Selling Copiers "Making Sense of the Madness" #2

Just a short note tonight, btw I've been watching my revolver world map for hits from Northern Japan, since the quake it's been at zero.  Please keep these people in our prayers.

There's handful of copier (oops) multifunctional copier manufacturers that have A4 MFP devices with the A3 cost per page model. One that comes to mind is the new Ricoh MP201spf (I sell Ricoh so I'm familiar with this unit, my apologies for not posting the others now, will try to do so in the future).  Some may ask what's an A3 cost per page model. What it means to me is a low cost for for the toner, usually toner not costing more than .004 or less and or a total cost per page of not more than .02 for ON-SITE service, supplies (drum, fuser, developer..etc) and parts. The Ricoh MP201spf prints or copies at 21 pages per minute.

In our business, we're always told.... it's about the clicks man..., you've got to keep capturing additional clicks. Dam, this may turn into a logger blog than I wanted!

As I see it there's a tremendous opportunity to capture or steal clicks from the low end A4 printers. Most of these printers from HP, Brother, Lexmark, Oki..etc have an extremely high cost per page when compared to an A4 MFP, in most cases when you add the parts, the service, supplies (drum, fuser, developer) and if you can get ON-SITE service, the cost per page can be anywhere from .04 per page to .08 per page.  So, what drives customers to purchase these $200 -$300 systems?  It's price, it's much easier to cut a check for a $250 laser printer than to lay down $2,000 or more for the Ricoh MP201SPF, and no ones thinking about the total cost of operation for the $250 machine over a period of 5 years (if it will last than long).  Plus there is no low cost A4 printer on the market that has the cost per page model of the A4 Ricoh 201spf.

What if?  You did a chop shop on the Ricoh MP201SPF, cut the top half of the machine off, save the printer engine, the paper trays, the PSIII and the network card. What you'd have is an A4 printer with the A3 cost per page model.  How many of these could we place in the field?  Me, I'm thinking at least 30% of my accounts would have these, even if they cost $500 I could still present a cost savings image solution. Plus, I could tell the story of being green, why buy two or three low cost printers and throw them out when they break, spend a little more, save a lot and have one printer for 5 years!

Here's a short example. Small A4 laser printer doing 1,000 pages at .045 which includes ON-SITE service,  maintenance all parts, and supplies (toner, fuser and developer if any). Which means you'll spend $45 per month and at 60 months you'll have spent $2,700 plus the cost of the printer, so we can all it $3,000.

Take the Ricoh with a proposed purchase price of $500 and then $20 per month which includes ON-SITE service,  maintenance all parts, and supplies (toner, fuser and developer if any). The cost for 60 months would be $1,200 and then the cost of the CHOPPED Ricoh would be $1,700. What's that mean??  A mere savings of $1,700.  Plus I think I being fair because there's no way that $250 printer will last 5 years, if it breaks, the customer will just go buy another one, and then that would push the cost even higher for the small A4 laser printer. 

For a company that has 8 or 9 printers this could be LARGE!  Plus, how many of these unit could be placed for MPS?

So, why hasn't this A4 model with A3 cpp model been adapted in our industry?

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers "Making Sense of the Madness" #1

While in the office today I overheard one of the newbies tell a short tale of appointment that they thought was going to be sale on the last day of the month and it did not come to fruition.

It kinda went like this, the account was an incumbent and has a 35ppm color device.  Color volume was low about 1k per month and black volume was 3k per month.  The decision maker had claimed that they would upgrade if we would be able to save them $100 per month on the present lease. They also needed to print 11x17 color.

The system that was proposed in order to get to the max savings of $85 per month that we could offer was a 30ppm color system.  The decision maker balked at moving to s slower system, and that's we're going to start.  First and foremost some additional questions should have been asked about the volume or how the prints and copies are made.

