March 2012 Office Technology

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Managed Services

IT support resources are readily available

GreatAmerica Leasing Corp.’s Collabrance Network Operations Center

Protect Your Assets A Valuable Commodity Shorter Sales Cycles

CONTENTS Volume 18 • No. 9

FEATURE ARTICLES 10

Managed Services IT support resources are readily available

COURTS & CAPITOLS Protect Your Assets Strategies to safeguard your personal property

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by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

Many would say it is the next logical step. First, they began connecting MFPs to networks.

Later, they began installing application software, such as document management systems. Today, office technology dealerships’ hardware and software placements are fully integrated into the IT world. So, why not begin managing the customer’s network? After all, today, the IT support resources needed for a managed services product offering are readily available to dealers.

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by Robert C. Goldberg BTA General Counsel

While many individuals place substantial emphasis on maximizing earnings and accumulating wealth, far fewer individuals focus their attention on protecting assets from creditors.

By signing a personal guaranty, you are exposing assets that were meant to be protected.

SELLING SOLUTIONS A Valuable Commodity Building trust with your customers

27

‘Inspire Customer Passion’ Konica Minolta hosts national dealer event

by Troy Harrison SalesForce Solutions

A conversation I had recently with a group of dealers and sales managers centered around this question: “What is the most valuable quality a salesperson can bring to the table?”

The answer is trustworthiness. Trust is a prerequisite for all activities that center on communication.

by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

Focused, in part, on highlighting its ongoing transformation to a services-oriented company and challenging dealers to join in the effort to further boost its brand image among end users, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. hosted its 2012 Business Conference and Product Expo Jan. 15-18 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. The event drew approximately 1,100 attendees, with 65 percent of them personnel from North American authorized dealerships, including just over 300 U.S. dealerships.

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Shorter Sales Cycles You always need to have a ‘next step’

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by Tibor Shanto Renbor Sales Solutions Inc.

Shortening the sales cycle is one of the easiest and most efficient ways for an organization to increase sales and simultaneously reduce the cost of sales. But many people are just not sure how to achieve this. This article offers some suggestions for how salespeople can shorten their sales cycles.

Winter Break 2012 BTA Southeast hosts district event in Orlando

by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

Continuing its ongoing effort to provide office technology dealers with opportunities to learn from experts, network with fellow dealers and gather new ideas and strategies, BTA Southeast hosted Winter Break 2012 on Feb. 10-11 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. The event drew approximately 80 registrants. Winter Break featured a keynote presentation by Marty Canning, president, Imaging Solutions and Services, Lexmark International Inc., and five additional education sessions.

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

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• Education 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

A Changing Industry Creates Opportunity

O

urs is a changing industry in a changing world.

While such a statement has been expressed by many others during the 25 years I’ve been in the industry, change is now coming at a more rapid pace than I can recall seeing in the past.

That can be good news. It is a bit cliché, but I like the phrase: “Where there is change, there is opportunity.” I believe this is true.

Today, I see four key industry and market changes all dealers should at least be keeping an eye on as they look to the future. All of these changes have captured the attention of every dealer to some degree, but not all dealers are embracing the related opportunities, or otherwise planning for what may be coming down the road.

The first of these changes is the rise of social media. We are all fully aware of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and we have varying opinions as to their roles in our world today. The statistics are staggering.

A quick visit to Facebook’s website reveals that it had 845 million monthly users (and 483 million daily users) at the end of 2011.

Twitter reports a current 50 million tweets per day, or 600 tweets per second. LinkedIn reports that it had more than 150 million members at the end of 2011.

Are you actively using these social media tools to engage in dialog with your current and prospective customers, with an eye on, essentially, promoting your dealership? Regardless of where you are today with your social media strategy, I am pleased to see that it is now being proactively addressed in our industry. At the Konica Minolta dealer meeting in January, for example, there were education sessions on the topic, such as “The Business Value of Social Media.”

The second major change we should be watching is the changing workforce. This, of course, has given rise to the use of social media. Specifically, we are seeing a new generation entering the workforce — individuals born in 1992 or after who grew up in a digital-only world (I learned about the significance of this birth year at an InfoTrends conference last fall). The oldest in this group are turning 20 this year. Imagine our world in 10 years, when all workers in their 20s grew up with social media, etc. Are you changing your business model and sales focus in anticipation of this changing workforce?

Part of that “et cetera” in the second major change is the third major change. That is, today, the use of mobile computing has skyrocketed. Walk through any airport, for example, and there is no shortage of people with their eyes fixed on their smartphones. Add to that the rise of tablets and ever-smaller notebooks, and the impact of mobile computing is unmistakable. Essentially, we are rapidly approaching the day when every worker will expect and prefer the ability to access, manage and share digital documents instantly, from any place, at any time.

The above changes, along with declining margins, lead to the fourth change — the emergence of a push for dealers to broaden their horizons by embracing additional, new business opportunities. One of those opportunities is addressed in the cover story of this issue of Office Technology — managed services. If the number of marks on pages from copy/print clicks is declining with today’s changing workforce and technology, shouldn’t you be finding ways to monetize clicks on keyboards and the creation, storage and sharing of digital documents as well?

Here is another overused cliché that rings true: “The time for change is now.” Our world is changing. Are you changing with it?  — 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 Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel Business Technology Association Troy Harrison, SalesForce Solutions www.salesforcesolutions.net Tibor Shanto, Renbor Sales Solutions Inc. www.sellbetter.ca

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: Digital Vision, George Doyle, Keith Brofsky, Stockbyte. Cover created by Elizabeth Marvel. ©2012 by the Business Technology Association. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of published material. 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 2011-2012 Board of Directors

Register for May 2-4 Gateway to Success

I

f you would welcome the opportunity to hear from leading industry presenters, gather new ideas and strategies, and network with fellow dealers in a relaxing, enjoyable setting, then I encourage you to register today for BTA Mid-America’s 2012 Gateway to Success. The event is scheduled for May 2-4 at the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Louis, Mo. Gateway to Success begins on May 2, with a keynote presentation, “Surviving in a Services World,” by Jim D’Emidio, president of Muratec America Inc. Recognizing that transforming a business model is one of the most painful business challenges a dealer will face, D’Emidio will outline some practical, proven methods to help dealers begin their dealerships’ transformations toward becoming true “services” providers.

An opening reception will follow the keynote, giving attendees the opportunity to network with one another and learn about the products and services of the event’s 30 exhibiting sponsors.

On May 3, the event resumes with “Office Imaging: Taking Advantage of a Market in Transition,” presented by Robert Palmer and Ann Priede of Lyra Research. This session will focus on the factors driving change in the office imaging landscape to provide meaningful insight on the future of print.

