of personalized or sustainable solutions
Deployment (Bridge the Gaps With Action)
Develop a three-pronged deployment plan to address the identified gaps:
n Technology Deployment — Invest in AI tools, cloud-first infrastructure and predictive maintenance systems.
n Process Deployment — Automate workflows and integrate AI-driven document management.
n Sustainability Deployment — Implement energy-efficient and ecofriendly practices.
Development (Invest in People, Tools & Ecosystems)
n People Development —
(1) Upskill employees in AI, cybersecurity and customercentric innovation.
(2) Build a culture of adaptability and lifelong learning.
n Tool Development —
(1) Adopt AI-powered printing solutions for personalization and automation.
(2) Focus on seamless integration of hybrid work tools.
n Ecosystem Development —
(1) Forge partnerships with AI innovators and cloud services providers.
(2) Engage in sustainability and compliance initiatives.
Discovery (Stay Ahead Through Innovation)
Continuously discover emerging trends and technologies by:
n Monitoring advancements in AI, IoT and 3D printing.
n Experimenting with pilot programs (e.g., voice-activated printing or AI analytics).
n Soliciting customer feedback to refine your product and services offerings.
n Identifying disruptions and opportunities in hybrid work, sustainability and evolving security needs.
Moving Forward With Purpose
So, how do we set goals today that will yield the fruits of vision tomorrow? We need to embrace the lessons of the past while keeping our eyes firmly fixed on the horizon. The future will belong to those who can both clearly see what is ahead and act decisively to shape that future. With the right framework and a commitment to innovation, we can navigate the challenges of tomorrow and unlock opportunities that seemed unimaginable 40 years ago. n
Bob Doucette is CEO and founder of Smart Technologies of Florida, located in Daytona Beach, Florida. He can be reached at rdoucette@smarttechfl.com. Visit www.smarttechfl.com.
Surviving the Tabbed Inbox
How Apple’s iOS update affects your email strategy
by: Jenna Miller, Emerald Strategic Marketing
It finally happened. Apple officially joined the tabbed inbox game in September 2024, following the lead of other email platforms like Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo. But why is Apple’s latest iOS 18 update worth noting? Because according to email marketing platform Litmus, half of all emails are read using Apple devices. And, with emails being sorted automatically for recipients, it means your marketing emails have yet another obstacle to overcome before they are seen and opened.
It is more critical than ever to ensure that your business’s communications, whether they are promotional campaigns or newsletters, land where they will be seen regularly. Let’s break down what has changed, how it affects your business and how you can adapt.
How Are Emails Sorted?
With Apple’s newest update, significant changes have been made to its Mail app that affect how emails are categorized and viewed by users. Emails will now be separated into four different tabs:
(1) Primary — Emails from recognized contacts or oneon-one correspondence land here, ensuring they get top priority. This is where you want your emails to land.
(2) Updates — This will feature newsletters, appointments and other subscription emails.
(3) Promotions — This is where special offers and deal emails are likely to land.
(4) Transactions — Reserved for transaction-related emails such as order confirmations, shipping updates and other automated notifications.
While Apple Mail’s artificial intelligence (AI) sorting process is still a work in progress, we do know that likely factors for where your email will land are based on subject lines, sender reputation and email content. These tabs aim to declutter inboxes for users, but they pose a challenge for businesses: promotional emails may now be less visible, requiring extra effort to get noticed.
Why New Tabs Will Affect Your Marketing Efforts
Tabbed inboxes are likely to have an impact on your email marketing. The new Promotions tab is a particular hurdle, as it often relegates marketing emails — such as special offers and product announcements — to a less visible corner of the inbox.
But before you freak out, here is a helpful statistic to consider: For Gmail users currently using similar tabs, 79.7% check the promo tab at least once a week. So, while this may mean fewer eyes on your marketing emails, it is not the death of promotional emails. It does, however, mean you will need to adjust your strategy a bit.
