september 2012 office technology

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Volume 19 • No. 3

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S

10Strategic SellingWhat got you heremay not get you thereby Mitch Morgan & Chris Ryne, Growth Achievement Partners, and Kate Kingston, Kingston Training GroupYou have sales reps in your bullpen who are working harder than ever before. � ey may be selling the same number of machines, but the average selling price has decreased. In addition, the gross prof-it margin has gone down. � is is a trend that will not reverse — and it may accelerate. You see the trends in the industry and know you must combine competitive takeaways with a growing set of products and services to be successful. You must invest in your current sales force today if you want to succeed.

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D E PA R T M E N T S

24 Business Technology Association• BTA Highlights

Executive Director’s Page

BTA President’s Message

Advertiser Index

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CONTENTS

22Q&A: Sharp’s Doug AlbregtsSIICA president addresses negative news reportsby Brent HoskinsOffi ce Technology MagazineJapan’s Nikkei reported on Aug. 17 that Sharp Corporation is consid-ering selling its copier business and other businesses as a means to address current � nancial challenges the company is facing. Sharp quickly responded that the report is untrue. On Aug. 24, O� ce Technology maga-zine conducted a telephone interview about the news of Sharp’s � nancial di� culties, the negative press reports, etc., with Doug Albregts, president of Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA).

Are You LinkedIn?How to generate leadsin 10 easy stepsby Martin Perryin2communications Inc.Social media marketing is the hot-test thing in Internet marketing. � e opportunities to connect with your users in fan-tastic new ways is working miracles for marketing and customer service departments. But what about sales departments? As these technologies become more mainstream, most sales departments and sales reps can e� ectively leverage social media sites and their net-works to generate quali� ed leads. � ere are no more quali� ed leads than those on LinkedIn.

C O U R T S & C A P I T O L S

25Business Ethics� ey determine yourdealership’s reputationby Robert C. GoldbergBTA General CounselRecently, there have been two calls to the BTA Legal Hotline regarding questionable ethical situations. Establishing rules, policies and checks and balanc-es — as well as leading by example — are essential to sound ethical practices. Having such programs in place is important, as breaches can be costly.

26Minimizing DiscountsProtect your aftermarket& stay healthyby Ken StaubitzStrategy DevelopmentIf your reps are able to discount service without o� -setting the aftermarket hit with the hardware gross pro� t (GP) they packed into a deal, your service rev-enues and pro� t will su� er for the term of the agree-ment. � e e� ects of aftermarket discounting will a� ect various factors that impact your pro� tability.

29No Magic ButtonSocial media will not replace traditional prospectingby Troy HarrisonSales Force SolutionsEver since the cold call was invented, salespeople have been trying to invent a “magic button” that will allow them to quit cold calling. � e latest is the online social network (OSN). Just Tweet enough, ex-perts say, and you will never need to smile and dial again. � at is nonsense.

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PAGE Executive Director/BTAEditor/Offi ce Technology

Brent [email protected]

(816) 303-4040

Associate EditorElizabeth Marvel

[email protected](816) 303-4060

Contributing WritersRobert C. Goldberg, General Counsel

Business Technology Association

Kate Kingston, Kingston Training Groupwww.kingstontraining.com

Mitch Morgan, Growth Achievement Partnerswww.growthachievementpartners.com

Martin Perry, in2communications Inc.www.in2communications.com

Chris Ryne, Growth Achievement Partnerswww.growthachievementpartners.com

Ken Staubitz, Strategy Developmentwww.strategydevelopment.com

Business Technology Association12411 Wornall Road

Kansas City, MO 64145(816) 941-3100

www.bta.org

Member Services: (800) 505-2821BTA Legal Hotline: (800) 869-6688

Valerie BrisenoMembership & Marketing Manager

[email protected]

Mary HopkinsDatabase Administrator

[email protected]

Teresa LeerarBookkeeper

[email protected]

Brian SmithMembership Sales Representative

[email protected]

Photo Credits: Goodshot, Hemera Technologies. Cover cre-ated by Bruce Quade, Brand X Studio. ©2012 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. How-ever, the publisher assumes no liability for errors in articles nor are opinions expressed necessarily those of the publisher.

Download the 2012BTA Service Report

If you have not down-loaded your copy of the 2012 BTA Service

Report from BTA’s web-site (www.bta.org/BenchmarkingReports), I would encourage you to do so. � is report, the � rst in the 2012 BTA BenchmarkingSeries, examines the results of a survey com-pleted by 311 o� ce technology dealers. It shows the levels of dealership performance and metrics by both size of business and geographic region. I think you will � nd the report to be a valuable resource for compar-ing the service operations of your dealer-ship to other U.S. dealerships.

My thanks to those who took the time to complete the online survey. By doing so, you have played an important role in cre-ating an industry resource that will serve as a guide for your fellow dealers, helping to further strengthen the BTA Channel. By the way, congratulations to the � rst 25 of you who completed the survey, earning a $25 American Express gift card.

Prepared for BTA by Survey Advantage, the report provides data in four categories: pro� tability (service revenue per service employee and per technician, service sales per unit in base, service gross pro� t, rental and CPC revenue allocations, clicks per unit on contract, etc.), personnel (techni-cian accountable time, average billing rate, incentive plans, distribution of time, clicks per technician, etc.), call center e� cien-cies (response times, gross calls per day, recalls and incompletes, installation times, service department automation, etc.) and product (copier/MFPs on contract and T&M, percent of sales, etc.).

� e report provides the median (and, in some cases, mean) of the responses to the survey questions. � e results re� ect the

answers to such questions as: What is the average response time from the time the customer places a call until a tech arrives? What is the length of time for your typical, successful installation? What is your typi-cal car stock value? What is your average number of total calls per day? After the base cost is subtracted, how is CPC money allocated for color copier/MFPs? What is your average hourly billing rate for shop and � eld work? How many parts invento-ry turns do you experience annually? For what job performance areas do you pro-vide incentives?

As noted, the results of the survey are reported by both size of business and geo-graphic region. For example, looking at the “by business size” results, the report re� ects the responses from 58 $5 million to $10 mil-lion dealerships, with total annual service revenues averaging $2,466,280 (mean). � ey have 11 � eld technicians and a median copier/MFP billing rate of $128.03 per hour. � ese techs spend 60 percent of their time repairing equipment, and each brings in an annual revenue of $171,666 (median).

Conversely, looking at the “by geograph-ic region” result, we see that, for dealers in the West (11 states designated; 57 respon-dents), total annual service revenues av-erage $1,586,024 (mean). � ey have seven � eld technicians and a median copier/MFP billing rate of $132.26 per hour. � e techs in the West spend 57 percent of their time repairing equipment, and each brings in annual revenues of $159,285.71 (median).