Following a break where attendees can again visit with exhibitors, John O’Leary of Rising Above will present “Ignite Your Life!

Discovering the Keys to Unlock Passion, Potential & Impact.” In this session, sponsored by Polek & Polek, O’Leary will discuss how life’s greatest challenges can be transformed into outstanding growth, as he empowers dealers to carefully consider critical life questions. By utilizing lessons learned

from surviving childhood burns on 100 percent of his body, O’Leary will guide attendees on an emotional and uplifting ride.

During the afternoon of May 3, attendees will have the choice of participating in one of two afternoon activities, providing a great opportunity to network with fellow dealers and exhibitors. They can enjoy an afternoon at Busch Stadium to see the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the St. Louis Cardinals from the vantage point of a private suite. Or, they can opt to tour the Gateway Arch and enjoy a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi River.

Lunch is included for both activities.

On May 4, the event resumes with “Critical Success Factors for Managed Services in Your Dealership,” presented by Mitch Morgan and Chris Ryne of Growth Achievement Partners. This session will address the actions associated with implementing a managed services strategy that will appeal to all dealers, no matter where they are with their strategies. The session will be followed by a break to visit with exhibitors.

Gateway to Success concludes in the late morning on May 4 with “Successful Implementation of Managed Services: A Dealer Panel,” to be facilitated by Mitch and Chris.

In this session, dealer panelists will discuss the paths they have taken to implement successful MS strategies within their dealerships. As I write this, the lineup of participating panelists is being finalized.

To add to the fun, there will be drawings for a number of great prizes from the exhibiting sponsors as the BTA Mid-America leadership team wraps up the event, plus a chance to win a $500 American Express gift card from BTA. For more information on Gateway to Success or to register, visit www.bta.org/ BTAMidAmericaEvent. I look forward to seeing you in St. Louis.  — Tom Ouellette

President Tom Ouellette Budget Document Technology 251 Goddard Road Lewiston, ME 04240 touellette@bdtme.com President-Elect Terence Chapman Business Electronics Corp.

219 Oxmoor Circle Birmingham, AL 35209 tchapman@businesselectronics.com Vice President Todd J. Fitzsimons Network Imaging LLC 122 Spring St. Southington, CT 06489 tjfitzsimons@ni-ct.com BTA East Rob Richardson Allied Document Solutions & Services Inc. 200 Church St. Swedesboro, NJ 08085 robr@ads-s.com BTA Mid-America Ron Hulett U.S. Business Systems Inc. 3221 Southview Drive Elkhart, IN 46514 ron.hulett@usbus.com BTA Southeast Jerry Jackson All South Copiers Inc. 3610 Kennesaw N. Industrial Parkway., Ste. D Kennesaw, GA 30144 jj@ascopiers.com BTA West Ronelle Ingram Steven Enterprises Inc. 17952 Sky Park Circle, Ste. E Irvine, CA 92614 ronellei@msn.com Ex-Officio/Immediate Past President Rock Janecek Burtronics Business Systems Inc. 216 S. Arrowhead Ave. San Bernardino, CA 92408 rjanecek@burtronics.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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Managed Services IT support resources are readily available by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

M

any would say it is the next logical step. First, they began connecting MFPs to networks. Later, they began installing application software, such as document management systems. Today, office technology dealerships’ hardware and software placements are fully integrated into the IT world. So, why not take that next step and begin managing the customer’s network? After all, today, the IT support resources needed for a managed services product offering are readily available to dealers.

“We are seeing an environment today in which we have increasing margin pressure, increasing revenue pressure, declining click rates and declining placements; there is compression all over the place,” says Chris Ryne, a partner at Growth Achievement Partners, a consultancy specializing, in part, in helping dealerships transition to managed services. “We have gotten to a point where, outside of an acquisition, true growth is probably not going to come from net new.”

Where, then, can the office technology dealership find growth? “Looking at it from a revenue-per-customer perspective, you have to look at the customer base you have today and, frankly, get more of the pie,” Ryne says. “The client is spending X thousands of dollars in and around technology, and the dealership may only be getting a small slice today.”

Marco LaVecchia, a sales manager with N-able Technologies, a provider of remote monitoring and management software for IT support, offers a similar perspective. “When a copier dealership sales rep walks into a customer’s office and walks by a desk with a PC or laptop on it, it’s like walking by a pile of money,” he says. “Right now, the dealership is only generating revenue on one or two devices in that environment when, actually, with the right expertise and technology, it has the ability to assume the entire network.”

Today, end users increasingly view the office technology (copier/MFP) dealership as the logical source for support of the network, says Mark Miller, senior vice president of

sales and operations for All Covered, an IT services company owned by Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. “It is not a big leap; I think that clients have accepted that it is where it is going,” he says.

“This is especially true if the dealership has already made the transition into the applications world and is selling software to the client.”

Mitch Morgan, a partner at Growth Achievement Partners, concurs, noting that in his work with dealerships and their customers, he has observed that end users do not view IT support as outside of the scope of the office technology dealership. “We don’t hear that as often as you might expect,” he says. “I think that the perception probably exists more within the four walls of the dealership than it does within the four walls of the customer location.”

Beyond the end-user’s acceptance of the office technology dealership as a source of IT support, there is the appeal of dealing with only one company for both IT support and output devices. Miller describes the common scenario of the end user clicking “print” on the PC icon and getting no results. “You don’t know what the problem is,” he explains.

“Is it the computer? Is it the network? Or is it the printer?

The end user would say, ‘That’s the frustrating part. I am not sure who to call [the IT support company or the office technology dealership].’”

The scenario presents the perfect talk track for the office technology dealership sales rep seeking to promote managed services as well, Miller says. “‘If you deal with us, you can call just one number; it doesn’t really matter where the problem is,’” he explains. “‘You call this one number and we will take care of it. If it’s the computer, network or output device, we’ll fix it.’ That is a big value proposition in the SMB world today.

They just want one number to call.”

David Pohlman, executive vice president and chief operating officer of GreatAmerica Leasing Corp., parent company of Collabrance LLC, an IT services company, agrees. “If

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the customer can find one owners who spent a halfsource to handle all things million dollars but never “‘If you deal with us, you technology, they see that as made money,” Miller says, can call just one number; a big win,” he says. “Today, citing the challenges associit doesn’t really matter they call one company beated with dealerships trying where the problem is ... lieving the problem is with to remotely monitor comIf it’s the computer, an output device, only to puter networks themselves discover that it is a networkfrom the beginning, the exnetwork or output device, based problem. It’s highly pense of hiring network enwe’ll fix it.’ That is a big inefficient to have multiple gineers, etc. “Some of those value proposition in the SMB world today.” sources trying to support early adopters said, ‘Two — Mark Miller a customer’s organization years into this we had 10 All Covered as opposed to having one customers and I was bleedsource respond to ensure ing money.’” that whatever it is, it is working.”