Additionally, the enhanced privacy features in iOS 18 add another layer of complexity. Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection limits tracking capabilities, making traditional metrics like open rates increasingly unreliable. Without accurate data, businesses must pivot to alternative performance indicators like click-through rates and conversions, while also refining their content to drive deeper engagement. These changes signal a fundamental shift, urging marketers to
go beyond inbox visibility and focus on delivering hyper-relevant, high-impact emails that resonate with recipients, no matter where they land.
Strategies to Adapt & Thrive
To navigate these challenges and stay competitive, businesses need to adjust their email marketing strategies. Here are four actionable steps to ensure your emails have the best chance at getting in the best tab and getting engagement:
Improving your domain reputation is crucial to avoiding spam filters ... This reputation is based on ... trustworthiness, bounce rates, engagement and blacklists.
(1) Focus on Deliverability — Improving your domain reputation is crucial to avoiding spam filters and ensuring your emails land in the Priority tab. This reputation is based on a few key metrics including trustworthiness, bounce rates, engagement and blacklists.
Start by using SPF, DKIM and DMARC protocols to verify your email. By setting up these protocols correctly, you will not only protect your domain from being misused by spammers, but also increase its trustworthiness for email clients.
Now it is time to reevaluate who your marketing emails are coming from. Instead of the sender line saying, “Company Name” or “marketing@company.com,” move to a more personalized sender. For example, “Jenna at Emerald Marketing” or simply “Jenna Miller.” This helps your chances of showing up in the Priority tab over the Promotions tab and it has been shown to have better deliverability in general.
Next, it is time to review and clean up your contact list. Use a tool like NeverBounce to ensure you are not sending to email addresses that are likely to bounce. Then focus on hypersegmented contact lists to provide personalized messages that resonate with your audience and encourage engagement. Do not forget to clean out your lists regularly; I recommend quarterly. This means removing unengaged contacts and those on the “bounced” list. Finally, ask contacts to whitelist you as a trusted domain (more on this in item three below).
(2) Prioritize Eye-Catching Subject Lines and Preheaders — No matter which new inbox tab you end up in, you want your subject line to stand out. It is the only chance you have to catch someone’s attention and get your email opened. Keep your subject line to around 50 characters or less to avoid it getting cut off. Remember to keep it concise and personalized. And, no, we do not mean just adding their first name in there. Try something like, “Three Secrets of Top Performing (insert industry).”
Some additional tips include avoiding the word “free” so you do not go into the spam folder. While it is hotly debated among email experts as to whether using this word influences deliverability, we play it safe and avoid it.
Do not forget to make your subject line intriguing but not misleading. Your email better deliver what you are offering in this line, otherwise you could end up with an unsubscribe or in the spam folder, which is not good for your domain reputation.
(3) Encourage Whitelisting — As we mentioned earlier, getting on the whitelist is ideal for deliverability. Encourage your audience to whitelist your domain to ensure critical emails always reach the Primary tab. The best way to do this is to include a stepby-step guide in your welcome email, on your website or on social media. Periodically remind recipients to add your email to their safe senders lists, especially when sending important updates.
(4) Create the Right Content — Now that you have gotten your email delivered and opened, you need to provide incredible content. Remember, Apple’s AI will be sorting emails into tabs based on several factors — and your content and verbiage are two of them. Focus on providing value to your audience that is clear, concise and personalized, and do it in a human tone. Filters are getting better at detecting AI-generated content so you will want to review anything you have used AI for and make sure it is edited to come off in a human, conversational tone.
But high-value, conversational content is not enough. You need engagement. It is another key factor in not only what tab your email ends up in, but also deliverability itself. Having your recipient click a button is great, but your strategy needs to go further. You now need a one-on-one experience. Try using the words, “reply with” to encourage this. For example, “If you’re wondering how well your cybersecurity provider is doing, reply with ‘cyberchecklist’ and I’ll send over our comprehensive evaluation checklist.”
