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CONTENTS Volume 14 No. 7

FEATURE ARTICLES 10

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The Green Office Sharing the eco-friendly message

SERVICE CONNECTIONS Your Real Profit Center Learn to attain & maintain high service margins

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by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

by Jerry Newberry BEI Pros

While the Energy Star logo has become familiar, some dealers may wonder what other ecologically friendly initiatives their vendors have pursued. Here is a brief look at some of the efforts of four vendors.

I am asked many times how industry changes are affecting service margins in the office equipment business model. I would answer with two words: “They aren’t.” Are there different challenges to deal with? Yes.

Company Culture Change Is it time to internally reinvent your company?

by Layton Getsinger DOTS Inc.

PRINCIPAL ISSUES JBMIA Update Association president reports on activities & plans

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Those dealerships that have made the transformation from the “box” mentality have done so through an internal reinvention of their existing business model while abandoning or modifying their existing company culture.

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Transforming the Office Focus on the MFP’s full range of benefits

by Gary Gillam Xerox Corp.

Today’s office is in the midst of a new technical evolution. As competitive and economic pressures continue to increase, the need and demand for robust information workflow has never been more critical.

by Yoshihiro Maeda JBMIA

Here is a look at some of the current initiatives of the Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association submitted by its president, who also serves as president and CEO of Toshiba TEC Corp.

SELLING SOLUTIONS Who Are They Calling On? Ensure that your sales reps are not wasting time

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by Max Rosenthal Diversified Business Solutions

At a recent sales manager executive training meeting, I asked the question, “Are your reps calling on the executive level decision maker?”

The hands shot up. I then rhetorically asked, “Who do you think you are fooling?”

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A Perpetual Breach — ECI2 Do not blindly negotiate a resolution, call BTA

by Robert C. Goldberg BTA General Counsel

Those BTA members who have been frustrated with the ECI2 acquisition of OMD and La Crosse should call the BTA Legal Hotline for guidance. Discuss the features you desire and the monthly increase and yearly cap that are acceptable. Then consider your options.

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DEPARTMENTS 6

Executive Director’s Page

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BTA President’s Message

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Advertiser Index

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BTA Calendar

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PAGE

How Eco-Friendly Is Your Dealership? n the past, I would occasionally hear about the efforts of organizations like the Sierra Club and Greenpeace. Today, efforts to help the environment are a frequent topic of discussion in the news and otherwise. A Google search on “global warming,” for example, provides 24.3 million links.

Last year, I.T. Strategies, a consulting, research and business implementation services firm, contacted me about assisting with a survey of dealers to determine the “impact of ‘green’ programs on the dealer community.” BTA’s role was to send the survey to those dealers on our e-mail distribution list, which includes member dealerships.

The survey results are thought-provoking.

They reveal that there is a notable level of interest among dealers in terms of helping the environment. They also reveal that dealers view ecologically friendly efforts as a way to be better corporate citizens and as a way to increase customer loyalty.

That interest in customer loyalty is reflected in the results of a survey question regarding the “impact of returns on the dealer community.” Forty-six percent of respondents to the question indicated that eco-friendly efforts do/could provide a “positive impact.” Among the comments shared by survey respondents: “Positive for consumers who believe in recycling. More sales for the dealer.”

“I think it is a good idea. There will be some time involved, but it will be well spent.”

“I believe it is a win-win for everyone.”

The survey further sought to identify those customers most likely to contribute to

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that positive impact. Specifically, the survey asked: “Do you find a particular customer group is more concerned about green issues than others?” Thirty-five percent of the respondents answered “yes.”

Who are the customers most concerned about green issues? Survey respondents listed the government, education and major accounts among these customer groups.

The concerns of these customers and reasons for going green, as noted by dealers, include: keeping empty cartridges out of landfills; corporate responsibility programs; and, simply, saving the earth.

While the largest percentage of respondents indicated a positive impact in regard to eco-friendly efforts, 20 percent indicated a “negative impact.” The remaining 34 percent reported either “no impact” or “other.”

What are the possible negative impacts?

The comments shared by dealers reveal some possibilities. Among them: Manufacturers may become rechargers.

More service related problems with recycled cartridges.

Dealers will shoulder most of the cost.

The I.T. Strategies survey also asked dealers to rate the vendors of the brands they sell on a scale from “not at all green” to “extremely green.” In addition, dealers were asked what they see as the best opportunity for their dealerships as the emphasis on green continues. The full summary of the survey results can be found on the BTA Web site, www.bta.org. Click on “Research” then “Other Industry Research.”

As you read the summar y of the I.T. Strategies survey results (and the cover story in this issue), consider this question: “How eco-friendly is my dealership?”

— 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 Layton Getsinger, DOTS Inc. dotslayton@bellsouth.net Gary Gillam, Xerox Corp. www.xerox.com Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel Business Technology Association Yoshihiro Maeda, JBMIA www.jbmia.or.jp Jerry Newberry, BEI Pros www.beipros.com Max Rosenthal, Diversified Business Solutions www.dbsconnnected.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 Accounting Clerk mary@bta.org ©2008 by the Business Technology Association. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of published material.

However, the publisher assumes no liability for errors in articles nor are opinions expressed necessarily those of the publisher.

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©2007 Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. Electronic Imaging Division. All rights reserved.

EIGHT WINS I S N ’ T T H AT T H E K I N D O F T E A M Y O U ’ D L I K E TO B E O N ?

The people have spoken. And for the 8th time, Toshiba was voted #1 for Overall Performance by the BTA. Maybe it’s because Toshiba offers more than just great copiers. We offer value-added solutions that make businesses more productive and profitable. If you’d like to learn more about what’s made Toshiba America’s fastest growing copier company or become part of our winning team, visit www.copiers.toshiba.com or call 949-462-6165.

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BTA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ®

Register for ITEX ‘08 Using Member Code n Feb. 21-22, the focal point of th e of f ic e technolog y industr y will be ITEX 2008 in Las Vegas. As in past years, this event is certain to be an outstanding education and networking opportunity for the BTA Channel.

If you have not already registered for the show, I encourage you to do so today. As a BTA member, you can register for $79, instead of the regular $199 onsite/$99 online fee. Just enter BTA member discount code G48BTA when you register online at www.itexshow.com. You may also download a BTA member registration form from the home page of the BTA Web site, www.bta.org.

Still undecided on whether to attend?

