November 2014 Office Technology

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CONTENTS Volume 21 • No. 5

FEATURE ARTICLES 10

Mobile Printing Addressing expectations in the changing workplace

COURTS & CAPITOLS Job Descriptions Review & update them to avoid litigation

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by Robert C. Goldberg BTA General Counsel

by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

Early on there were word processors, then PCs and, later, laptops.

Today, tablets and smartphones are everywhere. Technology continues to change.

What is not changing is the use of technology to access information and documents, as well as the occasional need to see it on the printed page. So, why not accommodate the need for printing from today’s latest technologies — tablets and smartphones? After all, that is increasingly what workers want.

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There are several requirements to running a dealership that are consistently put off. Among these are updating transactional documents, employee manuals and job descriptions. As employment issues increase, it is more important than ever to have updated job descriptions.

P R I N C I PA L I S S U E S A Briefing: Lexmark Committed to dealers; targeting differentiation

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Digital Customer Experience Take a three-prong approach to transformation

by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

On Oct. 15, executives at Lexmark International met with industry media at the company’s New York City sales office. They emphasized commitment to the dealer channel and the strides that are underway as the company targets significant differentiation.

by Kevin Kern Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A.

While we may not be jetting around in George Jetson’s flying car, we live in a world completely dependent on technology. As technology is created at warp speed, our sphere of influence expands exponentially. A company cannot afford to be complacent or it will become the victim of “digital Darwinism.” Learning to adapt and evolve is crucial to survival. Innovation across business processes with an eye toward digital transformation is how companies will compete today for a spot in tomorrow’s marketplace.

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Build a Great Team It will help you grow a better dealership

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by Steven Branstetter Crawford Thomas

Growing up playing sports, I have always been in a team environment. I learned how the collective work of individuals can contribute to unbelievable results for a team. Sports taught me about leadership, hard work and the ability to put aside individual differences to accomplish a goal.

Avoiding Time-Wasters Three ways for sales reps to maximize selling efforts

by Troy Harrison SalesForce Solutions

What is the sales rep’s most precious asset? Most people would say traits, skills, experience, relationships or something else along those lines. Some might even list the products the rep sells or his (or her) company. All of these answers are wrong. The sales rep’s most precious asset is time. More specifically, the most precious asset is that window of time during the week when he is able to call on his customers either face-to-face or voice-to-voice. The problem is, reps do things every day that waste their time.

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

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• BTA Calendar • BTA Highlights

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Executive Director’s Page

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BTA President’s Message

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Advertiser Index

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PAGE

Are You Responding to the Wake-up Call?

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e have a lot to think about these days in the office technology industry. You can thank, among others, Apple, millennials, the Internet and the cloud for that reality. Mobile devices now proliferate. Tomorrow’s decision makers, the millennials (think, in particular, today’s 20-to-30-year-olds) are driving change in the workplace. The Internet has facilitated an explosion of information. And the cloud (those server banks that abound) has provided the means to store and access a monstrous, unfathomable volume of data.

Consider, too, the related declines in print volumes of which we are all too familiar.

While there is still a huge number of pages being printed every day, page volumes are generally flat or declining, depending on the workplace environment or industry. Clearly, many documents now spend their entire lives in digital form; that is, documents previously consumed on paper that are now only consumed on screen. We are all digital consumers, both in terms of the purchase of mobile devices and the consumption of information via those devices.

Recently, over a span of 15 days, I made three trips that collectively served to provide a fresh reminder of the extent to which our industry is changing. First, on Oct. 15, I was at Lexmark’s New York City sales office, learning more about the company’s growing, significant emphasis on softwarebased solutions; this is a company that has acquired 11 software companies since 2010.

Lexmark officials say the company is “transforming from a hardware company to a solutions company.”

Next, on Oct. 24-25, I attended the BTA Southeast Fall Colors Retreat in Asheville,

N.C. The sole topic of the educational program at this event was managed IT services. That focus is the result, of course, of the need for dealers to seek additional revenue opportunities. By all accounts, many BTA Channel dealers are perfectly suited to offer managed IT services to their customers, though, as is often warned, they must be fully committed to make it work.

Finally, on Oct. 27-29, I attended the Executive Connection Summit, hosted by Technology United, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

This event was attended and led by a number of industry thought leaders. The many educational sessions addressed such topics as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data and the role of subject-matter experts (SMEs).

Increasingly, progressive dealers will become well aware of revenue opportunities associated with these and similar topics.

My purpose here is to add to the wakeup call that we should all be “hearing” loud and clear. Consider these five questions: (1) How similar is your company today to the way it was five years ago in terms of the products and services you offer? (2) How actively are you working to expand your knowledge of the new revenue opportunities that are available to you? (3) Would you and/or your customers describe your dealership as a hardware company or a services company? (4) Do you have the right people working for you today to ensure the ongoing success of your dealership? (5) Are you confident that your dealership will generate greater revenues in five years than it does today?

As you consider these questions and the “disruptive innovation” taking place in our industry today, consider, too, this quote from President John F. Kennedy: “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” n — Brent Hoskins

Executive Director/BTA Editor/Office Technology Brent Hoskins brent@bta.org (816) 303-4040 Associate Editor Elizabeth Marvel elizabeth@bta.org (816) 303-4060 Contributing Writers Steven Branstetter, Crawford Thomas www.crawfordthomas.com Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel Business Technology Association Troy Harrison, SalesForce Solutions www.troyharrison.com Kevin Kern, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. http://kmbs.konicaminolta.us

Business Technology Association 12411 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64145 (816) 941-3100 www.bta.org Member Services: (800) 505-2821 BTA Legal Hotline: (800) 869-6688 Valerie Briseno Membership Marketing Manager valerie@bta.org Mary Hopkins Database Administrator mary@bta.org Teresa Leerar Bookkeeper teresa@bta.org Brian Smith Membership Sales Representative brian@bta.org Photo Credits: Bigstockphoto. Cover created by Bruce Quade, Brand X Studio. ©2014 by the Business Technology Association. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of published material. However, the publisher assumes no liability for errors in articles nor are opinions expressed necessarily those of the publisher.