In the end, this Apple iOS 18 update will not tank your email marketing like some have predicted, but it will need to be considered in your strategy. As we always say, focus on good email practices, valuable content and true human connection and you will be just fine. n
Jenna Miller is the CEO of Emerald Strategic Marketing, a digital marketing agency based in Navarre, Florida, that delivers custom solutions like SEO, social media management and other marketing services tailored to each client’s unique brand story. She can reached at info@emeraldstrategicmarketing.com.
Visit www.emeraldstrategicmarketing.com.
DEALERS HELPING DEALERS
Training & Development
Who is responsible & what resources do dealers use?
Compiled by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine
Following are several related questions submitted by a dealer member as part of BTA’s Dealers Helping Dealers resource and some of the answers received. These answers and others can be found in the members-only section of the BTA website. Visit www.bta.org/Dealers HelpingDealers. You will need your username and password to access this member resource.
a possibility. Teach about capital expenditure (CapEx) versus operating expenditure (OpEx). Teach how building a lease portfolio can guarantee income after three to four years of effort. Teach about C-level working hours; they tend to work longer hours than the employees, which means a smart rep has access to them more readily in non-standard business hours. Get some of the successful sales reps who understand the digital space and artificial intelligence (AI) to teach.
One big question that continues to plague us is how other organizations are handling the responsibilities of training and development for reps. Specifically, what programs or platforms are in place to foster a culture of continuing education for reps?
We are finding just getting reps educated in standard business practices, and understanding the challenges and needs that organizations face in the new digital norm, is difficult. We see so many new reps who have no practical knowledge of business processes. It makes it difficult to get them on track to chase solutions, digital transformation and, now, the use of AI in business. Who takes responsibility for that training? What resources do they use?
“Most of the time our sales manager trains and the rest of the sales team helps. We have done Larry Coco’s training and have our manufacturer’s help, too. It is more difficult when you get ‘green’ people to do this. We want to start using a better source. Derek Shebby’s Sales Bootcamp is the program we are going to go through next with some of our less experienced reps.”
Tyler Best, president Abadan, Richland, Washington
“I recall the days when I was a rookie, always ambitious and hungry to learn from the pros — namely the ownership and C-level players in the company. I believe that the willingness of the ‘big shots’ to spend time mentoring is an investment in time to ‘their’ ownership. Newbies look up to the pros, and the pros should give back for the futures of those who make their companies. Teach business practices. A small example: Having my proposal submitted in the ‘budget’ is not an order, it is
“With rare exception, I would not use engineers; they are far too technical and cannot convert a capability into a selling advantage. Clients want problems solved. Most do not want an autopsy of the technology. Use as many illustrations, images and examples as possible. Most learn best with pictures and examples.
“Create an environment of mentoring, not belittling inexperience. I do not have specific sources I would recommend. I am big on the ‘big shots’ being accessible to their folks. Walk the office, talk with the reps, ask them if they have questions, show you care and view them as valuable.”
Hans Chaddick, vice president of strategic alliance
Infonaligy Partners, Allen, Texas
“The responsibility and accountability is a function of sales leadership. However, in many organizations, training, onboarding and continuing education is neither a priority nor being held as an accountability standard. Sales staff members are the leading edge and second-most visible representation of your company (service is number one). How they are trained is a direct reflection of how they represent your company.”
Russell Kromminga, director of technical services
Century Business Technologies Inc., Topeka, Kansas
“Our ownership or the sales manager are responsible for new and continuing sales training. Creating an in-house sales training program is recommended, as there are slight differences on how each company approaches training and sales. Kate Kingston from Kingston Training Group is an excellent resource.”
Doug Powell, operations manager
Copiers Plus Inc., Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey n Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine. He can be reached at brent@bta.org or (816) 303-4040.
Changes Ahead
Watch out for new administration’s evolving rules
The arrival of a new year and a new presidential administration means big changes are on the horizon for business owners. Over the last several months, Legal Perspective has covered important developments in U.S. law, including the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) ban on noncompete agreements, the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) new rules regarding overtime pay and the Treasury Department’s new reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). All three rules have since been suspended nationwide.