With a volume of only 1,000 color pages per month and black in the 2,000 a month range, one of the first questions I would have asked after hearing the statement of "I don't want a slower system". 1) In reference to your color volume would you save that you print 200-300 pages at a time? (I'm thinking with an average monthly volume of 1,000 pages this is not true), if the answer was no, then I would have asked this 2) Would you then say that most of your prints are onesies and twosies? (Here, I would expect the answer to be yes), with a yes answer I would have then explained to the customer the FPOT (First Print Out Time) for his existing unit and the proposed unit.  Keep in mind that a 35ppm system is not 35ppm if all your print or copy is onesies and twosies.  The customer would then realize that their would be no loss in print speed, because the new system actually has a faster FPOT. AS a matter of fact, we may be able to move them down to a 25ppm color to meet the needs of saving $100 per month. Thus and opportunity to close!

Over the years, it's not only about speeds and feeds but the ability to find out exactly what they print, how they print (single sided or two sided), how often they print, and how many they prints they need for certain documents.  Years ago we didn't have an affordable 25ppm color system or maybe the customer had different needs four years ago and they've changed.  In order to be successful, you've got to ask these types of questions, it's going to help you narrow the field to the system that fits and feels right for the customer.

From what I also heard is that this DM was a tough cookie and a little hard to handle.  You've got to have a list of prepared questions whether in your head or on paper, asking these questions will keep you in control of the talk track.

-=Good Selling=-

Top Ten "Why Copiers Should Have Warning Labels"

Yes sir, 31 years in the business and counting...over those 31 years I've seen and heard some strange things happen in the copier business.  Here's some warning labels that I'd like to see on copiers. BTW, most of these threads came from Print4Pay Hotel Members forum.  Enjoy!

1. Warning:  If you don't insert the toner cartridge carefully you're gonna ruin your clothes and your co-workers are gonna have a good laugh.

2. Warning:  Excessive weight on the copier glass will cause it to break and you will suffer.

3. Warning:  Don't stare at the exposure lamp while the copier is running, it could cause temporary blindness.

4. Warning:  Don't copy or print on to glossy ink jet paper, this will cause a major cluster %$#$ in the fuser.

5. Warning:  Don't place your cup of coffee on the copier while waiting for copies or prints.

6. Warning:  Don't put the wrong toner in the unit, if it doesn't fit.....where have I heard that before....it's not the right stuff!

7. Warning:  Don't scan your face or any other body part since a digital copy will be held on the hard drive for ever!

8. Warning:  Excessive use will cause the system to fail often.

9. Warning:  Dispose of properly and in a safe manner, these systems are not eco friendly to be used as a  boat anchor.

10. Warning: The printing or copying of money will land you in jail, if you don't believe me than print some money, spend it and email us to let us know what happens!

If anyone would care to add to the list, feel free!!  I'm sure there's a heck of alot more than this!  BTW next week I'll have a Top Ten of the Funniest Copier Moments in the Industry.  If you'd like to have one of your Funniest Copier Moments in the Industry published then log on to the Print4Pay Hotel forums, and post your thread along with the others. Dam, I can't wait to read the threads on the forums.

-=Good Selling=-

8 Duplicating Duplicator Tips for Ricoh

With a recent flurry of duplicator sales, wow it was probably two years since I sold my last duplicator!  I've been thinking of ways to improve or market Ricoh duplicators.  Here's 5 tips about changes that I would make to Ricoh's HQ 9000.  Just so everyone knows the Ricoh HQ 9000 is the flagship of the line and has the highest dpi setting, although they don't state 600x600 it's very close and the system has awesome print quality.  here we go!

1.) Add a duplex unit to to the system so it will auto print or copy two sided on letter size.  (Ricoh has the duplex feature in the DX4640PD, however this is only a 400x400 dpi system.)

2.) Increase the paper feed weight to110lb cover.

3.) Bring back an optional high capacity feeder and stacker (3,000 in and 3,000 out), especially with the feeder one that will allow you to load paper or envelopes on the fly with a top down feed system.

4.) Make Adobe PSIII a standard feature and not an option.

5.) Add a cover for the paper feed tray to help eliminate damp paper, and contaminates from entering the system.

6.) Add an optional hi speed scoring and perforating system to create tent style business cards, occasion cards, and or tickets.

7.) Add an optional hi speed inkjet print head for variable data or numbering.

8.) Certify the system for printing onto Pressure Seal paper.