Want to see all of the numbers in the full report? Download your copy from the BTA website today. � e report is free to BTA members. Watch for BTA’s other 2012 Benchmarking Series reports — the 2012 BTA Compensation Report and the 2012 BTA Finance Report — later this year.

— Brent Hoskins

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BTA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE2012-2013 Board of Directors

President Terry Chapman

Business Electronics Corp.219 Oxmoor Circle, P.O. Box 531066

Birmingham, AL [email protected]

President-Elect Todd J. Fitzsimons

Network Imaging LLC122 Spring St., Ste. B3Southington, CT 06489 tjfi [email protected]

Vice President Ron Hulett

U.S. Business Systems Inc.3221 Southview Drive

Elkhart, IN [email protected]

BTA East Rob Richardson

Allied Document Solutions & Services Inc.200 Church St.

Swedesboro, NJ [email protected]

BTA Mid-America Dave Quint

Advanced Systems Inc.2945 Airport Blvd., P.O. Box 57

Waterloo, IA [email protected]

BTA Southeast Debra DennisCopyPro Inc.

3103 Landmark St.Greenville, NC [email protected]

BTA WestMike Ehlers

Yost Business Systems685 E. Anderson

Idaho Falls, ID [email protected]

Ex-Offi cio/ImmediatePast President

Tom OuelletteBudget Document Technology

251 Goddard Road, P.O. Box 2322Lewiston, ME 04240

[email protected]

Ex-Offi cio/General CounselRobert C. Goldberg

Schoenberg Finkel Newman & Rosenberg LLC222 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 2100

Chicago, IL [email protected]

Two MPS WorkshopsAnnounced by BTA

Do you need some guidance to bet-ter ensure the

success of your dealer-ship’s managed print ser-vices (MPS) program? Do you even have an MPS program in place? Either way, BTA recently announced two new educational work-shops that will provide you the guidance and tools you need. Both will be launched in November as front runners to the Nov. 15-16 Capture the Magic event (www.bta.org/BTAWestEvent), to be hosted by BTA West in Las Vegas, Nev.

� e BTA MPS Client Engagement Work-shop, designed for MPS sales specialists (BTA member tuition, only $699) is an in-teractive, full-day course that will take participants through the entire sales cycle for MPS engagements with clients. Utiliz-ing the eight-step MPS Client Engagement Model, participants will learn how to create a compelling value proposition to increase success in securing MPS engagements, practice conducting C-level appointments in a “live” setting, conduct an e� cient and e� ective assessment process, and build compelling, pro� table proposals.

� e BTA MPS Survival Guide Workshop, designed for dealership owners and exec-utive-level management (BTA member tu-ition, only $899), is a day-and-a-half interac-tive course that will cover the various MPS program options available in today’s market, explore the resource and skill requirements for each, and highlight the � nancial impacts of an MPS business model on your current business. Attendees will leave the workshop with a personalized business plan outline, a tailored sales compensation plan, and a clear understanding of the assets and com-petencies needed to be successful.

Our instructors are two leading minds in the area of MPS — Doug Johnson, senior vice president of Supplies Network, and Mike Lecek, who serves as director of MPS at Supplies Network. Both Doug and Mike will serve as the instructors for the MPS Client Engagement Workshop; Doug will lead the MPS Survival Guide Workshop.

With more than 30 years of industry ex-perience, Doug was with Hewlett-Packard (HP) for 20 years, serving as senior vice president of worldwide marketing for the Imaging and Printing Group (IPG), and as vice president and general manager for HP’s Supplies Imaging Division. He later joined Print Inc. as a startup in 2001. He served as senior vice president and COO of Print Inc., and president of its subsidiary, PrintValue Solutions Inc. In 2006, Print Inc. was sold to Pitney Bowes. After leaving Print Inc., Doug had a three-year engage-ment as an MPS consultant, founding Red-Sage Consulting and RedSage Partners. He joined Supplies Network in 2010.

Mike has been in the industry since 1983, starting with ComDoc in Pittsburgh, Pa. After a successful 15-year career, he joined Toshiba as a district sales manager. After a period of running his own consulting prac-tice, he joined Print Inc. in 2004 to manage sales for the company’s PrintValue Solu-tions program. His team was responsible for all facets of bringing MPS practices to Print Inc.’s channel partners, including sales, ser-vice, training and sales compensation mod-els. In 2009, Mike joined Konica Minolta to manage its West Region for managed print. He joined Supplies Network in 2011.

Want to learn more? Visit www.bta.org/MPSClientEngagement and www.bta.org/MPSSurvivalGuide. Attend either of these classes in November and receive free regis-tration to Capture the Magic.

— Terry Chapman

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Strategic SellingWhat got you here may not get you there

by: Mitch Morgan & Chris Ryne, Growth Achievement Partners, and Kate Kingston, Kingston Training Group

You have sales reps in your bullpen who are working harder than ever before. They may be selling the

same number of machines, but the aver-age selling price has decreased. In addi-tion, the gross profit margin (percentage and dollars) has gone down. This is a trend that will not reverse — and it may acceler-ate. While you may be growing your busi-ness, that growth is likely based on taking business from your competitors. You see the trends in the industry and know you must combine competitive takeaways with a growing set of products and serv-ices to be successful.

It is likely that you have recently at-tended an industry event or read an article in a trade journal outlining the need to invest in a new business activity (like software solutions or managed network services) or to get your managed print services (MPS) business in order. These look like separate businesses with foreign sales processes. So how do you manage an additional business that sits next to your core business? Success is uncertain.

Your sales reps are looking for new tools and techniques. Just ask them. Chances are they like the industry, enjoy their customers and want to be successful within your company. While they generally know what to do, they are not sure exactly how to get there. In the past, you could rely on the manufacturer for assistance. But many of these new solu-tions are not made by your traditional core manufacturer. You must invest in your current sales force today if you want to succeed in this new space.

First, let’s take a look back before we go forward. There has been a distinct evolution of the sales process in the of-fice technology channel. If you started your business, or sold equipment for a company that was in start-up mode, you probably remember a very defined sales process and metrics focused on net new business. You managed a sales funnel with sales steps that looked something like this: calls,

contacts, appointments, demos, proposals and closed business.

Over time, you built a base and, with it, the focus shifted to “base retention” tactics, while still focusing some atten-tion on growing the customer base. Your reps likely migrated sales activities to ac-counts that were entering the “sweet spot” in the lease expiration cycle. It has been our observation that as this shift in the sales process occurred, you focused your management inspection on results (up-grades, retention, closed business, etc.) and away from activities (calls, contacts, appointments, demos, proposals, etc.).