Underpinning all three policy reversals is Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondi, the June 2024 U.S. Supreme Court decision that did away with the Chevron Doctrine — the 40-year-old policy of courts deferring to federal agencies’ reasonable interpretations of federal laws. Loper Bright ended so-called Chevron deference, taking rulemaking authority away from executivebranch agencies like the FTC and the DOL and vesting it in the federal courts. This month’s column takes stock of where things stand and highlights legal and regulatory shifts likely to surface post-Loper Bright under President Donald Trump’s second term.
On Aug. 20, a federal judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction preventing the FTC’s ban on noncompete agreements from going into effect. It is highly improbable the incoming administration will appeal the injunction, so noncompete agreements that meet legal requirements regarding geographic scope and duration are overwhelmingly likely to remain valid and enforceable. State laws prohibiting noncompete agreements, such as those in California, Minnesota, Oklahoma and North Dakota, will remain effective.
On Nov. 15, another federal judge in Texas halted implementation of the DOL’s new overtime rules. As a result, the minimum salary thresholds for certain “white-collar” workers who were previously exempt from earning overtime pay will not increase in 2025 as planned. Employers who have already raised salaries in anticipation of the new rules may find themselves in a predicament. Even though those employers could lawfully reduce salaries back to previous levels, doing so might devastate employee morale. Employers who planned to increase salaries beginning in 2025 may be able to reverse course depending on whether they announced their plans in advance.
Most recently, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision of a third federal judge in Texas seeking to block enforcement of the new provisions under the CTA requiring
by: Greg Goldberg, BTA General Counsel
reporting companies to provide beneficial ownership information to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). That means beneficial ownership information is still required to be reported nationwide. It remains unclear whether the Supreme Court will take up the case and, if so, how the conservative-leaning justices will rule.
The incoming administration is likely to reverse a number of other rules impacting the employment landscape. To begin with, it is expected that the Trump DOL will make it easier for businesses to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees. Employers can realize significant cost savings by hiring independent contractors because they are not subject to wage and hour laws, do not receive paid time off and are generally not eligible for employee benefits. Additionally, the Trump DOL is expected to revisit rules regarding environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments for retirement plans; to recommend executive orders limiting or eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; and to roll back newly enacted worker protections, such as the Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act.
As the federal government shifts toward a more hands-off, deregulatory stance, individual states are likely to attempt to implement more worker-friendly policies. The result will be a patchwork of different laws where workers’ rights may vary widely depending on where they live and work. Areas where states are expected to introduce new laws or regulations include: increased minimum wage requirements in excess of the federal minimum wage; expanded pay transparency requiring employers to post salary ranges alongside job descriptions; paid leave for employees suffering from medical conditions or taking care of children or the elderly; artificial intelligence (AI) regulations governing the use of AI technology in HR; and noncompete agreements to protect workers’ rights to remain in the workforce after separating from an employer.
Watch this space in the coming months as the policy priorities of the new administration come into focus and courts continue to insert their own judgment in place of agency experts. The whiplash may be just beginning. n
Greg Goldberg, partner at Barta | Goldberg, is general counsel for the Business Technology Association. He can be reached at ggoldberg@bartagoldberg.com or (847) 922-0945.
BTA HIGHLIGHTS
BTA would like to welcome the following new members to the association:
Dealer Members
Kyle Office Products, College Station, TX Multicard, Phoenix, AZ
Consultant/Trainer Member
Peak Performance Partners, Travelers Rest, SC
Vendor Member
Oracle NetSuite, Austin, TX
For full contact information of these new members, visit www.bta.org.
IT University Online
IT University Online’s (ITU’s) Lifetime Library consists of IT certification-based course curriculums. Reasons to buy a Lifetime Library:
• It is the most cost-effective IT training you will ever buy.