What's the purpose of all of these enhancements?  Well duplicators are not dead yet, problem is that there's no creative thinking going on!!!!  Ricoh has a system called the TCII, basically this system prints two colors in a single pass and they've had this for years. So, why did they not ever design a TCIV with 4 drums units for four color (full color) work??? Duplicator engineers need to get off their butts and back on the street with sales people and find out what's needed in the field and what customers needs are.  Low cost digital printing at hi speed is the ticket!

 With the 8  additions the HQ9000 can become a powerhouse solution in any print shop (whether large or small), any Direct Mail business and can also break into many backroom print applications along with CRD's. 

All of this is easy, there's no rebuild of the system, the hardest part maybe the software and the inkjet print head, but what you've got is powerful, reliable, good quality digital print system that can span many different markets, applications and could offer additional solutions to increase clicks.

The coup de grâce would be to change the name of the system from Priport. I'd love to meet the dam genius that adopted that name! Get rid of it, retire it, times change, needs change and change the name of the system to something like DocuPrint, DocuPRESS, imagePRINT or something is that nature!

Just another hint, come to market with a TCIV and kick some real ass in the digital print market.

Check this third party link out Ink jet addressing with duplicator
-=Good Selling=-

Is there a better printer or copier that would do this type of work?

Here's an email I got from one of my Blog readers.  Special thanx to that person and I hope we've helped and a Certified P4P Hotel Member should have contacted you by now.
Art,

I read your advice on total cost of a Ricoh Aficio SP 430DN. do you have any suggestion of a longer term lower cost solution. I have real estate agents that we produce marketing materials for in color. Our current color printer(HP3600n) is way under powered for what we need. I like the Ricoh because of the low cost of consumables, realize that once you hit 50,000 prints there are quite a few components that need to be replaced.

We are printing newsletters on legal paper from Word, two sided in color, then we fold them with a machine. The goal it to send a print job of 1500 newsletters and let it rip. 25-30 prints per minute will do, speed is not the main goal, reliability and low cost per print is.

Is there a better printer or copier that would do this type of work? We're trying to keep the initial outlay at $1000 or less. I'm ok with a used machine if the copy count is low. I'm a pretty technically skilled end user and refill my own print cartridges and can change out drums myself. I'm looking at buying two machines (two offices) and purchasing bulk toner to refill the cartridges.

Your suggestions?
You posed this: "The goal is to send a print job of 1,500 newsletters and let it rip".

Me:  How often will you do this per month or per year? (I had an answer a day later that the volume was going to be 15,000 - 20,000 color pages per month)

This will give me a better idea of what to recommend.

There's a funny thing about color printers and it's from all of the manufacturer’s not just one of them. When a manufacturer states a cost per page most times (95%), it does not include certain parts that need to be replaced in order to maintain optimum print quality, thus the low cost of consumables is not that low any more. These items are usually the transfer belt (imaging belt) and fuser (fixes the toner on the paper). Plus another not so well know fact is the page coverage for printers is rated at 4% coverage, which means if you condensed all of the image area into a square it can't cover more than 4% of the total area (for color printers this gets raised to 16% since there are four colors). I doubt that you are only printing 16% coverage on the page and probably more likely it's 40% (you could email me a sample page for verification).

Another not so good thing about color printers is most manufacturers over state how long the consumables will last. Printing onto thicker stock, envelopes, thin stock, printing less than 5 pages at a time, heat, humidity all take their toll. It's very rare that I see a printer get the manufacturer’s suggested yield for transfer belts, drums, fusers and developers.

Service usually is not included, meaning if the printer breaks and needs a part you'll need to pay extra for this, again this drives up your cost per page. So, where the Ricoh 430DN is .0976 (I don't believe this is correct, however that's what Ricoh states, I think it's more like .15 cents per page when you factor in service, parts and premature consumables) per page is does not include parts, nor service, nor premature failure of the parts I just mentioned.