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BTA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 2014-2015 Board of Directors

Plan to Attend BTA’s Next Three Webinars

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n January 2008, we launched BTA’s Building My Business Webinar Series. Each month, the association hosts a free, one-hour webinar that is designed to help BTA member dealers enhance the management of their companies, take full advantage of market opportunities and, ultimately, improve the bottom line. To date, we have had approximately 3,500 logins to our webinars.

Are you among the attendees?

The feedback has been favorable. Here is a sampling of comments received from past attendees via surveys at the end of some of the 82 webinars presented to date: “Thank you for the presentation; it makes our dues worthwhile,” “The information is appreciated; please keep up the good work,” and “I really appreciate the quality of the presenters and their content.” I should note, we have found that some attendees use the webinars, depending on the subject matter, as the topic of sales or management meetings. So, the number of people “listening in” has exceeded 3,500.

Whether you are a regular attendee or have not attended a BTA webinar in the past, I encourage you to register today for the next three Building My Business webinars.

You can do so at www.bta.org/BuildingMy Business. Following are some of the details.

Nov. 20: “Where are the Sales? Tested Techniques to Inspire Your Sales Teams,” will be presented by Melissa D. Whitaker, president and owner of Melissa Whitaker International LLC. This webinar will go over best practices that work in today’s selling environment. These step-by-step techniques have been implemented by dealers nationwide and have proven successful. Melissa will discuss how, through

proven techniques, she is able to transform sales teams by creating clarity, finding more ideal clients and increasing sales.

Dec. 17: “Overcoming Challenges in Service to Improve Profitability & Efficiencies,” will be presented by Ken Staubitz, national sales manager at BEI Services.

Now, more than ever, dealers are faced with many challenges impacting the service operation. Should you explore managed services? Is MPS worth the hassle? Can you take on another service and still offer an exceptional client experience? Ken will review the common challenges impacting the service operation and will provide best practices to address these challenges.

Jan. 27: “Five New Ideas Using Technology to Secure Net New C-Level Meetings,” will be presented by Kate Kingston, founder and president of Kingston Training Group. Using strategies through social media sites like LinkedIn — among other specific online applications — will allow your sales reps to learn when a prospect needs a strategic technology solution discussion.

Kate will deliver on how to drive more netnew, vertically focused C-level sales meetings past the dialing-for-dollars method.

Of course, on the BTA website you can read the full details for each of these webinars and bios of the presenters. While on the site, you will see that there is a link to past Building My Business webinars. From there, you can download PDFs of the PowerPoint presentations from past webinars.

Plus, for many of them, you can view a video of the webinar. Our webinars are offered as a member-only benefit; you will need your username and password to register and access the archives.

Take further advantage of your membership by becoming a regular attendee of BTA’s Building My Business Webinar Series. n — Ron Hulett

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

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

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Mobile Printing Addressing expectations in the changing workplace by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

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arly on there were word processors, then PCs and, later, laptops. Today, tablets and smartphones are everywhere. Technology continues to change. What is not changing is the use of technology to access information and documents, as well as the occasional need to see it on the printed page.

Of course, facilitating the printed page is at the foundation of the office technology industry. Print output devices have forever been tied to essentially all PCs in the workplace. Why? Because, simply stated, that is what workers need and want — and office technology dealers have always been more than happy to accommodate.

So, why not also accommodate the need for printing from today’s latest technologies — tablets and smartphones? After all, that is increasingly what workers want.

Thomas O’Neill, director of product marketing in the BISG Enterprise Solutions Division of Canon U.S.A. Inc., suggests that offering and promoting mobile print capabilities should be a part of every dealer’s solutions portfolio. “Today, if you think that you are going to be able to sustain your business based only on the number of output devices and network-printed pages that you capture, I would say that is an extremely risky business model,” he says. “You have got to be able to provide solutions to customers to handle their documents in whatever form those documents may exist.

But, if they want to print, you need to provide them whatever they may need in order to print.”

For many, it appears, “whatever they may need” now includes mobile print applications. O’Neill says Canon has seen significant demand. Since 2012, he says, the company has offered a variety of mobile print apps. “We have mobile print apps that provide iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry users

the convenience to print directly to Canon MFPs and printers over a wireless network, and we have mobile print apps that provide more control and usage tracking for enterprise needs,” he says. “We are on track to significantly surpass 1 million downloads of these mobile apps and mobile app clients by the end of the year.”

Certainly, beyond convenience, a key driver of the growing interest in mobile printing is the increasing use of mobile devices in workplace processes, says Keith Fenton, manager of MFPs, software and solutions at OKI Data Americas, noting that he has seen a growing demand for Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print capability on OKI devices in recent years. The company combines a range of mobile print apps, technologies and devices, including its OKI Mobile Print Application for Android, as a part of OKI MotionPrint. “Where it becomes important to us as a company is when people want to have mobile printing for a business process,” he says. “As we move forward, I think we will see more and more end users wanting to use their tablets to satisfy a specific business process.”