• You get lifetime access — your courses never expire.
• You will always be up-to-date in the IT field, learning about new technology.
• When ITU updates and adds new courses, you have full access to all of them without ever paying again.
• You can train on your time, wherever you want and at your own pace.
BTA members receive a 65% discount on the Lifetime Library.
For more information, visit www.bta.org/ITUniversity.
For information on BTA member benefits, visit www.bta.org/MemberBenefits.
For the benefit of its dealer members, each month BTA features two of its vendor members.
Oracle NetSuite is a full, cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) suite that gives organizations everything they need to run their businesses efficiently and accelerate growth. Whether you are a startup, an enterprise or somewhere in between, NetSuite gives you the visibility, agility and control to make the right decisions quickly. With built-in flexibility and native business intelligence, NetSuite gives customers a full picture of their businesses — all in one place — that is accessible from anywhere. That is why NetSuite is trusted by more than 40,000 companies around the world. www.netsuite.com
FP Mailing Solutions is the industry expert in secure mailroom solutions and digital communications technology. For 100 years, and plugged into more than 230,000 mailrooms worldwide, FP is the fastest growing mail machines and systems vendor in the United States, offering individually tailored solutions for its customers’ entire postal and organizational communications. FP’s product line includes mailroom solutions (e.g., postage meters and folder/inserters), shipping solutions (e.g., smart lockers) and digital solutions. www.fp-usa.com
A full list of BTA vendor members can be found online at www.bta.org.
more information, visit www.bta.org.
PRINCIPAL ISSUES
EPEAT Criteria Updates
Will decades of fierce competition finally end?
by: Tricia Judge, International Imaging Technology Council
Unlike the more mature and civil BTA Channel, the printing supplies industry has been volatile since the personal printer first appeared in the early 1980s. The printer OEMs employed a razor-and-blade economic model, allowing for original printer purchases at low price points, but making the supplies more expensive and lucrative.
This scenario created an unintended opportunity for entrepreneurs to collect the valuable empty printer cartridges and restore them for resale. Suddenly, the OEMs had unexpected competition for their supplies business, and the two factions have competed ferociously ever since.
It is against this backdrop that the EPEAT Technical Committee for imaging equipment and consumables convenes to try and reach an agreement on how to make printers and printer supplies better for the environment. Last year, OEM representatives, remanufactured cartridge representatives and institutional consumers of supplies met for two hours every few weeks to achieve that goal.
The Global Electronics Council (GEC), a mission-driven nonprofit organization established in 2006, manages the EPEAT ecolabel. The GEC’s revised criteria for imaging equipment include life-cycle-based criteria organized around four priority sustainability impact areas for electronic products: Climate Change Mitigation, Sustainable Use of Resources, Reducing Chemicals of Concern and Responsible Supply Chains. Imaging equipment manufacturers must demonstrate that their EPEAT-registered products meet these criteria, as well as criteria specific to the ability of the imaging equipment devices to run environmentally preferable consumables. EPEAT has three registration tiers — Bronze, Silver and Gold. All three tiers represent sustainability leadership. EPEAT Bronze products are verified as meeting all required criteria. The Silver and Gold tiers use optional criteria to incentivize innovation, competition and increasing levels of sustainability leadership.
The EPEAT logo has become universally accepted and recognized. It is used by manufacturers, resellers, dealers, and business and private consumers to promote and ensure the purchase of environmentally sustainable electronic products.
The following companies have been awarded EPEAT designations: Canon, HP, Lexmark, Ricoh and Xerox. All display EPEAT logos on their websites or in product literature. All of these companies also had representatives on last year’s EPEAT Technical Committee, along with representatives
from governmental organizations, sustainability nonprofits and the remanufactured cartridge industry.
EPEAT criteria aim to encourage sustainable practices among electronics manufacturers, including addressing concerns about product longevity and compatibility with remanufactured or non-OEM components. The previous iteration of the criteria provided that certified products must allow the use of remanufactured cartridges.
