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Ricoh ad July 07
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I am your idea. Make me shine. ricoh-usa.com Š2007 Ricoh Corporation.
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CONTENTS Volume 14 No. 1
FEATURE ARTICLES 10
Canon DSF 2007 Dealer, end-user event held June 12-14 in Chicago
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Selling to the Government Is your dealership pursuing the opportunities?
by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine
Showcasing its full line of office technology hardware and software products, Canon U.S.A. Inc. recently hosted its Digital Solutions Forum 2007. The event, held June 12-14 at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, drew 2,500-plus dealer and end-user attendees. The DSF, as it is called, was themed “The Value Behind the Paper.”
By Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine
In this era of tight hardware margins, many dealers are seeking ways to boost their MIF (machines in field) with an eye on the more lucrative aftermarket opportunities. Are you among them? If so, perhaps it is time to take a closer look at your efforts to sell to the local, state or federal government. Most dealers have had at least some success selling to local government. Is your dealership pursuing the opportunities?
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COURTS & CAPITOLS Non-Solicitation Agreements They are an alternative you should consider
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Q&A: Shannon Oliver Long-time volunteer assumes 2007-08 BTA presidency
By Robert C. Goldberg BTA General Counsel
As it becomes more and more essential to invest in the knowledge your employees require to sell and support the equipment and systems you offer, it becomes more and more important to protect that investment. Non-solicitation agreements are one option you can use to protect your business.
by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine
On July 1, Shannon Oliver, strategic planning consultant for Hendrix Business Systems Inc., Matthews, N.C., became the 73rd national president of the Business Technology Association (BTA). Recently, Office Technology magazine had the opportunity to visit with Oliver. He was asked about his role as a BTA volunteer, the association and the dealer channel. In addition, Ronelle Ingram, national 2007-08 president-elect, and Bill James, national 2007-08 vice president, are profiled.
PRINCIPAL ISSUES Scope of Work Clearly outline what customers will & will not receive
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By Layton Getsinger
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The advent of solution selling has opened a world of opportunities for the dealer channel, as well as a host of challenges. Among the opportunities are today’s professional services, representing a potential new “cash cow” for the dealer channel. However, it is important to define the scope of work, so your customer will know what is and is not included in his (or her) contract.
Print Management Use offensive & defensive strategies for success by Tom Callinan Strategy Development
Copier/MFP dealers have no difficulty understanding the concept behind print management. Simply stated, most companies do not know what they are spending on document output in their business, do not have a logical acquisition approach to their fleet and have relationships with multiple vendors to supply and service their output fleets. Print management is a highly profitable revenue stream and it is a solutions-based sale that can differentiate your dealership from the competition. 4 | www.of ficetechnologymag.com | July 2007
DEPARTMENTS 6
Executive Director’s Page
8
BTA President’s Message
30
Advertiser Index
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PAGE
Attend BTA’s Dealer Education Offerings ducation has always been the cornerstone of the Business Technology Association, and the goal has always been the same — to help dealers grow their businesses. What has changed is the focus of the association’s education program. When the need for an education offering becomes apparent, BTA works to provide new courses that can guide dealers to best take advantage of current opportunities. BTA has announced two new education courses this year — ProSolutions, taught by Darrell Amy, president of Dealer Marketing Systems, and the BTA Print Management Workshop, taught by Tom Callinan, president of Strategy Development. The classes join other successful BTA education offerings, including ProFinance, taught by John Hey and John Hanson, partners in Strategic Business Associates, and FIX: Cost Management for Service, taught by Ronelle Ingram, BTA’s 2007-08 president-elect. Is it time for you to take your dealership to new heights by attending another BTA education course? There are several opportunities on the calendar for your consideration: ProSolutions, Aug. 2-3 in Las Vegas; BTA Print Management Workshop, Aug. 8-9 in Chicago and Aug. 13-14 in Baltimore; and ProFinance, Aug. 8-9 in Denver and Nov. 14-15 in Cleveland. You can register for ProSolutions at www.dealermarketingsystems.com/bta/index.htm. Registration forms for both the BTA Print Management Workshop and ProFinance can be found on the BTA Web site, www.bta.org; click on “Education & Certification” in the column at
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the left on the home page. Here’s what others are saying about these education offerings and their instructors. From ProSolutions attendee Brett Haley, CopyPro Inc., Greenville, N.C.: “By attending the ProSolutions course I was able to learn valuable tools that will help me create a competitive advantage in the area of solution selling. Darrell Amy provides a structured training environment that is tailored to the needs of document management solutions. The ProSolutions course is a must for dealerships that are expanding into document management solutions.” From P roFinance attendee Wayne Cernie, BSA Business Solutions Inc., Phoenix: “I came expecting a financial review or process. I got an extreme makeover of ideas about our business. John Hey and John Hanson put a great package together. I will strongly recommend any owner I meet to attend this seminar and I look forward to my next meeting with John and John.” From Frank Topinka, Page After Page, Shrewsbury, Mass.: “My experience with Tom Callinan has been in the area of managed print services and sales management. In my opinion, Tom is a world-class trainer and expert in both these areas. His communication skills are excellent and his experience and credentials are as good at it gets. And he is very likeable; I know you would have a valuable session with Tom as the instructor.” (The August 8-9 offering is the inaugural BTA Print Management Workshop. Topinka’s comments refer to his past work with Callinan.) You can find additional information on each of these education offerings appearing with the online registration forms. — Brent Hoskins
Executive 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 Tom Callinan, Strategy Development www.strategydevelopment.org Layton Getsinger lgetsinger@suddenlink.net Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel Business Technology Association
®
Business Technology Association 12411 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64145 (816) 941-3100 www.bta.org Member Services: (800) 505-2821 BTA Legal Hotline: (800) 869-6688 Valerie Briseno Membership Marketing Manager valerie@bta.org Gary Hedberg Accounting Manager gary@bta.org Mary Hopkins Accounting Clerk mary@bta.org Cathy Kenton Membership Sales Representative cathy@bta.org ©2007 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.
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©2007 Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. Electronic Imaging Division. All rights reserved.
W E LC O M E TO T H E D I G I TA L I V Y L E AG U E . An academy of ambition. A school of skill. Welcome to Toshiba’s corporate university. Toshiba provides world-class education programs in training, hiring, selling and more. Through a blended learning approach of classroom, mobile and 24/7 e-learning from Toshiba Digital University, dealers can choose how, when and where to attain their competitive edge. And with Training To Go, Toshiba kick-starts success by bringing its award-winning education to each new authorized dealer’s site, free of charge. So is your dealership making the grade? With the tools provided by Toshiba’s education programs, it will be the head of the class.
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To learn about becoming an Authorized Toshiba Dealer call Toshiba at 949.462.6165.