Mike Garofola, senior marketing manager of channel marketing at OKI, cites the growing interest in mobile printing within the health-care industry as a prime example.

“Health-care professionals want to be as efficient as possible, so that they can more quickly move on to the next patient,” he explains. “They don’t want to have to run from the examination room to an office area in order to print discharge information or prescriptions.”

There are other key market segments where mobile printing is being embraced. Among them are school districts and higher education institutions. “Today, an increasing number of students are being issued mobile devices,” says Danielle

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Wolowitz, senior director of “We still get calls where product planning and product people ask, ‘Do you have “Think of the environment marketing at KYOCERA Docua driver for my iPad?’” that has remote users. It ment Solutions America, which Fenton says. “The techcould be employees who offers the Kyocera Mobile Print nology in the tablet is come to the office for weekly app, providing mobile print and so different than the meetings or traveling service scan-to-device capabilities for PC. There is no driver. It technicians. Or, think about both Apple and Android proddoesn’t work that way. ucts. “In colleges, they are a So, for many people, this truck drivers ... Their offices critical component of being able is foreign to them.” are their trucks.” to work in the classroom. Say, In addition, Fenton — Danielle Wolowitz for example, there is a printer in says, there is the reality KYOCERA Document Solutions America the classroom and the student, that the implementation working on an iPad, needs to of mobile print capabiliprint out a PowerPoint in order for the professor to have a ties is not always an easy task, given the varied network encopy in hand before it is projected on the Smart Board. This vironments across different companies. “We have learned is just one example of how mobile printing could be utilized that implementing mobile printing can be a challenge for in the classroom.” our customers; plus, there is a whole host of different soluFenton points to retail as another key market segment tions out there,” he says. “In order to get AirPrint to work, for where mobile printing is in demand. “Consider the various example, you have to get IT involved and you have to make store managers throughout a retail chain,” he says. “A lot sure that the printers are on the same subnet as the mobile of them are now working from tablet devices. They are fre- device you are holding in your hand.” quently walking around stores and they need the ability to Regardless of any challenges that may exist in the impleprint from wherever they are working.” mentation of a mobile print app, perhaps it is time for your Aside from the growing, daily usage of mobile devices in sales reps to begin asking customers if mobile printing is the workplace, there is also the rise of the number of mobile of interest, if they are not doing so already. “It is something workers — prime candidates for mobile printing. “Think of that is so common nowadays that reps should absolutely the environment that has remote users,” Wolowitz says. “It ask the question,” Wolowitz says. “They have to be diligent could be employees who come to the office for weekly meet- enough to not only proactively ask about it, but to also look ings or traveling service technicians. Or, think about truck around the office for mobile printing opportunities. If the drivers — they don’t have PCs, desks or offices. Their offices rep is sitting across the desk from the CIO and that person are their trucks. Perhaps a driver makes a delivery and has pulls out an iPhone, for example, the rep should ask, ‘Can the order form on an iPad, but does not have a printed ver- you currently print from your iPhone?’ It is as simple as asksion. The driver can print on the fly [to a Kyocera device].” ing the question and it should be one of the primary quesMobile print apps offered by MFP manufacturers are tions reps ask when they go into any environment, whether nothing new and often provide more than basic functional- it is a 10-person office or a 5,000-person office.” ity. “The Canon Mobile Printing app is a very good alternaJust as they do with other solutions, O’Neill advises that tive to something like AirPrint,” O’Neill says. “With AirPrint dealership sales reps should remain focused on addressing you can only choose the number of copies and simplex or the needs of customers when initially asking about their duplex. With the Canon Mobile Printing app, you can also interest in mobile printing and, later, when implementing select the output size; do you want letter, legal or 11-by-17? it. “It’s about what the customer wants to accomplish,” he And you can select the print range; do you just want to print says, emphasizing the range of capabilities available. “You pages one through three or five through seven? You can also should ask questions such as, ‘Do you just want to proselect black and white or color, and whether you want the vide mobile printing as a convenience where employees document stapled. Our other mobile print apps, such as Di- can print anything and everything? Or do you want some rect Print, Scan for Mobile, EFI PrintMe and uniFLOW mo- control so that you can account for the printing and put in bile printing, extend functionality to better monitor, con- rules to limit usage?’” trol and account for users and print usage.”

O’Neill notes that Canon offers resources to assist sales Despite growing interest and the range of mobile print reps in their discussions with customers on the topic of apps now available, as well as the ubiquity of the mobile mobile printing. “We offer marketing materials they can device itself, there remains a need for end-user education. utilize with customers as they walk them through mobile 12 | ­w w w. o f f ic et ec hno lo g y m a g.c om | Nov e m b e r 2 0 1 4

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unavoidable when one conprint,” he says. “In addition, siders the changing workour field salespeople and “At some point, the dealer force. “I think we are going engineers provide training; is going to come up against to see a drastic increase they can take dealership someone who is winning over the next two to three sales reps through this. We more deals and is going years,” she says, referring work with them so they are to find that one of the to the demand for mobile comfortable discussing moreasons why is because printing. “There are more bile printing.” the competitor is offering and more people working Although some dealerremotely. Plus, educational ships are not currently prosolutions that include mobile print.” environments are dramatiactive in discussing and

— Thomas O’Neill cally changing, with the implementing mobile print Canon U.S.A. Inc. amount of tablets being deapps, O’Neill says it is inployed in schools. Consider, evitable that they will ultimately get on board. “At some point, the dealer is going to too, the number of iPhones in use. The procome up against someone who is winning more deals and liferation of these devices is really going to is going to find that one of the reasons why is because the drive change.” n Brent Hoskins, executive director of the competitor is offering solutions that include mobile print,” Business Technology Association, is editor he says. “At that point, the dealer is going to say, ‘Wow, I of Office Technology magazine. He can be need to learn about that.’” reached at brent@bta.org or (816) 303-4040.

