April 2015 Office Technology

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CONTENTS Volume 21 • No. 10

FEATURE ARTICLES 10

The Next Dimension Are 3D printers a good fit for the BTA Channel?

COURTS & CAPITOLS Monitoring Employees If it belongs to the company, it can be watched

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by Robert C. Goldberg BTA General Counsel

by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

Today, many office technology dealers are captivated by 3D printers. In fact, the buzz around the product has gotten so loud that dealers are increasingly wondering if it might be an ideal addition to an otherwise mature, commoditized product lineup.

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Winter Break BTA Southeast hosts district event in Orlando

A recent Office Technology article addressing an employer’s right to monitor employees raised numerous inquiries to the BTA Legal Hotline.

P R I N C I PA L I S S U E S Chamber Membership There are many benefits for your dealership

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by Ray Belanger Bay Copy

I hope my words will encourage those of you looking for an additional outlet that will benefit your business to join your local chamber of commerce.

by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

BTA Southeast hosted its annual Winter Break district event March 20-21 at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, Florida. Winter Break featured a keynote dealer panel, seven educational sessions and a special presentation by John O’Leary of Rising Above.

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Convergence 2015 Ricoh hosts dealer meeting March 2-4 in Las Vegas

by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

Emphasizing its commitment to continually improve support of its authorized dealers, as well as its efforts to help dealers prosper in a services-led approach, Ricoh Americas Corp. hosted its Convergence 2015 dealer meeting March 2-4 in Las Vegas.

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Pursuing Managed IT Consider these five tips for your dealership’s success

by Frank Cucco Impact Networking

From the beginning, my partners and I set a goal for our company, Impact Networking, to become a $100 million company by 2017.

To meet that goal, one of our main growth strategies is to reinvent our IT services department. The first step was the creation of our CompleteCare Managed IT program.

Recruiting Roadblocks It may be time to replace a ‘box-pushing’ manager

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by Paul Schwartz Copier Careers

Without forward-thinking sales and service managers at the helm, the best candidates will simply not be interested in working for your dealership.

SELLING SOLUTIONS The ‘Tryout Order’ Get a good start with these seven ‘must-do’s’

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by Troy Harrison SalesForce Solutions

The tryout order is high stakes — high risk and high reward. If you handle the order correctly, you might have a good start at a prosperous relationship.

D E PA R T M E N T S Business Technology Association

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• BTA Calendar • BTA Highlights

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Executive Director’s Page

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BTA President’s Message

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Advertiser Index

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PAGE

Submit Scholarship Applications by 5/1

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very year, the Business Technology Association (BTA) awards a number of $1,000 and $1,500 scholarships to the sons and daughters of employees of BTA member dealerships. Has your child already submitted his (or her) scholarship application for the 2015-16 school year? If not, the time is now. Scholarship applications must be postmarked by May 1, 2015.

Since the 1984-85 school year, BTA has awarded 1,349 scholarships for a total of $1.52 million. For the 2014-15 school year, the association awarded $24,500 in scholarships to 22 students. BTA would like to thank the contributors to the BTA Scholarship Foundation. This fiscal year’s contributors: Advanced Business Systems, Watertown, New York; Advanced Copier Technology Inc., Richardson, Texas; Advanced Systems Inc., Waterloo, Iowa; Anderson Business Technology, Pasadena, California; Automated Office Systems, Fresno, California; Budget Document Technology, Lewiston, Maine; California Business Machine Co., Fresno, California; Da-Com Corp., St. Louis, Missouri; Des Plaines Office Equipment Co. Inc., Elk Grove Village, Illinois; Gobin’s Inc., Pueblo, Colorado; Muratec America Inc., Plano, Texas; New England Copy Specialists Inc., Woburn, Massachusetts; Stan’s Office Technologies, Woodstock, Illinois; Standley Systems, Chickasha, Oklahoma; and US Copy Inc., Kenner, Louisiana.

Below are excerpts from thank-you notes received from a few of the 2014-15 scholarship recipients. Listed after each recipient’s name is the sponsoring BTA member dealership: n “Thank you very much for the generous amount of money that you awarded me.

As you know, college can be very expensive,

especially attending a four-year university right out of high school, as I am going to do next fall. This will help fund my education and I am forever grateful to you for this. Thank you again for everything, and for giving me this great opportunity to be a part of your scholarship.” — Charles Henderson, Anderson Business Technology, Pasadena, California n “Thank you very much for the scholarship you awarded me. It is highly appreciated and it will help cover my tuition and books at college.” — Adam Kauth, Century Business Technologies, Topeka, Kansas n “Thank you for the generous scholarship. It will really come in handy during my senior year.” — Jessica Keys, Fireside Office Solutions, Bismarck, North Dakota So, who is eligible? The student children of full-time employees of current BTA member dealerships. Students must maintain a class schedule of at least 12 hours of accredited college courses at a two- or four-year college, university or technical/trade school. BTA scholarships may be used for tuition, books, school supplies and lab fees.

Students must submit information in four areas: school activities; leadership positions; work experience, recognition and awards; and community involvement. The application process also requires a transcript and a two-page essay. An independent, impartial evaluator reviews the applications and selects the winners. Applications for the 201516 school year must be postmarked no later than May 1, 2015. To obtain a scholarship application form, contact Mary Hopkins at mary@bta.org or (816) 941-3100.

We welcome your tax-deductible contributions to the BTA Scholarship Foundation. Mail your check to: Business Technology Association, 12411 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO 64145. n — 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 Ray Belanger, Bay Copy www.baycopy.com Frank Cucco, Impact Networking LLC www.impactmybiz.com Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel Business Technology Association Troy Harrison, SalesForce Solutions www.troyharrison.com Paul Schwartz, Copier Careers www.copiercareers.com

Business Technology Association 12411 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64145 (816) 941-3100 www.bta.org Member Services: (800) 505-2821 BTA Legal Hotline: (800) 869-6688 Valerie Briseno Membership Marketing Manager valerie@bta.org Mary Hopkins Database Administrator mary@bta.org Teresa Leerar Bookkeeper teresa@bta.org Brian Smith Membership Sales Representative brian@bta.org Photo Credits: Bigstockphoto. Cover created by Bruce Quade, Brand X Studio. ©2015 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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BTA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 2014-2015 Board of Directors

Goldberg’s Legacy to Last for Decades

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omething very special happened on March 20 at the BTA Southeast Winter Break event in Orlando, Florida. Those of us present had the opportunity to collectively express our appreciation to an individual whose life’s work has had an indelible impact on the BTA Channel. That evening, on behalf of all members of BTA, I presented BTA General Counsel Bob Goldberg a newly established award named in his honor — the Bob Goldberg Legacy Award.

As part of the presentation, I announced that the Business Technology Association has donated $100,000 to the BTA Scholarship Foundation in Bob’s honor. This donation — and others to follow — will help defray the cost of college tuition for the deserving sons and daughters of BTA member dealership employees through scholarships for decades to come. These scholarships will serve as a reminder of Bob’s tireless efforts to preserve and improve the independent dealer community’s security and success.

The inscription on the award reads: “The leadership and members of the Business Technology Association extend their sincere gratitude for your many years of loyal and dedicated service. In your honor, the Bob Goldberg Annual Scholarship has been established within the BTA Scholarship Foundation to ensure your legacy will long endure.” It is a fitting tribute, I believe, to a man who has done so much for so many.