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BTA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ®
We Can Make This Another Great Year hen I attended my first BTA lo cal meeting back in 1995 in Maggie Valley, N.C., I knew that I had found something very special. Here was an organization comprised of my peers who had gathered to learn from one another, to encourage one another and to help strengthen the independent dealer channel. What I did not know when I attended that meeting was that I would one day serve as the association’s national president. Today, 12 years later, it is my honor to assume the presidency of the Business Technology Association for the 2007-08 year, which began July 1. It is especially an honor to lead an organization that has such a long, rich history. BTA has done so much for the dealer channel through the years, through its education , information , advocacy, research and guidance. I am among many dealers who are grateful that our association has endured. I welcome the opportunity to help guide BTA into its 82nd year. We’ve come a long way since 1926 when BTA was established, then known as the National Association of Typewriter Dealers. Obviously, technology has changed as have the needs of our customers. What has not changed is the value of dealers coming together into a single organization. BTA was founded on th e premi se that “dealers helping dealers” is paramount to the success and, perhaps, even the survival of the independent dealer channel. In addition, generation after generation has recognized an undisputable truism — there is strength in our numbers.
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We can look back at BTA’s history with a sense of pride. However, we can also look forward with a sense of excitement. Yes, these are exciting times for the office technology industry. Dealers are no longer relegated to simply selling speeds and feeds and winning the deal on nothing more than the lowest price. Instead, there are now many opportunities for dealerships to increase revenue and set themselves apart from competitors. Today’s software-based solutions, for example, can help any dealership emerge as a leading source of product and guidance in a number of specialized areas. Do businesses in your market turn to you as their source for variable data printing, forms printing or, perhaps, document imaging? Of course, I recognize that there is still a tendency and need to “sell the box,” so to speak. The factories are still making boxes and there are still quotas associated with selling boxes. However, the software side of the house can help you increase margins and capture more clicks. It’s just a question of getting to that point by developing your expertise. BTA is working to help dealers make this transition, through education and information. Our ProSolutions workshop, for example, is specifically targeted at helping dealers develop a solution sales strategy. During the 2007-08 year, we will continue our efforts to help dealers boost the bottom line, whether through solution sales, improved financial management (have you attended ProFinance?), a print management strategy (I encourage you to attend the new BTA Print Management Workshop) or any of our many other benefits. Together, we can make this another great year for the BTA dealer channel. I’m looking forward to it. — Shannon Oliver
2007-2008 Board of Directors President Shannon Oliver 25 Wheaton Circle Greensboro, NC 27406 shannon@bta.org President-Elect Ronelle Ingram Steven Enterprises Inc. 17952 Sky Park Circle Ste. E Irvine, CA 92614 ronellei@msn.com Vice President Bill James WJS Enterprises Inc. 3315 Ridgelake Drive P.O. Box 6620 Metairie, LA 70009 bjames@wjsenterprises.com BTA East Thomas Chin Accolade Technologies LLC 31 Mamaroneck Ave. Ste. 508 White Plains, NY 10601 tchin@accotech.com BTA Mid-America Mike Blake Corporate Business Systems LLC 2018 S. Stoughton Road Madison, WI 53716 mblake@corpbussystems.com BTA Southeast Jerry Jackson All South Copiers (ASC) 1325 Cobb International Blvd. Ste. A Kennesaw, GA 30152 jerry@ascopiers.com BTA West Rock Janecek Burtronics Business Systems Inc. 216 S. Arrowhead Ave. P.O. Box 1170 San Bernardino, CA 92408 rjanecek@burtronics.com Ex-Officio/General Counsel Robert C. Goldberg Schoenberg Finkle Newman & Rosenberg Ltd. 222 S. Riverside Plaza Ste. 2100 Chicago, IL 60606 robert.goldberg@sfnr.com
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Selling to the Government Is your dealership pursuing the opportunities? by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine
n this era of tight hardware margins, many dealers are seeking ways to boost their MIF (machines in field) with an eye on the more lucrative aftermarket opportunities. Are you among them? If so, perhaps it is time to take a closer look at your efforts to sell to the local, state or federal government. Of course, most dealers have had at least some success selling to local government. Likewise, a fair number of dealers have benefited from state government hardware sales or from the service and supplies of products placed under state contracts held by MFP manufacturers. There are also those dealers who have either sold to federal agencies in open market transactions or who have provided service and supplies to products placed under manufacturers’ GSA contracts. Is your dealership pursuing today’s many government sales opportunities? It is a big market. “The largest employer in the United States is the federal government,” says Rusty McKee, vice president of government accounts for Ricoh Americas Corp. “The second largest employer in the United States is the sum of the states. So, the sum of the state employees, plus the federal government, represent the largest opportunity for business.” Joseph Dolce, director of marketing and operations for the National and Government Account Division of Kyocera Mita America Inc., shares an even broader view of the government’s size: “There is no question that the U.S. federal government, if you look at it as one entity, is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world.” How much does the world’s largest purchaser of goods and services spend each year on office technology? Dolce developed an estimate while preparing for a seminar, “Successful Selling to the Government,” that he co-presented at
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Kyocera Mita America’s national dealer m eetin g in Apri l . “ We lo oked at a variety of sources, talked to other people in the industry and tried to come up with some numbers,” he says. “We came up with a market — including equipment, supplies and maintenance of MFPs and printers — of somewhere around $1.2 billion. About $450 million of that is from the federal side and $750 million is from state and local. Now there are some manufacturers who will say that state and local is four times their federal business. Others may say it is two times their federal business. Whatever the case, certainly, the local and state business is larger than federal. Without question, federal, state and local governments, including schools, represent a significant opportunity for all parties involved.” If the government market is so huge, why are some dealers not taking full advantage of the opportunities or, perhaps, not pursuing them at all? The answer may lie in some common actual and perceived hurdles associated with government sales. For some dealers, it may simply be a matter of the dealership’s size. “For the small dealership, you are talking about cross-training one rep for two very different kinds of sales requiring different skills,” says Tim Scanlon, director of government sales operations at Sharp Document Solutions Company of America Inc. “When this training is accomplished, the rep in a small sales force will typically fall into the selling venue that he is most comfortable with. It’s usually one or the other — down-the-street sales or government sales — but not both.” Dolce cites other hurdles that may be more perceived than actual. “Some dealers perceive that, when working with the