Wolowitz says the need to embrace mobile printing is

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Digital Customer Experience Take a three-prong approach to transformation by: Kevin Kern, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc.

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hile we may not be jetting around in George Jetson’s flying car, we do live in a world completely dependent on technology, whether face-to-face conversation via Skype, 24/7 online tellerless banking or smart refrigerators that tell us when we are low on milk.

As technology is created at warp speed, our sphere of influence expands exponentially. Today, a company cannot afford to be complacent or it will become the victim of “digital Darwinism.” Learning to adapt and evolve is crucial to survival. Innovation across business processes with an eye toward digital transformation is how companies will compete today for a spot in tomorrow’s marketplace.

The Altimeter Group defines digital transformation as “the re-alignment of, or new investment in, technology and business models to more effectively engage digital consumers at every touch point in the customer experience life cycle.” The research and consulting firm suggests a threeprong approach to the transformational journey: the digital customer experience, the digital transformation team, and vision and leadership.

The Digital Customer Experience So what exactly is the “digital customer experience (DCX)”? Basically, it is a holistic view of the entire customer journey. As technology advances and people embrace it, they expect the same digital ease in all aspects of their lives. Customers want and expect options. Banking can be done in person while standing in line, in the car at a driveup window, via website with a laptop, or by using an app on a tablet or smartphone. The choice of where to eat dinner can be made via a Facebook query of friends’ favorite dining spots, a perusal of OpenTable reservation options or a voice command to your car to list nearby restaurants on the navigation panel.

Dealers need to respond to this by updating legacy technology and introducing cutting-edge methodologies to mirror the world in which we all live. Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen coined the term “disruptive innovation” as something that shakes up the

industry or replaces a proven product. Dealers must make themselves relevant in the digital age while growing opportunities, scaling efficiently and increasing profits. They must recognize who their customers are and then employ processes to be where those customers are. The dealerships that identify the myriad ways in which their customers go about their business are the dealerships that will live to see another day.

Study Your Customer It is important to realize that customers may not follow the standard sales funnel. Instead, a social media prompt from a friend may be the first step in the sales journey. A favorable Facebook post could lead to a website visit, then a Google session to compare the competition. Ultimately, the journey

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could end with a purchase. Or not, if there Vision & Leadership Expanding your are myriad bad LinkedIn reviews.

Identifying change agents and givWord-of-mouth is now word-of-social. dealership’s portfolio ing them the room to question, chalConsumers check comments floating lenge and create takes buy-in from the goes hand-in-hand online. They search for product and comhighest levels. Often, putting the right with social selling. pany reviews. They search for customer people in place is the easier part. DigiWe cannot be satisfied feedback. A thumbs down can deter a tal natives abound in every organizajust selling MFPs. potential customer from even engaging tion, so tap into them. People who are with you initially. This means that you We must branch out... comfortable with technology are the must get your arms around where your vanguard of social selling. customers are online. You must monitor Ford Motor Company used the redesocial media for those negative comments. Just one disgrun- sign of its Fiesta to appeal to young drivers in the market for tled customer who wants out of a lease and is not getting their first new car. The Fiesta Movement campaign gained satisfaction can sink your reputation. The key to handling Ford more than 1.8 million Facebook fans and 206,000 Twitthese complaints is to respond quickly, fairly and openly. ter followers and earned Scott Monty (then Ford’s global Many companies utilize social listening solutions to digital and multimedia communications manager) inclumonitor online chatter. Platforms such as Lithium capture sion in Forbes.com’s Top 10 influencers in social media. all online mentions, bringing them into one dashboard for Similarly, at Konica Minolta, our Dream Printer video on easy management. At Konica Minolta, multiple teams are YouTube was viewed by more than 2 million sets of eyes, and responsible for each piece of the customer engagement ex- we received a number of calls and accolades from audiences perience. Our CX team runs point, with the social media that we were not aware we were reaching. and public relations teams providing support to make sure Expanding your dealership’s portfolio goes hand-in-hand every question and conversation is answered, technical or with social selling. We cannot be satisfied just selling MFPs. We sales responses are provided, and every consumer is direct- must branch out from hardware to include solutions, managed ed to the right person for follow-up. Response time is crucial services and IT services. Do a deep dive into your clients’ busito ensuring that each person who mentions us receives in- ness cycles. What are the problems that you can address? Perteraction. After all, isn’t that what everyone wants? We all haps it is cloud-based options. Perhaps it is enterprise content want to be heard, valued and answered. management. Perhaps it is mobile applications or optimized print services. Whatever your customers’ needs, by including Be Where Your Customer Is these technologies in your sales portfolio, you can implement, Because the road to a sale is not necessarily a straight manage and support your customers while positioning yourline, you must be where the conversations are. LinkedIn is self as an end-to-end provider of integral solutions. the perfect vehicle to position yourself as an expert in office technology. Join the site’s discussion groups. Hundreds The Endgame abound, all found with keywords including “MFP,” “enterDealers who listen to their customers will organically prise content management” and variations of “print pro- transform their journeys, putting people (i.e., customers) duction.” Discussion groups are perfect networking sites and transactions (i.e., relationships) at the epicenter of their that also offer potential customers. business processes. The digital experience is customerAnother great social media platform is Twitter. During centric, resulting in deeper engagement for both sides. It is Graph Expo, our social media team back in our New Jersey turning B2B into B2C because it gives us many ways to have headquarters monitored our news feed not only for men- the conversation. After all, isn’t business ultimately about tions of Konica Minolta, but also about Graph Expo. We the interactions between people? DCX gives business the were able to join conversations not only directed at us, but chance to become human. n also to Graph Expo using #GraphExpo, so that we could inKevin Kern, senior vice president of marketing, oversees all vite attendees to visit our booth, answer questions about corporate marketing initiatives, and is our technology and offer buying advice. These engagements responsible for the planning and were made initially through social media. Once in the development of new products for Konica booth, it was up to our sales professionals to seal the deal.

Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. Being able to invite sales prospects to our booth via social He has more than 20 years of experience media showed that we valued those conversations and were in the office technology industry. tech savvy enough to engage.

Visit http://kmbs.konicaminolta.us.

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Avoiding Time-Wasters Three ways for sales reps to maximize selling efforts by: Troy Harrison, SalesForce Solutions

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hat is the sales rep’s most precious asset? Most people would say traits, skills, experience, relationships, customer base or something else along those lines. Some might even list the products the rep sells or his (or her) company. All of these answers are wrong.

The sales rep’s most precious asset is time.

More specifically, the most precious asset is that window of time during the week when he is able to call on his customers either face-to-face or voice-to-voice. Hours wasted or simply spent inappropriately are not hours that are turning into revenue, profits or commissions for the rep or your company.

The problem is, reps do things every day that waste their time. In this article, we will discuss the three most common time-wasters.

Working Junk Business This is the most common time-waster for sales reps. Recently, I visited a client whose sales calls were inappropriately slanted toward tiny, marginally profitable accounts while the reps were driving by accounts that were bigger and nicely profitable. For any company, there is a “sweet spot” of accounts that have stability, profitability and “sellability.” If these accounts represent the top of the bell curve, there are smaller and larger accounts than those in your sweet spot that represent the unprofitable zone.

In this case, not only were the reps calling on tiny businesses, but they were also chasing tiny businesses, sometimes making five, six or even seven calls to win business that barely justified one call. However, chasing business too far above the sweet spot can be just as bad; increased competition and price pressure can make the largest accounts in the rep’s territory unprofitable and (if the pay package is constructed correctly) low commissioned for the rep; the effort he will put into trying to sell these accounts is a major time-waster.

Working junk business typically has two causes: fear and emotional involvement. Reps sometimes work small businesses because they fear working larger accounts. That is bad. What is worse can be the emotional involvement that says, “I have to win all the business in my territory because I hate seeing my competitor there.” The rep needs to get over this notion. He will never get 100-percent market share in his territory. In most cases, he really does not want 100-percent market share; it is always OK to let competitors sell to the bad business in the territory.

Artificially Extended Sales Cycles Too many sales reps unwittingly extend the sales cycle themselves. They do so through fear, lack of training and a lack of preparation.

Fear comes into play because reps are scared to close business. Many reps believe that if they ask closing questions — or even ask questions that set a closing arena — customers will be put off and they will miss opportunities. If the rep is unsure of where he stands with the customer, he should ask. Plus, he should never be afraid to

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who puts the brakes on — never the ask a closing question. Sometimes the Customers can sales rep. time the rep wastes is his own.

Lack of training impacts the sales proand will opt out of Chasing Customers Who Opt Out cess because reps do not know or underthe sales process.

Here is the most difficult thing for stand how to expedite the process. For From the time they sales reps to realize: Customers can instance, every appointment should end opt out, any time the and will opt out of the sales process. with a firm commitment for the next aprep spends on them From the time they opt out, any time pointment or activity, with set times and the rep spends on them is time wastplaces. It is never easier to set the next is time wasted. ed. I have a perfect example. Recently, appointment than when the rep is on the a prospect did not keep a phone apcurrent appointment. The rep should use that opportunity wisely. The “chase cycle” happens when the pointment with me; we had a prescheduled appointment rep has to call the customer back to set the next appointment. and it was on both of our calendars with a specific time. I Lack of preparation is tied to a lack of training, but it also called and she did not answer, nor did she return a call or occurs when reps simply do not take the tools of the sale in an email. This is a rare occurrence; in fact, the last time it with them. They should always be prepared to take the call happened to me was nearly three years ago. Once upon a as far as it can possibly be taken. If the rep has the tools to time, I would have gotten very upset (I did get a little upquote a price on the spot, he should bring them to the call; set; not keeping an appointment is very disrespectful) and the same is true with order forms, credit applications and I would have worn out her phone and email until she spoke other tools. When reps have to go back to the “bat cave,” to me.

Not anymore. I called and emailed once, so in case there they become the obstacle. It should always be the customer was a misunderstanding, we could reschedule. With no response, I simply moved on. There are too many prospects out there, and with my limited selling time these days, I do not have the time to chase. She opted out of my sales process. Why? I do not know. Maybe it was not a priority for her. Maybe the funding was not there and she was embarrassed. Regardless, there are too many other prospects out there to wear her out for a response. Too many salespeople treat situations like this the same way a dog treats a bone, but they should not. There are other prospects out there who will want to talk to them and work with them.

All of these problems are characterized by an emotional response rather than an intellectual one. Back in the days when I did chase customers, I knew — intellectually — that they had opted out. However, my pride would not let me admit that, so I told myself that the sale was just around the corner.

When a sales rep is up against any of these situations, he should respond intellectually rather than emotionally and he will be more successful. I promise. n Troy Harrison is the author of “Sell Like You Mean It!” and a speaker, consultant and sales navigator. He helps companies build more profitable and productive sales forces with his cutting-edge sales training and methodologies. For information on booking speaking/training engagements, consulting or to sign up for his weekly e-zine, call (913) 645-3603 or email troy@troyharrison.com.