Since 1977, Bob has served as the general counsel for what is today BTA. It is our hope that he continues to serve the dealer channel in this role for years to come. Many of us have turned to Bob for legal advice and counsel, calling the association’s Legal Hotline. All of us have read his columns in Office

Technology magazine through the years and have appreciated his wisdom and guidance as he has helped us avoid and address any legal exposure in our dealerships.

Bob’s efforts have extended far beyond answering calls to the Legal Hotline and writing for this magazine, however. He has stood before judges and arbitrators many times, contacted government officials on behalf of the dealer channel and has ensured that injustice becomes justice. He has also ensured — in our contract-based industry — that an ever-growing number of legal agreements are fair and equitable to the independent dealer. In addition, Bob has rallied dealers and manufacturers alike to confront challenges we face. Consider, for example, our industry’s success in confronting patent trolls, and its efforts to educate end users and dealers about data security and the most prudent methods to protect confidential data and information. Thank you, Bob, for your leadership in addressing these challenges.

We later joked that none of us had ever seen Bob nearly speechless, though that was the case as he accepted this special award to a standing ovation. “I’m not usually at a loss for words or as emotional, but nothing like this has ever happened in my life,” he said. “I thank you and I cherish this.

And if I only can continue to live up to your expectations and help you, we’ll all be satisfied. Thank you. This is just unbelievable.”

To see a video of Bob accepting the award, visit www.bta.org/GoldbergLegacyAward. If you would like to contribute to the BTA Scholarship Foundation in Bob’s honor, mail your check to: BTA Scholarship Foundation, Business Technology Association, 12411 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO 64145. Please write “Bob Goldberg Scholarship” on the memo line of your check. Contributions are tax deductible as a charitable contribution. n — Ron Hulett

President Ron Hulett U.S. Business Systems Inc. 3221 Southview Drive Elkhart, IN 46514 ron.hulett@usbus.com President-Elect Dave Quint Advanced Systems Inc. 2945 Airport Blvd.

P.O. Box 57 Waterloo, IA 50704 dquint@asiowa.com Vice President Rob Richardson Allied Document Solutions & Services Inc. 200 Church St. Swedesboro, NJ 08085 robr@ads-s.com BTA East Mike Boyle BASE Technologies Inc. 23 Francis Clarke Circle, Ste. 1B Bethel, CT 06801 mboyle@baseinc.com BTA Mid-America Dan Castaneda International Copy Machine Center 1515 Lee Trevino, Ste. EE El Paso, TX 79936 dan@icmc-elp.com BTA Southeast Gerry Purvis Purvis Business Machines Inc. 4505 Highway 39 N. Meridian, MS 39301 gerry.purvis@gopurvis.com BTA West Mike Ehlers Yost Business Systems 685 E. Anderson Idaho Falls, ID 83401 mike@yostonline.com Immediate Past President Todd J. Fitzsimons Automated Business Solutions DBA Network Imaging 277 Captain Lewis Drive Southington, CT 06489 tjfitzsimons@ni-ct.com Ex-Officio/General Counsel Robert C. Goldberg Schoenberg Finkel Newman & Rosenberg LLC 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 2100 Chicago, IL 60606 robert.goldberg@sfnr.com

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The Next Dimension Are 3D printers a good fit for the BTA Channel? by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

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oday, many office technology dealers are captivated by 3D printers. In fact, the buzz around the product category has gotten so loud that dealers are increasingly wondering if it might be an ideal addition to an otherwise mature, commoditized product lineup. Are 3D printers a good fit for the BTA Channel?

It is a growing market. The most recent numbers from IDC indicate that approximately 70,000 3D printers were placed in 2014 in North America, generating $627 million in revenue, reports Keith Kmetz, vice president of hardcopy peripherals solutions and services for the market research firm. By 2017, he says, the number of unit placements is currently forecasted to increase to 160,000, generating $1.05 billion in revenue.

“It makes business sense for end users,” Kmetz says. “3D printers show promise in providing cost and productivity benefits, such as time to market, the ability to try more ways to optimize parts, faster production than established standards and production closer to consumption.”

Among document printing industry manufacturers, 3D printing appears to make sense as well, Kmetz adds.

“Companies like Canon, HP, etc., are experiencing market maturity in document printing and are seeking avenues for growth,” he says. “The pending presence of these companies in the 3D printer market elevates the legitimacy of the market from just ‘hype’ to an innovative, disruptive force.”

Such companies will be joining Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. (Konica Minolta) in offering 3D printers. In June 2014, the company and 3D Systems (3DS) announced an alliance whereby Konica Minolta would distribute 3DS products through both its dealer channel and direct operations.

“Konica Minolta is dedicated to the 3D print business,” says Dino Pagliarello, director of product marketing, noting that the company’s Feb. 15-18 national dealer conference in

Los Angeles resulted in the doubling of the number of Konica Minolta dealers selling 3D printers. “This is not just ‘let’s try it.’ We are committed to the very top levels of management to continue doing this. So, we are excited about the prospect of building out our business and becoming an even better partner with 3D Systems going forward.”

Despite the recent buzz regarding 3D printers, they are not new. 3DS founder Chuck Hull invented the technology — stereolithography — and in 1986 became the first to commercially offer 3D printers. So why have dealers only heard about the 3D printer opportunity in recent years? “For the first few decades of its existence, 3D printing was complex to use and expensive to own,” says Chris Tipton, director of channel development for the Americas at 3DS. “As such, this technology was only available to deep-pocketed corporations.

But, because 3D printing is an exponential technology, it is becoming faster, cheaper and easier to use at an accelerating rate. In fact, costs of 3D printing have fallen so much that this technology has migrated to engineers’ desktops, into homes and into school curricula.”

How does 3D printing work? Tipton offers a brief explanation. “The 3D printing process starts with a digital file; this can either be rendered through CAD/CAM design software or by scanning an object,” he explains. “The digital threedimensional object is then digitally sliced into layers. Our 3D printers then bring the object to life by adding layers of materials on all three axes: X, Y and Z.” Today, 3DS has seven unique 3D printing technology platforms with more than 120 materials — including plastics, metals, ceramics and edibles — as well as 3D software and perceptual design tools. In 2014, the company introduced its first sub-$1,000 plug-and-play consumer 3D printer.

While 3DS is generally seen as the market leader, the company does have competitors, most notably Stratasys and

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EnvisionTEC. Kmetz notes, howdisappointing when comever, that the number of 3D pared to the expectations “The product offers interest, printer manufacturers is everthat we had in the beginbut it is still not much more increasing. IDC once counted ning. We have had some than a ‘shiny new thing’ that 140-plus companies, he says, insuccess with manufacyou can show to customers cluding many startups and some turing and the educationand prospects ... I think it is companies that do not have a al market, but beyond important to have it in your presence in the U.S. market. these two verticals, we With all of the industry buzz have had no success.” offerings, but it is not a deal about 3D printing, how do dealDespite the slow start, breaker if you do not have it yet.” ers view the market opportuniMcCarty indicates that

— Hunter McCarty ty? Office Technology magazine he does not plan to abanRJ Young Co. emailed a brief survey to a numdon offering 3D printers. ber of BTA Channel dealers on “The product offers inthe topic and received 98 responses. Thirteen respondents terest, but it is still not much more than a ‘shiny new thing’ indicated that they currently offer 3D printers. For those that you can show to customers and prospects,” he says. “I who do not, the survey asked that they indicate which of believe it is going to be a period of time before the applicathree choices provided best represents their plans for the tions are developed that will increase the need and desire for future. Of the 82 respondents to the question, only seven 3D printers. I think it is important to have it in your offerings, selected: “I have definite plans to begin selling 3D printers but it is not a deal breaker if you do not have it yet.” in the future.” Sixty respondents selected: “I am interested Darren Metz, president of NovaCopy Inc., also headquarin learning more about 3D printers and may consider add- tered in Nashville and selling 3DS printers, says he, too, has ing the product category to our dealership’s portfolio in the been somewhat disappointed in the level of success to date. future.” The remaining 15 respondents selected: “I currently “Four years ago, when we got into this, we had hoped that have no plans to sell 3D printers in the future.” by today it would be half of our business,” he says, noting The survey also asked dealers who indicated that they that, instead, 3D printers currently only generate 10 percent do not sell 3D printers: “Which of the following best repre- of NovaCopy’s revenues. “Let me just say: We are struggling sents how you currently view the product category?” Three to adapt. We are only now getting to what I would call any choices were provided. The majority — 49 of the 77 respon- meaningful revenues. We are optimistic; you have to be if dents to the question — selected: “I am uncertain whether you are going to stay with something.”