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government, the bid process or acceptance of longer pay “With these accounts, the is complex,� he says. “Many cycles or, for that matter, margin on the unit itself of th em have h eard that longer sales cycles. Selling is reduced. But, the the government is slow in to the government requires paying. To some degree, of a committed, focused sales aftermarket is still strong. course, these characteristics strategy, the right business If the dealer’s business are true, but to a great demodel and a complete unmodel is to grow his field gree, th ey are not. O nce derstandin g of and explacements, these contracts you’re involved, you will see pertise in the market. play very well within that.� that you don’t have to go “There has to be a piece of — Dennis Lees after the bid opportunities, what the dealer does and Kyocera Mita America Inc. you can use your manufawhat his team does that gives turer’s contract. And, redirection and makes governgarding slow payments, it is true that the government is ment sales a part of their business scope, be it at the local, state sometimes slow in paying, but once the purchase order is or federal level,� says Lees. “It is important that the dealer is comissued, the funds are encumbered and, therefore, by law, the mitted to this being a part of his dealership’s growth strategy.� money is available.� Lees adds that some dealerships that are successful in One of the hurdles that may more often prove to be actual government sales have a dedicated rep or team, while others than just perceived is low hardware margins, but there is a require all reps to pursue government sales in their territopay off on the back end. “With these accounts, the margin ries. “But, clearly, the one key common denominator is that on the unit itself is reduced,� says Dennis Lees, vice presi- government sales are part of the business plan.� dent of the National and Government Account Division at McKee cites additional traits of dealerships that are sucKyocera Mita America. “But, the aftermarket is still strong. If cessful in local and state government sales. “Those that are the dealer’s business model is to grow his field placements, the most aggressive in pursuing these accounts have a these contracts play very well within that.� strong relationship with individuals in their local townships, Of course, selling to the government is not simply an municipalities and state agencies,� he says. “These are acceptance of lower hardware margins in pursuit of a larger dealers who understand, from an overall operative perspecMIF and more aftermarket revenues. And it is not simply tive, that a healthy mix of government business is good for riding into the opportunity on the manufacturer’s coattails their dealerships. They know it gives them a density of
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demands on dealers today by machines-in-field popula“Our products simply the government are greater tion and terrific references.” enable them to better than they have been in the In addition, dealerships deliver their services. So, past for speed, precision, that are successful in the accuracy, knowledge — all of government sales market if we can, we help them the things that are brought need “very strong service improve their business to the table by the sales rep departments and a good processes — the same in putting together a deal,” understanding of the softapproach we use in the says Scanlon . “ W hat has ware-based solutions that commercial sector.” really changed in the governare coming to th e of fice — Tim Scanlon, Sharp ment world is the fact that technology market,” says Document Solutions Company of America you have to be very responMcKee, noting the growing sive to all of their needs interest in and demand for through your sales proficiency and skills.” document-related solutions in the government market. Its copier/MFP connect rate may be lower than in the “Government has been known to lag in the adoption of technology. However, dealers who are engaged in this market commercial sector. “I would say it is certainly trending up know how quickly the government is now moving forward. quickly, but I wouldn’t think the connect rate is where it is in Maybe these accounts are not on the ‘bleeding edge,’ but the commercial sector,” says Lees. “The government can be a they are no longer the slow-to-adopt-technology accounts big vessel to turn. It is like when we deal with a Fortune 1000 company; it’s difficult for them to make that decision to do that we knew in the 1960s or 1970s.” Actually, says Scanlon, in many ways, today, government something enterprise-wide. That’s magnified even more so accounts are similar to commercial accounts. “They are not with the government.” Beyond these various traits, there is at least one other key in the copying business, they are in the business of providing some sort of service to the public,” he says. “Our products trait of the government market that dealers should consider simply enable them to better deliver their services. So, if we — the favorable view of small businesses, particularly by the can, we help them improve their business processes — the federal government. “Small businesses are a huge employer of people and the government wants to make sure these same approach we use in the commercial sector.” For dealers only now pursuing the opportunity or boost- businesses are getting their share of the dollars,” says Dolce. ing their current government sales efforts, there are a few “That gives entrepreneurs an opportunity to participate in other notable longstanding or new traits of the market government purchases.” Specifically, the opportunity lies in what is referred to as worth considering: It can be more stable than the commercial sector. “The “set-aside” business. “President Bush has required that federal up-and-down-the-street commercial business is impacted agencies set aside a percentage of their annual budget so that much more by the peaks and troughs of the business cycle,” those monies can be used to encourage and support small says Dolce. “Where, if you are pursuing government busi- businesses, minority-owned businesses and disabled service ness, the buying patterns are more consistent because of the veteran businesses,” says McKee. “By way of example, if an agency has a ‘set aside’ provision of 25 percent, then everytax base they operate off of.” While low price is still legislated, there is an increasing thing in that agency’s budget, even down to pencils and interest in value over price, at least at the state level. “It staples, has to satisfy that requirement. It becomes a compoappears to us that the pendulum is swinging back to state nent of the procurement process that is very closely watched.” While the noted traits of the government market may serve governments not being satisfied with slower service response, which comes as a result of low margins and poor to generate some new interest among dealers, those who are performing product, because of the discount to a lesser not accustomed to aggressively pursuing government sales technology in order to win the bid,” says McKee. “Today, opportunities may remain a bit leery. For that reason, manuend-users are saying, ‘Wait a minute Procurement Depart- facturers are available to guide and support dealers. Kyocera Mita America, for example, offers seminars and support in ment, let’s go with better value, not just low price.’” Its demands on dealers are increasing. “I think the such areas as contract information and sales strategy. “We 14 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | J u l y 2 0 0 7
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also have a bids and contions. There is a lot out there “The dealer needs an tracts team to help dealers to get them familiar with the understanding of how to understand the options they government market.� navigate through the have in their marketplace McKee says that underboth on the local side and standing all aspects of the government bureaucracy the federal side,� says Lees. sales opportunity is para... Once he does, he will “ In addition , we have a mount to the dealership’s find that this market can Washington, D.C.-based fedsuccess in the government become a profitable and eral sales office that can market. “The dealer needs an important component of his business.� lend assistance to dealers understanding of how to navi— Rusty McKee who have questions, congate through the government Ricoh Americas Corp. cerns, comments or need bureaucracy that may exist,� contract explanations.� he says. “Once he does, he will Dealers can also educate themselves, says Dolce. “If they are find that this market can become a profitable going after federal business, they have the Small Business and important component of his business.� Administration that can help them,� he says. “There are also Brent Hoskins, executive director of the government Web sites on the federal side, as well as on the Business Technology Association, is editor state and local side. Dealers can also participate in trade of Office Technology magazine. He can be shows, join associations and subscribe to government publicareached at brent@bta.org.
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Q&A: Shannon Oliver Long-time volunteer assumes 2007-08 BTA presidency by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine
n July 1, Shannon Oliver became the 73rd national president of the Business Technology Association. He is the former owner of Copier Source Inc., Greensboro, N.C. Currently, he serves as a strategic planning consultant for Hendrix Business Systems Inc., Matthews, N.C. It was in the early 1980s that Oliver entered the office technology industry, working for Paul B. Williams Inc., also based in Greensboro, ultimately serving as the general manager for the company’s Lynchburg, Va., branch. Then came a sales management position at Copytronics Inc., based in Jacksonville, Fla., followed by a general manager position for Street & Co., based in Richmond, Va. He and his wife, Cindy, purchased Copier Source in 1995 and sold the dealership in 2006. Recently, Office Technology magazine had the opportunity to visit with Oliver. He was asked about his role as a BTA volunteer, the association and the dealer channel. Following are his responses.