Today, there are IT support resources available to dealers The office technology dealership is better suited to be that allow them to avoid the expenses and risks of buildthat single source than the traditional IT company, Pohl- ing an internal network operations center (NOC) and help man says. “Three years ago, when we first got into this, I was desk for the remote monitoring and service of end-user netsurprised to learn that IT managed services organizations works. “You have zero investment with us,” Miller says. “You tend to be much less responsive than the BTA Channel deal- don’t have to outlay anything. You have no risk. And let’s say erships,” he says. “IT organizations have a very different at- you get into this and you decide in six months that you’ve titude in terms of service expectations when dealing with changed your mind. OK, fine. You didn’t spend any money.” critical assets.”

What does All Covered offer Konica Minolta dealers?

Lindsay Dick, a business development specialist for Col- Through its two 24-hour NOCs and client service centers labrance, emphasizes that office technology dealerships (help desks) the company remotely monitors the networks have an inherent advantage. “From what I have seen, the and devices of its partnering dealerships’ participating cuscopier dealers have a leg up on the traditional IT service pro- tomers and provides them remote assistance. “Today, with vider because they have a better relationship with the cus- the technology and the software that we have at All Covered, tomer,” she says, noting that dealerships are not only able to anything that can be done sitting at a keyboard, we can do offer superior service and support, but have employees who remotely,” Miller says, emphasizing that the focus is not can explain the “why” to the customer. “Tell them the ‘why’ only on reactive service, but proactive service as well. “We and they will trust you forever.” can, for example, support email and provide anti-spam, viDespite any weaknesses among traditional IT service rus protection, patch management and all of the upgrades.” providers, they have their eyes on the office technology Miller describes the scenario of a company employee logdealership’s piece of the revenue pie. “We have had several ging in to a PC one morning and being greeted by the dreadIT companies call wanting to sign up as a dealership to sell ed blue error screen. “The employee calls the [All Covered] [Konica Minolta] MFPs,” Miller says. “They say, ‘I manage help-desk number and the person answering the call says, the networks of 200 clients and supply them printers, but I ‘Let me log in to your system and take a look,’” he explains. don’t have access to MFPs. If you sell me your MFPs, I can “He may say, ‘Let me reboot your system and when it comes guarantee that your devices will go on their networks.’” back up, you should be OK.’ However, if it is a physical issue, While, as Miller assures, Konica Minolta and All Covered like with the hard drive, we tell the end user that we will have no plans to sell MFPs through traditional IT service send someone out to make the repair. We then contact the providers, the fact that the question is being asked should dealership to dispatch someone.” lead dealers to take notice. Plus, as noted, there is the reWhat if you are not a Konica Minolta dealer? Another ality that office technology dealerships have an advantage possibility is GreatAmerica’s Collabrance, open to both because they are more responsive than IT service providers GreatAmerica dealer customers and non-customers. “Coland, increasingly, end users are seeking a “one-stop shop” labrance provides remote elements, such as remote monifor IT support. Perhaps it is time for more dealers to take a toring/remediation, a NOC and a help desk [both in Cedar closer look at managed services.

Rapids, Iowa]. We also provide complete backup options, Many dealers may hesitate due to “war stories” they have hosted solutions and all other key components needed for heard. “They have heard the stories from other dealership the dealership to get involved in this,” Pohlman says. “Then, 12 | ­w w w. o f f i c e t e c h n o l ogymag.com | March 2012

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what the dealership brings Covered can help dealers to it is their own branding, establish pricing models “Collabrance provides the sales approach, ownerand provide such support remote elements ... remote ship of the customer and tools as sales and prospectmonitoring/remediation, a anything else on-site that ing training programs, teleNOC and help desk ... What is needed.” marketing scripts, and colthe dealership brings to it is Both Miller and Pohllateral materials that only man acknowledge that, in require the addition of the their own branding, the sales some cases, the dealership dealership’s logo and conapproach ... and anything may ultimately assume the tact information. “Our goal else on-site that is needed.” remote monitoring of cusis to help dealers get to that — David Pohlman tomer networks, staffing next level,” he says, emphaGreatAmerica Leasing Corp. its own NOC and help desk. sizing the focus on supportSays Miller: “If we help you ing dealers in many ways. “If get this going and you get 10 or 15 clients engaged and say, we can get them to the next level, they will be more produc‘You know what, I’ve done the financial analysis and I think tive and sell more.”

I have enough revenue coming in that I can afford my own Selling more is a key outcome of the managed services opNOC,’ then great, we will help you design it and get it set up, portunity. “Through Collabrance, I have seen dealers bring and we’ll transfer your clients in our system into your sys- in new customers they did not have previously on the copitem.” Says Pohlman: “Some dealers go into this with the idea er/MFP side and morph them into output device customers that, eventually, as they reach enough scale, they may build as well,” Pohlman says. “So, there is certainly pull-through it themselves and transition away from Collabrance. If that on the dealership’s traditional business.” happens, that’s a great outcome, too. After all, our tagline is, Beyond any pull-through of hardware, however, perhaps ‘Helping you get there.’” the more compelling reason for dealers to pursue managed N-able Technologies provides remote monitoring tools services is to gain more revenue share from both longtime and resources to the dealership that opts to provide man- and new customers. “We know that hardware is going to aged IT services with an internal NOC and help desk. “The continue to get less expensive and that the click rate is govalue proposition that we bring to the table is that we help ing to continue to decline,” Miller says. “And so, you need dealers automate as many of their manual processes as pos- to come up with other ways to gain entry into the account. sible,” LaVecchia says. “From a monitoring standpoint, our That’s why many dealers are now getting into managed serproduct can monitor anything that has an IP address. That vices; it provides them another revenue stream. While this can be a server, firewall, switch, router, copier, printer, etc. is just another one of those natural progressions in our inSo, rather than the dealer being reactive — meaning, their dustry, you need to get in on the front end of it.” customer has to make a telephone call in order for the dealGetting in on the front end provides a distinct advantage, ership to roll out a vehicle — the dealership has everything says Morgan in agreement, noting his expectation that the on one central dashboard, which allows them to proactively level of activity among dealers in the area of managed sermonitor and manage their clients’ devices 24/7.” vices will be much more significant in the next one to two Recognizing that managed services is likely a completely years than it is today. That is all the more reason to take a new venture for many dealerships, N-able Technologies of- close look at the market opportunity today, he says. “Lining fers its Blueprint for Success program to help guide dealers, up the right relationships and programs, then making a sucLaVecchia says. “This teaches dealers how to go out and de- cessful entry into the market, is within the grasp of the BTA velop, monetize and market their IT services offerings,” he Channel,” he says. “Proper planning is essential to effective says. “It is a process we go through with the dealership per- implementation. With successful entry, there is a great valsonnel working with our partner development specialists to ue-add to incumbency and it is going to be really difficult for create all of the models, programs and go-to-market strate- someone else to take business away from you gies. The ultimate goal is for customers to really understand in this space. We are expecting 2012 to be a the value of what the dealership is going to bring to them.” big year for managed services.” n All Covered, Collabrance and Growth Achievement PartBrent Hoskins, executive director of the ners are poised to provide dealers a significant amount of Business Technology Association, is editor assistance in ramping up and promoting their managed of Office Technology magazine. He can be services programs as well. For example, says Miller, All reached at brent@bta.org or (816) 303-4040.