3D printers are a good fit for the BTA Channel dealer and Part of that optimism is reflected in NovaCopy’s current need to learn more about the product category and market.” construction of a “prototyping center” in Memphis, TenTwenty-four of the respondents selected: “I believe 3D print- nessee, which will allow the company to produce 3D print ers are a good fit for the BTA Channel dealer.” Only four re- jobs through a service bureau, ordered by customers online spondents selected: “I do not believe 3D printers are a good and delivered at least regionally, but perhaps nationally or fit for the BTA Channel dealer.” internationally as well. The location was selected given the A growing number of dealers are already selling 3D print- logistical expertise of Memphis-based FedEx. “You can get ers. They are finding that the product category generates a same-day shipping out of Memphis at midnight,” Metz says. lot of interest, providing their dealerships with favorable “When you are dealing with short-run manufacturing and marketing and public relations opportunities, as well as a custom prototyping, the delivery factor is a competitive and welcomed distinction from the competition. But are sales key part of the fulfillment process. So, this is just a differmeeting expectations? Is the level of buzz and enthusiasm ent direction that we are going into; trying to be relevant to for the product category proving to be justified? For some what clearly is a transformative technology.” dealers, the answer is “no” — at least not for now. (It could Currently, NovaCopy has four dedicated 3D sales reps, be argued that as pioneer dealers in a “new” product cat- two 3D technicians and “250 other employees who ‘dabble’ egory, these dealers are enduring a slow start and the brunt to varying degrees,” Metz says. “We are trying to leverage of the growing pains inherent to the rollout of a new product our outside sale force in a tag-team approach and we are within the dealer channel.) having some success with that. It is kind of like selling pro“We have experienced very limited success in selling duction equipment. You get the copier rep to bird-dog up [3DS] 3D printers,” says Hunter McCarty, COO of RJ Young some stuff for you, and then you have a specialist go in there Co., Nashville, Tennessee. “Our level of success is extremely who is really conversant.”

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Metz says NovaCopy is success, Gondek warns dealseeing 30-percent margins ers who are considering sell“The sizzle is great. on both the supplies and ing 3D printers that they One of the greatest benefits hardware at list price. Simishould expect “extremely for us is that 3D printers larly, Tim Elliott, CEO of long” selling cycles. “I would have really helped us to Standley Systems in Chicksay that it is probably nine burnish our brand. It has asha, Oklahoma, says he is months to a year when you been a great conversation seeing “about a 30-percent” get into any substantial mastarter; that has been an margin on equipment and chines,” he says. “And there is “about 25 percent” on supa lot of education, re-educaunexpected consequence.” plies for 3DS printers. He, tion and re-education again

— Darren Metz too, reports less-than-anin the same organization.”

NovaCopy Inc. ticipated success to date.

Given the long selling The dealership entered the cycles, Gondek says dealers market in May 2013. “We’ve probably sold three printers should expect it will take time to ramp up any 3D printer that have had any dollar value,” he says. “We sold one for sales operation. “The first year we were just selling dribs and about $150,000 and a couple for about $90,000. We’ve sold drabs,” he says. “The second year it started to pick up just a about five or six of the little printers; they were probably little bit. Now that we are in our fourth year, we see the light $2,000 to $3,000.” at the end of the tunnel — but it’s a long tunnel.”

Currently, Elliott says, Standley Systems has one dedicatMetz shares a similar warning. “You have got to be preed 3D printer sales rep and two 3D service technicians. “But pared to lose money on it for a couple of years, because it is at this point, with no more traction than we have gotten on not going to be profitable out of the gate,” he says, adding 3D, I am really thinking about scaling this way back, because that it is also important to commit a minimum of at least I’m spending $10,000 a month on 3D and [essentially] getting one full-time dedicated sales rep. “Realize that you are gono traction,” he says. “I think I’m way ahead of the curve.” ing to get a whole lot of sizzle, but not a lot of bacon.”

Greg Gondek, president of ACT Group in Cromwell, ConIn these early stages of the BTA Channel’s involvement in necticut, reports more favorable results with 3DS printer the 3D printer market, it appears that the “sizzle” that Metz sales, now generating about 20 percent of his dealership’s references may be the most notable initial benefit. “The sizrevenues. He expects his dealership to generate $3 mil- zle is great,” he says. “One of the greatest benefits for us is lion to $4 million from 3D printer sales in 2015. With eight that 3D printers have really helped us to burnish our brand. employees in the company’s 3D division, he says, the deal- It has been a great conversation starter; that has been an ership currently services about 100 3D printers, some of unexpected consequence. So, one of the reasons dealers which were placed by 3DS directly, but are now serviced by should sell 3D printers is the sizzle — the marketing sizzle.”

ACT Group.

Using 3D printers as a conversation starter is better than Gondek emphasizes that it has taken time for his dealer- the “tired, old, ‘Here we are. When is your lease up?’ quesship to achieve its current level of success. “I can tell you tion,” Metz explains. “Now you can go into and approach an that after our first two presentations, we realized we were organization from a totally different angle. We’ve actually in over our heads,” he explains. “You are not dealing with found a few cases of copier business where the conversation the typical chain of purchasing command — purchasing started with 3D.” agents, heads of IT, CFOs or COOs — you are dealing with Similarly, Metz says, NovaCopy 3D dedicated sales reps heads of engineering.” have learned that the 3D printer conversation gets them If engineers realize that your dealership personnel do past receptionists trained to screen calls. “You can get to not have the required knowledge, “they will chew you up people who otherwise wouldn’t talk to you,” he says. “Reand spit you out,” Gondek says, noting that he has since ceptionists don’t know how to screen the call when you are worked to ensure his dealership has all of the required saying you want to ‘talk to the head of R&D about your proknowledge and expertise in-house to effectively sell and totyping services.’ When you ask to speak to the person who service 3D printers. “We said, ‘OK, we have to step back buys copiers, they know how to screen that call.” and work to build our own infrastructure.’ That’s what it Elliott says he, too, has welcomed the sizzle that comes takes to be successful. We don’t rely on anybody [outside with offering 3D printers. “One thing I do have to say about of ACT Group].”