The current emphasis is for the reps to go deeper and wider into accounts, offering a broader ar-ray of technology-based solutions to your customers. We recently talked to a client who told us that “there is no way we can put anything else on the plate for our sales reps; they have too much to sell already.”

Many reps have resorted to “menu” selling, where they put a list in front of the customer (sometimes literally) and see what looks good to him (or her) that day. The problem with this approach is that success is based on timing and the bal-ance of power in the sales process goes to the customer.

Another challenge today is that many reps have (or think they need) a different sales process for each solution type they sell. The short list of these offerings includes traditional equipment, document-centric software, MPS and managed IT services. They get frustrated and the sales process tends to resort back to “pencil selling the upgrade.”

You can see the migration of three distinctly different sales processes for our industry described above. Your chal-lenge (and opportunity) is to change the way your reps sell and how you manage. You do not need to change what you do, but rather, how you do it.

The answer to this issue is still in your sales bullpen, but it is also in your sales process. Experience has taught us that


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there are four steps to success:(1) Getting to the right level (and get-

ting better at securing appointments at all levels);

(2) Development of one consistent, re-peatable process the rep can use;

(3) An ongoing sales engagement model for expanding opportunities be-tween lease expiration cycles (some call this an account review);

(4) Adherence to a management and inspection cadence with the appropriate balance between activity and results.

Making More MeetingsLet’s start at the very beginning, before the appointment

even takes place. Lead generation should be designed to get to a new decision maker. We have been focused on the buyer of office equipment and we need to move higher in the or-ganization. In today’s competitive marketplace, core sales reps now have to do many things differently as they prepare to go after and land C-level prospects.

It starts with proper account planning. We believe ac-count planning begins with deciding which accounts/com-panies you are going to pursue. Identifying potential pros-pects involves finding companies that fit the parameters of what your dealership has decided is an ideal client.

At the very least, we know those parameters must include sales volume, industry and employee count. Having this information allows for a better chance for you to discover a need for managed IT services, MPS, hardware, software and service contracts. Focusing on prospects within these guidelines will allow a sales rep to maximize his valuable prospecting time (which should be at least 10 to 12 hours per week) going after real, “predefined” opportunities. The account planning process needs to include identifying in-dustry trends and business goals, and your solutions need to assist the prospect in achieving his own business goals. In simple terms, people will spend time and money to achieve their business goals.

One of the biggest time-wasting mistakes a sales rep can make is spending his prospecting time “geographically.” Haphazardly approaching every business in his territory (by foot, phone or email) and canvassing everyone regard-less of size, revenue or income is not a sustainable approach to prospecting. A sales rep must start his prospecting cam-paign by prioritizing and identifying 40 companies that fit his ideal parameters. We suggest 40 companies so a sales rep can focus and consistently contact each company on his list at least three times a week until a meeting is confirmed.

Once the companies and the specific C-level prospects

have been identified, a sales rep has to schedule meetings to sit down with these prospects in order to start the sales process. There are at least two ways to accomplish this goal.

One way to get that meeting is to pur-sue the C-level prospects themselves. The quickest ways to communicate with them are via phone and email. System-izing your approach to include calling, emailing and re-emailing has to be part

of that strategy. Being mindful of the content of that commu-nication allows a sales rep to present a salient, well-crafted debate on why the decision maker should stop his business day to let a sales rep come in and try to sell him something he is not even thinking about. It is not a small task, but landing that meeting is the exact job description of a sales rep.

Another avenue for getting to the C-level decision maker is to be championed by a lower-level employee. Often, these are our day-to-day contacts. Research indicates that when a C-level individual receives a recommendation from a trust-ed subordinate to meet with a sales professional, 84 percent of the time he will “usually” or “always” accept the meeting. This sponsorship is achieved through establishing credibil-ity as a solution provider, and describing the ways in which your products and services can assist the company beyond “speeds and feeds.”

The core sales rep must combine these two approaches if he wants to stay relevant in today’s environment. Sales reps must move toward a solution and consultative approach. Failure to do so will allow your competitors to get their feet in the door.

One Consistent, Repeatable ProcessSo now we are at the right level. Our meeting is with an

executive who has a broader view and understanding of his company’s business goals, problems and processes. The es-sence of a time-tested solution sales process is in the ability to tie a solution into helping the company achieve its busi-ness goals. Business goals represent the direction the com-pany is seeking to go (opportunity) combined with the areas in which the company has not performed as well as it would like (pain). Companies invest time and money in achieving these goals.

Additionally (and increasingly), companies are seeking a better way to plan for technology investments. The shift in technologies that include cloud computing, mobility and social media bring with it an opportunity for compa-nies to utilize technology for competitive advantage. Of-ten, the best sales opportunities are associated with com-panies that need a technology road map created for them,


Sales reps must move toward a solution and consultative approach. Failure to do so will allow your competitors to get their feet in the door.


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which may require a virtual CIO part-nership. This means a sales rep must investigate and produce technology recommendations by understanding what that specific C-level decision-mak-er’s interests and responsibilities are at his company.

Not only must you address the issues concerning the particular individual you are approaching, but you must conduct this discovery by addressing the specific language of his industry. For example, when dealing with a law firm, it will help if the rep can include specific descriptions of its proprietary uses of technology.

Ongoing Sales Engagement Nearly all of the business being closed today is on lease

transactions. Your reps have built their businesses by main-taining contact with their accounts, while the dealership ensures that it provides customers with high-quality serv-ice. In fact, the BTA Channel provides better service on its office equipment than virtually all other office technology providers. You leverage these great service relationships to facilitate the upgrade to the lease. The downside to our tra-ditional sales process is that there is no real incentive for sales reps to have ongoing, meaningful account reviews with their customers between lease cycles.

Many customers are not aware of the depth and breadth of your offerings. How many times have you heard a good customer say: “I wish I would have known your company sold (pick a solution category). We just bought one and would have preferred to work with your company.”

Account reviews should combine a review of the outstand-ing service you have provided with a discussion of additional areas you can assist with. By establishing a consistent review format, to include solution descriptions, case studies and a discussion on company direction and goals, you have an op-portunity for expansion. A key metric for our clients is rev-enue per customer. It is a strong indicator of success in cross-selling products and services to their base of accounts.

Management InspectionImplementation of any new process requires practice and

discipline. There is a tendency to slip back into old habits. Consistent implementation of quality processes will yield consistent results. Managers need to be able to manage a time-tested solution sales process. There should be inspec-tion tied to activity (quantity and quality), in addition to results. The processes should be consistently utilized by all sales reps, and ongoing training and development should be part of the sales culture.