Consider that ITEX 2008 will feature more than 100 hours of education Power Hour sessions in six education tracks — Business Management, Sales and Marketing, Managed Print Services, Document Management: Capture & Workflow, Technology and Service. The presenters will include a number of the industry’s leading experts, representing the dealer, vendor, research and consulting communities.

Consider, too, that there will be 250-plus vendors on the trade show floor — ranging from ABBY USA Software House Inc. to Zygoquest. These include a number of familiar hardware vendors such as BTA m emb ers E astman Ko d ak, He w l ettPackard, Lexmark International, Muratec America, Panasonic, Ricoh, Sharp and Xerox. Other exhibiting vendors include Fujitsu, Konica-Minolta, OKI Data and Samsung. There will also be many software

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vendors exhibiting, providing dealers with a number of options to consider as they continue their transition from box sales to solution sales.

There are several notable additions to th e I TE X show thi s year as wel l . For example, the trade show floor will feature one new pavilion and one central station — one focused on wide format printing, the other on ECM and mailing systems. These should be of particular interest to any dealers looking to expand their product offerings.

Another new addition is the Service Solutions Integrator 2008 training program, scheduled for Feb. 20, the day before the trade show floor opens. This full-day education program is designed for service managers and dealer principals. The program is sponsored by MWA Intelligence Inc., Katun, BEI Services and BEI Pros. For more details on this event, visit www.itexshow.com/ssi.

Of course, BTA will be at ITEX 2008, too.

Plan to drop by the association’s exhibit booth on the trade show floor. The booth number is 745. There you will find all of the latest information on the association’s many benefit programs and services. We will also be drawing for some great prizes.

In addition, BTA is finalizing plans for a hospitality suite in the show hotel, the Las Vegas Hilton. This will be an ideal opportunity for BTA members to network with one another and meet the members of the BTA Board of Directors and key staff members.

Watch for details at www.bta.org prior to the show; there will also be information on the hospitality suite in our exhibit booth.

I look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas.

ITEX 2008 will be a great event for all of us.

— Shannon Oliver

2007-2008 Board of Directors President Shannon Oliver 25 Wheaton Circle Greensboro, NC 27406 shannon@bta.org President-Elect Ronelle Ingram Steven Enterprises Inc. 17952 Sky Park Circle Ste. E Irvine, CA 92614 ronellei@msn.com Vice President Bill James WJS Enterprises Inc. 3315 Ridgelake Drive P.O. Box 6620 Metairie, LA 70009 bjames@wjsenterprises.com BTA East Thomas Chin Accolade Technologies LLC 31 Mamaroneck Ave. Ste. 508 White Plains, NY 10601 tchin@accotech.com BTA Mid-America Mike Blake Corporate Business Systems LLC 2018 S. Stoughton Road Madison, WI 53716 mblake@corpbussystems.com BTA Southeast Jerry Jackson All South Copiers (ASC) 1325 Cobb International Blvd.

Ste. A Kennesaw, GA 30152 jerry@ascopiers.com BTA West Rock Janecek Burtronics Business Systems Inc. 216 S. Arrowhead Ave. P.O. Box 1170 San Bernardino, CA 92408 rjanecek@burtronics.com Ex-Officio/General Counsel Robert C. Goldberg Schoenberg Finkle Newman & Rosenberg Ltd. 222 S. Riverside Plaza Ste. 2100 Chicago, IL 60606 robert.goldberg@sfnr.com

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The Green Office Sharing the eco-friendly message by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

n the mid-1990s, of fice technology dealers began to see the use of the Energy Star logo in relation to copiers, printers and, later, MFPs. The logo signifies compliance to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program that is designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Today, the logo has become a familiar image within th e industr y and i s widely used among office technology manufacturers.

While the Energy Star program is important and beneficial, some dealers may wonder what other ecologically friendly initiatives their vendors have pursued. Are vendors — both on the hardware side and the software side — doing enough to help sustain the environment? Which vendors are seen as doing the best job?

Consultants at I.T. Strategies (www.it-strategies.com) had these and other questions as well. In the Spring of 2007, the Hanover, Mass.-based firm, which offers consulting, research and business implementation services, surveyed office technology dealers to find out how they view their vendor partners in terms of eco-friendly initiatives. The results reveal some industry leaders — and room for improvement.

Seventy-one percent of the respondents indicated that, overall, they view the industry’s manufacturers as either “somewhat green” or “not at all green.” In contrast, only 7 percent are viewed as “extremely green,” with 9 percent viewed as “very green” and 13 percent viewed as “green.”

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W hat makes a company green? The survey results report produced by I.T. Strategies reveals several key factors.

Among them: A well articulated message about the company’s position on green issues; safe disposal instructions for products; support of environmental groups, such as The Nature Conser vancy ; ecofriendly packaging; and products that are En erg y St ar compliant.

With these and other green factors in mind, survey respondents were asked to rate those vendors seen as the most green. The top three vendors: RISO, Xerox and Kyocera Mita.

Regardless of how green vendors are today, it appears that there is a notable level of interest among end-users in ecofriendly companies and their initiatives. Thirty-five percent of dealers responding to the I.T. Strategies survey indicate they do have “a particular customer group that is more concerned about green issues than others.”

Chris Wyszkowski, vice president of professional sales and marketing for Equitrac Corp. (www.equitrac.com), a provider of print management and cost recovery solutions, says the percentage of companies concerned about green issues is on the rise. In recent months, he and Equitrac CEO Michael Rich have been meeting with CIOs and CFOs of the company’s largest customers. “I would say that in about one third of these C-level meetings there has been a discussion about the importance of a sustainability objective within the firm,” he says. “It is a new trend in North America. Twelve

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months ago it would have an environmental initiative “A big part of this been unusual for somebody that, in part, encourages law program has to do with to talk about their sustainoffices to adopt best praceffective use of paper and ability goals.” tices in office paper manageGiven this increased inment. The software company reducing waste of paper. terest in eco-friendly busisupports the initiative by So, we came up with a ness practices among endoffering a 10 percent disfew specific ways that our users, what are office techcount on Equitrac Professoftware can help these nology companies doing to sional 5 to any law firm that law firms reduce waste.” help sustain the environparticipates in the Waste — Chris Wyszkowski ment? A brief look at some Wise program, one of three Equitrac Corp. of th e initiatives of four EPA partnership programs vendors familiar to dealers tied to the Challenge. will provide some indication. Perhaps their efforts will “A big part of this program has to do with effective use of inspire others to become more eco-friendly. paper and reducing waste of paper,” says Wyszkowski. “So, we came up with a few specific ways that our software can Equitrac Corp. help these law firms reduce waste.”