The criteria read: “Manufacturer shall ensure registered products do not prevent the use of remanufactured cartridges, either manufacturer or non-manufacturer branded,” and offered very little other guidance.
It was very difficult to get that provision included 10 years ago, and it was clear that it would be the linchpin of the deliberations last year. It was.
For almost 30 years, I have represented cartridge remanufacturers on that committee. It is a formidable process that requires diplomacy and patience with the OEMs’ positions. It also requires measured advocacy in support of the positions of cartridge remanufacturers.
Last year, the stakes were even higher, especially since OEM firmware updates that disable remanufactured cartridges from working in a printer after installation have proliferated. It has been the International Imaging Technology Council’s (Int’l ITC’s) position that this practice is a violation of the EPEAT criteria.
The GEC had received several complaints from cartridge users and aftermarket trade groups, several of which had
representatives on the committee, including three I filed on behalf of the Int’l ITC, regarding the firmware updates.
Last year’s EPEAT Technical Committee representatives were committed to the challenge of closing exploited loopholes and improving the sustainability goals of EPEAT. All the representatives took this charge very seriously, with each coming to the table to try and advance his (or her) own company’s agenda while balancing that against the collective desire to improve the printing industry’s environmental impact.
According to the GEC, the EPEAT framework encourages dialogue and voluntary compliance rather than imposing strict bans ...
HP, in particular, has been criticized for using firmware updates to block remanufactured cartridges. This practice has faced increased scrutiny as sustainable products have become increasingly preferred.
The GEC is charged with undertaking the criteria development process and in policing the established guidelines. The GEC also has the difficult job of moving the criteria development forward when the participants have such conflicting points of view.
The New EPEAT-IECC-2024 Criteria: Use of Remanufactured Cartridges
The simple language of the last iteration of the criteria, set forth above, which is referred to as section 8.1.3, has been replaced with much more complex — and concrete — language that addresses the firmware problem head on:
“Manufacturer shall ensure registered products do not prevent the use of remanufactured cartridges, either manufacturer or non-manufacturer branded, by implementing one or more of the following options: Refraining from issuing firmware updates that intentionally disable remanufactured cartridges that, at the time of the firmware update, use aftermarket electronic circuitry to operate with the registered product’s then-current manufacturer firmware.” We refer to this as option one, and it addresses remanufactured cartridges that use aftermarket chip technology.
Option two addresses remanufactured cartridges that reuse the OEM chip technology. Remanufacturers have found that reusing (or resetting) OEM chips often ensures that firmware updates will not have any impact, however the cartridges often lost several desirable functions once reset. It provides that “manufacturers can make available a manufacturer-approved solution using unmodified original manufacturer electronic circuitry that ensures registered products permit the use of remanufactured cartridges,” and must also ensure that “key functionality” such as full and continuous acceptance of the remanufactured cartridge, and without having printers display “inflammatory message(s)” such as “may be counterfeit” during installation and throughout use.
The third option is one that allows OEMs to be compliant as long as they provide their own lines of remanufactured cartridges for their registered products. Some aftermarket and consumer representatives took issue with option three because it allows an OEM the ability to continue issuing firmware that locks out remanufactured cartridge competition, merely by making one remanufactured cartridge available to the public. Or, the manufacturer can use option three to completely control the flow of its empties — also in frustration of competition and the environment, as we have no guarantees that they will remanufacture all of the ones that could be remanufactured. The criterion attempts to guard against these practices by requiring the OEMs to publicly report on the remanufactured cartridges they put on the market. Its efficacy will be reviewed when the criteria are updated.
Clearly, cartridges remanufactured under option one are the best for those who are truly seeking the best alternative for the environmental impact, competition and consumer choice. Several institutional buyers who participated said that they might contractually require that their printer suppliers elect option one.
All of the new updated criteria, including these new provisions, will be activated on Nov. 1, 2025, when products meeting the updated criteria will begin to appear on EPEAT’s registry. (Other provisions address take-back programs, indoor air quality emissions, recycled office paper, duplexing and other printing issues that have an environmental impact or aspect.)