The Time is NowAs our industry evolves, our sales

processes need to evolve with it. Old hab-its will not yield new results. There are significant opportunities for companies that choose to focus on building (and managing) new sales techniques and processes designed to deepen and widen strategies. Investing in your sales reps will bring the results you are seeking.

Now is the time to focus on the suc-cess of your current sales force. After all, you want to con-tinue to prosper and grow your business so that you will re-main successful for many years to come. n

Mitch Morgan, Chris Ryne and Kate Kingston will be leading BTA’s Building My Business webinar, “New Skills for

Your Current Reps,” at 4 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Visit www.bta.org/BuildingMyBusiness to pre-register.

Morgan (left photo below) is a partner at Growth Achievement Partners. He founded the Connectivity Dealer

Program from NIA in 1991. After his business was acquired by IKON Office Solutions in 1996, he led its Technology Services division. In 2001, he formed the

Professional Services division for IKON. Morgan has been consulting with CEOs on strategy, operations,

organizational development and sales since 2005.Ryne, a partner at Growth Achievement Partners,

brings experience in driving growth and profitability, possessing a comprehensive understanding of the industry that includes traditional and emerging markets from both a sales and operations perspective. His tenure includes 10

years with a national office equipment dealership where he built and led a successful professional services business unit

from start-up to a well-integrated team. Visit www.growthachievementpartners.com.

Kingston, founder and president of the Kingston Training Group, is a motivational sales trainer specializing in

landing qualified meetings. With more than 17 years of success in making appointments with decision makers,

she is a recognized authority on lead generation, cold calling and new business development,

using humor, audience participation and proven techniques in her training sessions. She has trained

more than 7,000 sales reps and managers to land more meetings with

their ideal prospective

clients. Visit www.

kingston training.com.

There are significant opportunities for companies that choose to focus on building (and managing) new sales techniques and processes ...


ACM Technologies, Inc.2535 Research Drive, Corona, CA 92882 1.800.722.7745 • [email protected] • www.acmtech.comAll brand names and trademarks are the properties of their respective holders. Not responsible for typographical errors and inaccurate specifications.© 2012 ACM Technologies, Inc. BTA0912

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Are You LinkedIn?How to generate leads in 10 easy steps

by: Martin Perry, in2communications Inc.

Social media marketing is the hottest thing in marketing since the Internet exploded not so many years ago. The opportunities to connect with your users in fantastic

new ways is working miracles for marketing and customer service departments. But what about sales departments?

The monetization of social media marketing is evolving very rapidly. There are sophisticated tools and technologies emerging today that can help marketers and sales teams with measurement and ROI. As these technologies become more mainstream, most sales departments and sales reps can effectively leverage social media sites and their net-works to generate qualified leads.

There are no more qualified leads than those available on LinkedIn, the world’s most professional social networking site. To make things easy for you, I have put together a 10-step lead generation process to turn any business’s Linked-In profile into a lead-generation tool.

Create a Solid Profile It is difficult to reap the benefits of LinkedIn lead genera-

tion without having a profile, so creating one is the obvious first step. But you cannot create just any profile — you need to create a professional-grade one. Here is how:

(1)DescriptiveHeadline+Keywords+Photo=Com-pleteProfile— To create a professional-looking profile that says to people, “This is a respectable company to associate with,” you need to ensure it is not only complete, but also has a professional appearance. This means it should have a descriptive headline that includes your company’s value proposition and a photo/image that is indicative of your company, like a logo. Including keywords is critical, not for professional appearance, but in order for other companies and people to find you.

(2) Add Content-Showcasing Applications — Having a professional-looking profile is a good start, but you need content behind the appearance to back up the legitimacy of your company. Adding applications to your LinkedIn profile not only adds to the overall look, but it also showcases and shares your content in an impressive format. Some of these

content-showcasing apps include SlideShare, Events, Blog Link, Google Presentations, LinkedIn Polls and more. For a complete list of apps, visit: http://learn.linkedin.com/apps. These apps also show that you are putting time and effort into your company’s profile and want to be involved in your industry’s community.

(3)PostRegularStatusUpdates— LinkedIn is not Fa-cebook. It does not receive as many updates, and you should post the Instagram photos of your lunch on Facebook, not LinkedIn. LinkedIn is more business related, but that does not mean you update it any differently from any other so-cial network. Make sure that you create a regular stream of posts to ensure that your profile remains active and inter-esting to others.

Get Involved in GroupsHaving a solid presence on LinkedIn takes a concerted

effort. It is not like Facebook where you update your status and add funny pictures and people will “Like” you. Linked-In requires proactive participation. This means you need to join groups. What would be even better is starting a group — especially if others get involved in it.

(4)JoinRelevantGroups— LinkedIn has made partici-pating in its network easy by fostering a healthy directory of groups. Today, there is a group for just about everything,


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so you should be able to find a number of them to join. Just be sure not to spread yourself too thin.

Finding groups is easy. LinkedIn has a handy page to help you find groups that match your vertical (http://www.linked in.com/search-fe/group_search?facee_G=GMYL). It also has a searchable direc-tory of groups (https://www.linkedin.com/search-fe/group_search).

(5) Share your Existing Content — You likely have content that you have created and shared previously via marketing material, sales material, newslet-ters, email marketing, blogs and other materials that com-panies regularly produce. These could be videos, e-books, case studies, white papers, research, etc. Why not share them on LinkedIn, too? This is a great way to do a major content push without a lot of work. Sharing your existing content on LinkedIn means going back in time through your marketing and sales materials, content posted on other social profiles and pulling evergreen content that can be re-shared. Ensure that the content is still relevant though. Consider adding it to the various applications you have now installed.

(6) Engage and Share — LinkedIn is not a lecherous network. In order to succeed on the network, you need to be an active participant who contributes something to the conversation. This means you need to join conversations and start them, but more than that, you need to contribute something worth reading. The more worthwhile the advice/comment/share is, the more leads you will draw. Share your industry insights, breaking news, best practices, expertise, competencies, etc. Do not be generic though; it is only cut-ting-edge and knowledgeable people who benefit from these types of discussions.

(7) Turn Content into Discussions — Use the content that you are sharing on LinkedIn as topics for discussion in LinkedIn’s groups, Q&A and discussions. Take ideas and themes from this content and post questions to the public about it. Do this to promote a genuine discussion on the topic, but do not be overly promotional about your post be-cause it will turn people off and will make you appear phony and forced.

Instead, fit it naturally into discussions and do not be afraid to engage with other people’s opinions and interpre-tations of your information. And, if another person is right, consider incorporating their response or comment into your content. This will show people that you are an expert who is not afraid to learn, grow and adapt.