In 2007, Equitrac announced its support for the joint For example, he says, Equitrac Professional 5 includes a American Bar Association-EPA Law Office Climate Challenge, feature called Follow-You printing technology that can

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“reduce waste by 10 to 15 is particularly receptive to “We have reduced our percent that results from the eco-friendly message. “In electrical usage by 17 unclaimed print jobs.” Inthe educational environpercent and our paper stead , says Wyszkowski , ment, you have students and “print jobs are never renfaculty who have a higher usage by 39 percent, year dered to paper until somerecognition of environover year. Those types of one is actually there to colmental concerns than the reductions have ... lect them.” general population,” he says. significantly lowered our Equitrac also has devel“So, the fact that you can carbon and nitrogen oxide emissions ...” oped an eco-friendly mesdeploy a solution to manage — Peter Hendrick sage for another of its pricosts and get people to use Kyocera Mita America mary customer groups — resources more effectively — the education market. In and feel good about it be2005, the company launched a new Web site, www.endprint cause they know that they are saving environmentally sensiwaste.com, which emphasizes, in part, how Equitrac Express tive resources — is an absolute win-win.”

4 can help educational institutions reduce paper waste. “We launched this after having a realization that our products Kyocera Mita America were being sold where sustainability was the primary objecAs noted, Kyocera Mita America (KMA, www.kyo tive,” says Wyszkowski, who notes that the education market ceramita.com) was among the companies cited as “most green” by respondents to the I.T. Strategies survey. This may be due, in part, to KMA’s ECOSYS printers, an entire line dedicated to and named for its focus on “ecology” and “economy.”

Peter Hendrick, vice president of marketing for KMA, emphasizes the eco-friendly nature of the printer line. “Our unique ECOSYS technology incorporates a patented drum technology, which is separate from the toner container, eliminating the need to replace the drum when the toner is depleted, thus reducing landfill,” he explains. “We believe that ECOSYS truly is a long-standing example of Kyocera Mita Corp.’s green initiatives and our pursuit of innovative product development.”

KMA also has a focus on pursuing eco-friendly efforts within its internal operations. In 2007, the company announced that it had received ISO (International Standard Organization) 14001:2004 certification, which recognizes companies — through an independent audit — that have effectively managed their operational impact on the environment. Hendrick says the certification “underscores Kyocera Mita America’s commitment to reduce waste and the consumption of energy/natural resources caused by normal operations, such as sales, services and distribution.”

How have KMA’s operations helped the environment?

“We have reduced our electrical usage by 17 percent and our paper usage by 39 percent, year over year,” says Hendrick.

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more than 40,000 gallons of gasoline, 9,000 tree seedings grown for 10 years and three acres of forest preser ved from deforestation.”

In addition, KMA strives to publicly share its ecofriendly message. For example, the company’s current 62-page Sustainability Report can be downloaded from its Web site.

“Our products have always been geared to reducing the footprint [or negative impact] on the environment. For example, our duplicators use soybased ink and do not have any hazardous ... emissions ...”

— David Murphy RISO Inc.

Memory Experts International Like KMA, Memor y E xperts International (MXI, www.memor yexpertsinc.com) has received the ISO 14001:2004 certification. In addition, MXI, a manufacturer of memory expansion modules, data storage systems, cable assemblies and portable security devices, is a certified Zero Waste to Landfill company.

“Simply put, Zero Waste to Landfill means that materials we use in our manufacturing processes, including packaging, are recycled and/or reused,” says David Fry, MXI executive vice president, USA. “We use a system known as the Five Rs — reduce, refuse, return, reuse and recycle.”

Fry shares an example of the far-reaching benefits of adherence to the Five Rs system. “We were seeing packaging coming to us from one of our hard drive manufacturers that we were finding difficult to recycle,” he explains. “So, we said to them, ‘We can’t recycle this packaging. We don’t want it anymore. Please don’t give it to us.’”

As a result, the supplier began picking up the packaging from MXI after delivery of its hard drives. “They found some cost saving benefits by meeting our requirements,” he says.

“They are now reusing the packaging over and over again, not only with us, but with many of their customers.”

In recent years, Fry says the company has seen considerable savings due to its eco-friendly efforts at its Santa Ana, Calif., manufacturing facilities. An evaluation of electricity consumption, for example, led to improved energy usage, reducing the cost of electricity by 30 percent. Similarly, by recycling metal, plastics, bottles, cardboard, paper, etc., MXI has reduced the number of filled waste containers (3-cubicyard dumpsters) from 36 to four each month.

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to do, and you ask for their help in getting it done,” he says. “It isn’t that difficult.”

RISO Inc. Perhaps RISO Inc.’s (http: //us.riso.com) ranking as the “most green” company by respondents to the I.T. Strategies survey can be attributed to the company’s long-term focus on environmental stewardship. In 1996, the digital duplicator and printer manufacturer developed its Environmental Charter. In 1998, it established the RISO Environmental Protection Principles. In 2000, RISO’s manufacturing plan and R&D technology center received ISO 14001 certification.

“So, this is not a new idea for us; it is not a passing fad or trend,” says David Murphy, vice president of marketing.

“This is a very, very major part of our corporate principles and our feeling of responsibility to the global environment.”

For RISO, that responsibility is apparent in the development of its products, says Murphy. “Our products have always been geared to reducing the footprint [or negative impact] on the environment,” he says. “For example, our duplicators utilize soy-based ink and do not have any hazardous ozone or CO2 emissions, and our supplies are biodegradable.”

In the past, adds Murphy, RISO did use oil-based inks.

“We decided to switch to soy because it is environmentally friendly,” he says. “It actually costs about the same if not a little bit more for us to produce soy-based ink, but we do it because of our feeling of responsibility to the environment.”

Murphy also cites the low amount of energy that RISO’s ink-based products require, as compared to toner-based products that require heat. “As a result, they draw very little electricity,” he says. “In fact, our duplicator draws 3.5 amps.

That’s the equivalent of using four 100-watt light bulbs about an hour a day.”

Looking to the future, Murphy sees an ever-growing interest in eco-friendly initiatives. “We are finding that the new generation in the workforce is more conscientious about helping the environment,” he says. “That is good news for our society.”

Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine. He can be reached at brent@bta.org.

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Company Culture Change Is it time to internally reinvent your company? by: Layton Getsinger, Dealer Operations Transition Specialists Inc.

he concept of networked document solutions has been kicked around for the past five-plus years with very few dealerships successfully migrating from the “box” mentality to networked solution sales. Those that have made the transformation have done so through an internal reinvention of their existing business model while willfully abandoning or significantly modifying their existing company culture.