O
OT: What led to your service as a BTA volunteer, ultimately leading to the national presidency? Oliver: When I bought my dealership in 1995, I found myself asking a lot of questions. That led me directly to BTA. I went to a North Carolina BTA local meeting in Maggie Valley, N.C., and received so much value and met so many welcoming dealers that, when they asked for additional volunteers at the end of the meeting, I raised my hand. Soon, I began serving as an officer of the local. From there I moved into the BTA Southeast district officer positions. That led to my service on the national board of directors and my role during the 2006-07 year as national president-elect. 16 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | J u l y 2 0 0 7
OT: What experiences and areas of expertise do you bring to the BTA presidency that you believe will assist you in serving the association and its members? Oliver: I’m well versed in all facets of the industr y. In my nearly 25-year career, I’ve been responsible at the service, sales and branch manager levels. I also served as a general manager over approximately 125 employees. I’ve seen every aspect of this industry — from the employee side and from the owner side — in dealerships of various sizes. So, I bring a lot of years of experience and can identify with the issues dealerships face, whether they are large or small. OT: What do you hope to accomplish during your year as national BTA president? Oliver: My number one goal is to help as many dealers as possible achieve their goals. BTA’s mission is to do for dealers what they cannot do for themselves. We have a lot of offerings that serve to accomplish that task. During the next year, we need to get even more member dealers taking full advantage of our many benefits. Also, I want dealers to contact me and let me know what their problems and concerns are by stopping by and visiting BTA as we exhibit at various industry events or by simply e-mailing me at shannon@bta.org. We need their input and ideas so that, together, we can continue to make BTA stronger. Also, I would welcome input from manufacturers. They don’t win unless the dealers win. So, we need to work hand in hand with them. Of course, our number one focus is the dealer; we are the advocate for the dealer channel, not for manufacturers. However, for the industry as a whole to find
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continued success, it is important for the manufacturers to be involved with BTA. Certainly, we are pleased to have some of the leading vendors as members, including such companies as HewlettPackard, Kyocera Mita America, Lexmark, Panasonic, Ricoh, Sharp and Toshiba. As a team, working hand in hand, dealers and manufacturers can be mutually successful.
of the dealer channel. The manufacturers are fully aware of the strength BTA brings to the channel. I believe BTA helps to keep them “in check,” ensuring that dealers are treated fairly and equitably. This is evidenced by the many things that our general counsel, Bob Goldberg, has been involved in through the years, ranging from leasing company issues to unfair vendor contracts. BTA is always there to act on behalf of independent dealers.
... Dealers are facing some challenges that they have not faced in the past ... BTA can help through ... information, guidance, education and support.
OT: Why do you believe BTA is important to the office technology industry and to the independent dealer channel? Oliver: If you look at the sheer number of unit placements — in terms of both black-and-white and color-capable units combined — this industry remains pretty flat. As a result, dealers are facing some challenges that they have not faced in the past. So, they are seeking ways to distinguish their dealerships from competitors and ways to increase the bottom line. BTA can help through its many programs and services, in the form of information, guidance, education and support. In addition, BTA plays an important role as an advocate
OT: What do you see as the greatest challenges for today’s independent dealer? Oliver: Two challenges immediately come to mind. First, as the market continues to tighten, the dealership’s desired profitability becomes more difficult to attain. That’s not going to get better in the foreseeable future. The solution lies in better financial management and strategic planning. It also lies in finding ways to separate your dealership from the competition. The second challenge lies in selecting from the many software-based solutions now on the market. For the dealer, the challenge is not blindly accepting what manufacturers are
BTA 2007-08 President-Elect Ronelle Ingram As one of the most visible supporters of the independent dealer channel, Ronelle Ingram has been a leader in the industry for more than 25 years, teaching seminars, writing books and magazine articles and speaking at events all over the world. After graduating from UCLA, Ingram moved into the copier industry and to Savin’s full-line technical training school. She was the first woman graduate of the program and upon graduation in 1973, she took a job as a field service technician. After two years as a technician, she moved into a service manager position at a Mita dealership in Southern California and spent 15 years as service manager there. She then moved on to FKM Copiers in Irvine, Calif., where she spent 16 years as director of service and director of supply sales. Now, she is vice president of technical service at Steven Enterprises Inc., a 15year-old wide-format plotter dealership that is also located in Irvine. Steven Enterprises sells KIP, Océ, Ricoh and Hewlett-Packard wideformat products. Some of her most significant contributions to the Business Technology Association (BTA) fall under the realm of dealer education. Ingram is currently an educational instructor for BTA. She has also previously served on the BTA National Education Committee. Most notably, she has been the instructor for BTA’s “FIX: Cost Management for Service” workshop for
22 years. After taking the workshop herself in 1975 and taking part in the association’s “Train the Trainers” program, Ingram became a FIX instructor in 1985. Volunteering for BTA comes naturally to Ingram and she has been known for not only teaching the FIX workshop, but also presenting at conventions and dealer meetings as a guest speaker. “I have been an active BTA volunteer since the early 1980s,” says Ingram. “I have also held many local, regional and national offices and I have been a volunteer instructor for FIX. BTA always continues to provide me with practical knowledge and interaction with industry leaders.” Her outstanding commitment to volunteerism was awarded when she became BTA’s Volunteer of the Year during the 1998-99 fiscal year. Before becoming president-elect, Ingram served on the national board of directors for five years, most recently serving as vice president. She has also served the BTA West district as president and treasurer and served as president of the Southern California local chapter for four years. As president-elect, Ingram looks forward to keeping BTA members abreast of changes in the industry and informed about the independent dealer channel. “I’d like to continue our effort to educate the dealers,” says Ingram. “Educated dealers have a greater opportunity to increase their companies’ profitability.” — Elizabeth Marvel
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offering you, but looking beyond them, and becoming educated on what is right for your product line-up.
... BTA will continue to monitor the industry and provide programs that help dealers ... BTA will remain the dealers’ advocate and leading source of guidance.
OT: How is BTA helping dealers address these challenges? Oliver: Regarding the profitability of dealerships, BTA brings dealers together through our peer-to-peer collaboration groups, which include the Select Dealer Group (SDG), Business Products Council Association (BPCA) and Performance One, the group facilitated by XSCEND Performance Services. Participating dealers are provided with guidance and insight that helps them manage their dealerships and boost the bottom line. In addition, we offer the ProFinance class, taught by John Hey and John Hanson, designed to provide dealers the tools they need to improve their operating income. So, together, these two BTA benefits have been very helpful to dealers as they face the challenges associated with profitability. In regard to the challenge of selecting software-based solutions, dealers will see a number of these companies included in Office Technology magazine articles. In each case, it provides our dealers more information that can help
them make business decisions on the software side. Meanwhile, we will continue to investigate additional ways to help dealers navigate through the many software offerings on the market today.