(8) Keep Conversations Going — One of the biggest er-rors people make on LinkedIn is to comment in a discussion/group once, then leave and never look back. This is not enough

to be truly involved in a discussion/group. You need to contribute regularly and keep the conversations going. You need to be truly engaged or people will see right through your one comment for what it is — a lead grab from a company looking for a big payoff with no effort.

(9) Lead the Pack — Success in any industry, as in any job role, means being a leader. Ditto for LinkedIn. You need to be a leader on LinkedIn to succeed in

lead generation. To lead the pack, you need to combine your high-energy, consistent engagement with resourcefulness, demonstrated expertise and a willingness to help. For best results, do it more than others in your industry are doing.

(10) Keep Up Connections with People Who Engage with You — Creating solid connections with the people you meet virtually is half the battle. The other half is keeping those connections alive. Connections that create any ongo-ing value need to be nurtured. This can be done by invit-ing people to discussions that they would likely want to be a part of, throwing them connections and introductions, or simply sending a piece of noteworthy news their way once in a while. To keep you in the forefront of their minds (for when they inevitably come across a lead they could send your way) you need to be in contact with them, in one way or another, about three to four times a year.

Final Advice

The above is great advice, but still, the best advice I can give you is to start slowly. Get comfortable before you start mak-ing big moves, because the office technology community on LinkedIn may be smaller than you think and you do not want to burn any bridges. Start off slowly until you get the hang of it, and definitely do not be overly promotional or “sales-ey.”

After all, it is a social network. Be social, collaborate, en-gage, network and do not push content. n

Martin Perry is the managing partner for in2communications Inc., a full-service marketing and

communications agency. In2communications’ services include website design/redesign, search engine optimization (SEO), video production, inbound marketing services, social

media and marketing strategy. The company helps businesses integrate new “social business” methodologies

into their sales and marketing strategies using technology, inbound marketing

methodologies, SEO and social media to generate leads, build their digital brands,

engage with their customers and prospects, and grow their businesses.

Visit www.in2communications.com.

Creating solid connections with the people you meet virtually is half the battle. The other half is keeping those connections alive.


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Q&A: Sharp’s Doug AlbregtsSIICA president addresses negative news reports

by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

Japan’s Nikkei reported on Aug. 17 that Sharp Corporation is considering selling its copier business and other businesses as a means to

address current financial challenges the com-pany is facing. Sharp quickly responded that the report is untrue. However, subsequent news re-ports quickly emerged expressing uncertainty about Sharp’s future.

On Aug. 24, Office Technology magazine con-ducted a telephone interview about the news of Sharp’s financial difficulties, the negative press reports, etc., with Doug Albregts, president of Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA). Albregts spoke to Office Technology from Prague, Czech Republic, during a Sharp dealer incentive trip. He emphasized that SIICA is among the most profitable Sharp subsidiaries and, as a result, he does not expect Sharp Corporation’s financial challenges to have a direct, negative impact on SIICA. He also reiterated that Sharp is not cur-rently negotiating the sale of its copier business, as had been reported by Nikkei.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

OT: Sharp has stated that Nikkei’s report that the company plans to sell its copier business is not true. Regardless, dire financial challenges are looming at Sharp. What can you share about these challenges?

Albregts: I would be remiss to not say that the chal-lenges, financially, on the Sharp Corporation side definitely exist. Let’s be very clear, I’m not in the meetings with banks and Hon Hai in Japan [Hon Hai is a Taiwanese company that announced plans in March to buy a 9.9-percent stake in Sharp]. I don’t have a direct connection into those con-versations. However, I am in very close contact with our se-nior executives in Japan. They have been very forthcoming with information.

I think the key thing that everyone has to remember here is that when companies have financial challenges, in many

cases, those challenges stem from a lack of de-mand, an aging technology or something that falls short of its value proposition for custom-ers, and key internal and external stakehold-ers. This is not necessarily the case with us. It has been very public that we have suffered from what has happened with the yen, like many of our Japanese competitors. The TV business has been extremely difficult for everybody. Sharp also invested a significant amount of capital in the Sakai [Sakai City, Japan, LCD HD television] factory, which made it very challenging during a time when the economy was in a complete

withdrawal of any sort of growth whatsoever. I can’t give you any update to anything that hasn’t already

been published, but the fact of the matter is, the reason why we know it is going to work itself out in a very favorable manner, not only for our dealers, but for everybody — from our partner network, our employees’ and everybody’s per-spective — is that we have exceptional display technology coming out in our IGZO technology. There are a lot of key stakeholders within the industry that want access to that technology. There are also a host of other capabilities that we have in our business that are very much coveted by a lot of people. We are actually very excited about that.

OT: What sort of impact might Sharp Corpora-tion’s financial difficulties have on Sharp’s copi-er/MFP business in the United States?

Albregts: In the short term, we are still sending all of our engineers and our product planning people to Japan to con-tinue to discuss products, not only for the coming year, but for years ahead. Plus, we are obviously continuing to build out our capabilities around the cloud, and how that impacts [Sharp’s] OSA [Open System Architecture].

[General Manager] Mr. [Fujikazu] Nakayama’s group [Information Equipment] represents the business systems of Sharp, which comprises most of our B2B business. On Aug. 2, Sharp Corporation reported a profit in Information


Doug Albregts

Sharp Sept 12.indd 1 8/30/12 3:45 PM

Equipment for Q1, and revised its growth to 4.5 percent this year. When you look at the document imaging space, not only in the U.S., but on a global basis, we are outpacing market projections in most categories. We continue to grow. That’s something I’m not sure all of our com-petitors can say.

It just so happens that Sharp Corpo-ration is struggling. What that means for us I can’t tell you today except for it has been business as usual. Nothing has changed. We are still investing in the business. We are continuing to grow and we are profitable.

OT: Will Sharp’s financial situation impact itsR&Defforts?

Albregts: At this point there is absolutely no impact on our investment in R&D in this space. I have told the dealer community that I would be very candid if I had information that showed an impact on our R&D spend.

OT:DealersarefacingadversepublicityinthepressandfromcompetitorsregardingthefutureofSharp.Whatprogramswillyouputinplacetohelpyourdealersovercometheseobstacles?

Albregts: Our dealers here in Prague have said: “We have not really been impacted, in the sense that we have not had to go out and say, for example, ‘It’s OK if you stick with the 20 Sharp machines in your location, because Sharp will be healthy in the next three to four years.’” They haven’t men-tioned any kind of conversations like that.

In terms of programs, if anything, we are continuing to build out some of the programs we currently have in place. We haven’t eliminated any of them per se. We haven’t given any indication at all that our business has been impacted by this. Because, the fact of the matter is, it just hasn’t. The only way it has been impacted is that we have had to do a lot of these types of conversations to set the record straight.