These same dealerships are also the ones that made the successful transition from analog to standalone digital, to connected digital, to color and to networked solutions. Sadly, but unavoidably, a few trusted and tenured employees have been victimized by the office technology revolution. Either they could not grasp the new technology or they refused to leave the simplicity and comfort zone of “box” selling. To reach new heights, one must abandon old traditions. What was good enough to get us here is not good enough to take us to the next level. In fact, what got us here will not keep us here.

The workplace culture is shaped by the way we behave. It is from the collective actions of the team that a culture emerges.

It reflects the accumulated traditions formed over the continuum. For some it becomes inviolable or a “sacred cow.”

Usually an established culture is readily identifiable. As more people come to embrace it, the culture grows in popularity and influence. Eventually our every action will be influenced by our culture. Culture becomes our way of life. It defines our essence. The only way to break the spell of a culture is an open commitment and direct action to do so. Some may call it a paradigm shift; I prefer to call it a cultural shift.

The office solutions arena is changing faster than most cultures can adapt. As a by-product of change, a subculture of fear will usually emerge. The failure to adapt is primarily driven by this fear of change. Change strikes fear in the

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hearts of all who are affected, as they are leaving the known for the unknown. The natural response to change is resistance, and when change does happen, certain individuals will employ slowed down implementation in hopes that it will go away. Today, employing such tactics positions us to become obsolete. Today, change is not only critical to remaining competitive, but to staying in business.

Based on the duration of the office technology revolution, dealership culture shifts should have already taken place. If we are to achieve tomorrow’s successes, we must be eagerly embracing today’s changes. The dealer principal and direct reports have to accept the role of “change agents.” If a dealership is to survive this technological revolution, two actions are imperative: accept change as a constant and learn to adapt to change as a matter of survival.

We can either be paralyzed by change or energized by its potential. Change without a plan is a recipe for disaster.

Change should not occur out of panic — it must be the result of well-conceived thoughts that will gain the desired net effect. It must be communicated globally and frequently so that everyone is dealing with real-time information versus the rumor mill.

Rather than waste precious time and effort fighting change, we need to employ actions to hasten its advent.

Those who embrace change and go with the flow will have the competitive advantage. They will be selling profitably to new and existing customers.

As is suggested in “Reengineering the Corporation” by Mike Hammer and James Champy, “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” is not an option. Change must take place under controlled conditions. Company and vendor revenue targets must be attained while migrating to a new business model.

This creates a conundrum for some dealers of how to keep

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With a new business model (“culture moving product while reinventing themThe challenges are shift”), work becomes more satisfying selves. One size does not fit all. Every dealsince the entire company is working ership has its own unique culture and that myriad and usually together for the common good. The new culture must be clearly understood and centered on the inability business model entails as great a shift in framed before change can be initiated. In of the dealership to the company culture as in its structural some cases, it may require the assistance get traction in the reconfiguration. The individual players of a third-party professional to assist with relatively new world of achieve a greater sense of achievement this process. document solutions. through a collaborative approach to People commonly and mistakenly solving customer problems. respond to the stress of change by putting There is the nagging question of “Will you lose a top proout more effort. The greater the change (that is, the bigger the adjustment that has to be made) the harder they try. Unfortu- ducer or valued employee by making necessary changes?” nately, they stick with the same old habits and they bet the The answer is probably “yes.” Any individual willing to future on “more of the same.” Their heart is in the right place ransom a company’s future to remain in a comfort zone is and their intentions are good, but they fail to realize that highly expendable in my personal experience and opinion. many solutions of the past do not fit the problems of today or One prima donna can sabotage the entire process. The the future. Trying harder using the same old tools, techniques sooner the loss of such individual(s), the quicker progress and thinking patterns will only create a culture of despera- can be made. tion. A truly great dealership is never satisfied with its current Some Recommended Action Items performance. It must continually ask: “Why do we do what Create a “Change Coalition” led by the dealer principal we do?” and “Why do we do it the way we do?” and departmental managers.

The challenges are myriad and usually centered on the Help managers stop acting like supervisors and start inability of the dealership to get traction in the relatively new world of document solutions. Box selling is a one- or two- acting like coaches and mentors.

Everyone should focus more on the customers’ needs person event with standard rules of engagement involving two and less on the bosses’ or their own. to three calls on the prospect and then “the close” based on a Get rid of unnecessary / non-productive practices. monthly payment or price, which is usually steeply discounted Reduce or eliminate disruptive people and unnecessary based on the competition stepping in at the last minute.

Solution selling is a team activity and requires the involve- paperwork.

Establish communication links up, down and across ment of nearly every department within the company to competently and successfully conclude the sale. Hence we must the company. This will marginalize the rumor mill.

Involve everyone in the company in the change process. create a culture shift from “What is in it for me?” to “What is Employ all resources appropriately. in it for us?” We need a shift from a culture of independence Create and maintain a sense of urgency. to a culture of interdependence. Done right and done well, Budget for change and do not stray. solution sales will create virtual competitive immunity and Get and remain focused. provide handsome rewards across the company. Most impor Only do things that move the company toward its goals. tantly, solution sales will allow your dealership to go into the Keep emotions in check. competition’s base and sell profitably while minimizing or Stay steadfast in your resolve. eliminating the competition as a factor.

Layton Getsinger is founder and president of As the new culture sets in, values change from protective to Dealer Operations Transition Specialists Inc., productive. Changing values are as important to a new busia company that specializes in helping ness model as changing processes. The new business model dealerships become successful networked demands employees deeply believe that they work for their customers, not for their bosses. This will only happen when solution providers through the creation of new business models and reshaping of the the dealer principals and department managers believe it as company culture. He can be reached at well. Culture change calls for resolute and absolute commitdotslayton@bellsouth.net or (704) 450-7778. ment to success. It starts and stops with the dealer principal.

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Transforming the Office Focus on the MFP’s full range of benefits by: Gary Gillam, Xerox Corporation

oday’s office is in the midst of a new technical evolution. As competitive and economic pressures continue to increase, the need and demand for robust information workflow has never been more critical. To maintain positive growth, not to mention to gain competitive advantage, more companies are exploiting new technologies in old places to streamline information flow, simplify business processes, improve productivity and lower costs.