3D: Having it in the showroom does get prospects in the ofEven with the requisite infrastructure in-house to achieve fice,” he says, noting that having 3D printers displayed in 14 | ­w w w. o f f ic et ec hno lo g y m a g.c om |Ap r il 2 0 1 5

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Konica Minolta’s Paglihis dealership’s technology arello shares a similar view portal in downtown Okla“ ... 3D printing is going to for the future and advises homa City has drawn signifbe the next industrial dealers to not delay movicant attention from those revolution in the United ing forward with 3D printvisiting the facility. “People States and Western Europe. ers. “In my opinion and the have ‘beat our doors down’ This is a good opportunity opinion of others, 3D printto see 3D printing. Their for dealers to get in on that. ing is going to be the next jaws drop when they see Getting in on the ground industrial revolution in the it. Even though they have United States and Western heard about it, they don’t floor now ... will help a dealership grow ... ” Europe,” he says. “This is a believe it when they see it.”

— Dino Pagliarello good opportunity for dealDespite the frustrating Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. ers to get in on that. Getting slow start, and his thoughts in on the ground floor now about scaling back, Elliott says he sees the future promise of the 3D printer. “I think — or close to where the ground floor was — there is a huge future for 3D,” he says. “I believe that some- will help a dealership grow with how this day, for example, when you need a part for your 1965 Ford, technology is going to grow in the future.” n Brent Hoskins, executive director of the you will go online and find who has the material to build the Business Technology Association, is editor part. You will order it on your iPhone and it will send you of Office Technology magazine. He can be a message telling you how many hours it will be before the reached at brent@bta.org or (816) 303-4040. part is completed.”

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Winter Break BTA Southeast hosts district event in Orlando by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

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TA Southeast hosted its annual Winter Break district event March 20-21 at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, Florida. For the first time, the event was held in conjunction with the IBPI Annual and Regional Meeting.

Winter Break featured a dealer panel, “Mergers, Acquisitions & Future Growth: What is Your Dealership’s Strategy?,” moderated by Jim Kahrs of Prosperity Plus Management Consulting Inc. There were also seven educational sessions: “Adapting to Today’s New Buying Habits,” led by Darrell Amy, Lindsay Kelley and Larry Levine, Dealer Marketing; “Recession or No Recession: Prepare Your Business to Grow & Thrive in Either Environment,” led by Chris Polek, Polek & Polek; “Managed Legal Liability,” led by Bob Goldberg, BTA general counsel; “The ‘New’ Team Members,” led

by Sally Brause, GreatAmerica Financial Services; “Sales Management: The Benchmarks that Drive Sales to Higher Levels,” led by Melissa Whitaker, Melissa Whitaker International; “Service & Operations: Key Drivers of Financial & Operational Performance,” led by Ken Staubitz, BEI Services; and “Succession Planning for Your Dealership,” led by Kahrs. John O’Leary of Rising Above led a special presentation, “Ignite Your Life! Discovering the Keys to Unlock Passion, Potential & Impact.”

The exhibiting sponsors: Balboa Capital, BEI Services, Buyers Lab, Carolina Wholesale, Compass Sales Solutions, Crawford Thomas, Densi, Digitek, ECi e-automate, ECi FMAudit, Epson, ESP/SurgeX, EverBank, Evolved Office, Global Printer Services, GreatAmerica, HP (March 20 lunch and March 21 breakfast sponsor), Hytec, Image Star, Impression Solutions, Innovolt, Katun (March 20 breakfast sponsor), LMI, Muratec, NA Trading and Technology, OKI, PHSI, Polek & Polek (March 20 special presentation sponsor), Print Audit (March 20-21 breaks sponsor), Q2, Samsung, ScanSource, SmartPower Systems, Supplies Network, SYNNEX, Toshiba, Wells Fargo, West Point Products and Xerox (March 20 reception sponsor). n Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine.

Clockwise from top: BTA Southeast’s Winter Break drew a record number of attendees; John Hewitt of Print Audit (left) visits with Ray and Cindy Derstine, Altek Business Systems Inc., Telford, Pennsylvania, during a break between sessions; Chad Cunningham (left) of LMI Solutions visits with Kevin Rothwell of Rothwell Business Solutions, West Chester, Pennsylvania, during a break; BTA President Ron Hulett (far left) presents the Bob Goldberg Legacy Award to BTA General Counsel Bob Goldberg (far right), as (center, left to right) BTA President-Elect Dave Quint, BTA Vice President Rob Richardson and 2012-13 BTA President Terry Chapman look on. A scholarship was created in Goldberg’s name to recognize his service to the association; BTA Southeast President John Eckstrom served as the event’s emcee.

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Positive Feedback

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Top photo: The dealer panelists were ( from left to right) Jeff Gau, CEO of Marco, St. Cloud, Minnesota; Rick Lott, co-owner of Zymphony Technology Solutions, Tampa, Florida; and Jim Kreikemeier, president of Capital Business Systems Inc., Fort Collins, Colorado. Jim Kahrs (right) moderated the panel; Bottom photos ( from left to right, top to bottom): The educational session presenters were Darrell Amy, Lindsay Kelley and Larry Levine; Chris Polek, Bob Goldberg and Sally Brause; Melissa Whitaker, Ken Staubitz and Kahrs; and John O’Leary.

nsite interviews conducted by Office Technology magazine with Winter Break attendees provided positive feedback: n ”I thought the panel about how to buy and sell businesses was fabulous. I learned a lot about where we need to be to make sure our company is poised to sell and/or what we might need to do and look at if we need to grow and buy a company locally. That had great value to me.” — Dave Thompson, BASE Technologies Inc., Bethel, Connecticut n “I come to the event every year for the opportunity to network with other dealers and vendors. The opportunity to see vendors in my particular industry is good. There seem to be fewer of these industry events, so this is my chance to really catch up on what is going on with the trends. Year after year, I keep noticing the changes and challenges that traditional BTA dealers have encountered, so I try to ... stay a step ahead, especially in marketing to the new buyer.” — Gustavo Hermida, RDS Team, Miami, Florida n “Overall, I think it was a great event. I think that if somebody didn’t come here and leave with a little bit more knowledge about how to grow their business, how to enter a new market or how to enter a new business unit with managed services, then I think they probably weren’t paying attention. A couple of the sessions today were of significance to me; one of them was understanding the different generations. I thought the presentation that Sally did was great. I got a lot of take-home value out of that — understanding not just who works for us today, and who our customers are today, but who they are going to be. So that was particularly good. I had a great afternoon; I’d do it all over again.” — Jeff Gau, Marco, St. Cloud, Minnesota n “This is my second Winter Break. I love the event because I take home more notes in regard to best practices from this event than any other event I attend, and I actually implement those ideas pretty effectively. What’s very interesting is when I’m taking notes at these BTA Winter Breaks, I’m not taking notes on the presentations, but the presentations are inspiring new ideas that I want to implement. And those are the actual notes that I take and what I perform when I get back.” — Jeffrey Glass, TPM Inc., Greenville, South Carolina n “I come to build camaraderie with the vendors and dealers who are here, learning from them and sharing my best practices; [there is value in] being a part of a bigger organization. You can try to get that information on your own, but if you’re here, you can absorb it all in one place and take away quite a bit of very valuable information.” — Stephen Klatt, Advanced Imaging Solutions Inc., South Bend, Indiana n “I think this has probably been one of our best days at a BTA event. It seems like we have more activity — there are more dealers here, there’s more energy here. I don’t know if that’s because of the combination of the meetings [BTA and IBPI] or the speakers that we had or what, but it seems like there’s a lot more energy. I would say that on the scale of all the BTA meetings I’ve been a part of, this would definitely be at the top of the scale.”