OT:Willtherebequotaandincentiveprogramadjustments for dealers due to the negativebacklashfromreportsofSharp’sfinancialsitua-tion,sincethisisbeyondthedealercommunity’scontrol?

Albregts: We are not seeing anybody’s programs being im-pacted. The conversation that we are having is, “How can we even do more at this point in time because of the bad press?” No one has come to me from Sharp Japan and said: “You have to cut back incentives.” They want to continue to invest in this part of the business, which is doing well for Sharp. If, for

some reason, a dealer feels this is a con-cern, then, certainly, we would address it one-off. But, at this point in time, we don’t anticipate any problem.

OT: Sharp Corporation hasstated it will be reducing staffby 5,000 employees worldwide.Will there be any staff reduc-tions within SIICA here in theUnitedStates?

Albregts: We are not planning any layoffs at SIICA in the U.S. as a result of the news coming out of Sharp Corpora-tion. That does not mean we may not do some reorganizing. I am not saying we’re going to do that, but any moves we make here directionally will be the result of what was dis-cussed at the [July 15-18 Irresistible Force] dealer meeting in Dallas, Texas, not because of the news of the financial situa-tion coming out of Sharp Corporation.

OT:Doyouanticipatethatequipment,partsorsupplieswillbeinshortsupplyduetoanySharpmanufacturingcutbacks?

Albregts: We have not been told, nor do we anticipate, any issues of supply at this point in time. As a matter of fact, if we have that issue it would be because we are actually selling out of the product introduced at the [July] meeting; we’ve had tre-mendous demand and support from our dealer community of those products. So, if anything, it is because we missed the forecast. It has nothing to do with what’s happening in Japan.

OT:Afterthecurrentdealertrip,whatdoyouseeassomeofyourtopprioritieswhenyougetback to your office, as they relate to the newsaboutSharp’sfinancialsituation?

Albregts: I can’t prognosticate as to where this is going. I can only tell you what they told me — that the copier business is not for sale, etc. One of the things I told my team is we must continue to “stay the course.” The worst thing we can do is to get off track with the message that we shared at the meeting back in Dallas. To be honest, we are so busy with changing our business, simplifying our marketing programs and doing all the things that we said we are going to do, I don’t know what else we could be doing. That’s all we can do; continue to drive our business and continue to make the chang-es. We are not seeing any indication that the investment in our business is going to stop. n

Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Association, is editor of

Office Technology magazine. He can be reached at [email protected].

We haven’t given any indication at all that our business has been impacted by this. Because, thefact of the matter is, it just hasn’t.

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 | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2 | 23

Sharp Sept 12.indd 2 8/31/12 1:15 PM

BTA HIGHLIGHTS

BTA would like to welcome the following new members to the association:

Dealer MembersAlexandria Business Machines, Alexandria, LACitywide Offi ce Solutions, Brooklyn, NYClassic Business Solutions, Columbia, SC Global Supplies NY, Brooklyn, NYTexas Document Solutions, Austin, TX

Vendor Associate MembersSupplies Wholesalers, Reno, NVFrontier Imaging, Compton, CA

Publishing Associate MemberPrint4Pay Hotel, Highlands, NJ

For full contact information of thesenew members, visit www.bta.org.

BTA Managed Services Workshop Managed services (MS) offers a more cost-effective way for your customers to manage

their current spending on IT support. By utiliz-ing technology and automation versus tradi-tional break-fi x labor, performance and stability increase and costs go down. In this workshop, Mitch Morgan and Chris Ryne of Growth Achievement Partners will show you how to set up a MS business in your company. Areas of fo-cus will include: the phases of the MS process, fi nancial targets, packaging of services, the MS sales process and more. Visit www.bta.org/MS for more information or to register.

For information on BTA member benefi ts, visit www.bta.org/MemberBenefi ts.

For the benefi t of its dealer members, each month BTA features two of its Vendor or Service Associate members in this space. BTA Vendor Associate

member Mars International is a full-service wholesale re-marketer of high-quality,

pre-owned copiers. The company’s exten-sive inventory comes from strong relation-ships with some of the world’s largest leasing companies. With a thorough quality control and equipment-handling process, Mars International’s technicians check for complete-ness and functionality. Mars offers monthly specials, quantity discounts and discounted fi xed national freight rates, as well as tech support and technical documentation for non-authorized brands. Mars will also send digital photos upon request.

www.marsintl.com

BTA Service Associ-ate member International Business Products Inc.

(IBPI) is an offi ce technology buying group representing the interests of more than 320 independent dealerships nationwide. Its mem-bers have a combined annual sales volume in excess of $3.7 billion, which generates buy-ing power for the group’s membership. IBPI’s members sell and service Canon, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Panasonic, Ricoh, Sharp and Toshiba products, as well as other copier/MFPs, digital duplicators, printers and busi-ness machines.

www.ibpi.net

A full list of BTA Vendor and Service Associate members can be found online at www.bta.org.


Highlights Sept 12.indd 1 8/31/12 1:07 PM

I am honored to have calls to the BTA Legal Hotline come into my of-� ce. � is communication

line clearly provides the pulse of and a window to the industry. In the past month, there have been two calls that hope-fully do not indicate a trend. � e problems are disturbing and, in fact, criminal.

In both situations, the owners were unaware of the occurrences and were shocked to learn that their salespeople had engaged in wrongful conduct.

� e � rst call inquired as to the owner’s responsi-bility for a forged personal guarantee on an equipment lease. � e good news was that all the lease payments had been made, but when the cancelled lease was returned to the end user, he quickly noted that a personal guarantee had been added with a forged signature. � e end user alerted the company to this fact and the owner called in the salesperson, who ultimately admitted to this and other forgeries.

� e second situation involved the in� ated sale of product where a portion of the lease funding was paid back to the end user. � e payment was disguised as a payo of a nonexis-tent previous lease. � e purchase was, in fact, bogus, and the equipment was never unwrapped and installed when the pur-chaser disappeared. Again, the owner sought to determine his responsibility.

Owners are responsible for the sales actions of their em-ployees. In addition, Master Lease Agreements contain sever-al warranties and representations that dealers make in regard to each transaction submitted. Among these warranties and representations are the facts that all signatures are genuine and that there are no payments being made to the end user. If these warranties are breached, then speci� c buyback provi-sions are triggered. Needless to say, the buyback terms are not favorable, but are clearly established in the agreement.