Certainly, today’s MFP is such a piece of technology. As those of us in the office technology industry know, the MFP offers a world of new information sharing possibilities and typically can be adapted to operate the way a company works, rather than the other way around.

While you understand the MFP’s full range of benefits, do you promote and sell these benefits? Or, do you still have sales reps and customers who view these products as “the office copier?” Or, in contrast, is your company effectively transforming the workflow in your customer locations through effective placements of MFPs? Regardless of how basic they may be, it is important to consider these and similar questions, to ensure that your business is moving in the right direction.

There are a few basic, yet important benefits of the MFP that may require your attention, but if embraced, will dramatically increase your “stickiness” with your customers.

Cost Control — The days of a printer on every desktop are dwindling. As printing and maintenance costs have increased, IT managers have been forced to reassess asset and document management strategies. Market research firm Gartner estimates that the cost of printers, coupled with related supplies, maintenance and support, represents about 10 to 20 percent of a typical IT department budget. As IT managers look to consolidate resources without compro-

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mising efficiency, many are turning to MFPs. In addition to device consolidation, MFPs offer IT managers the ability to track and measure the amount of pages being printed, faxed, copied and scanned, as well as how much color printing is being done. That knowledge aids companies in budgeting, cost center charge backs and print management.

All-inclusive printing service contracts for MFPs can help keep printing costs under control. By knowing the exact cost per page, customers enjoy predictable bills. Printing contracts offer sales reps another tool to strengthen customer relationships. Is your dealership effectively promoting and providing these tracking, measuring and page pricing capabilities?

Simplicity & Customization — Solutions providers can help their customers leverage the muscle of the MFP to make their work easier. As you know, some MFPs include a customizable display panel that provides access to key workflow functions. Similar to customizing your PC desktop to prioritize the tools you use most and providing automation through network enabled scripts, IT managers can now customize an MFP’s touch-screen display to prioritize the tools their workers use most and automate complex tasks with a single button press. As a result, document management becomes faster, easier and more accurate. Is your dealership customizing the MFP’s control panel to best meet the needs of your customers?

Instant Access — In this era of advanced MFPs, development platforms can be harnessed to allow customers or third-party software developers to build Web-based or server-based applications that can be accessed directly from the device for a variety of functions never before considered for the MFP. For example, some MFPs let users print to a queue, rather than a specific device. That way, users can easily and securely

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Are you making your customers aware retrieve documents from any supporting MFPs now act as of how to ensure documents that are MFP, regardless of its location around the scanned, copied or printed on the MFP globe. For the mobile worker this means a centralized remain secure? that carrying heavy documents and communications We are all enjoying the continued rise finding a way to print are a thing of the management system of the MFP in the workplace. However, past with such functionality. All a person for secure scan-to-fax, solutions providers must work to ensure need do is find the nearest enabled MFP, e-mail and broadcast that all their sales reps are properly proswipe his (or her) access card (or enter a notification. moting all of the benefits of today’s techpassword) and “pull-print” securely from nology. Is your dealership truly working the queue. If available on the MFPs you sell, is your dealership taking advantage of development plat- to help customers streamline information flow, simplify busiforms and providing seamless integration between the MFP ness processes, improve productivity and lower costs?

Gary Gillam is vice president of North America Channel and a back-office application?

Operations at Xerox. Gillam has more than Easy Collaboration — New MFPs also feature applica21 years of channel operations experience tion support that gives offices access to common business and is responsible for the sale of printers documents directly from the device. and MFPs through distributors, valueScanned documents typically must be manually named added resellers and solutions providers. and distributed, which is both tedious and error-prone.

Visit www.xerox.com.

With today’s MFPs, users select file names and destinations from easy-to-use, pre-programmed tabs on the MFP’s touch screen that are easily updated on central servers, reducing distribution errors and simplifying document processes.

MFPs now act as a centralized communications management system for secure scan-to-fax, e-mail and broadcast notification. Enterprise, government, healthcare and educational institutions can deliver critical information, such as patient information, employee performance and more — securely and with immediate results. Do your customers view the MFP as a centralized communications management system?

Security — Enterprise practices and procedures are the main focus of regulation such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley and, as a result, organizations of all sizes should be paying particularly close attention to the handling of their data.

As you know, when documents are copied or scanned on many MFPs, an image can be left on the system’s hard drive.

This information is as much at risk of getting hacked or stolen as information stored on PCs, yet the risk is sometimes overlooked by IT and security departments.

The key for customers is knowing what to look for in devices and how to best protect data. For instance, an MFP’s image overwrite or disk overwrite capabilities eradicate customer data by repeatedly overwriting the disk surface with specific patterns to ensure that no normal read process can discover the original data.

Today’s MFPs offer many protections to secure data, ensure business continuity, minimize business damage and maximize return on investment and business opportunities. w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | J a n u a r y 2 0 0 8 | 23

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COURTS & CAPITOLS

A Perpetual Breach — ECI2 Do not blindly negotiate a resolution, call BTA by: Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel for the Business Technology Association

he office technology industry is built updates to OMD were released and a new Fair, equitable and upon a foundation of fair, equitable license agreement accompanied the downethical treatment was load. This happened again in June of this and ethical treatment. The BTA not even considered. year, but only the first page, the familiar Model Dealer Agreement has included page, remained the same. The new End-User these words for more than 50 years. This is All of the substantial License Agreement (EULA) ended the pernot a lofty standard, but a guiding principle goodwill that had petual license that dealers had purchased, that has governed relationships between all been developed ... changed the limit on annual increases from facets of the industry. It is the standard that was negated overnight.

5 percent to 12 percent, and authorized the results in success for independent dealers, use of management software permitting assuring customer satisfaction. It is the 2 ECI standard that offshore manufacturers have used to provide to have a backdoor to every dealer system. Following the assurance, that regardless of specific terms in an agreement, changed EULA, dealers began to receive invoices for increases in the standard of interpretation will be fair, equitable and ethical. their monthly charges for their licenses. In many instances, these When Hallie Gibbs founded Modern Business Systems, fair, increases represented two times more than the previous amount equitable and ethical treatment built his business to one of the charged. The cap of 5 percent in the perpetual license was most successful in the nation, ultimately resulting in its sale to ignored. In fact, the perpetual license itself was ignored. Dealers Alco Standard. Along the way, Modern developed a software were outraged. Many tried to organize, but the cost and logistics program that helped a growing business track equipment, for dealers to do so was overwhelming. The varying time clocks maintenance, leases and every phase of an office technology in each program created additional pressure upon the dealers to dealership. The program became so successful that fellow accept the economic extortion they faced. dealers asked if they could share it as well, and hence OMD A short time later, users of La Crosse Management Systems was founded. OMD grew under the same philosophy as faced the same scenario. ECI2 ignored the perpetual term of Modern — fair, equitable and ethical treatment. With an out- each dealer’s license, as well as the cap on increases. The added standing product, unparalleled customer support and con- indignity was ECI2’s ability to gain access to the dealer’s system. stant innovation, OMD became the operating program for The philosophies that allowed these software companies to thousands of independent dealers. OMD was sold to dealers as grow and prosper were abandoned for a quick return on investa perpetual license. And to assure dealers they would be ment. The terms of the perpetual licenses were ignored. Fair, treated fairly, the perpetual license provided that fees could equitable and ethical treatment was not even considered. only be increased 5 percent on an annual basis.