— Steve McBride, Katun Corp., Bloomington, Minnesota n “From our perspective as a vendor, we have a lot of learning to do too. Being able to participate in these educational events is very important. It makes us better able to make a presentation about what’s important to dealers.” — John Hewitt, Print Audit, Calgary, Alberta, Canada n —Brent Hoskins www.offi cetechnol ogymag. c om | Ap ri l 2015 | 17

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Convergence 2015 Ricoh hosts dealer meeting March 2-4 in Las Vegas by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

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mphasizing its commitment to continually improve support of its authorized dealers, as well as its efforts to help dealers prosper in a services-led approach, Ricoh Americas Corp. (Ricoh) hosted its Convergence 2015 dealer meeting March 2-4 in Las Vegas. The meeting drew a record number of attendees, apMartin Brodigan proximately 1,300 dealership personnel.

While the agenda included a variety of educational sessions, as well as a Technology Expo, the progressive tone of the meeting was set in the opening general session by Jim Coriddi, vice president of the Dealer Division, and Martin Brodigan, chairman and CEO. Together, they highlighted the efforts at the company Jim Coriddi to better support its dealer channel. They also highlighted two key Ricoh initiatives: Ricoh’s CHAMPS dealer services program and the company’s advancement into the managed IT services arena through the recent acquisition of mindSHIFT Technologies from Best Buy Co. Inc. Originally launched in 2012, the CHAMPS program enables dealers to redesign their business models while assisting them in analyzing customer business challenges and prescribing custom services, drawing on Ricoh’s business information services expertise. “The number of engagements dealers have registered through the CHAMPS portal has gone through the roof,” Coriddi reported. “In the past three months, just the digital imaging and document process proposals alone totaled more than $3.5 million.”

Brodigan reported that the number of engagements through CHAMPS has tripled in the past year, increasing at least 20 percent each quarter, with “closed deals” more than doubling. He also noted that the program has led to more “connections” and “collaborations” between Ricoh Family Group (RFG) dealers and Ricoh employees. “What is happening is, the whole Ricoh organization is having more conversations with dealers,” he said. “And that is a good thing for all of us.”

A part of that collaboration is Ricoh’s efforts to support dealers “to win deals,” Coriddi said. “2014 was a banner year for Ricoh [and its dealers] winning big deals together. The top 10 wins produced $30 million in retail revenue. Thank you to [dealership president and CEO] Keith Allison and Systel [Business Equipment] for landing the biggest deal of the year, Fort Bragg. Revenue on the Ricoh side, the purchased revenue, was $4 million.”

As noted, another key initiative highlighted was Ricoh’s acquisition of mindSHIFT, a provider of managed IT, cloud, data center and professional services. “This is going to be critical both to us and to you going forward,” Brodigan said.

“Why the acquisition? Very simply, we could never have developed this level of expertise organically. We have been trying for years. So, this acquisition is really about acquiring the knowledge and expertise we need and you need to move services forward in the IT services market.”

Coriddi announced a new mindSHIFT dealer program, available to all RFG dealers beginning in April. “You’re going to have access to a portfolio that includes workstation and enduser support, server management, email hosting and compliance, such as archiving and encryption,” he said. “mindSHIFT is a proven leader in our industry. They’ve been delivering IT support services to small and medium-size businesses for the past 15 years. And in the spirit of the CHAMPS model, mindSHIFT allows you to offer remote cloud-based support without the need to hire IT experts or invest in cloud technology.”

Convergence 2015 also provided the opportunity for Ricoh to share some of its sales successes in the past year, including a significant milestone in production print. “Production is a major growth opportunity for our dealers,” Coriddi said.

“In 2014, you increased your purchase of production color units by 20 percent, and that’s after huge growth the year before. That performance helped to impact the industry. For the first time ever, Ricoh was the number-one color production manufacturer, surpassing Xerox.” n Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine.

He can be reached at brent@bta.org or (816) 303-4040.

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Pursuing Managed IT Consider these five tips for your dealership’s success by: Frank Cucco, Impact Networking

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rom the beginning, my partners and I set a goal for our company, Impact Networking, to become a $100 million company by 2017. To do that, we plan to more than double our growth in the next two-and-a-half years. To meet that goal, one of our main growth strategies is to reinvent our IT services department. The first step was the creation of our CompleteCare Managed IT program. The second step includes acquiring several IT companies to stimulate department growth.

So why managed IT? Why now? MFP clicks have been declining for years. Like most dealers today, we have diversified and looked elsewhere for growth opportunities. For the past five years, we have invested resources toward growing our document management department. As a professional and managed service, it established a steady source of month-to-month recurring revenue and a steady cash flow to reinvest in the company. The significantly higher margins (up to 70 percent) also helped. Our strategy has paid off. Five years later, our document management department is now self-sustaining, freeing up investment resources for other departments — like managed IT. Although only currently contributing 1 percent to our overall revenue, we see a lot of potential in growing managed IT to increase the size of hardware and software deals.

Our long-term goal is for the areas of digital office equipment, document management and managed IT to each generate one-third of our company’s overall revenue. If you are thinking about adding a managed IT program to your dealership, here are five tips you should consider.

(1) Break ties with the break/fix model — Managed IT services provide mutual benefit to both the client and the dealership. Impact has offered IT services to clients in the past that focused on the break/fix model of selling time and resources. The focus was only to fix the immediate problem, not look for a better or more efficient way. Customer service is key in our business and this model did not allow us to deliver customer service that was up to our standards. This prompted us to create the CompleteCare program — a comprehensive maintenance package that provides the knowledge,

toolset and structured resources to help overcome the break, fix and repair loop that can hold relationships back.

Some of the benefits of CompleteCare Managed IT include: n One manageable monthly cost that provides predictable costs for the client and predictable monthly revenue for Impact. n Measurable successes: We track whether or not calls to our help desk were reduced and if network downtime was reduced, and can convert that into dollars saved. n It prevents network downtime and increases client efficiency with proactive IT monitoring. With managed IT, Impact is paid the same amount each month regardless of whether or not support is needed. It is in the provider’s best interest to ensure the client’s network is up and running so there is no need to spend time making service trips. This also benefits the client because less downtime means more time for employees to be productive. n It is a valuable add-on to the sale and installation of digital imaging equipment. If your dealership is selling a client digital imaging equipment and the client does not have an IT provider or is looking for a new one, your team can drastically speed up this process by offering IT services as well. n The ongoing support included in extended contracts

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white-label solution consisting of sevencourages a long-term partnership with eral of the industry’s best IT programs. the client; that can lead to additional upCreate custom If purchased à la carte, the programs sell opportunities. packages for small would cost an organization anywhere (2) Provide leasing options for manand large businesses. from $200,000 to $500,000. Our supaged services — All of our managed IT Modify the solution port frees up the company’s internal programs are done with three-year conbased on the size IT team to focus on bigger business tracts, which include everything IT reprocess goals, rather than focusing on lated — hardware, managed data backup of the company, its reacting to network issues. and support, etc. Many IT providers evalneeds and its budget.

(4) Drive new value to current uate a business and approach the client clients with new managed IT offerwith one upfront cost for project setup. ings — Our goal is to make an office Many small-to-mid-sized businesses do not have the financial capabilities to pay all in one lump sum. environment more productive. Offering clients a proactive, managed IT program takes that idea further, and fits in Attain more clients by giving flexible payment options.

(3) Create custom packages for small and large busi- with our brand and marketing statements. Extended perinesses — Modify the solution based on the size of the com- ods of network downtime can halt employee productivity, pany, its needs and its budget. The bulk of our managed IT which is what a managed IT program can help clients avoid.