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APRIL 18-19, 2012 THE MIRAGE • LAS VEGAS, NV www.itexshow.com

N at i O N a L E x p O & C O N f E r E N C E

Back in Vega s!

On the horizon in office solutions Why ITEX? It’s the nation’s largest and most comprehensive event for the channel, bringing together dealers, resellers, distributors, VARs, vendors, OEMs and associations all under one roof.

• Evolving technology: Discover the latest products and most innovative technologies that can move you beyond your core capabilities and drive your business to new paths.

• Integrated processes: Gain knowledge of processes and new strategies to reposition your business, generate new revenue streams, and how to continually improve to stay ahead of the competition.

• Profitable results: Connect with market-leading vendors and peers to grow your dealership, increase sales, decrease expenses and build profitable solutions.

Why YOU Need to Attend ITEX: • Largest and most comprehensive event to showcase all dealer offerings – not just MPS • Quality and depth of educational tracks including: Document Solutions, MPS, Managed Services, Sales & Marketing, Hybrid & Beyond, Interactive IT and more!

• Opportunity to meet new vendors and existing partners • Dealer support services • Outstanding networking opportunities • Concurrent events

94% of 2011 Attendees Plan to Attend ITEX 2012.

Topics and solutions include:

Why I Attend ItEx...

Document Solutions

Hybrid & Beyond

Managed Services

Interactive IT

Sales & Marketing

Managed Print Services

Service & Supplies

With hundreds of best-in-class exhibitors, pre-conference workshops, essential education tracks, a comprehensive MPS and Managed Services Forum, and plenty of opportunities to network and partner, ITEX is the must-attend channel event of the year.

DIAMOND SPONSOR:

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Featured speakers and vendors at ITEX helps to make the climb more achievable.”

Dave Varney, Millennium Business Systems

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Expanded Event Features for 2012!

Managed Services Strategy Forum & Pavilion

Opening Keynote

In this specialized forum, you’ll find quality information from industry experts who have the roadmap on how to effectively navigate growing your business through the Managed Services market. pLUS – Visit the Expo floor to see the latest Managed Services offerings from industry leaders in the Managed Services Pavilion!

Wednesday, April 18, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

MPS Strategy Forum

the Converging, Competitive World of It and Print – How to Survive and Profit Moderator: Jon Reardon, Group Director, InfoTrends Randy Dazo, Director, InfoTrends Todd Thibodeaux, President & CEO, CompTIA Trevor Akervik, Director of Managed Services, Marco

Leading experts presenting powerful presentations on MpS share actionable formulas and strategies that not only help you close print management contracts, but give you the roadmap on how to identify, sell, monitor, measure, train, apply, service, finance and leverage MPS for higher profits.

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‘Inspire Customer Passion’ Konica Minolta hosts national dealer event by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

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ocused, in part, on highlighting its ongoing transformation into a services-oriented company and challenging dealers to join in the effort to further boost its brand image among end users, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. (Konica Minolta) hosted its 2012 Business Conference Rick Taylor and Products Expo Jan. 15-18 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. The event drew approximately 1,100 attendees, with 65 percent of them personnel from North American authorized dealerships, including just over 300 U.S. dealerships.

The schedule included a variety of education sessions on such topics as managed IT services, managed print services, social media and the changing workplace. In addition, the event’s Product Expo highlighted the Konica Minolta product lineup along with the products and services of 24 exhibiting partners, ranging from KIP America to U.S. Bank Equipment Finance. It also provided the company the opportunity to announce various new products and initiatives. Among them: n INFO-Palette Design — The new bizhub MFP control panel, an intuitive “touch-and-swipe” interface that works similar to modern mobile devices. n bizhub C754/C654 Series — The 60 page-per-minute (ppm) color and 75 ppm monochrome C754, and the 60 ppm color and 65 ppm monochrome C654, the first MFPs to feature the new INFO-Palette Design control panel. n EnvisionIT — A new suite of solutions inclusive of MPS, managed IT services, professional services, integrated solutions, hardware and support, focused on three key vertical markets: education, legal and health care. n Managed IT and Print Services Program — Providing dealers the ability to offer customers desktop management, email security, network monitoring and 24/7 helpdesk support from All Covered, a division of Konica Minolta

focused on delivering managed IT services to small and medium-sized businesses.

Prior to the education sessions and new product announcements — and setting the tone for the event — was the opening General Session featuring, among other presenters, Rick Taylor, president and COO of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. Taylor’s comments served, in part, to define the theme of the event and the future direction of the company. He began, however, with a report on the company’s recent successes.

For the first nine months of the current fiscal year through December 2011, Konica Minolta’s sales revenue grew 14 percent as compared to the same nine months in the previous fiscal year, Taylor said. He also reported that Konica Minolta color office unit placements are up 12 percent, with color production print unit placements up 22 percent, positioning the company as number two in market share in terms of color unit placements.

“You continue to be the stars of our organization,” Taylor told the dealer attendees. “Without question, you are the best dealer organization in the industry today. For that, you all deserve the gratitude and respect of every Konica Minolta employee in this room. I give you my heartfelt thanks for your performance.”

That performance has helped Konica Minolta reach new heights in recent years, Taylor said. “According to Gartner market-share data, over the last three years, Konica Minolta has been the fastest-growing company in the industry,” he said. “We have grown our market share of just over 10 percent three years ago to just over 16 percent in the last nine months.”

With an eye on future market-share gains, Taylor explained the vision behind the company’s “Inspire Customer Passion” corporate objective. “All of the leading companies in the world — companies with the best operating results and best brand images — have one thing in common,” Taylor explained. “They have developed inspired and passionate customers.”