OT: Looking forward, what are your expectations for the future of BTA and the dealer channel? Oliver : This industry is not going to stop changing. It will continue moving forward, in one form or another. Exactly what that form will be, nobody knows for sure. Anyone who is looking out more than three to five years in my opinion is guessing. Whatever the changes may be, I do know that BTA will continue to monitor the industry and provide programs that help dealers address those changes. In the years to come, BTA will remain the dealers’ advocate and leading source of guidance. It will continue to offer programs and strategies that we all need to be successful going forward. Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Association and editor of Office Technology magazine, can be reached at brent@bta.org.
BTA 2007-08 Vice President Bill James Throughout the 26 years Bill James has been involved in BTA, he has held several local and national positions, including BTA Southeast district treasurer, vice president, president-elect, president and as Southeast representative on the national board of directors. He also has served as an instructor and on the BTA Convention Committee, Nominating Committee and Digital Task Force. James graduated from the State College of Arkansas (now University of Central Arkansas) in Conway, Ark., in 1968. He received a Bachelor of Science in mathematics with a minor in physics and then went on to graduate school at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., where he received his Master of Science in mathematics before moving into the industry and joining BTA. After graduation, he was hired by Olivetti Corp. where he was assigned to sell the company’s P101, a programmable desktop calculator, which was the predecessor of today’s desktop computer. As the programmable products division at Olivetti became more advanced, James moved into the programming department from sales and eventually became district software manager. In 1980, he started his own company, Micro Programs, which provided software development and services and in 1982, with the help of a partner, he started Micro Systems, a company that sold turnkey accounting systems for wholesale distributors. He took over software
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development, and the company began handling computer systems for Northstar, Televideo and Acer. In July 1991, he began working for Metairie, La.-based WJS Enterprises, a Canon dealership, as system support manager. Today, after 16 years at WJS, he remains system support manager, handling pre- and post-sales support. A desire for skill improvement led James to volunteer. “I would say that my initial reason to get into the (NOMDA) SPRINT (education) program was to gain experience in public speaking,” says James. “The rewards that lasted were the information learned in meeting with other dealers and the lasting friendships that were made.” These friendships have helped James and his dealership through thick and thin. “Two years ago, (Hurricane) Katrina blew into my life,” says James. “It was about a week after the storm before I was able to receive any outside world communications. When I did, I was overwhelmed by the offers of help and assistance that came from my association friends. To me, it was no longer an association, but an extended family.” As vice president, James hopes to reach out to members and make them aware of what the association has to offer. “I think as an association we need to make a deeper connection with our dealer members,” he says. “As more dealers become aware of and use the many ways the association can help their dealerships, this momentum (of building awareness) should accelerate.” — Elizabeth Marvel
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6/8/07
10:30 AM
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Print Management Use offensive & defensive strategies for success by: Tom Callinan, Strategy Development
opier/MFP dealers have no difficulty understanding the concept behind print management. Simply stated, most companies do not know what they are spending on document output in their business, do not have a logical acquisition approach to their fleet and have relationships with multiple vendors to supply and service their output fleets. Unfortunately, after identifying the issues, logic seems to be lost. Today, print management is a complex sale with an approach that is unique to most copier/MFP companies. It is complex because it involves changing a prospect’s business processes and involving at least two different purchasing groups within a prospect’s company. It is unique because it is not an equipment-focused sale. Nevertheless, print management is a highly profitable revenue stream that dealers must understand and embrace as both a defensive and offensive strategy. It also happens to be a true solutions-based sale that can differentiate your dealership from the competition. Unfortunately, I see more dealers failing than succeeding in the print management space; they are losing time and wasting valuable resources. Many of these dealers are getting frustrated when they could be highly successful with a little correct guidance and the proper positioning of the offering. There are two things to keep in perspective when considering how you will position print management in your business: Print management is not a hardware sale and print management is not software you buy. Print management is a term that defines an approach to manage a company’s entire output fleet. The copier/MFP business financial “model,” established at Alco (now IKON) and popularized by Tom Johnson and the Business Technology Association (BTA), clearly demonstrates that you sell equipment to get the profitable aftermarket revenue stream. Since you lose money selling the hardware, there is no other reason to be in the hardware business except to get the aftermarket stream. Print management provides you with a strategy to directly get that aftermarket stream, so
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why would you want to emphasize equipment? Don’t get me wrong, if you properly manage a print management agreement you will be the vendor that eventually has the opportunity to replace all of the equipment. But what you really want is that highly profitable aftermarket revenue stream. So, you should measure your success at print management primarily on how fast your aftermarket revenue stream is growing. This point is so important that I am going to elaborate on it. You sell copier/MFPs to get the aftermarket — I think we can all agree on that principle. There are a couple of reasons you have to sell copiers/MPFs to get the aftermarket on the devices. For one, copier/MFP manufacturers have made it almost impossible to get service certified on their products and to have the ability to efficiently and dependably buy parts. Basically, you need to be an authorized dealer to provide the level of service the customer has become accustomed to. Second, the copier/MFP dealer has successfully positioned the customer into cost-per-page or pass-through
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service lease agreements that lock the As I said at the beginning of this arSo, you are now going customer into the dealer for extended ticle, one reason to get into print manperiods. These two points form the agement is because companies do not to turn your sales model reality that you sell the copier/MFP to have any information on their output around and focus on get the aftermarket business. fleets, assets or costs. I also mentioned the aftermarket revenue So, you are now going to turn your that there are multiple departments stream with equipment sales model around and focus on the involved in the decision process. IT as a by-product of the aftermarket revenue stream with equipusually buys the printers, provides any aftermarket agreement. ment as a by-product of the aftermarket on-site printer support and engages an agreement. That should indicate to you outside service company when required. why many copier/MFP sales representatives, some of them IT also handles the connection of any copier/MFPs and quite successful at selling copier/MFPs, fail at print manage- handles the e-mail and fax server, quickly replacing standment: They are wired to sell hardware. That wiring will help alone fax units. Purchasing buys the supplies for the printers them once the customer is under a print management agree- and negotiates with the copier/MFP vendor on the equipment, but it will impede their ability to get the contract ini- ment and aftermarket. tially. Another error I see is that dealers believe print So, budgets span at least two departments — frequently management is a lower level sale than selling copier/MFPs indicating that finance will be part of a print management and they open this offering up to their junior sales reps. Let us decision — and you will need to convince these various examine that belief. departments to change their long-standing approaches,