What I'm getting at is your printing 1,500 pages and the cost per page of the new Ricoh is .15 cents that means on average you’ll spend $225 per month in consumables, service, parts and maintenance. Plus the cost of the printer, let's say you bought it for $1,000, amortized over 36 months means another $30 per month in the hardware cost. You add the consumables and the hardware and you're spending $255 per month. Odds are the printer won't last 5 years either and you'll have to buy another, and that adds another increase to your costs~

I'd like to see you get a color copier/printer that will last for years and years! These systems can be leased for 5 years for $83 (MPC 2030) per month and you can buy a cost per page agreement. The cost per page agreement means that the dealer will charge you .09 cents per page for color and bill you for 1,500 pages each and every month for a total of $135. Included in the $135 is all consumables, all parts, labor, maintenance and service, and basically you could put as much toner on the page as you want. So for $218 you have maintenance, service and parts included!! Not a bad deal.

My point, color printers are sold so you'll keep buying the consumables, it's a never ending cycle. Color copiers by far are the best choice as long as you have the volume. The more you print on a color copier the cheaper it becomes.

If you're in need of an expert to help you in making a total cost of ownership decision, I have Certified Print4Pay Hotel members that can consult and lead you in the right direction.
You posed:

I'm a pretty technically skilled end user and refill my own print cartridges and can change out drums myself. I'm looking at buying two machines (two offices) and purchasing bulk toner to refill the cartridges.

My response:

I'm not being rude, but if your volume is the 1,500 pages per month, you need to concentrate on your core business which is selling and not jerking about with refilling, replacing, and ordering of cartridges, you'll make more in one extra sale per year.

-=Good Selling=-

Around the World with MFP Solutions Blog!

A recent check on one fo the gadgets was cool, maybe just maybe some of the work is paying off.  For those who are itnerested below is a country list of "who's who" that visits the mfpsolutions blog:

I did not know that they had internet access in Afghanistan?  Who knew?  :)