Visit www.troyharrison.com.

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COURTS & CAPITOLS

Job Descriptions Review & update them to avoid litigation by: Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel for the Business Technology Association

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here are several requirements to running a dealership that are consistently put off and are seldom or never done. Among these are updating transactional documents, employee manuals and job descriptions. As employment issues increase, it is more important than ever to have updated job descriptions.

A comprehensive job description should be prepared prior to beginning the hiring process. With the essential tasks well established, it becomes easier to advertise, describe the position and evaluate a candidate’s qualifications. While employed, the contributions of the employee can best be evaluated by comparing his (or her) performance to the tasks in the job description. In preparing job descriptions, be sure you do not limit yourself; include a provision that reads: “and such other duties as may be assigned from time to time.”

A recent appellate court decision further supports the need for and use of job descriptions. An individual working for a dealership was responsible for inputting sales documents, lease agreements, and maintenance and support agreements. She also processed monthly statements to customers. Clearly, typing was an essential function of her position. In an incident unrelated to her job, she broke her pinkie finger. The doctor placed a splint on her broken finger and the employee returned to work. Although she was still able to type, her speed decreased significantly. Her employer concluded that she was unable to perform one of the essential requirements of her position and placed her on leave.

About one week later, the employee returned with two fingers taped together and a note from her doctor that she was under no restrictions.

The dealer questioned her ability to type and the employee felt she could by using her thumb and index finger on her injured hand. The dealer concluded she could not perform at full duty and sent her home. When her available time off expired and she did not return to work, the dealer filled the position with another individual. The original employee sued on the basis of retaliation for her being injured and taking leave. The employee had regularly communicated her status and met all employer requirements.

The court agreed that an employer has the absolute right to request a fitness-for-duty certification from a doctor prior

to allowing an individual to return to work. What the court disagreed with was an employer’s right to reject the doctor’s conclusion that she could return without restrictions provided her fingers were taped. The basis for the court’s conclusion was the employer’s failure to provide the doctor with a list of essential functions of the position or a job description. The employee had exercised her right to return to work and her doctor agreed she was ready. However, the employer rejected the doctor’s conclusion without providing the doctor with the essential duties of the position.

Whenever an employee is out of work due to an injury, extended illness or rehabilitation process, it is sound policy to require a fitness-for-duty certification. For a doctor to best evaluate the situation, it is essential that he be provided with a copy of the job description. In this instance, the job description should have included a minimum number of words per minute that the individual must process. The court observed that other employees use the “hunt-and-peck” typing method and this employee should have been allowed to do the same.

The employee could perform an essential function; it was just her speed that was affected.

Avoid a similar finding and take the time to review and update your job descriptions. 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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PRINCIPAL ISSUES

A Briefing: Lexmark Committed to dealers; targeting differentiation by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

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n Oct. 15, executives at Lexmark International met with industry media at the company’s New York City sales office. The oft-repeated keywords for the day were “commitment” and “differentiation.” That is, there is absolute commitment to the independent dealer channel. Plus, there are strides underway targeting significant differentiation from Ron Binkauskas the competition going forward.

“What we said to you seven-and-a-half years ago we continue to say today: We are going to continue to invest in this channel,” said Ron Binkauskas, vice president and general manager of Lexmark’s North America ISS (Imaging Solutions and Services), as he welcomed attendees. “And we’re going to continue to drive differentiation and be a leader in the marketplace. What you are Mike Johnson going to see today is how that differentiation can help the dealer channel.”

Binkauskas was referencing, in part, the 2007 creation of the Lexmark BSD (business solutions dealer) channel. Today, the 12,000-employee, $3.7-billion company has 270 authorized dealers selling both its hardware and software-based solutions. Mike Johnson, vice president of North America Marty Canning Business Channels and SMB, reported that the BSD channel contributes between 15 and 20 percent of the company’s revenue in North America and represents more than half of the channel business; other channels include, for example, e-tail and IT resellers. In addition, it was noted that while 60 percent of Lexmark’s business is direct enterprise, 95-percent-plus of that business flows through its channel partners for fulfillment.

“The BSD channel is the number-one channel for us from a revenue and growth perspective; the BSD channel is clearly the leader and has been for years,” Johnson said, noting that the initial value proposition for dealers was the Lexmark A4 MFP product line. That product line, he said, has been supplemented by a number of software-based solutions designed for key vertical markets. “These building blocks have served as a great platform to drive success and growth for us. But we have realized it is not enough. We want to drive more solutions

through our partners to drive differentiation to their customers.”

That desire for “more” is changing Lexmark. “We are transforming from a hardware company to a solutions company,” Johnson said. “Our goal, by 2017, is for 50 percent of our business to be solutions revenue. In 2013, about 20 percent was classified as solutions revenue [generated from software solutions and hardware tied to those solutions and supplies].”

What is driving Lexmark’s transformation? “There is an explosion of data and information that has left knowledge workers disconnected from the information they need to run their businesses effectively,” Johnson said. “Lexmark aims to solve the unstructured data challenge.”

Johnson explained that Lexmark has made significant investments in recent years in order to address the unstructured data challenge. “We have acquired 11 software companies,” he said. “We started with Perceptive Software; that was our initial acquisition in June 2010. We most recently acquired ReadSoft. These are the software assets that are allowing us to be in a leadership position as we go through this transformation.”