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nies are so comfortable with print manknown as business processes, so that If you do not get your agement that they are now bidding it out. they can gain the efficiencies and midI am certainly not advocating a call to term cost savings of print management. own customers under purchasing, but quite the opposite. I would Does that sound like a simple sale that a print management encourage you not to make purchasing should be handled by a junior sales rep or agreement, you are your first stop in your efforts to earn a print a customer support person? I categorize leaving the door open management contract. In a small company it as a complex sale requiring a tenured for a competitor to get (less than $50 million in revenue), the CFO sales rep with experience selling concepinto your account. may be the correct contact level. Usually tual or total cost of ownership (TCO) the CFO in an organization of this size is solutions, who can handle multiple relationships, understands and can discuss business processes also the IT leader. In other organizations, the CIO or director of IT is more than likely the correct contact level. In professional and budgets and can manage a slightly longer selling cycle. At this point, you are resolved to the fact that print man- firms, the executive director makes the decisions on the IT and agement will be focused on growing your aftermarket purchasing budgets. With a little training, the high-level salesrevenue and that you will hire or promote a high quality person you hired to sell print management will be able to idensalesperson(s) to sell the offering. What is the next step to tify the correct level of contact within a prospect account. There are too many intricacies that need to be linked success in print management? It would have to be your first together to fit them all into a single article. Some of these appointment with the prospect: Both the correct level for the initial call and the presentation — or value proposition include how to develop your value proposition presentation — that you give on that call. You clearly do not want to call for the first appointment with the prospect; how you at too low of a level in an organization or there will be a high conduct the snapshot assessment and how to use the probability that you will waste your time. That waste of time assessment to develop a print management strategy that is may be defined as a lost opportunity or, even worse, the appealing to the prospect; and how to present the findings person may think the print management value proposition and the linkage to the prospect’s pain points in a proposal is great and have you do all of the work to put together a that earns you the business. I mentioned early in this article that print management is proposal with no ability to sell it internally. On the other hand, the much-hyped call to the CFO is not both an offensive and defensive strategy. Offensive because necessarily the silver bullet either. At the genesis of the print it provides you with an opportunity to gain additional management strategy, the CFO was clearly the correct market share without having to take on an incumbent contact because your initial value proposition was the only copier/MFP vendor head to head; an incumbent that probinformation the company had on print management. And, if ably has a financial advantage due to aftermarket being the company agreed to move forward with print manage- wrapped in the lease. The defensive definition should be ment, they would have been in the vanguard of a process easy at this point: If you do not get your own customers change. Offerings that are new to the market usually have under a print management agreement, you are leaving the greater risk and higher risk always results in decisions at door open for a competitor to get into your account. There is still a window of opportunity for you to take the lead in higher levels within an organization. Today, every consulting firm in the hardcopy industry has your marketplace with print management. Carpe Diem! Tom Callinan is the founding principal of Strategy been writing on print management for years. They have Development, a management consulting and advanced sales encouraged their subscribers to explore a print management training firm. From 1998 to 2005, Callinan was an executive approach to their output fleets. IT industry magazines rarely go with IKON Office Solutions. Prior to IKON, he was a month without an article or mention of print management. the founder and CEO of Copifax Inc. Callinan Hardware companies are advancing the benefits of print mangraduated with honors from The Wharton agement. Print management has evolved from this esoteric, School, University of Pennsylvania and can be high-risk, new business process to a fairly mainstream reached at callinan@strategydevelopment.org approach to managing the output fleet. Unfortunately, the conor (610) 527-3317. firmation of the acceptance of print management is validated Visit www.strategydevelopment.org. by the bids that my clients are now receiving. Yes, some compa22 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | J u l y 2 0 0 7
ProFinance thinker full pg
6/22/07
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Do you crunch the numbers,
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To register for ProFinance or get more information on pricing and quantity discounts, visit www.bta.org or call BTA at (800) 843-5059.
Instructors John Hanson and John Hey of Strategic Business Associates take a holistic approach to the redirection of your business — from sales rep compensation and projecting service revenues to inventory management and an action plan for implementation — with the short-term goal of achieving a minimum of 14% operating income. You can achieve these results by monitoring 24 key benchmarks and making strategic shifts as discussed in the program.
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ProFinance is designed for owners and executive-level staff who make the critical business decisions that impact your company’s success. Many OEMs reimburse for ProFinance tuition through advertising co-op or professional development funds. Check with your OEM.
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Canon DSF 2007 Dealer, end-user event held June 12-14 in Chicago by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine
howcasing its full line of office technology hardware and software products, Canon U.S.A. Inc. recently hosted its Digital Solutions Forum 2007. The event, held June 12-14 at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, drew 2,500-plus dealer and end-user attendees. The DSF, as it is called, the 10th one of its type hosted by Canon, was themed “The Value Behind the Paper.” Tod Pike, senior vice president of the Imaging Systems Group, commented on the significance of the theme in a briefing with industry analysts and editors, held prior to the public opening of the exhibit area. “A lot of today’s value is presented in hardware products,” he said. “We’re going to show new value — ‘the value behind the paper,’ which is predominately focused on true customer input.” That input would be demonstrated to attendees, in part, by the products of 53 third-party software providers — a record number for DSF, said Pike. “It’s going to be, obviously, a lot about the suite of software that we’re going to sell,” he said. “But it’s going to be talked about as specific solutions to customers’ problems in the areas of print services, service automation and workflow integration.” In addition to the solutions offered by the exhibiting software companies — many of them demonstrating Canon Multifunction Embedded Application Platform (ME AP) applications — the DSF featured a number of customerfocused education sessions. They ranged from “Managed Print Services at Steelcase” to “Integrating Color in the Construction Industry” to “Customized Canon Solutions for Denver Public Schools.” During the press briefing, Pike also commented on Canon’s view of today’s market. “In a flat market, some people think that’s a dull market where it is very difficult to win market share from your competitors,” he said. “We view the market very differently. We think that even though the revenue side is very similar to what it was in 2006, it’s a dynamic market, because customer needs are driving a lot of change.”
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Above: Attendees assess one of the products displayed at the Digital Solutions Forum , which featured the full product line of Canon’s Imaging Systems Group, in addition to the solutions of 53 thirdparty software providers. Right: Tod Pike, senior vice president, ISG, Canon U.S.A., addresses industry analysts and editors. Pike reported that Canon has experienced increases in sales performance when comparing the first half of 2007 to 2006. Among the increases: Color business, including the imagePRESS brand, was up 26 percent; large format was up 163 percent; DR Series scanners and CR Series check readers together were up 7 percent; and toner/aftermarket business was up 7 percent. The only decline reported was in the area of Canon’s black-and-white business, which was down by 5 percent. “When you add it all up, we are up 3 percent,” said Pike. “And our expectations for the second half are very strong.” He said he expects Canon to end 2007 with “some very solid mid-single digit growth.” Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine. He can be reached at brent@bta.org.
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Piecing Ideas Together.
The BPCA was founded in 1963 with the vision of forming a best practices organization that unites leaders of independently-owned office equipment dealers. The concept is quite simple - bring the leaders of these companies together so that they can share ideas, learn from each other, and take their businesses to the next level. Our members will attest that it’s well worth the investment by making each of them better leaders and bringing more value to their dealerships. Feel like there’s something missing from your organization? Let BPCA bring together all the pieces of the puzzle.