According to the GEC, the EPEAT framework encourages dialogue and voluntary compliance rather than imposing strict bans, so the effectiveness of the new criteria will depend heavily on how manufacturers comply with them.
So, will these new initiatives actually increase the use of remanufactured imaging supplies? Will the OEMs actually embrace the use of remanufactured cartridges as opposed to the decades of fierce competition and even remanufactured cartridge defaming? Will there be increased awareness among purchasers to demand compliance with sustainability standards?
Those questions will not be answered until early 2026 as the OEMs react to the new criteria. In the meantime, the Int’l ITC will be monitoring and hoping that the OEMs and cartridge remanufacturing community are finally laying down arms and becoming more like the BTA Channel. n
Tricia Judge, an attorney, has served as the executive director of the International Imaging Technology Council for the past 23 years.
She can be reached at tricia@i-itc.org. Visit https://i-itc.org.
He Knew His Market
Serve a need & consider your clients’ best interests
by: Reena Philpot, Reena Philpot Sales Coaching
Ioften think about my sales style and where I picked up some of my lessons. My Daddy was one of the first salespeople I ever knew. Now, that seems funny to say, especially since most of his career was spent as a coal miner, like most of those in our family and community. But he was also a little unique. He was often an entrepreneur looking for other ways to make a living outside of coal mining. I do not even know if he has ever considered himself a salesperson, but he was — and was pretty good at it. He had a car lot for a few years while I was growing up. It was a very small lot; just three or four cars — the maximum my parents’ space and budget for inventory would allow. I remember like it was yesterday. The first two cars purchased to begin the adventure were a Volkswagen Beetle and an AMC Gremlin. I always picked out my favorites. I loved the Volkswagen, but could not understand why anyone, including Daddy, would buy the Gremlin. In my mind, the things you offered for sale should be pretty, but I was only nine years old. What did I know?
Almost every week, a car was sold and a new one entered the lot. The cars were usually about 10 years old. I sometimes spent the day with Daddy going to pick one up or making a trip back and forth to town to get this part or that part to get another one going. Mommy stayed at home for the short trips; just he and I would go.
Daddy worked long hours in the mines during the week and I did not get to see him much. So, his answer to work/life balance was to take me along on trips others might have thought would be more difficult with a child. I think he was onto something. I never felt he did not make time for me.
Saturday night was auction night. Mommy came along on those nights, tended to me and was available to do some driving if needed. The auction was a couple of hours from home. We would leave early on Saturday afternoon. Sometimes my aunt, uncle and little cousin would go, and we would have a big time. Sometimes we would leave in three or four cars because we had cars to sell and would all come home in one car. Other times we would go to the auction in one car and come home with three.
When we arrived at the auction, we would see cars lined up — rows and rows. The parking lot was full of people kicking tires and asking questions. The cars’ open hoods and doors filled the outdoor space and a building in the middle housed the auction. In the center of the building was an open path where cars would enter on one end and exit on the other.
I can still see rows and rows of cars, smell the hot oil in the air and hear the sound of missing mufflers. A man would be auctioneering and the owner of the car would stand by him when it was his car’s turn to be up for auction. The auctioneer would start talking loudly but slowly and speed up in the middle, trying to get the price up as high as he could. I loved the way he would end: “Are you all done? All through? SOLD to bidder #X!” and repeating the final price.
Sometimes Daddy bought cars other places than at the auction. I would walk beside him as he looked at the cars he was interested in purchasing. He circled the cars, looking at them with his hands behind his back as he considered the purchases. He often bought a car with someone in mind — someone who needed a car. He knew what he (or she) wanted and he was there to make a deal. I loved to watch him negotiate the price. He was always kind and friendly. He would negotiate when he wanted to pay for a car and again when he sold a car.