Take advantage of your existing client base for leads. Posiservice is CompleteCare implementations, but we also created a program targeted to internal IT teams. For a monthly tion the solution alongside other MPS and document mansubscription fee, companies can rent our toolkit, which also agement offerings, which share a similar process automation comes with our full support. The Impact toolkit is a custom goal. This can also work the opposite way. Managed IT can help you get in potential clients’ doors, then, down the road, you can upsell your other business automation solutions.

(5) Start only when you have a solid foundation; do not ruin client relationships with bad implementation — The downside of using current customers for cross-sell opportunities is that you expose those business relationships to potential threats. If a customer has a bad experience with a managed IT implementation, you risk losing him (or her) as an IT customer and you also risk losing him as a customer for all the services your dealership provides him. We have attained a 93-percent customer retention rate by equipping our staff members with all the training they need to take care of client issues and then making sure they are delivering highquality service. An existing client base can be a great source of leads — if your team is ready for it. Do not roll out additional services until your team is ready to do it in the most professional manner possible. This will ensure success. n Frank Cucco is a 30-year veteran of the office technology industry. He founded Impact Networking LLC in 1999 and serves as its CEO. Impact is a privately held company with 180 employees in 12 offices in the Chicago area, Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, and Indianapolis, Indiana. With 2014 revenues of $45 million, Impact is highly certified and award winning for growth, customer service and employment. Impact helps organizations create, distribute and manage documents by providing hardware, software, training and support. Cucco can be reached at fcucco@impactnetworking.com.

Visit www.impactmybiz.com.

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EDUCATION CALENDAR April 16

May

Building My Business Webinar: “Targeting the Right Companies & Industries for Your Dealership”

While overall print volume is in slight decline, there are still abundant opportunities to become a successful independent dealer by identifying pockets of persistent print for hardware and supplies or, conversely, identifying opportunities for workflow automation solutions and services. In this webinar, David Ramos of InfoTrends will review vertical and company-size print trends, what end-user businesses are looking for in an independent dealership and will demonstrate the power of the new “Dealer Vertical Market Opportunity Analysis” offering through BTA. Visit www.bta.org/Building MyBusiness to register.

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BTA Marketing Workshop

Minneapolis, Minnesota The BTA Dealer Marketing Workshop, to be held at Katun Corp. headquarters, makes sure your dealership is ready to implement best practices in online marketing. Darrell Amy, Lindsay Kelley and Jon Mitchell of Dealer Marketing will show you real-world examples of how dealers use the Internet to generate leads, cross-sell current clients and position themselves as local experts.

Workshop attendees will receive free registration to BTA Mid-America’s May 7-8 Cruise to Success district event. Visit www.bta.org/MarketingWorkshop to register.

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Cruise to Success - Hosted by BTA Mid-America Minneapolis, Minnesota BTA Mid-America will host Cruise to Success May 7-8, 2015, at the Radisson Blu Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event will feature a keynote session by Rick Taylor, president and COO of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc., a dealer panel focused on moving into managed IT services and six additional educational sessions presented by subject-matter experts.

In addition, there will be time to visit with 30-plus exhibiting sponsors, many of which will hold drawings for great prizes during the event. The event will wrap up with a Friday evening dinner cruise aboard the Anson Northrup riverboat. Visit www.bta.org/BTAMidAmericaEvent to register.

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Building My Business Webinar: “What is My Dealership Worth?”

Are you considering selling your dealership or perhaps buying another one? Do you want to know the true value of your dealership or how to get the best terms in a sale without getting lost in the process? In this webinar, Jim Kahrs of Prosperity Plus Management Consulting will teach you how to create a viable exit strategy and succession plan. Visit www.bta.org/BuildingMy Business to register.

For more information, visit www.bta.org/Education or call (800) 843-5059.

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

Dealer Members Authorized Office Systems, Largo, FL Laser Technologies, St. Paul, MN ONPOINT Office Solutions, New Smyrna Beach, FL Progressive Methods Inc., Decatur, GA Terrell’s Office Machines, Bozeman, MT Service Associate Members ITC Systems, St. Louis, MO MPS & IT Sales Consulting, Grapevine, TX Teknia Networks & Logistics, Pinellas Park, FL The Sailor Group, Windermere, FL Vendor Associate Members Accutech Data Supplies, Ventura, CA 3D Systems, Rock Hill, SC For full contact information of these new members, visit www.bta.org.

InfoTrends’ Dealer VMO Analysis Enhancing sales productivity, differentiation and maximizing individual markets are ultimate goals for today’s independent office technology dealer. Understanding a dealer’s specific market dynamics by vertical or company size can provide lucrative opportunities, but can be challenging. To help solve these challenges, InfoTrends created the Dealer Vertical Market Opportunity Analysis, available at a discount to BTA members. To learn how to use the new Dealer VMO Analysis offered exclusively through BTA, register for the April 16 Building My Business webinar.

Visit www.bta.org/DealerVMO for more information.

For information on BTA member benefits, visit www.bta.org/MemberBenefits.

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

BTA Vendor Associate member 3D Systems (3DS) provides advanced and comprehensive 3D digital design and fabrication solutions, including 3D printers, print materials and cloud-sourced custom parts. Its powerful ecosystem transforms entire industries by empowering professionals and consumers everywhere to bring their ideas to life using 3DS’ vast material selection, including plastics, metals, ceramics and edibles. 3DS’ products and services disrupt traditional methods, deliver improved results and empower its customers to manufacture the future now. www.3dsystems.com

BTA Service Associate member ITC Systems specializes in cashless integrated transaction control systems. ITC Systems designs, develops and implements state-of-the-art cash-card management systems on university campuses, in academic and public libraries, government departments, food service environments and other closed institutional settings. The company, founded in 1989, has more than 60 employees, has manufactured more than 60,000 terminals, and has sold in excess of 25 million cards with more than 1 billion transactions. www.itcsystems.com A full list of BTA Vendor and Service Associate members can be found online at www.bta.org.

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COURTS & CAPITOLS

Monitoring Employees If it belongs to the company, it can be watched by: Robert C. Goldberg, general counsel for the Business Technology Association

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recent Office Technology article addressing an employer’s right to monitor employees raised numerous inquiries to the BTA Legal Hotline. The article advised that if the equipment or system was owned by the company, then the company had the right to monitor anything on or over the system. An additional consideration was the expectation of privacy by the employee. It was recommended that the dealer clearly disclose to employees that certain monitoring was taking place and that there should be no expectation of privacy. Monitoring could include telephone, computer, GPS satellites and/or video surveillance.

One employee wanted to know if she was using a headset, was it appropriate to expect that the conversation was private? Since the conversation was being conducted on a company system, there would be no right to expect privacy in the discussion. It has been found that it is a reasonable business practice to monitor employee telephone conversations. Phone conversations can aide an employer in evaluating the performance and conduct of an employee, as well as using them for quality control. As with telephone conversations, an employer may also review voicemail and text messages on a company system or phone.

Although regulations vary among states, federal law requires that once an employer determines a monitored call is personal in nature, he (or she) must immediately cease monitoring the call. However, a personal call between two employees suspected of having a personal relationship in violation of company policy may be monitored to establish conduct. Business justification and disclosure to employees are important considerations in determining the propriety of telephone monitoring.

Can an employer view what is on an employee’s monitor while he is working? Again, since the computer belongs to the employer, there is a right to examine what is on the screen, in logs and on hard disks, as well as the employee’s Internet usage, Web surfing and email. There are even programs that can monitor the amount of time an employee actually is utilizing his computer, down to the number of key strokes per hour. Again, it is suggested that the employee be advised that monitoring may take place. Notification of monitoring can be

handled through memos, policy and procedure handbooks, at meetings, electronically or even via a sticker on the employee’s monitor.