All of the substantial goodwill that had been developed by A few years after OMD was established, another software OMD and La Crosse was negated overnight. Although ECI2 has program was released for dealerships. John Brostrom and attempted to purchase Digital Gateway as well, the company’s Thomas Smith offered copier dealers a program that would president vows to remain independent and dealers have lined manage the unique aspects of their businesses. Again, the up to license Digital Gateway’s eAutomate. industry saw strong customer commitment coupled with fair, For those BTA members who have been frustrated with ECI2, equitable and ethical treatment to help dealers grow their busi- do not blindly negotiate a resolution. Call the BTA Legal Hotline nesses. La Crosse, likewise, offered a perpetual license and for guidance. Patiently discuss the features you assurances that a dealer’s investment in the software would not desire and the monthly increase and yearly cap result in being held hostage to uncontrolled fees and costs. that are acceptable. Then consider your options.

In December 2006 and the spring of 2007, OMD and La Crosse Robert C. Goldberg is general counsel for the were sold to eCommerce Industries Inc. (ECI2). The ramifications Business Technology Association. He can be for dealers first occurred with OMD. Throughout the years, reached at robert.goldberg@sfnr.com.

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SERVICE CONNECTIONS

Your Real Profit Center Learn to attain & maintain high service margins by: Jerry Newberry, BEI Pros

am asked many times how industry changes are affecting service margins in the office equipment business model. I answer with two words: “They aren’t.” Are there different challenges to deal with? Yes. Have the service rates customers require been reduced due to market pressures and an educated customer? Again, yes. However, the potential 52 percent (or more) service margins can be easily attained and maintained with a consistent focus on the following areas, which will be explained in detail: Closely-monitored employee productivity.

Sustain or attempt to eliminate reduced revenue on upgrades (there are some pretty ingenious ways of paying salespeople to do this, and they will).

Pay attention to machine placement where you can. Do not sell a customer a 60 ppm machine doing 5,000 to 10,000 pages per month. A 40 ppm machine will handle this easily at higher profit margins.

Keep your managers informed and share the financial opportunities within service.

Color and more printers.

I

Employee Productivity Service has more benchmarks available to monitor than any other part of your business. I cannot begin to tell you how many companies I have visited, both as the vice president of service at Global Imaging Systems and as the president of BEI Pros, that monitor only 20 to 30 percent of the available benchmarks and do not monitor them frequently enough. I do not blame the managers for this, because in the majority of the cases, those individuals have not had the training or have not seen a really profitable and productive customer-responsive service organization.

It is imperative to monitor the following areas in detail until you are absolutely sure you have these areas at benchmark performance levels: Raise your expectation levels for your service organization. Expectations should be set at every level in service (supervisors, techs, dispatch and parts).

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Gross calls per day — Do not put too much emphasis here. You are looking for quality over quantity.

Net calls per day — Net calls per day is defined as gross calls minus incompletes and callbacks.

Callbacks Incompletes Parts cost per call Accountable time — Every tech should be accounting for a minimum of 7.5 hours worked per day between customer hours and travel time.

Territory integrity — Territory integrity is defined as the percentage of time the technician services accounts assigned to him (or her) within his territory. He should shoot for 80 percent or more. There will be a big loss of productivity if this percentage is off.

Efficiency ratio I mention these areas because I see numerous companies monitoring them, but on a monthly basis looking only at averages. These averages hide some dirty secrets concerning unproductiveness in the field.

Upgrading Your Customer Base It is common knowledge that net new placements are a must for continued growth in aftermarket revenue and profit. I see many companies upgrading a current customer with strong profit margins on their current machine. As soon as they upgrade, the rep will have taken the service rate from 0.014 to 0.009. The rep should add color clicks to the upgrade or he will have reduced the amount of revenue the dealership is generating on that machine. Do not be afraid to add a minimum to color prints.

Try this little test: Pay your sales reps to keep the rates the same on all upgrades. Here is an example: Let us say we are in the above scenario. In this account, the customer runs 10,000 copies per month. Pay the sales rep $75 per mil (0.001) to keep the rate at 0.014 ($375). As a company, you will recoup this within the first six months and have this rate for the next three to four years. I have tried this and had to cap the amount the sales rep charged the customer, as he wanted to raise the service rate further. There

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are companies out there that have eliminated price reductions on all upgrades. These companies operate at 20-plus percent operating income.

Optimize Customer Sales I see mid- and higher-volume machines sold to customers with extremely low volumes and no minimums. Every product has a “sweet spot” where the reliability and services costs are optimized. Here is an example of an actual model and the service cost differences in volume ranges:

This should clearly show the impact of volume on your service costs. Have your managers show you the “sweet spots” for the models you sell.

Share Financials & Bonus Managers I speak to many managers who are not getting service financials on a monthly basis and who are not compensated on the performance of service. But the industry model is so simple: Service revenue is 100 percent (after contract revenue allocation). Salaries are 25.5 percent of service revenue, while parts are 16.5 percent. Vehicle reimbursement makes up 4 percent of service revenue, while training makes up 2 percent.

This can easily lead you to areas of opportunity within the service department. It is either productivity or expense control issues that reduces profit. Revenue (if everything is billing) is almost never something I find that causes lower-than-expected service gross product (GP). Almost 100 percent of the time, lower GP is directly caused by productivity or parts expenses.

This can be controlled. Here are the top contributors to a higher percentage of revenue by cost of goods sold (COGS): Salary — This expense is driven by productivity in the field. If this percentage is off, you are probably overmanned in service. Look at your clicks per tech and all of the productivity numbers above. Maximize your service team productivity to allow your service force to add additional clicks and revenue with no additional manpower. This will drive profit over time.