“Better Dealers Through Learning and Idea Exchange.”
If you’d like more information about our organization and how to join, please send us an email or give us a call. Phone: 800.897.0250 Email: info@businessproductscouncil.org Website: www.businessproductscouncil.org Membership Director BPCA c/o BTA 12411 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64145
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COURTS & CAPITOLS
Non-Solicitation Agreements They are an alternative you should consider by: Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel for the Business Technology Association
s it becomes more and more essential to invest in the knowledge your employees require to sell and support the equipment and systems you offer, it becomes more and more important to protect that investment. Traditionally, dealers have relied on employment agreements with non-competition clauses to protect their intellectual investment. A “non-compete” prohibits the employee from competing in a specific geographic area for a specific length of time. In order to be enforceable, the geographic area and time period must be reasonable. More importantly, however, the dealer must show that there is, in fact, a protectable interest for the court to safeguard. Everyone has heard the story of a “non-compete” agreement that a court refused to enforce. Even where the area and time is reasonable, a court may find that a total prohibition on competition is greater protection than the dealer is entitled. Thus, the restriction agreed to by the employee is ignored and he (or she) is free to compete with his former employer using the knowledge that the employer provided. The employer has invested in a non-compete agreement, sought court enforcement of that agreement, lost, and even more significantly, has established for all remaining employees that if they have the same agreement it may not be enforceable. Fortunately, there is a better alternative. For enforceability, the distinction between a non-competition agreement and a non-solicitation agreement can be significant. An agreement not to solicit receives a lower level of scrutiny by a court than a covenant not to compete. A non-solicitation agreement does not prohibit competition, but only solicitation of end-users the employee serviced or had knowledge of while employed. Enduser non-solicitation agreements are basically activity restraints. This means the employee, while not prevented from working for a competitor, may not solicit the end-users of the former employer. Be certain your non-solicitation provision includes “directly or indirectly” language to prevent a different person from using the former employee’s knowledge. Also, the
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restriction should not be limited to actual end-users, but those potential end-users to whom the former employee made proposals. Courts have acknowledged that most dealers have a “protectable interest” due to the “near permanent” relationship a dealer has with end-users. “Near permanent” relationships are judicially established by a seven factor test: (1) the amount of time it takes to develop an end-user; (2) the money invested to obtain an end-user; (3) the difficulty faced in obtaining an end-user ; (4) the extent of personal contact with the end-user; (5) the employee’s knowledge of the end-user; (6) the length of time the end-user has been associated with the dealer; and (7) the continuity of the end-user relationship. Sales of business equipment and systems, along with the necessary maintenance and support following purchase, are strong indications of a “near permanent” relationship and a protectable interest. Finally, in order to protect confidential information, one must show it was, in fact, confidential. A statement in your employee handbook is a must. This designates that certain information of the company is confidential and should not be disclosed to anyone outside the company. Mark customer lists, contracts and proposals as confidential. Mark the file drawers where these documents are kept as confidential. Require a password to access the information from the computer system and limit the distribution of the password to only those who need to know. Change the password or access code whenever an employee with access leaves the company. If you do not protect confidential information, the court will refuse to do so as well. If you have been reluctant to use a non-compete agreement, consider a non-solicitation agreement. A sample agreement has been posted at the BTA “Members Only” section of the Web site (www.bta.org) for your consideration. Robert C. Goldberg is general counsel for the Business Technology Association. He can be reached at robert.goldberg@sfnr.com.
CompTIA June 07
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PRINCIPAL ISSUES
Scope of Work Clearly outline what customers will & will not receive by: Layton Getsinger
he advent of solution selling has opened a world of opportunities for the dealer channel, as well as a host of challenges. With ever y new opportunity for success comes the opportunity to “fall on one’s sword.” In the April issue of Office Technology (“The Solutions Game: Becoming a Total Networked Solutions Provider”), I spoke of the need to create an in-house IT department if one did not currently exist. This is because professional services now represent the potential new “cash cow” for the dealer channel. They can shore up sagging profit margins in highly competitive deals while adding significant profitability in others. In some cases, they are (or will become) the differentiators between winning and losing the deal. During the analog days, life was simple: sign a contract, execute a maintenance agreement, install the copier and we were good to go for the next 36 months. When we said “hello” to digital technology, we said “goodbye” to the simple life. The consumer is becoming more techno-savvy regarding the multifunctionality of our product offerings. This knowledge makes them more open to plugging our technology into their infrastructure. So, if we are not prepared or already preparing to do so, the competition is or will be. It is not feasible or reasonable to expect the sales force to be competent in all things technical. The typical salesperson’s strengths reside in the creation of opportunity through prospecting and relationship development. IT departments (professional service providers) are quickly becoming the critical element in cementing solutions sales. They are already essential to the installation and maintenance of the solution after the sale. Going forward, IT personnel will probably know long before the salesperson when the customer is ready to add additional seat licenses or go to the next level on the solutions continuum. It is usually the IT team that is deployed to provide additional training and charge for blocks of time or hourly billing with our existing customers. Thus, outsourcing IT work or professional services is analogous to giving away a very valu-
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able component of our business. It also opens us to the same vulnerabilities attendant to outside leasing. Our customer’s most critical information resides with someone outside of our control. To remain in control of our domain, there are specific processes that a dealer must embrace. First, let us define “professional services.” This is a relatively new buzzword in our industry. Professional services can be defined in myriad ways based on the frame of reference. If one were to poll 100 dealers to define professional services, one would likely receive a hundred variations on the theme. For this discussion, I am providing my definition of professional services as it pertains to our environment. Simply stated, it is those duties that typically fall outside the sales rep’s or technician’s areas of expertise. These services are normally provided by IT or MIS technicians. They would include, but are not limited to, the following: Perform needs assessments (usually in combination with the sales rep or solutions specialist) Perform site surveys to determine (again in combination with the sales rep or solutions specialist) that there is: ample power supply for hardware; ample space for the hardware; existence of an operating platform to support the solution (with minimum hardware requirements met to support the software); and existence of an operating system compatible with the proposed solution Define the “scope of work” Connect MFPs to the customer’s network Install software Install print drivers Install networks or add additional workstations to existing networks Install network hardware, i.e., switches, routers and wireless bridges, etc. Provide network support Provide software training Sell blocks of time for additional training or maintenance. Provide help desk support