Is there privacy for U.S. mail sent to an employee at the dealership? If the correspondence is marked “Personal and Confidential,” can it be opened?

The U.S. Postal Service Domestic Mail Manual provides that mail addressed to an organization, even with an individual’s name, is delivered when left at the organization. Thus, an employer does not violate the law by opening an employee’s mail addressed to the employee at the employer’s address. Once mail is delivered to a company, it is up to the company to determine how the mail is distributed. This includes mail marked “Personal and Confidential.”

The most difficult area for regulation by employers is employee postings on social media sites. It is important to have a written policy. The BTA website has a sample Social Media/ Networking Policy for members’ consideration in preparing their own policies. This is an area where a dealer must consider state law, as it varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. While some states prevent employers from securing an employee’s password to a social media site, the regulations do not prohibit obtaining any passwords used on a company network. Some regulations draw a line between what an employee posts during working hours and what he does off-duty. There are no federal laws regulating the monitoring of social networking sites, but Congress and the executive branch are considering such.

Video monitoring is commonplace and mostly unregulated. There is hardly a place you can go these days where your activities are not being recorded. Keep cameras out of private areas such as locker rooms and bathrooms and there should not be a problem. Video surveillance for deterring theft and providing security are acceptable.

Employee monitoring is an emerging area of the law as new technologies and regulations are being developed. If you have questions, the BTA Legal Hotline is always available to members by calling (800) 869-6688. n Robert C. Goldberg is general counsel for the Business Technology Association.

He can be reached at robert.goldberg@sfnr.com. www.offi cetechnol ogymag. c om | Ap ri l 2015 | 25

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PRINCIPAL ISSUES

Chamber Membership There are many benefits for your dealership by: Ray Belanger, Bay Copy

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t a recent ceremony of the board of directors of Massachusetts’ South Shore Chamber of Commerce, I joked with the incoming chairman about how much I enjoyed my new title — immediate past chairman. During 2014, I served as chairman of the board of directors for this extraordinarily active chamber, one of the largest in the country and conveniently headquartered in the same town — Rockland, Massachusetts — as my office technology dealership, Bay Copy.

Boasting a membership of 1,300 businesses of all sizes throughout the greater Boston area and the south shore of Massachusetts, in addition to its outstanding networking capacity, the chamber I belong to is a strong source of relationship building, education and advocacy. It is a partnership of business owners and professionals working together to build a better community through collaboration, trust, expertise and long-lasting relationships.

I cannot underscore enough how valuable the organization has been for my dealership and I would U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Ray Belanger. like to share a few of my experiences with you as a While mingling with regional luminaries is a nice perk of long-standing member of the chamber. I hope my words will chamber membership, a more tangible benefit is increased encourage those of you looking for an additional outlet that business. Whether sitting across a table from other commitwill benefit your business and community to join your local tee members, exchanging ideas (and business cards) during an chamber of commerce. after-hours networking session or attending a chamber-sponI am proud to say that during my tenure as board chairman, sored program, the opportunities to meet and engage with the South Shore chamber launched several initiatives, includ- prospective customers are many. The chamber has a number ing a regional development plan with the objective of making of events that can be used for marketing and networking with our area an even greater place to live, work and play. Our study prospects, running the gamut from breakfasts and business aflooked at economic, workforce, infrastructure and communi- ter hours to luncheons, free seminars and business counseling. ty development. We had the opportunity to work closely with Most chambers convene annual expos where, for a fairly other chambers of commerce across our region, as well as nominal fee, you can purchase booth space and make your with town governments and local political and business lead- business visible to other business owners and the public. Iners who were able to provide insight into what we could do to cidentally, a good tip when exhibiting at business exhibitions/ make our region the best it could be for the long term. conventions is to have a supply of interesting, innovative giveAs unaccustomed as I am to “dropping names,” through the aways at your booth. That way, people will linger longer at your years, my membership with the chamber gave me the chance space and tell others to visit “that booth with the cool giveto meet, engage in meaningful conversation and have “photo away.” Last year, Bay Copy gave out a small gadget, emblazoned ops” with Deval Patrick and Charlie Baker, the former and pres- with the company’s logo, that cleans mobile device screens — ent governors of Massachusetts, respectively. I also was privi- and we had people standing in line to get their hands on one. leged to meet Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. senators In addition to before- and after-hours activities, special lunTed Kennedy, Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, in addition to cheons and annual events, chambers have numerous commitmany regional business leaders and local celebrities. tee opportunities. Even those business owners who typically 26 | ­w w w. o f f ic et ec hno lo g y m a g.c om | Ap r il 2 0 1 5

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shun the spotlight of sitting on a commitbusiness owners, but their employees as tee may find the synergy created while well. Staffers can hone networking skills, Chamber membership working with a panel of like-minded people engage with peers and participate in any ... gives you a voice in quite rewarding. number of seminars and business developgovernmental issues Chamber committees range from govment programs offered by these chambers. like regulations, taxes, ernment affairs to business councils, from Moreover, chambers of commerce often assessments and other advocacy groups to planning for annual facilitate business education, offering busievents. In many chambers, membership is ness leaders, owners, employers and emcosts that directly impact also available on committees that deal with ployees quality programs that are relevant, small businesses. specific issues like wellness in the worktimely and cost-effective. In this way, busiplace. Chamber membership also gives you nesspeople can learn not only from experts a voice in governmental issues like regulations, taxes, assess- in specific fields, but also from each other. n ments and other costs that directly impact small businesses.

Ray Belanger is president of Bay Copy, Rockland, New members can instantly increase their visibility to the Massachusetts. He is also a partner and is the former community by joining the chamber since they will be listed in board of directors chairman for the the organization’s newsletter or on its Facebook page. Since South Shore Chamber of Commerce, perception goes a long way, chamber membership can add and a founding member of the surplus credibility to your business. Consider, as well, that Select Dealer Group (SDG). chambers regularly receive calls from individuals and busiBelanger can be reached at nesses seeking services and potential vendors; as a member, rbelanger@baycopy.com. your contact information will be front and center to share.

Visit www.baycopy.com.

Chambers of commerce, in general, are dynamic hubs of activity. Chamber offices are typically alive with volunteer team meetings, one-on-one member sessions, hosted events and the buzz of daily operations.

Many chambers also offer members the opportunity to rent portions of its office space for their own professional purposes, such as a client meeting, to conduct an off-site staff or board meeting, or to do a presentation to a small audience.

Chamber members also have access to certain discounts and services. While these vary from chamber to chamber, some offer discounts on health insurance, mobile phone service and/or member-to-member allowances. In the same vein, members can promote their businesses by advertising with the chamber or through sponsoring events. In this era of social media, getting the word out about such events — and your business’ sponsorship of them — is just a click away from promotion on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Also, local radio and cable television stations often contact chambers when seeking guests, giving members the chance to foster their businesses on air, free of charge.

Of course, in order to gain, you need to give — not only your time, but also sometimes financially. For example, my company is a “partner” of the South Shore chamber. As such, it makes a monetary contribution to the chamber to financially champion its work on the regional issues that matter most to my dealership. I do not look at that outlay as an expense, but as an investment. Without this organization, Bay Copy would not have as much exposure to either the public or the business community.