Parts – Managers should be tracking parts expenses to budget daily. Put procedures in place to monitor yield on all parts used that we call “high mortality” items. I cannot tell you how many times I find early replacement of parts on my visits. This

will eat at your profit in a big way. Flag anything that failed to meet OEM-recommended yields and claim a warranty replacement. If you are not watching this area, you will be amazed at the parts dollars being thrown away. Stop this bleeding now!

Vehicle reimbursement — If you are paying a mileage rate to the field, there are two ways to drop this by more than 20 percent. Make sure your employees are in territories with evenly distributed workload from tech to tech. Just ask your dispatcher how often they pull techs out of their own territories to assist other techs. If the answer is “very frequently” (which I hear a lot) then this is driving mileage up.

Secondly, managers should be spot-checking reported mileage from the field. I see 20 miles entered on an eight-mile trip regularly. Watch this area closely.

Training expense — This has become the catch-all bucket for COGS over the past few years. One way that we can drop this expense is to ensure we are in the correct field structure.

Product-specialize your team if possible. I have not found one company with at least eight techs where product-specialized teams cannot be developed. This will cut your training needs in half from day one, not to mention the major impact on field productivity and reliability of your product line.

Color & More Printers Color revenue on the black-and-white-to-color machines offer a major opportunity for increased revenues and profit.

However, you must really pay attention to machine applications and volumes in this arena. This can be a very profitable environment if you are servicing these units correctly. You cannot operate in a “hit and run” mode on these products or profit potential will be greatly reduced. Service these units smartly and efficiently to ensure margins are maintained and watch your parts expenses on these units.

Printer service is also a major opportunity to drive service margins. This area is exploding with opportunity within the dealer environment, yet I see very few really going after this business. When I speak about printer service I am referring to a print management division within your business. A company that recently hired me as a business partner is growing the print management side of the business by 300 percent or more per year. Commit to go after this and do not be afraid to go national. There are companies that can assist you in providing a national presence. The business is there for the taking with nice margins for service.

Jerry Newberry is president of BEI Pros.

He can be reached at jerry.newberry@beipros.com or (813) 713-3592.

Visit www.beipros.com. w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | J a n u a r y 2 0 0 8 | 27

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PRINCIPAL ISSUES

JBMIA Update Association president reports on activities & plans by: Yoshihiro Maeda, JBMIA

Editor’s Note: Expressing his best wishes to members of the Business Technology Association in the new year, the following was submitted by Yoshihiro Maeda, president of the Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association (JBMIA). Maeda also serves as president and CEO of Toshiba TEC Corp. ay I first offer my heartfelt wishes to all the members of the Business Technology Association for their continued happiness, good health and prosperity in the New Year!

Last year, the overall global economy largely remained strong. Although economic growth slowed down in the United States, high growth was sustained in emerging nations, centering on China, while increases in exports were recorded in Europe in spite of a strong Euro. At the same time, there were some concerns about the influence exercised on the future global economy by rising crude oil prices and the sub-prime loan problem in the United States.

In turning our eyes toward domestic issues, Japan experienced a number of scandals brought to light by stricter corporate social responsibility (CSR) for quality and safety, in such areas as the strength of elevator steel, misleading reporting of the fire-resistance of insulating materials, tampering of usedby dates by food companies, etc. As I mentioned in my inaugural address as president, quality and safety constitute the foundation of manufacturing and are fundamental requirements for the soundness of our corporate activities.

The Consumer Products Safety Law was revised last year. In accordance with the revised law, manufacturers and importers are required to report product irregularities to the supervisory authorities and they are also required to provide proper information about the said irregularities to consumers. As a matter of course, we thoroughly abide by all product safety laws. Additionally, it is important to make efforts to positively develop voluntary systems required for enhanced product safety in order to maintain the confidence of consumers. Therefore, JBMIA, as an industry association, has established the Voluntary Action Program for Product Safety, as well as Planning Guidelines for member companies. We have also formulated

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Recall Guidelines (3rd edition) and Safety Guidelines for the Moving Parts of Shredders (2nd edition).

This year, the Internal Control Report of the Financial Instruments Sales Law (so-called Japanese SOX Act) will go into full-scale operation. Last year, the Document Management System Working Group organized three seminars in Tokyo and Osaka on the theme of “the Computerized Storage of Documents to Support Internal Control” in which a total of about 450 people participated. On these occasions, we could feel the high level of interest and motivation in the efforts made by many companies. Though it was the first time we held a seminar in Osaka, it received very good responses from the participants, so we are planning to hold similar seminars periodically in other regional cities in the future.

We are also facing some important international issues that need to be solved, such as tariff problems on MFPs in the EU, copyright levies on printers and MFPs in Germany, etc.

Against this background, we sent a European Mission last year to strengthen cooperative relations with related industries including BITKOM, EICTA and so forth. As for our efforts to develop Asian markets, we conducted a field survey in China to obtain more information about the utilization of business machines inside the Chinese office. We intend to conduct a global survey in a similar way, which will include the United States.

As for international standardization activities, we organized the Plenary Meeting of SC28 of ISO/IEC in Matsumoto last June as the host country. With a record number of participants, we were able to bring the Plenary Meeting to a successful conclusion.

We also developed wide-ranging positive activities such as efforts toward the creation of an advanced recycling society using the concept of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle), positive responses for the protection of intellectual property rights and efforts in relation to medium-term problems through the Electronic Paper Consortium.

This year, we intend to exert our best efforts so that JBMIA’s activities may contribute to the further development of our industry and to promote a better society.

Looking forward to your continued support, I thank you in advance for your cooperation.

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SELLING SOLUTIONS

Who Are They Calling On? Ensure that your sales reps are not wasting time by: Max Rosenthal, Diversified Business Solutions

t a recent sales manager executive training meeting, I asked the question, “Are your reps calling on the executive level decision maker?” The hands ceremoniously shot up in compliance. I then rhetorically asked, “Who do you think you are fooling?”

We have been down this familiar path too many times before. At the most fundamental level we all know that we need to present first to the decision maker. The decision maker must initially see the potential of our services being a fit. And now through the power of clairvoyance, I am betting that little voice in your head is whispering something like: “Normally I would agree but he does not know our marketplace in X state.”

“It is IT that makes the decision on the solution we offer.”

“The way we do it is to start at the ground level and then work up the ladder to the decision maker. That way we have developed our case ahead of time.”

“Well, my tenured reps do, but I have a bunch of newbies who do not have that type of experience yet.”