Taylor listed some of the companies that are known for having especially loyal customer bases — Apple, Google, Amazon,

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Get everything you need to assess, analyze, propose, monitor and market your MPS Strategy. Developed on the .NET Framework, this complete package includes all of the FMAudit modules, partner interfaces and MPS best practices.

Central Server Central Server is the heart of the FMAudit software solution. Central Server is the data repository for the wealth of device data collected by FMAudit.

You can leverage the information to empower your staff to develop and act on your strategic business opportunities in both new and existing accounts.

The server can be installed at your company or hosted by FMAudit or an FMAudit partner.

Capture Technologies FMAudit offers the most extensive data collection software tools available in the industry today. USB Viewer for quick snapshot assessment, WebAudit for browser/e-mail enabled quick assessment, Onsite for ongoing assessment, device meter/supply/service monitoring and device optimization and Local Agent to collect non-networked device data. FMAudit provides a secure, comprehensive approach to address the needs of your diverse client base.

TCO Reporting/Green Reporting/ Customized Reports FMAudit provides reporting features to help you understand and present your solutions and recommendations. FMAudit includes TCO reporting to determine and validate current cost of ownership, “Green” reporting to analyze environmental efficiencies and customized reporting to uniquely present data for new account proposals, current account reviews and proactive fleet device management and optimization.

Complete software for remote meter reading and managed print services automation Flexible capture options TCO Reporting to determine operational costs Adaptive Service Management to filter service alerts Bi-directional ERP/CRM synchronization simplifies contract administration Green Reporting for “eco-friendly” optimization

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FMAudit includes automation to interpret and filter alerts into process workflows. You can set parameters and triggers to handle the specific needs and expectations of your clients MPS agreement. The ability to automate supply and service fulfillment and the flow of information is a primary differentiator in the delivery of a profitable MPS strategy.

Remote Onsite install and update Supply level alerts and workflows

Bi-Directional ERP Sync FMAudit provides bi-directional ERP systems data integration to enable complete automation of meter collection and accurate billing. Your ERP account data and device information can be pulled seamlessly into FMAudit Central providing ongoing data exchange and updates.

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FedEx, American Express, Starbucks and “It is time for a company Zappos. “Why not in our industry to step Konica Minolta?” he up and deliver the kind asked. “It is time for of customer experience a company in our that produces loyalty, industry to step up and deliver the kind arouses admiration ... of customer experiand awakens passion.” ence that produces loyalty, arouses admiration, stirs inspiration and awakens passion. Passion in our customers translates into devotion to Konica Minolta products and services for a lifetime. This goal to inspire customer passion is not beyond our reach.”

Like those companies that have the most loyal customers, “we are positioning ourselves as a value-add organization,” Taylor said, noting that Konica Minolta recently commissioned independent research to assess where the company is today in the eyes of customers. “The results showed that we scored highest in our industry in terms of end-user customer satisfaction,” he said. “Let’s face it, we have got great products and you give great service. Together, we have satisfied customers.”

Despite the research results, however, Konica Minolta needs to further enhance efforts to ensure ongoing customer loyalty, Taylor said, sharing his expectations for the future. “Customers are going to recommend our products and services to their friends and business associates,” he said.

“We start today to clearly demonstrate the unique value of our products and solution offerings, and to reinforce those capabilities with an unmatched level of support so that every customer who does business with us in the future has an experience that cannot be matched anywhere else.”

In his concluding comments during the General Session, Taylor challenged dealers to embrace the Konica Minolta vision for the future. “We intend to live up to our commitment to inspire customer passion,” he said. “We will do this by empowering, motivating and compensating each Konica Minolta employee to deliver an unmatched customer experience to each and every customer we serve. But we can’t possibly inspire customer passion alone. We directly sell and service about half of the Konica Minolta machines in the field in North America. That means the rest of the Konica Minolta customers receive their experience with our company from you. We need you to be as committed to our goal of inspiring customer passion as we are, and I challenge you today to embrace our passion for achieving this shared vision.”  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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Winter Break 2012 BTA Southeast hosts district event in Orlando by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

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ontinuing its ongoing effort to provide office technology dealers with opportunities to learn from experts, network with fellow dealers and gather new ideas and strategies, BTA Southeast hosted Winter Break 2012 on Feb. 10-11 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. The event drew approximately 80 registrants.

A sampling of comments shared in event evaluations reflect those of many of the attendees. From Gerry Purvis, Purvis Business Machines, Meridian, Miss.: “I enjoyed the visionary insight as to the future of office technology.”

From Gene Vandi, DOS Imaging, Sarasota, Fla.: “It was well organized and timely in terms of trends and opportunities.”

Winter Break 2012 featured a keynote presentation, “Understanding Your Customer: Output Strategies,” by Marty Canning, president, Imaging Solutions and Services, Lexmark International Inc. There were also five other education sessions: “Recruiting & Selecting Sales Reps for MS & MPS,” with Rich Sissen, Sissen & Associates; “Service Challenges Every Dealer Faces,” with Ken Staubitz, Strategy Development; “Aftermarkets: The Untapped Resource,” with Melissa Whitaker, Melissa Whitaker International; “The Rise of Social Media in Business,” with Martin Perry, in2communications Inc.; and “What’s on the Horizon for BTA Dealers in 2012: It Isn’t Just MFPs & Printers Anymore,” with Keith Kmetz, IDC. The event concluded with an afternoon and evening at the Epcot theme park.

Winter Break featured 28 exhibiting sponsors: BEI Services, CAPSYS, Color Imaging, Compass Sales Solutions, Crawford Thomas, Densi, Diversified Computer Supplies, DocuWare, EDA, Epson, ESP, Evolved Office, Falcon Technology Solutions, GreatAmerica Leasing, Image Star, InkCycle, Katun, LEAF, Lexmark, MSE, Muratec, N-able Technologies, NA Trading and Technology, OKI, Prism Pointe Technologies, SalesChain, Smart Power Systems and Square 9.

For information on future BTA district events, visit www.bta.org/DistrictEvents.  Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine. He can be reached at brent@bta.org.

Counterclockwise from top: BTA Southeast’s Winter Break featured six education sessions and a round-table discussion on “Hot Topics”; Presenter Martin Perry, in2communications Inc.; Rick Echols, Total Laser Care of NC Inc., Durham, N.C., comments during the round table; Bill Gates (right), Epson America Inc., speaks to an attendee about his company’s offerings.

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Right: Marty Canning, president, Imaging Solutions and Services, Lexmark International Inc., presents the keynote session, “Understanding Your Customer: Output Strategies.” Below: Gregory Schloemer (left), president of exhibiting sponsor DocuWare Corp., speaks to an attendee during an extended break between education sessions.