� ese situations present several points to be considered in the operation of your dealership. What are the steps you are taking to investigate the backgrounds of your employees? Have

you checked your potential and current employees’ references, criminal re-

cords and court cases? Do you have a system to verify and

review a transaction with the end user by some-one other than the salesperson? Do your sales meetings review the company’s expec-tations of your sales-

people? Do you have a procedure to solicit feed-

back from end users? Establishing rules, policies,

and checks and balances — as well as leading by example — are essential to

sound ethical practices. Having such programs in place is important, as breaches can be costly. Depending upon the exact nature of the misconduct, employees who break the rules hurt morale, reduce pro� tability and expose the com-pany to legal liability.

Although insurance may cover certain fraud or theft, it only can be collected if the conduct is reported to the authorities. Owners should not hesitate to report criminal conduct. � e failure to do so sends a message to continuing employees and suggests the conduct is condoned.

Owners should give careful consideration to a “whistle-blower” program that rewards an employee for coming for-ward with information regarding wrongful activity. Although this can be disruptive to a team approach, it will help elimi-nate improper behavior. � e program should assure con� den-tiality and permit anonymous submissions.

Develop a set of values by which your company operates. � ese values should match the way in which you operate. If you reward employees, it should not always be the salespeo-ple who have the highest sales. When recognizing employees, consider ethical issues, charitable work, coop-eration with others to further the company and the company’s values. Your business ethics are your reputation. Keep them high.

Robert C. Goldberg is general counsel for the Business Technology Association.

He can be reached at [email protected].

Business EthicsThey determine your dealership’s reputation

by: Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel for the Business Technology Association

COURTS & CAPITOLS


Goldberg Sept 12.indd 1 8/31/12 1:07 PM

Imagine you are a business owner sitting in your office working on a project to help your organization. Your fo-cus is abruptly interrupted by a knock at your door and in

walks your star sales rep along with his (or her) manager, who want to explain a huge sales opportunity to you. The rep con-veys that the deal is “yours to lose.” The only stumbling block is your current service pricing.

According to the rep, all the other pricing is in line, but there is no way to get the deal unless you discount your ser-vice rate. After further discussion and “internal selling,” you concede and agree to reduce the service rate in order to get the deal inked. Excited that you conceded to help the rep win the deal, he and his manager leave and you continue working on the project at hand.

Time passes, and upon reviewing the commission payout, you notice that your star rep is about to be issued a healthy commission from the monies associated with the deal you helped him ink, wherein you discounted your service rate for the term of the contract. Ironically, your company was at risk of losing the sales opportunity, but the rep was able to build hardware gross profit (GP) into the deal in order to make a healthy commission.

More time passes, and after looking into various key per-formance indicators for your entire organization, you find that your service revenue and margins are trending down while your selling expenses have an upward trend despite flat hardware sales.

Can you relate to this scenario? I am not implying that the sales rep, or anyone else for that matter, is intentionally doing anything wrong, nor am I intending to place blame. This situ-ation is more common than not, and is often fostered by the organization’s internal processes and leadership. The good news is that it is not too late to change the game.

After reading this, you may be thinking, “This situation does not happen here. If there is hardware GP in the deal, we always make service whole before paying the rep.” If this is a current policy, do you randomly audit this process to ensure service is truly being made whole? Are you still making ser-vice whole when a rep bundles hardware and other profitable services (MS, MPS, document management) into a sale, even though there might not be any hardware GP in the deal?

Again, my point is not to place blame. But just understand that if you choose to discount your aftermarket pricing and not reallocate any profits to offset the service discount, you

risk lowering your profitability. If your sales reps are able to discount service without offsetting the aftermarket hit with the hardware GP they packed into the deal, your service rev-enues and profit will suffer for the term of the agreement. The scary part is that you may not even recognize the diminish-ing returns of your service discounting until two or three years into the contracted period.

Studies have shown that service contracts are typically more profitable in the early years due to the performance of new or reconditioned equipment because the equipment is more reli-able during this period. Over time, other factors (image volume, type of use, etc.) will demand additional service on the equip-ment, increasing your parts and labor expense. This is why it is extremely important to ensure your organization is capturing as much revenue and margin as possible on your service con-tracts in order to offset future maintenance and expenses.

The effects of aftermarket discounting will affect various financial factors that impact your profitability. Even though your service expenses may remain constant, the reduction in service revenue from such discounting will eventually erode your service margins. In this situation, service labor expense and parts expense as a percentage of service revenue will creep up, gradually reducing your service profits. Unfortunately, the decline in aftermarket profit is slow, making it difficult for

Minimizing DiscountsProtect your aftermarket & stay healthy

by: Ken Staubitz, Strategy Development

service connections


Staubitz Sept 12.indd 1 8/30/12 3:51 PM

SEFall12ad.indd 1 8/16/12 10:57 AM

organizations to track the true cause. On the other hand, even though you

may be making service whole by reallocat-ing revenue, these financial adjustments are not deferred for the term of the con-tract, making your service contract ap-pear ultra-profitable in early periods when your expenses are typically lower.

When managing to the industry model, it would appear that service head count and parts expense are the culprits for the decline in service returns since these expense categories are over benchmark, causing many managers to cut staffing and further hedge parts spending.

Determining and managing parts spending targets par-ticular to your machines in field (MIF) and managing staffing levels to your base’s associated workload will allow you to ef-fectively manage these parts and labor expenses, giving you the opportunity to hone in on other factors (e.g., service dis-counting, compensation plans, pricing, etc.) that are impact-ing your profits.

“Profit” is not an ugly word; it provides the means for organizations to grow and provides income for their employees. There-fore, it is critical to ensure that your service pricing is set appropriately and aftermar-ket discounting is kept to a minimum. n

Ken Staubitz is a service consultant with Strategy Development, with 15-plus years

experience in all levels of service operations and MPS service structure.

Previously with Modern Office Methods (MOM), Cincinnati, Ohio, in various service and operational

roles, most recently Staubitz was MOM’s director of clientservices, where he oversaw all service operations

and managed a staff of 60-plus field service personnel. He also served on the Lanier Dealer Advisory Council

and was an e-automate Service Committee member. Staubitz can be reached at [email protected]. Visit www.strategydevelopment.com.


“Profit” is not an ugly word ... Therefore, it is critical to ensure that your service pricing is set appropriately and aftermarket discounting is kept to a minimum.

Staubitz Sept 12.indd 2 8/30/12 3:51 PM

No Magic ButtonSocial media will not replace traditional prospecting

by: Troy Harrison, SalesForce Solutions

Ever since the cold call was invented, salespeople have been trying to invent a “magic button” that will allow them to quit cold calling and have prospects simply

beat paths to their doors. Over the years, many different meth-odologies, including customer reselling, networking and other methods, have claimed to be that magic button.