“You know, everyone still thinks of us as just a copier company. Our contacts will not like it if we go over their heads to the CFO.” “The CFO is not interested” or “The CFO delegates these types of things to the __ to decide and merely rubber stamps it.”

The following two analogies help to clarify my position.

A six-year old child is savvy in asking his father for a new tool for the “family” toolbox. He prepares a carefully thoughtout argument for a new power drill that works as a screwdriver, too. He purposely avoids asking his mother, who believes the tool is too dangerous for his small hands.

Although he knows he cannot get past this reality, he hopes his father will agree with the clarity of his argument, relent and then buy the drill (which, of course, he wants too, because it will make his jobs around the house a lot easier).

Maybe just this one time, the father will give in and make the decision without discussing it with the child’s mother first.

The truth is that even though the father completely agrees with the child — a new power drill is something the whole family would benefit from — he knows that these decisions require buy-in from the mother.

One of two things happens next. Mother will not share the

A

logic and there will be no new drill. Or, she requires the entire presentation to begin anew, requiring the child (and father in this example) to explain, from the beginning, why the power drill is necessary when the old handheld screwdriver works just fine. Time is wasted. Had the “decision maker” been involved in the initial approach, the toolbox would be the home of a new power drill and the child would be well on the way to scheming his next desired toy.

If you are not into new power tools, consider this analogy.

When a case is brought to court, how effective would it be to plead to the court reporter? Sure, the court reporter needs to hear everything that is presented and will ask for clarity if necessary, but ultimately, no judgment can be made without the judge. w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | J a n u a r y 2 0 0 8 | 29

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forming the right strategies, just at the Furthermore, the reporter has no effective As sales managers, one wrong time. power in the final outcome. It is only the With the exception of pre-call company judge who has the authority to decide the of our top priorities is to research, it is a criminal use of time to be case, as well as the way the case is argued. disicipline our reps to conducting on-site needs analyses, user As sales managers, one of our top prioricall on qualified interviews and any other activity that creates ties is to discipline our reps to call on qualopportunities and ... a falsely engorged sales funnel. Think of a ified opportunities and, therefore, to to condense the time snake after it ingests a fat rat. It looks so full condense th e tim e getting th e order getting the order closed. that it will soon burst. However, time passes closed. The less time spent on any one deal equates to more time to stuff the pipeline. and that swollen bulge has not moved; it just While it is important to have buy-in from others in the sits there decaying with rot; nothing is coming out the other end. company, the parties that need to be at the initial meeting(s) On the other hand, the mantra of Rep “B” is to maximize the are those who have the authority “to sign on the line that is time calling on qualified prospects and he believes that this is dotted.” I cannot stress that enough. systematically fulfilled by scheduling his first meeting with the So I will say it with a little more flare — if you do not have an CFO. He is not buried in piles of paperwork or onsite at a executive level decision maker at your initial sales call, you are prospect’s company delivering unpaid consulting advice. In just spinning your wheels and falling prey to the most addic- fact, although he thoroughly researches the company he is to tive and rampant sales drug on the street — “hope-ium.” Only meet with, he goes no further until both sides mutually agree until you have the agreement of this person or people do you on the potential of an engagement.

See the chart on page 29 and tell me which style rep you have a qualified sales opportunity. Our job as sales managers is to guide, empower and teach our reps. Teaching them this one would want to help you hit your numbers.

And my final question: Currently, which style most resemidea and helping them to understand it quickly should be one bles your team? of your primary initiatives.

If you are still not completely sold on this idea, consider this Max Rosenthal is an analyst with Diversified Business Solutions, a BTA member company in San Diego, Calif. Diversified scenario: We have two competing sales reps calling on the Business Solutions works with CFOs of small- to same six suspect companies. Rep “A” blissfully subscribes to medium-size businesses that are interested in any one of the six “voices” stated earlier and will schedule an appointment with just about anyone in the company willing to accelerating the time to cash. He encourages your opinions and ideas and can be reached meet. As a result, he (or she) has convinced himself that he is at max.rosenthal@dbsconnected.com productive and, for a short while, is perceived to be busy. and (858) 565-2737.

However, he has only created the illusion of being busy — per-

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(800) 881-7545 / www.mkg.org

(949) 462-6165 / www.copiers.toshiba.com

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Piecing Ideas Together.

The BPCA was founded in 1963 with the vision of forming a best practices organization that unites leaders of independently-owned office equipment dealers. The concept is quite simple - bring the leaders of these companies together so that they can share ideas, learn from each other, and take their businesses to the next level.

Our members will attest that it’s well worth the investment by making each of them better leaders and bringing more value to their dealerships.

Feel like there’s something missing from your organization? Let BPCA bring together all the pieces of the puzzle.

“Better Dealers Through Learning and Idea Exchange.”

If you’d like more information about our organization and how to join, please send us an email or give us a call.

Phone: 800.897.0250 Email: info@businessproductscouncil.org Website: www.businessproductscouncil.org Membership Director BPCA c/o BTA 12411 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64145

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EDUCATION CALENDAR BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION • January 2008

February 6-7

BTA ProFinance Orlando, Fla. BTA ProFinance instructors John Hanson and John Hey of Strategic Business Associates will help you understand the strategies required to become more client and employee focused — key strategies toward successfully growing your company, improving profitability and winning against the competition. ProFinance is designed for dealership owners and executive-level staff who make the critical business decisions that impact your company’s success. This class takes a holistic approach to setting a new course for your business with the goal of helping you achieve a minimum of 14 percent operating income.

6-7

BTA ProSolutions Salt Lake City, Utah BTA ProSolutions, taught by Darrell Amy of Dealer Marketing Systems, is designed for anyone directly engaged in the solution-selling process: solution specialists, major account representatives and sales managers. Software vendors teach you about their technology. However, your clients don’t care about technology — they want their business problems solved. You need to understand your client’s business problems before you can provide solutions. This course fills in the gap.

12-13 BTA Print Management Workshop

Irvine, Calif.

Taught by Tom Callinan of Strategy Development, this two-day educational workshop is designed to provide dealerships with the tools they need to establish a print management strategy that will allow them to significantly increase the quantity of captured prints, lock in customers, distinguish themselves from competitors and, ultimately, sell more hardware.

21-22 ITEX 2008

Las Vegas, Nev.

For more information and to register for BTA seminars visit www.bta.org or call (800) 843-5059.

Office Technology Magazine Business Technology Association 12411 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64145 (816) 941-3100 www.officetechnologymag.com www.bta.org

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