Clockwise from top of four photos: Melissa Whitaker, Melissa Whitaker International; Ken Staubitz, Strategy Development; BTA Southeast’s Jerry Jackson and Debra Dennis lead the roundtable discussion; N-able’s Roy Serhal (left) awards a BlackBerry Playbook to Michael Hicks, EBM Inc., Lexington, Ky., during the exhibitor prize drawings at the conclusion of the event.

Output Strategies A

s he began his keynote presentation, “Understanding Your Customer: Output Strategies,” Marty Canning, president of Imaging Solutions and Services, Lexmark International, asked dealer attendees to consider the future direction of their companies, in light of the current growth rate of the imaging industry.

“For the imaging marketplace, we are projecting, between 2011 and 2015, market growth of 0 to 4 percent,” he said. “It could be flat or it could be low single digits. We have to look at the world that way to properly align our resources and to make sure that we are focused in the right way.”

Given that there is little to no growth expected on the imaging side, Canning said, it is important to look at industry opportunities where more growth is expected. He listed five specific, high-growth target areas, sharing the percentage of growth projected by Lexmark during the 2011 to 2015 time period, as follows: smart MFPs, 7 percent; managed print services (MPS) in the enterprise, 7 percent; color, 8 percent; enterprise content management/business process management (ECM/BPM), 11 percent; and MPS in the mid-market, 15 percent.

When considering these high-growth target areas, it is also important to consider current market trends, Canning said. “This is Lexmark’s perspective on the trends we think are going on in the market,” he said. “These are the things that we need to deal with — that you need to deal with — as we try to grow and become more prosperous in our businesses.” He listed six key trends: n Managed print services: “MPS is an opportunity to engage with the customer, who is trying to solve a problem when there is less revenue and less resources, and help them to optimize their cost structure. This is a significant trend that we expect to see continue.” n Consumerization of IT: “Generations X and Y now outnumber us Boomers in the marketplace. What does that mean?

There is an increased expectation to work anywhere, work any time and access information instantly.” n Business mobility is spreading: “You may not be aware of this, but based on our research, 86 of the Fortune 100 are testing or currently deploying iPads in some aspect of their business.” n Unstructured content is exploding: “Information is growing.

It is coming from everywhere. It is difficult to access and retrieve, and is very complicated in a distributed environment. There is an ever-increasing amount of formats; most are not searchable in terms of structure. So, it is unmanaged.” n Sustainability is expected: “Environmentally conscious buyers and users are expecting low-energy-usage solutions and high recycle content to be provided.” n Cloud delivery is expected: “Secure cloud structures are affording the opportunity to optimize between premise-based and cloud applications and data storage. The cloud will grow by more than 50 percent during the 2011 to 2015 time period.”

After presenting the trends, Canning asked the audience members whether they view them as “headwind or tailwind” trends. “The answer to that question is: It depends on how you define your dealership as a business,” he said. “If you look at yourself in our traditional model, then some of these are headwinds and some of these are tailwinds. If you look at the end-toend solution-provider model, we think all of these trends take on the shape of tailwinds.” n —Brent Hoskins

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COURTS & CAPITOLS

Protect Your Assets Strategies to safeguard your personal property by: Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel for the Business Technology Association

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n difficult economic times, credit becomes tighter and tighter. When it does ease up, as it appears to have done, creditors who have learned harsh collection lessons seek greater assurances that they will be paid. Often, requirements for credit terms destroy or interfere with the very organization of your business.

Whether you are a corporation or limited liability company (LLC), the purpose of establishing your business in this manner is to protect your personal assets from creditors. It is one thing to have your business on the line, but it is very different to risk your home and personal savings.

While many individuals place substantial emphasis on maximizing earnings and accumulating wealth, far fewer individuals focus their attention on protecting assets from creditors. By signing a personal guaranty, you are exposing assets that were meant to be protected. Because of our increasingly litigious society, greater emphasis should be given to utilizing available strategies to protect assets from creditors. While few — if any — asset-protection strategies are ironclad, proper planning can make it more difficult for a creditor to attach the assets of an individual.

Many states protect the family residence from creditors.

Florida is the best example. It is also possible to hold ownership of a principal residence as “tenancy-by-the-entirety.” In such an arrangement, a creditor cannot force the sale of a home based on the fact that both parties (husband and wife) must consent.

A creditor can place a lien on the home, but cannot force the sale and, thus, must allow you to continue living there.

Qualified retirement plan assets are generally exempt from creditors under the federal law known as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Workers who are covered by employer-sponsored retirement plans will benefit by maximizing the amount of contributions to their company 401(k) plans, profit sharing plans and other types of qualified plans.

This strategy does not work if the ERISA plan is maintained solely for the owner of the company. However, some states do protect individual owner retirement accounts (IRAs).

Cash and other liquid assets are a prime target for creditors.

Contributing these assets to an LLC owned by more than one person may protect them. This additional individual could be your spouse. Properly structuring the arrangement is essential and professional assistance is advised.

Trusts are the cornerstone of asset protection planning, primarily for those who are inheriting or being gifted assets.

Properly created, a trust can hold assets for beneficiaries that are not subject to attachment by creditors of the trust beneficiaries. For maximum asset protection, a third party should serve as trustee.

Life insurance policies are generally exempt from the insured’s creditors if the proceeds are payable to a spouse, child, parent or certain other relatives. Again, this may vary by state.

This is also true even if the insured retains the right to change the beneficiary. This strategy may be lost, however, where the proceeds are payable to a trust. But if the ownership of an insurance policy is transferred to a third party — including a trust in which the owner has no further ownership rights in the policy — then the creditors of the owner transferring the policy may not be able to attach the policy or its proceeds.

To retain your assets and not risk everything, establish your business to segregate its assets, proceed with an absolute rule to never sign a personal guaranty and take steps to protect your assets prior to an adverse event. For those who take steps to protect their assets from creditors before events occur that may give rise to creditor claims, continuous, uninterrupted enjoyment and ownership of assets may be realized. n Robert C. Goldberg is general counsel for the Business Technology Association.

He can be reached at robert.goldberg@sfnr.com.

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EDUCATION CALENDAR April 3-4

BTA Sales Management Workshop Chicago, IL Taught by Tom Callinan and Jane Lewis of Strategy Development, this two-day workshop will provide sales leaders a framework, process and tools concentrated on developing sales professionals, uncovering new business and expanding share of wallet with current customers. Visit www.bta.org/SalesManagement to register.

4-5

ProSolutions 2.0 Columbus, OH The market is changing and sales professionals will need to evolve to a new sales process to be successful in the future. The skills needed for high-performance sales professionals will be based on: solving business problems, helping customers achieve business goals, focusing on business processes, driving complex sales, and strategies to go deeper and wider. Taught by Mitch Morgan and Chris Ryne of Growth Achievement Partners, this course provides a time-tested strategic sales methodology that works. Visit www.bta.org/ProSolutions to register.