Marty Canning, executive vice president of Lexmark and president of ISS, shared his perspective on the company’s transformation with the meeting’s attendees via teleconference. “This is important because it opens up a world of opportunity to us by broadening the definition of what we do,” he explained. “It drives a broader set of capabilities and opportunities for us and our channel partners.”

Lexmark’s authorized dealers will benefit greatly, Canning said. “It is very good for them because the strategy we are pursuing offers two things,” he said. “First, it offers the opportunity to drive differentiation, not just a price per box down the street, but to create the implementation of business-process, industry-specific solutions.”

The second benefit to dealers is improved margins, Canning explained. “If we can do anything to help our partners shift the focus off of the price per box, or just the box scenario versus an end-to-end business process solution, that is a genuine opportunity to improve margin performance,” he said. “When we combine hardware, software and the tools that enable the [dealer’s] services model, developing end-to-end solutions, we are in a different market space. The good news is that market space is growing in double digits.” n 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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EDUCATION CALENDAR November 20

Building My Business Webinar: “Where are the Sales? Tested Techniques to Inspire Your Sales Teams” Do your reps say they cannot get anyone to answer the phone? Is there a lot of sales activity but no sales? Sales is shifting at a fast pace and what worked five years ago is not working today.

Buyers are busier than ever and if you do not show value and meet a need, they do not have time to talk to you or your company. This webinar, led by Melissa Whitaker of Melissa Whitaker International, will go over best practices that work in today’s selling environment. These stepby-step techniques have been implemented by dealers nationwide and have proven successful.

Whitaker will discuss how, through proven techniques, she is able to transform sales teams by creating clarity, finding more ideal clients and increasing sales. Visit www.bta.org/Building MyBusiness to register.

December 17

Building My Business Webinar: “Overcoming Challenges in Service to Improve Profitability & Efficiencies”

Now, more than ever, dealers are faced with many challenges impacting the service operation.

Should you explore managed services? Is MPS worth the hassle? Can you take on another service and still offer an exceptional client experience? BEI Services has been in business for more than 21 years, working with hundreds of dealer operations. It understands the challenges dealers face that impact service profitability and operational efficiency. This webinar, led by Ken Staubitz of BEI Services, will review the common challenges impacting the service operation and will provide best practices to address these challenges. Visit www.bta.org/BuildingMyBusiness to register.

March

18-19 BTA Service Management Workshop

Orlando, Fla. There is not a cookie-cutter approach to improving service financial performance, because every dealership is different in various ways. Therefore, it is important for dealers to understand what good looks like for their individual needs to help them develop plans for improvement. The BTA Service Management Workshop, led by Ken Staubitz of BEI Services, was developed to help dealership principals and service leaders not only learn about the various financial and operational service benchmarks, but also to learn how to develop specific action plans tailored to each dealership. These plans will enable attendees to implement change, drive financial gain and improve customer satisfaction. Visit www.bta.org/ServiceManagement 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 Atlantic Business Systems, Melbourne, FL Business Equipment Co., Springfield, OH Cornerstone Technologies, Kalamazoo, MI Pinnacle Office Group, Addison, TX Southern Office Machines, Marietta, GA Supreme Copy, North Haven, CT Universal Information Systems, Pittsburgh, PA Service Associate Members Mayor CPA Group, Cleveland, OH Cartridgewebsite.com, Indianapolis, IN For full contact information of these new members, visit www.bta.org.

CompTIA Educational Discounts CompTIA is the

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

BTA Vendor Associate Member Quick Quality Cabinets is a wholesale distributor specializing in copier/MFP cabinet and pedestal solutions for office equipment dealers. Quick Quality Cabinets has cabinets built to OEM specs with significant cost savings for dealers. The company specializes in Canon, Kyocera, Lexmark, Toshiba and OKI product lines, as well as its popular line of cabinets for smaller MFPs and desktops. Visit Quick Quality Cabinets’ website or call (888) 831-3030 for more information. www.qqcabinets.com

voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. As a non-profit trade association, it advances the global interests of IT professionals and IT channel organizations, and enables them to be more successful with industry-leading certifications and business credentials, education, resources and the ability to connect with like-minded industry experts. CompTIA offers BTA members discounts of 10 to 15 percent on many of its certification exam vouchers. Certifications range from CDIA+ and Network+ to Mobile App Security+ (iOS and Android) and Cloud Essentials.

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

BTA Service .com Associate member Cartridgewebsite. com provides a comprehensive e-commerce solution designed for companies selling ink and toner products. Within 48 hours, you can have a custom-designed e-commerce website with a comprehensive set of features. This website acts as your online store and provides an online ordering facility for new and existing customers.

The platform comes pre-loaded with a complete set of OEM and compatible ink and toner cartridges, including products from all major manufacturers. The platform includes images and retail pricing for each model and part number, and can be deployed as standalone or integrated into your existing website. www.cartridgewebsite.com

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

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

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PRINCIPAL ISSUES

Build a Great Team It will help you grow a better dealership by: Steven Branstetter, Crawford Thomas Recruiting

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rowing up playing sports, I have always been in a team environment. At an early age, I learned how the collective work of individuals can contribute to unbelievable results for a team. Sports taught me about leadership, role players, camaraderie, hard work and the ability to put aside individual differences to accomplish a goal. If that does not describe a great employee, I do not know what does.

It is no secret that athletes make great sales and business professionals. More than 80 percent of hiring managers I have worked with tell me they would like to hire a former athlete. But one all-star does not always give you a winning season; it takes a team to win a championship. My question to you is: “What does your team look like?”