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PRINCIPAL ISSUES

Recruiting Roadblocks It may be time to replace a ‘box-pushing’ manager by: Paul Schwartz, Copier Careers

N

ot long ago, we ran into a serious problem with one of our clients, the owner of an independent office technology dealership. The client — let’s call him Tom — had retained us to recruit an experienced sales rep for his business, which has an excellent reputation and a competitive compensation plan. At first, everything was going well. We connected Tom with a candidate who seemed like a great fit. The candidate sailed through the dealership’s hiring process and Tom decided to extend a job offer. Unfortunately, the candidate declined the position.

This was disappointing, but not completely out of the ordinary, and our recruiters were ready with other candidates whose backgrounds, skill sets, benchmarks and personalities were very close to what Tom was looking for. Over the course of several weeks, Tom and his management staff conducted many interviews and extended job offers to multiple candidates, all of whom they would have loved to add to their staff — but none of them accepted the position. By the time the third candidate rejected a job offer, Tom lost his patience. We were on the verge of not making a placement, despite our collective efforts.

From the client’s perspective, our candidates were the problem. But we knew better. These candidates were excellent — and Tom thought so too, or he never would have extended job offers to them. Something else was going on and we were determined to get to the bottom of it. So we got on the phone with the candidates. When we asked them why they had rejected the position, they all said the same thing: “It’s the sales manager.”

It turned out that Tom’s sales manager, a longtime employee of the dealership, simply did not understand the value of managed services. He had spent his career pushing boxes and was stuck in a pre-solutions mentality. The sales candidates, on the other hand, had come up in the solutions world, and they understood that pushing boxes was a losing proposition.

There was no way they would agree to work for a dealership where their direct manager did not understand solution selling. The candidates and the manager were speaking two completely different languages.

This scenario is more common than you may think. Over the past several years, every position in this industry has evolved significantly. Where technicians once needed to know how to fix a few select machines, today they are asked to troubleshoot hardware, software and connectivity problems on a dizzying

array of devices. Sales reps face a similar challenge: As they navigate and analyze their clients’ complex operating environments, they must be familiar with a huge range of potential solutions.

In 25 years of recruiting exclusively for BTA Channel employers, I have never seen a more challenging hiring environment — people with the right skill sets are in extremely short supply.

To recruit qualified candidates, hiring managers must constantly work at growing and maintaining their networks — from soliciting employee referrals to attending industry events to leveraging social media, every little bit helps. They must also be open to the possibility that some of their recruiting problems may signal deeper issues with their leadership. Without forward-thinking sales and service managers at the helm, the best candidates will simply not be interested in working for your dealership — which brings us back to Tom. After explaining the situation to him, it became clear that our goal of recruiting a new sales rep would never be successful until we dealt with the underlying issue: Tom needed to replace his sales manager with someone better equipped to confront today’s challenges. We used our Adaptive Retainer Recruiting service to transition our initial assignment into a search for a new sales manager. Before long, we found a game-changing candidate — a technology-focused sales manager with the experience and vision to take Tom’s dealership to the next level.

Once the new manager was in place, we were able to re-approach some of the candidates who had previously rejected an offer from Tom. Lo and behold, now that the real problem had been solved, they were more than willing to go to work for the dealership. By looking more closely at what was holding Tom’s recruitment efforts back, we were able to move his business forward in a major way.

If you have been facing a similar situation, before getting frustrated at your inability to move forward, it is well worth asking yourself: “What is holding us back?” n Paul Schwartz is president of Copier Careers, a recruiting firm dedicated exclusively to helping independent office technology dealers find experienced service techs, sales reps, managers, controllers, back-office staff, and MPS and MNS experts. He can be reached at paul@ copiercareers.com. Visit www.copiercareers.com.

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SELLING SOLUTIONS

The ‘Tryout Order’ Get a good start with these seven ‘must-do’s’ by: Troy Harrison, SalesForce Solutions

“O

K, we’ll give you a shot.” Is there any other phrase that can give a salesperson joy and exultation and, at the same, time strike fear in his (or her) heart? If there is, I probably have not heard it. When we hear this sentence, we know that we are about to receive a “tryout order” from that first-time customer.

The tryout order is high stakes — high risk and high reward. If you handle the order correctly, you might have a good start at a long and prosperous relationship. If you make a mistake on the order, you will definitely lose the opportunity.

Here are some “must-do’s” that will enable you to handle a tryout order correctly and ensure you are off to a good start with your customer.

(1) Understand the situation. You already know that a tryout order is stressful for you. Here is a little secret you may not have considered: The tryout is just as stressful for your customer as it is for you. A tryout order means that a change is being made to the status quo — whether it is the purchase of a new item or service, or the replacement of a vendor. Part of your job as a salesperson is to help the customer manage and alleviate that stress.

(2) Get your team on the same page. Most likely, you are not the only one involved in making a positive result happen for the customer. First and foremost, you must get everyone on the team on the same page and singing from the same songbook. Metaphors aside, help your team (hopefully with the aid of your manager) understand the importance of making this first order an absolutely amazing, exceed-all-expectations experience for the customer. Of course, we want all of the customer’s orders to be that way, but without excellence on the tryout, the rest will not happen.

(3) Manage expectations before the sale, not after. The worst thing that you can do is to attempt to manage the customer’s expectations post-sale. This happened to me once when I was purchasing a marketing program. The salesperson was excited about the success we were going to have.

Then came the conference with the implementation team. The head of the team spent a lot of time dialing back the projected chances of success. When I threw up the alarms, he said: “Hey, I’m just trying to manage your expectations.” I told him that I would rather cancel the order. “Managing expectations” past the sale smacks of bait-and-switch and we do not do that in ethical selling. The customer’s expectations should be locked in before a purchase order or check is cut.

(4) Be present as much as possible. On a tryout order, you should be involved as much as possible. One issue with my experience in the above example was that the salesperson did a full handoff after I sent the check. While that might not have been his intent — he was accessible afterward — it did lead to issues with “managing expectations.” Early on, be a part of as much of the fulfillment process as possible and let your team know what the customer expects and why.

(5) Communicate, communicate, communicate. The customer should know exactly what will happen, when it will happen and how it will happen — and the customer should be communicated with at every stage of the fulfillment. A customer left hanging is a customer who has a chance to get angry or annoyed — and that is where buyer’s remorse sets in.

Remember, part of your job is to manage the customer’s stress.

That means communicating early and often. If the customer has a question, do not let him go home without an answer. www.offi cetechnol ogymag. c om | Ap ri l 2015 | 29

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(6) Be on time, every time. Timing — there are so many moving parts involved. It as in promptness and meeting deadlines is tempting to put the order through your After you hit all your — will never be as important as it is on the normal process, but you have to avoid that marks on the first order, first order. Make sure that you meet every temptation. You can always move back to you absolutely must deadline and, if you cannot, let the customyour normal process — but if you do not excelebrate the successful er know why before the deadline hits, not cel on the tryout, it is not going to matter. n order twice — once with after. In my example, multiple deadlines Troy Harrison is the author of “Sell Like You were not met, so I had more than one opMean It!” and a speaker, consultant and your internal team and portunity to be annoyed. sales navigator. He helps companies build once with your customer.

(7) Celebrate your success. After you hit more profitable and productive sales forces with his cutting-edge sales all your marks on the first order, you absotraining and methodologies. lutely must celebrate the successful order For information on booking speaking/training twice — once with your internal team and once with your cusengagements, consulting or to sign up for his tomer. Celebrating with your internal team builds relationships weekly e-zine, call (913) 645-3603 or email and goodwill with your team. Celebrating with your customer troy@troyharrison.com. allows you to start the process of building toward the next order.

Visit www.troyharrison.com.

Winning the first order is not easy. It can be difficult because

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Marketing-ENX ads Apr 15.indd 1

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