18-19 ITEX 2012 Las Vegas, NV BTA members receive a discount of $50 on All Access and Main Conference passes with discount code A300E. Visit www.itexshow.com to register.

May 1-2

BTA Managed Services Workshop St. Louis, MO In this workshop, Mitch Morgan and Chris Ryne of Growth Achievement Partners will show you how to set up a managed services (MS) business in your company. Areas of focus will include: the phases of the MS process, financial targets, packaging of services, MS systems and processes, staffing, dealing with competition, and the MS sales process. Visit www.bta.org/MS to register.

2-4

BTA Mid-America’s 2012 Gateway to Success St. Louis, MO BTA Mid-America’s 2012 district event will feature a keynote by Jim D’Emidio, president of Muratec America Inc. There will also be four additional education sessions, including a dealer panel addressing the managed services opportunity and an inspirational session by John O’Leary of Rising Above. Dealers will be able to participate in networking events that will allow them to connect with peers and exhibitors, including a cocktail reception and the choice between an afternoon in a private suite at Busch Stadium to see the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the St. Louis Cardinals, or a tour of the Gateway Arch and a riverboat cruise. Visit www.bta.org/BTAMidAmericaEvent 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 Automated Imaging Systems, Monroe, LA Digitech Office Machines, Lafayette, LA Herrin Document Systems, Brunswick, GA Infomax Office Systems, Des Moines, IA Magnolia Business Systems, Columbus, MS North Star Digital Imaging, Wheat Ridge, CO Service Associate Member SalesScoreKeeper, Pembroke Pines, FL Vendor Associate Member Parts Now, Middleton, WI Printer Essentials, Reno, NV For full contact information of these new members, visit www.bta.org.

BTA’s 2012 District Events Each year, the districts of the Business Technology Association host education and networking events for dealers that include industry-leading education sessions and keynote speakers, valuable networking opportunities for dealers to connect with peers and exhibiting sponsors, and fun social events. Four of BTA’s district events remain in 2012. Visit www.bta.org/DistrictEvents for details.

• BTA Mid-America - May 2-4, St. Louis, Mo. • BTA East - Oct. 2-3, Rye Brook, N.Y. • BTA Southeast - Oct. 26-27, Waynesville, N.C. • BTA West - Nov. 15-16, Las Vegas, Nev. www.bta.org/DistrictEvents 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.

Creating greater profits for copier dealers with highquality compatible copier toner products has been the mission statement for BTA Vendor Associate member Trendler USA (formerly Trety USA). Founded

by OEM engineers and manufacturers, Trendler provides products that are perfectly matched to OEM specifications and performance to offer true OEM alternatives for copier dealers. Every major brand name is available via Trendler’s compatible products, and the company ships from multiple locations that provide fast transit times to all cities across the country. www.trendlerusa.com BTA Service Associate member SalesScoreKeeper is a software design and development company specializing in automation of the commission process for business-to-business sales companies. SalesScoreKeeper is a cloud program that helps you manage your sales reps. It is a workflow tool for commissions, a comprehensive reporting tool, and a communication tool to inform and motivate your sales team. SalesScoreKeeper’s goal is to help you improve your business’s bottom line. www.salesscorekeeper.com A full list of BTA Vendor and Service Associate members can be found online at www.bta.org.

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Selling Solutions

A Valuable Commodity Building trust with your customers by: Troy Harrison, SalesForce Solutions

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rom time to time, I enjoy engaging practiced salespeople and sales managers in conversations about selling on a deeper level. One of these conversations I had recently centered around this question: “What is the most valuable quality a salesperson can bring to the table?” Answers ranged from “product knowledge” to “likeability” to “good communication,” and on to “expert questioning” before one of the salespeople hit the correct answer — the answer that trumps all of the above.

That answer is trustworthiness. The reason it is the trump card is simple: If the customer does not believe what you say, it does not matter how well you know your subject matter. If the customer does not trust you, he (or she) will not answer questions honestly. Trust, then, is a prerequisite for all activities that center on communication — selling in particular. In that spirit, I will share a few methods for building trust with customers, but first I have to share one of the most outrageous stories of a salesperson ruining his customer’s trust in him. It is too good a story not to share.

The salesperson was employed by a cleaning company that was providing janitorial services to a group of hospitals. The hospital’s management team liked him — and the service he provided — a lot. They believed in him, and the quality and integrity of his company. Then came a charity golf tournament.

A friend of mine (who happened to be in the same fivesome as the salesperson) explained what happened: “It was a typical five-man scramble: one guy would hit into the sand, one into the woods, another way into the rough. The fourth golfer would dunk a ball and the last one would get his ball stuck in a tree somewhere. The salesman would hit first on each hole, then drive the cart down the fairway to ‘spot’ for the rest of the team. Once the rest of the group hit and headed down the fairway, a ball would magically appear in the middle of the fairway with the salesman explaining that one of the shots bounced into the fairway.”

Yes, he was cheating in a charity golf tournament.

But, wait — it gets better.

It seems that the key decision maker for the hospital account was also in the same fivesome, and what was happening was not escaping him. In fact, immediately after the 18th hole, the manager left in disgust, skipping the post-tournament party. Slick Salesman was not done, however. He did the same thing a month later — at a tournament sponsored by the hospital. After getting a feel for the salesperson’s char-

acter, hospital management began watching everything the janitorial company did. Lo and behold, they found bad billing, cleaning that was supposed to be done but was not and other problems. To make a long story short, the salesman is no longer employed by the company and the company no longer has the hospital account. The moral of the story is: Some salespeople believe that trust is solely generated by work habits and activities; the truth is that anything you do that shows a lack of integrity can ruin the trust others have in you.

With this story in mind, here are some ways you can build trust with your customers: n Do what you say and say what you will do — This is so painfully obvious that I hate to even say it, but I encounter salespeople on a daily basis who are not bothered by not fulfilling promises in a timely fashion. When you make a promise to a customer, he will remember it. When you fail to fulfill that promise, he remembers it forever. It is not that difficult; only promise what you can actually do, then do it. n Do the right thing, even when you think no one is looking — Someone once said that this was the very definition of integrity. Sometimes, you will be tempted to behave in ways you would never think of behaving if you knew a customer was watching. Guess what? They might be.