You might be asking yourself: “Why all the team and sports talk?” Well, as Zig Ziglar would say: “You don’t build a business. You build people and then people build the business.”

Let’s attempt to break down what makes a great team to help you grow your business. You might have competitors with better products, better financials or a better brand name, but they will never have your team.

In sports, every preseason starts with conditioning to get the team into shape. In business, I relate that to creating and maintaining a level of professionalism in the workplace. In recent years, this has become challenging, as successful companies have adopted more relaxed work environments. I do not intend to discredit these companies or limit the creative influence on your business. I am just stating that there is a need for structure and guidelines in the workplace.

What does it mean to be a professional? It is showing respect to a person in a particular situation. I do not really care how relaxed you want to run your office, or if you want to rule it with an iron fist. The only thing I do care about is you showing and giving your employees respect. I love Richard Branson’s quote: “Train people well enough so they can leave; treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”

Another attribute that your team will gain from professionalism is trust. I cannot stress enough how important trust is to a team. Your team members not only need to trust you as a manager, but they also need to trust their fellow employees.

By always being professional to your staff members, they can

always count on getting a professional response from you as a leader. It does not matter if you had a bad day or a client just “ripped your face off” — they can trust that you will still treat them with respect.

(If you would like further information on this topic, Stephen Covey wrote a great book called “The Speed of Trust,” which discusses the importance of trust.)

All great teams have role players.

There are the top producers, the consistent achievers and the wild cards who can create some real magic. As a leader, you need to embrace these differences and learn to harvest the most from each employee. You need to keep your top producers happy and be able to make adjustments quickly if things are going wrong. You need to have enough consistent achievers to give you a stable business and give the wild cards time to have not-so-favorable months. These wild-card employees are the ones who sometimes underachieve, but often produce results that would challenge your top producers any day.

When looking to add to your team, I always recommend having a potential new hire spend some time on the office floor interacting with the entire staff. This will help you determine if the new hire will be a good culture fit and not upset the apple cart. The last thing you want to do is bring on a new employee who will negatively affect your current team.

How do you create camaraderie in the office? We spend a large portion of our lives with coworkers, so it is important to create a comfortable working environment. Remember, when everyone can hear you, talk to everyone. Messages from management need to be addressed to the group as a whole. You should never single out anyone in front of the group. If you have a problem with someone’s performance, you can address it with the employee one-on-one. The team needs to see you, as a manager, talk about and support the team as a whole — not single out individual employees. Try setting team goals and rewarding the group for its collective performance as well. This will help everyone stay focused on playing his (or her) part to help the team.

If at all possible, you should hold a team event at least once a month. This could be as simple as a company dinner or happy hour. Many companies also form sports leagues, as they help bring employees together who may not typically work with each other on a daily basis. I would also suggest trying to do www.offi cetechnol ogymag.com | Nove mb e r 2014 | 29

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Do your employees look up to you? If you are things that matter to your employees, as professional and treat your employees with you will get more response from the group Everyone looks up respect and trust, they will. and a more meaningful result. Volunteering to someone. Do your Are your employees at their full potenis a great way to spend a Saturday bonding employees look up tial? Are they engaged with their work? Do with your employees and building strong to you? If you are they display passion for what they do? If you relationships. This also allows you to give professional and treat are creating a true team environment and back to your local community and build a bring value to all your employees, they will. stronger brand image. It is important that your employees with Now get out there and make the best team you still maintain a level of professionalism respect ... they will. you can. You have a championship to win. n at these events, but it is also good to show Steven Branstetter is the recruiting your team that you know how to have fun. manager at Crawford Thomas Recruiting, a nationwide “Company culture” has become a popular buzzword in reexecutive recruiting firm based in Orlando, Fla., with offices in cent years but, in the end, it is just team building. As a leader Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Houston. of your company, this has to be one of your top priorities and He has extensive knowledge of recruiting in the it is something you can always work on. Your team is going to office technology industry for both OEMs and be a direct reflection of you as a leader; if you do not like your independent dealerships. Branstetter can be team, you can change it. reached at (321) 257-0811 or I was once told: “The speed of the group is determined by the steven.b@crawfordthomas.com. speed of the leader.” Leaders need to stay out in front and set Visit www.crawfordthomas.com. the example for others to follow. Everyone looks up to someone.

ADVERTISER INDEX 31 • BTA Membership

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17 • ECi FMAudit

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(573) 632-2461 / www.ecisolutions.com/MPS

www.okidata.com/ESLaunch

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COPIER-BASED

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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A3

LED MFP

Faster. Bolder. Smarter.

EVERYBODY’S RAVING!

OFFICE TECHNOLOGY - NOV - DOMUS, INC. 215-772-2800

Welcome to the LED Connection!

An industry first that has everyone raving—the ES9465 and ES9475 copier-based A3 LED MFP devices are now available! OKI has combined wide-format color MFP functionality with the advantages of OKI LED technology to create a 4-in-1 device that delivers faster print/copy speeds, bolder high-definition output and smarter use of technology. Key features include: • Superior HD LED color output at speeds up to 50cpm/ppm • OKI Smart Extendable Platform—open architecture for web-based solutions • Fewer end-user interventions and less periodic maintenance • Reduced burdened labor rate for Dealers • Full set of long-lasting CMYK toner cartridges shipped with all units

Learn how the ES9465 and ES9475 with OKI LED technology can light up your bottom line! Visit okidata.com/ESLaunch for more product information and to contact an OKI Data representative.

Feel like a partner again with OKI © 2014 OKI Data Americas, Inc. OKI, Reg. T.M. Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., Reg. T.M. Oki Data Corporation.

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