The latest is online social networking (OSN). Just Tweet enough, experts say, and you will never need to smile and dial again. That is nonsense. It may work if you are already estab-lished, but if you are like 99 percent of America’s salespeople, you definitely have cold calls in your future.

Let us back up a minute. For most people, the appeal of a career in sales is that, unlike other business disciplines, salespeople can control their income and have better results through increased commissions. It is this controllability that mitigates against OSN as a primary strategy.

The basic equation of sales achievement is: Quantity of Activity x Quality of Activity = Results. In other words, the more you sell and the better you are at

it, the better results you will get. Over the years, salespeople have been able to break down

their activity into ratios or numeric road maps that help them achieve what they want to achieve. For instance, if your clos-ing ratio is one sale for every two proposals, you need double the number of proposals to get sales. These ratios work all the way back to calculating the number of phone calls you need for a prospect appointment.

For reference, most B2B salespeople can make 20 dials per hour; they will get five to six contacts in those 20 dials; and they will set an appointment in about one in every four of those contacts.

Herein lies the problem with OSN as a primary prospect generation strategy: There are no valid and viable ratios. No one — including those people who are training or evangeliz-ing for OSN — can tell you how many Tweets yield an initial appointment, or how many “likes” on Facebook produce a proposal. The very foundation of a selling career — control-lability — goes out the window.

Worse, the people likely to see your messages on the vari-ous OSN platforms are not decision makers; if you think cor-porate CEOs, vice presidents and the like are trolling Twitter to find their next capital equipment vendor, think again. The people who have buying authority are simply too busy being productive to dig through the morass of OSN messages to find

vendors and solutions.If that is not bad enough, even the best messages can get

lost in the pile of banality and nonsense that composes most OSN. You might Tweet the secret to perpetual motion, but in most people’s Twitter feeds, it will quickly get lost among 500 other Tweets about what people are having for dinner.

Trying to sort through the meaningless messages most peo-ple post on their Facebook and Twitter accounts reminds me of an old story about a boy who, upon receiving a pile of horse manure for Christmas, begins digging enthusiastically into the pile yelling, “There has to be a pony in here somewhere!”

I should point out that I am primarily discussing B2B salespeople here. There are some B2C venues — particularly in dining and entertainment — where OSN can be strikingly effective. If you are promoting a rock band, trying to draw people into your restaurant, etc., then Tweet your heart out — because you are talking to decision makers. Individually purchased products or services mean every reader is a deci-sion maker.

For B2B salespeople, the best OSN platform I have found is LinkedIn. If you are not a member, you should be. LinkedIn, used properly, can be a terrific facilitator of introductions, re-ferrals and new business. Even so, this should be a secondary approach rather than a primary approach.

Selling SolutionS


Harrison Sept 12.indd 1 8/30/12 4:38 PM

Those who claim to have success in mon-etizing OSN tend to be those people who already have well-established reputations and who already have a large number of people seeking them out. Or, they are the people who are making money by training people in OSN.

In the same vein, OSN simply becomes another method of being found by custom-ers and prospects. Most salespeople in the world have to find their customers; hence, a good data-driven teleprospecting program should be the primary means of new business development. Working from a well-qualified database, salespeople can continue to predict-ably set appointments, and control their incomes and achieve-ments. The elusive “magic button” may be invented someday,

but that day is not here yet. nTroy Harrison is the author of “Sell Like

You Mean It!” and the president of SalesForce Solutions, a sales training,

consulting and recruiting firm. He will be among the presenters at the Fall Colors

Retreat, to be hosted by BTA Southeast on Oct. 26-27 in Waynesville, N.C.

Visit www.bta.org/BTASoutheastEvent. For information on booking

Harrison for speaking/training engagements, consulting or

to sign up for his weekly e-zine, contact him at (913) 645-3603 or

[email protected]. Visit www.SalesForceSolutions.net.

Working from a well-qualified database, salespeople can continue to predictably set appointments, and control their incomes and achievements.


15 • ACM Technologies Inc.

(800) 722-7745 / www.acmtech.com

2-3 • BTA East District Event

(800) 843-5059 / www.bta.org/BTAEastEvent

27 • BTA Southeast District Event

(800) 234-8996 / www.bta.org/BTASoutheastEvent

16-17 • BTA West District Event

(800) 843-5059 / www.bta.org/BTAWestEvent

5 • DocuWare

(888) 565-5907 / www.docuware.com

21 • ECi Solutions - FMAudit

(800) 440-8664 ext. 89172 / www.ecisolutions.com/MPS

19 • ESP Energy Intelligence

www.espei.com

9 • Miracle Service/Nexent Innovations

(866) 639-3681 / www.miracleservice.com

32 • MSE

(800) 673-4968 / www.mse.com

28 • Niche Equipment

(877) 446-4243 / www.nichee.net

13 • OKI Data

www.okidata.com/TMP

19 • Pinnacle Sales

(440) 734-9195 / www.pinnaclesales-ohio.com

7 • Samsung

(866) 726-4249 / www.samsung.com/mpa

11 • Sharp

www.sharpusa.com/touchpanel

31 • The Imaging Channel

www.theimagingchannel.com

Advertiser index

Harrison Sept 12.indd 2 8/30/12 4:39 PM

magazine website e-bulletins events

theimagingchannel.com

in-depth features channel profi les industry Q&A expert analysis vertical profi les industry experts hardware profi les channel pulse

and much more

Your link to the business and people of managed print.

Ap

ril 2

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INSIDE:Defining the Indefinable: The Rules of MPS pg. 20

We can see the results, feel the power and know they are real, but the rules of MPS are not easy to define.

The Laws Your Clients Contend With pg. 12There’s a lot to consider when “assuming responsibility” for clients’ devices, especially in light of today’s privacy laws.

Five Things to Consider When Developing Your Mobile Field Service Strategy pg. 33

Mobile technology has become a necessity in the service business

The Rules of MPS

July

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No.

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The Evolution of MPS: A Matter Of Perspective pg. 24

From papyrus to paper, the evolutionary path of MPS, like most technologies, is a long one. Its direction, however, depends largely on your perspective.

M&A Activity Connects Print With Other Services pg. 15A new strategy of reshaping business serves to combine and conquer the ever-changing marketplace.

Avi Resort & Casino Hits the Jackpot With MPS pg. 30

This Nevada casino got on board with MPS and cut printing costs by more than 65 percent.

The Evolution of MPS

Sign Up for a FREE Subscription to The Imaging Channel Magazine.

Already have one? Make sure your colleagues are in the know.

Sign them up for a subscription.

twitter.com/ImagingChannel

linkedin.com/groups/Imaging-Channel-2737017

Recharger ad Aug 12.indd 1 7/27/12 1:12 PM

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