He was willing to take offers on what he had for sale. He would at least listen, then come back with a counter or terms to extend the time to pay in full. I loved this part and I still love this process of meeting in the middle. I was always listening. On occasion, I was lucky enough to be there when he purchased a particular car and again when he sold the same car, so I got to see a deal from start to finish. This was a good opportunity to learn about profit and, sometimes, loss.
Every week we got a magazine with vehicles for sale in the area. I would always take it to my room when Daddy was finished, play pretend and pick out the cars I would buy when I grew up. I loved the European cars — the Volvos and Mercedes. I never saw these types of cars in our community. They seemed rich and refined. I imagined the lives of the owners of those
cars being very different than ours. The cars Daddy bought were practical and did not have many bells and whistles. I imagined the seats in the cars I picked out were big and cushy. I imagined the interiors being worn leather. The seats and interiors of the cars Daddy purchased were usually plain vinyl that felt cold and hard in comparison.
A sale is
not
about pushing things that people do not need or are not interested in purchasing. Even if you are a used car salesman, you can meet a need ...
Daddy was not interested in the luxury cars that caught my eye. They did not suit the customers in his market. Those who bought Daddy’s cars were not interested in luxury or comfort. They were interested in reliable and affordable cars made by brands they knew.
Daddy did the things I do today with office technology. He took the cars that were needed to his market — cars customers may not even know they wanted until they saw them. He would collect a few so the people in the community had access to them. The customers in his market did not have time or the desire to travel and find cars. And he also only offered a few models — cars that met the market’s needs.
The people Daddy served did not want expensive, brand-new cars. The ones he sold were often second cars. Many men had to drive bad roads to work in the mines. Their cars came home every day with added layers of gray dust and clumps of mud that left chalky marks on their clothes every time they got in and out of them. Daddy solved a problem — the families in our
17 • BPO Media
community were able to keep their good cars clean and readily available after they purchased their second cars from his lot.
A sale is not about pushing things that people do not need or are not interested in purchasing. Even if you are a used car salesman, you can meet a need or solve a problem. Over the years, I have had people make remarks to me like, “Sales makes me feel like a used car salesman.” I just smile and, sometimes when appropriate, I say, “I always wanted to sell cars, but the hours are bad.” There is nothing wrong with selling anything — even a used car — if you are serving a need and have the client’s best interests at heart. n
Reena Philpot is co-owner of BTA member Precision Duplicating Solutions Inc., based in London, Kentucky, where she serves as sales manager. Philpot is also founder of Reena Philpot Sales Coaching and host of the Selling with Charm Podcast. She has spent the last 27 years as a salesperson and has a passion for teaching owners and sales team members simple sales techniques that allow them to hit their targets and goals with ease. Join in weekly as Philpot shares her tips and tricks to selling with charm: https://selling-with-charm.captivate.fm/listen. She can be reached at reena@reenaphilpot.com. Visit www.reenaphilpot.com.
ADVERTISER INDEX
www.workflowotg.com / www.theimagingchannel.com
21 • CEO Juice www.ceojuice.com
17 • Crexendo (833) 744-2500 / www.crexendo.com/partners
32 • DLL Group (610) 386-5629 / www.dllgroup.com
16 • DocuWare https://start.docuware.com
19 • eGoldFax www.egoldfax.com
31 • ENX Magazine (818) 505-0022 / www.enxmag.com
5 • HP https://www.hp.com
7 • Hytec (800) 883-1001 / www.hytecrepair.com
11 • Kyocera www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.us
21 • Mars International (973) 777-5886 / www.marsintl.com
19 • ProFinance 3.0 (800) 843-5059 / www.bta.org/ProFinance
2-3 • Spring Break 2025 (800) 843-5059 / www.bta.org/SpringBreak
13 • TD SYNNEX www.tdsynnex.com
31 • UPS (800) 636-2377 / www.1800members.com/bta
9 • Xerox https://partnerportal.xerox.com
Shipping Services
Members
Shipping Insurance
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