Several years ago, I was in Minneapolis making calls with a salesperson as a favor to a branch manager of the company I worked for. On our second call, the customer got a look at the salesman and immediately threw us out. It turns out that the night before, the salesman had been out at a bar, had a few www.officetechnologymag. c o m | M a r c h 2 0 1 2 | 27

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is the case, consider it a measure of the drinks and started a conflict with another increasing bond of trust when your cuspatron over a particular seat at the bar. The Salespeople are regularly tomer eventually gives you those pieces of other patron turned out to be the person he trusted with ... company information or takes you to those places. wanted to sell to the next morning. Behave secrets ... If you want to If you continue pressing for them, your like this in public at your own peril; you continue to have your customer will back off. never know who is watching. customers confide in you, Of course, because trust is such a huge n Keep your mouth shut when it needs subject, there are many more ways to to be shut — These days, customer confiyou must respect and build it. However, these tips have hopedentiality is huge. Salespeople are regularly value that confidence ... fully given you some things to look for in trusted with the company secrets of their conducting yourself and building trust in customers. Unfortunately, many salespeople are “instant babblers — just add beer.” I have met sales- your customer base. n Troy Harrison is the author of “Sell Like You Mean It!” people who think nothing of telling me incredibly confidential and is president of SalesForce Solutions, a sales details about their customers — information that would probtraining, consulting and recruiting firm. ably shock their customers if they knew the salesperson was For information on booking speaking and repeating it indiscriminately. If you want to continue to have training engagements, consulting or to your customers confide in you, you must respect and value sign up for his weekly e-zine, contact that confidence by keeping it.

Harrison at (913) 645-3603 or n Respect your customer’s boundaries — Sometimes, TroyHarrison@SalesForceSolutions.net. there are pieces of information that your customer does not Visit www.SalesForceSolutions.net. want to give, or places they are unwilling to take you. If that

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Selling Solutions

Shorter Sales Cycles You always need to have a ‘next step’ by: Tibor Shanto, Renbor Sales Solutions Inc.

M

y friend Barry, a professional driver, regularly drives from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Long Beach, Calif. — roughly 4,100 kilometers (2,542 miles). I have done the same drive, so we often compare notes about restaurants, places of interest, etc. Interestingly, he tends to make the drive in about 2.8 to three days, while it usually takes me 4.75 to 5.5 days. We both go to the same destination, covering the same ground, driving within acceptable and safe speed limits.

If we each received $2,500 every time we arrived in Long Beach, and another $2,500 every time we got back to Toronto, Barry would collect $187,500 in a 225-day work year while I would only collect $102,272 in the same period. The difference is not what you would call chump change.

We see a similar phenomenon with many salespeople; some close a sale in 16 weeks, while others close the same type of deal in 12 weeks. Whatever other skills and abilities may be at play, it is clear that with a shorter cycle, Mr. 12 Weeks will sell more, earn more and probably last longer in his position than Mr. 16 Weeks.

Shortening the sales cycle is one of the easiest and most efficient ways for an organization to increase sales and simultaneously reduce the cost of sales. But many people are just not sure how to achieve this. Here are some suggestions.

First, salespeople need to know how long their sales cycle is now. Most do not. We ask about the length of sales cycles and hear things like: “It depends,” “It changes,” or “Well, you know, it’s different in our business.” Well, really, it is not. A salesperson needs to deconstruct his (or her) sale, identify its basic building blocks and truly understand what it should look like and what efficiencies can be had.

There are a number of ways to affect the length of the sales cycle. By far, the easiest to implement, with no technology required, is to always secure a “next step” with your prospects.

This may sound simple enough, but it is difficult to get reps and managers to adopt this technique.

Group after group, we implore salespeople to always conclude meetings with a clear and mutually agreed-upon next step that commits both the sales rep and the buyer to not only a specific time, but to an action as well. More often than not, however, this happens only partially, or does not happen at all.

Many reps do not pre-plan their desired outcome for a meeting, which makes it difficult to get to the next step. In selling, a “next step” is tangible evidence that someone is working with you and is engaged in the buying process. It

cannot be a “gut feeling” that the person is interested in continuing the process with you; interest must be tangible, in the form of a commitment to moving forward to the next step.

Next steps can take different forms — a face-to-face meeting, a call or forwarding documents. What these have in common is that they commit the prospect to meeting with you to proactively move the process forward. And, yes, it involves commitment on the prospect’s part. After all, he (or she) should have some skin in the game as well.

This next step could be as simple as forwarding production schedules, plans that may help you understand your prospect’s requirements, financial statements or setting up a conference call with the company’s technical team.

Action on the prospect’s time is key. If not, other than his time, what commitment is he making? You, on the other hand, go back to the office, engage company resources (pricing), and invest your time coming up with something to present, all without testing the commitment level of the other party.

Remember that even a small movement forward gets you that much closer to closing; it need not be a quantum leap. But if you do not secure a next step, have you advanced at all?

Meetings often end with the prospect saying: “Great. Sounds interesting. I want to think it over and bring my team up to www.officetechnologymag. c o m | M a r c h 2 0 1 2 | 29

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In most instances, when we deconspeed. Call me sometime next week and struct a sale with one of our clients, we we’ll discuss further.”

There is more to find one of the easiest things to help him Worse, the rep often says: “I’ll call you getting a next step shorten his sales cycle is the insistence next week.” However, he does not provide than just asking for that anything in the pipeline must have a a set time or action — nothing to demonone. It needs to be real and clear next step (as we define it). strate engagement. Even with straight and planned so you can Let’s face it, if you do not have a next honest intentions, you usually end up playstep, what do you have? There are other ing phone tag, and when you finally conmove the meeting to a ways to help teams shorten and tighten up nect, you end up setting up a meeting a logical conclusion ... their sales cycles, but next steps are one of week or two out. You can easily save a couthe easiest. n ple of weeks — even a month — by schedulTibor Shanto is a recognized speaker and author of the ing the next meeting at the end of your current meeting. award-winning book, “Shift!: Harness The Trigger Events That There is more to getting a next step than just asking for one.

Turn Prospects Into Customers.” A 20-year veteran of B2B sales, It needs to be planned so you can move the meeting to a logical he has worked with leading companies such as Ricoh Canada, conclusion and it needs to make sense to the prospect. As you IKON Office Solutions, Pitney Bowes, ChevronTexaco and others, execute your plan, you need to be cognizant of whether your helping them better execute their new business primary next step will pan out. If not, you will need to revert acquisition plans. Shanto shows organizations to your secondary next step (Yes, you have to plan that, too.) how to execute their strategies by using the right or other alternatives. This does not have to be a complicated and laborious process. Once you know the building blocks of combination of strategic and tactical execution of the sales process. He can be reached at your sale — which you uncovered during the deconstruction process — the basics become easy to manage and plan. Then, tibor.shanto@sellbetter.ca or (416) 822-7781. Visit www.sellbetter.ca. it comes down to execution.

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