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So what does a typical scope of work look Provide maintenance and support like? Again, the following is my personal for computers We all know too well interpretation and can vary from dealership By no means is the foregoing an exhausthat customers will ask to dealership. It is not chiseled in stone and tive list. There are many variables that can for the world. Without can be altered to fit any company’s structure, alter the list, including the size of your something in writing, the culture or marketplace. Look at it more as an dealership, size of your customer base, rep will attempt to give it example than a template. product offerings and sales team competo them — be it free tency to name but a few. delivery, connectivity, etc. Scope of Work Today, most dealers — even those with IT Responsibilities of the customer: departments — are not clearly articulating, Access to work areas during or after working hours on the front end, what services and support customers will receive Access to key personnel during working hours with their solutions installations. By failing to do so, we create an Provision of compatible server open-ended job order for the customer to ask for and expect to Provision of compatible operating system receive unlimited future support. Responsibilities of the dealer: Too frequently a salesperson will make commitments outside Briefly but succinctly describe what services you will the scope of what is being charged. We all know too well that customers will ask for the world. Without something in writing, the provide under the terms of the contract and the specific tasks rep will attempt to give it to them — be it free delivery, connec- to be accomplished. Examples include: needs assessment; tivity, etc. Many salespeople operate under the principle that it is workflow; proof of concept; design; implementation; assesseasier to get forgiveness than permission. If we are to make the ment (metrics); connect MFP to network; install software on margins that networked solutions proffer, then we must manage the customer’s expectations. That is conveniently done through a “scope-of-work” (SOW) addendum to the sales agreement. Even in a situation where a single MFP is being sold, a scope of work should still be executed based on the potential for professional services “scope creep” at installation. The SOW should clearly outline what the customer company will or will not receive for its investment. Even an airtight SOW will still be vulnerable to “scope creep.” Obviously, one does not want to torpedo a $100,000 deal over a $100 connectivity charge or running a wire to a workstation for free. Reasonable judgment does, however, need to be exercised to ensure that “scope creep” does not become pervasive and negate the scope of work. Otherwise, we are operating without a net and our margins are apt to plunge. It is about courage and professional discipline. Our customers do not give away their products and services and neither should we. A seasoned, disciplined and mature solutions sales team can handle add-on requests via a change order to the scope of work. If discussed and agreed to on the front end, the customer understands a change order will, in turn, increase the quoted price for the solution. Like all things new, it requires training and resolve. By clearly defining for the client what it will receive for its investment, we have set ourselves apart from the rest of the pack. We are now viewed as trusted advisors and consummate professionals. This is yet another value-add that gives us the leg up on the competition. w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | J u l y 2 0 0 7 | 29
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server; installation of print drivers on a It is important to note that most vendors predetermined number of workstations have resident professional service teams. Typ... A scope of work will (usually three), $50 for each additional ically, they are highly competent and excepgenerally eliminate or install; and installation of software on a tionally qualified experts willing and able to minimize frustrations, predetermined number (usually three) of assist in the development of dealer IT teams confusion and workstations, i.e. scanning, document as well as providing field support for larger unnecessary expenses management, LAN faxing, etc. customer installs. The training and field while managing the Itemize deliverables support come at a price, but they are usually customer’s expectations ... • Hardware, firmware and accessories very affordable. The more we can do interto be installed nally, however, the more income we generate • Software to be installed for ourselves. Consult your vendor(s) for clarification of the above. • Networks to be installed In closing, a scope of work will generally eliminate or mini• Defined hours of end-user training mize frustrations, confusion and unnecessary expenses while • Defined number of print drivers to be installed managing the customer’s expectations and generating revenues • Proof of errors and omissions insurance (malpractice) commensurate with the quality of effort and a competitive Timeline advantage over the rest of the field. • Start date Layton Getsinger currently manages a large copier/MFP • Duration dealership in the Southeast and has worked in the industry for • Completion date more than seven years. During his tenure the dealership has Key Personnel: been recognized as an innovative and early adapter of emerging Customer technologies. The company has been • Contract coordinator recognized nationally for outstanding Your Company performance in the solutions arena by its • Identify individuals from your company who will per- various vendors, and has been recognized as an form the work “Elite Dealer” by Office Dealer magazine. He • Provide experience, qualifications, credentials & certifications can be reached at lgetsinger@suddenlink.net.
ADVERTISER INDEX 29 • Ames Supply Company
15 • Duplo U.S.A. Corp.
12 • Niche Equipment
(800) 323-3856 / (630) 964-2440 / www.amessupply.com
(800) 255-1933 / (949) 752-8222 / www.duplousa.com
(877) 446-4243 / www.nichee.net
32 • BTA Print Management Workshop
2 • FMAudit LLC
31 • Panasonic Corp. of North America
(800) 843-5059 / www.bta.org
(573) 632-2461 / www.fmaudit.com
(800) 742-8086 / www.panasonic.com/notboring
23 • BTA ProFinance
21 • JBM Systems Inc.
5, 11 • Print Audit
(800) 843-5059 / www.bta.org
(978) 535-7676 / www.octotools.com
(877) 412-8348 / (403) 685-4932 / www.printaudit.com
27 • Breakaway 2007/CompTIA
13 • Kodak
3 • Ricoh Corp.
www.breakaway.comptia.org
(800) 944-6171 / www.kodak.com/go/readyforanythingOTM
(800) 742-6438 / www.ricoh-usa.com
25 • Business Products Council Association
19 • MKG Imaging Solutions Inc.
7 • Toshiba America Business Solution Inc.
(800) 897-0250 / www.businessproductscouncil.org
(800) 881-7545 / www.mkg.org
(949) 462-6165 / www.copiers.toshiba.com
9 • DocuWare Corp. (888) 565-5907 / www.docuware.com 30 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | J u l y 2 0 0 7
Panasonic July 07
6/30/07
3:19 PM
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IT IS Panasonic.
IT’S NOT BORING.
IT’S NOT BLAH.
IT’S NOT BEIGE.
IT’S NOT BASIC.
You probably know by now that Panasonic
And that’s not all. Panasonic was recently
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C3 Color Series from Panasonic. All of the innovative features of our C3 are now
For more information visit
available in four simply brilliant colors to
panasonic.com/notboring
suit virtually any office personality. It’s eye
or call us at 1-800-742-8086.
candy for the office!
Panasonic received the highest numerical score in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Business Copier Customer Satisfaction StudySM. Panasonic received the highest numerical score in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Business Copier Customer Satisfaction Study . Study was based on a total of 1,524 responses, measuring 10 manufacturers and Study was based on a total of 1,524 responses, measuring 10 manufacturers and measures opinions of business customers at small, medium, large businesses measures opinions of business customers at small, medium, large businesses who purchased or leased a new copier in the previous 21 months. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of those surveyed who purchased or leased a new copier in the previous 21 months. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of those surveyed from from January 2005 - September 2006. Your experiences may vary. For J.D. Power and Associates award information, www.jdpower.com. January 2005 - September 2006. Your experiences may vary. For J.D. Power and Associates award information, www.jdpower.com. SM
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Office Technology Magazine Business Technology Association 12411 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64145 (816) 941-3100 www.officetechnologymag.com www.bta.org
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