United States (US) 15,188


Canada (CA) 2,488

United Kingdom (GB) 1,482

India (IN) 669

Japan (JP) 605

Netherlands (NL) 581

Australia (AU) 557

Germany (DE) 502

Italy (IT) 369

Taiwan (TW) 328

Singapore (SG) 276

France (FR) 232

South Africa (ZA) 229

Switzerland (CH) 206

Malaysia (MY) 201

New Zealand (NZ) 191

Mexico (MX) 180

Sweden (SE) 174

Belgium (BE) 166

Brazil (BR) 160

Spain (ES) 150

Korea, Republic of (KR) 142

Philippines (PH) 141

Poland (PL) 131

Turkey (TR) 125

United Arab Emirates (AE) 123

Asia/Pacific Region (AP) 117

Hong Kong (HK) 103

Greece (GR) 101

Russian Federation (RU) 100

Indonesia (ID) 100

Norway (NO) 95

Thailand (TH) 95

Europe (EU) 87

Denmark (DK) 87

Portugal (PT) 83

Romania (RO) 81

Pakistan (PK) 81

El Salvador (SV) 81

Finland (FI) 72

Hungary (HU) 67

Czech Republic (CZ) 61

Ireland (IE) 58

Austria (AT) 58

Bulgaria (BG) 49

Saudi Arabia (SA) 48

Croatia (HR) 42

Egypt (EG) 41

Iran, Islamic Republic of (IR) 39

Honduras (HN) 38

Israel (IL) 36

Slovakia (SK) 36

Vietnam (VN) 36

Argentina (AR) 35

Nigeria (NG) 35

Colombia (CO) 32

Serbia (RS) 31

Ukraine (UA) 30

Slovenia (SI) 28

Peru (PE) 28

Sri Lanka (LK) 28

Puerto Rico (PR) 27

Algeria (DZ) 22

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA) 22

Jordan (JO) 22

Venezuela (VE) 21

Morocco (MA) 20

Chile (CL) 20

Jamaica (JM) 19

Kuwait (KW) 19

Qatar (QA) 18

Macedonia (MK) 18

Latvia (LV) 17

Netherlands Antilles (AN) 16

Lithuania (LT) 16

Iceland (IS) 16

Kenya (KE) 16

Bangladesh (BD) 15

Uganda (UG) 13

Cyprus (CY) 13

Ghana (GH) 13

Aruba (AW) 11

Trinidad and Tobago (TT) 11

Albania (AL) 11

Tunisia (TN) 11

Estonia (EE) 10

Lebanon (LB) 10

Georgia (GE) 9

Oman (OM) 9

Tanzania, United Republic of (TZ) 9

Botswana (BW) 9

Dominican Republic (DO) 9

Belarus (BY) 8

Guatemala (GT) 8

Moldova, Republic of (MD) 8

Barbados (BB) 7

Mauritius (MU) 7

Cambodia (KH) 7

Luxembourg (LU) 7

Bahamas (BS) 7

Uruguay (UY) 7

Bahrain (BH) 6

Ecuador (EC) 6

Guam (GU) 5

Malta (MT) 5

Panama (PA) 5

Sudan (SD) 5

Palestinian Territory (PS) 5

Guernsey (GG) 5

Nepal (NP) 5

Yemen (YE) 4

Grenada (GD) 4

Armenia (AM) 4

Guadeloupe (GP) 4

Costa Rica (CR) 4

Cote D'Ivoire (CI) 4

Malawi (MW) 4

Paraguay (PY) 4

Iraq (IQ) 4

Maldives (MV) 3

Jersey (JE) 3

Lesotho (LS) 3

Mozambique (MZ) 3

Zimbabwe (ZW) 3

Zambia (ZM) 3

Mongolia (MN) 3

Montenegro (ME) 3

Djibouti (DJ) 3

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (LY) 3

Lao People's Democratic Republic (LA) 3

China (CN) 3

Macau (MO) 3

Bermuda (BM) 3

Papua New Guinea (PG) 2

Fiji (FJ) 2

Azerbaijan (AZ) 2

Nicaragua (NI) 2

Isle of Man (IM) 2

Reunion (RE) 2

Virgin Islands, British (VG) 2

Suriname (SR) 2

Angola (AO) 2

Brunei Darussalam (BN) 2

Haiti (HT) 2

Greenland (GL) 1

Myanmar (MM) 1

Belize (BZ) 1

Cayman Islands (KY) 1

Swaziland (SZ) 1

Namibia (NA) 1

Syrian Arab Republic (SY) 1

Sierra Leone (SL) 1

Ethiopia (ET) 1

Kazakstan (KZ) 1

Cameroon (CM) 1

Guyana (GY) 1

Solomon Islands (SB) 1

Mali (ML) 1

Bolivia (BO) 1

Dominica (DM) 1

Micronesia, Federated States of (FM) 1

Afghanistan (AF) 1

Madagascar (MG) 1

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers "How did we Get Here"???

When you've been selling copiers as long as I have, well..... let's say that you've been able to learn a few things along the way that help lead the way to a sale. So, a short story on how one of my recent sales went.

Almost two months ago, I had a call from an existing account that had leased and A4 MFP device from me about 26 months ago.  The account had upgraded a few PC's in the office and the OS was Windows 7, it seems that the older (2 years) had a problem scanning to Windows, thus the door was open for a possible upgrade. 

One of the biggest issues I had to overcome was the fact that there were still 36 months of payments on the lease, as we all know those payments just don't magically disappear.  We end up building the payments into the new and pray and hope the numbers aren't too crooked that would halt the upgrade process.  In this case the numbers were crooked, so crooked in fact that we needed to get another $80 per month with the new lease.  It was a no brainer that I had to dump the color MFP and come up with something else or I wouldn't have a sale!



I would have to say one of the most important strategies that I use is to find out as much as I can about how the customer uses the existing equipment, or if there is additional equipment, how they create there documents and even ask if the send documents out to be printed!!  BANG!, BANG! When I posed the last question to the account I found out something I didn't know about the account!

It's always good to dig right? What I mean is to  keep asking questions like who to do this, why do you do it that way etc. For this particular account I uncovered that they were outsourcing 120,000 prints a year to a print shop.  They were single and double sided prints and they would get 2,500 - 5,000 printed on color paper, and then have them tri-folded by the printer. 

What was my solution and how much money did I save this account?  You'll have to log in the the Print4Pay Hotel forums and read the rest.  Click hear to become a member of the faster growing social network of copier professionals in the world!!!  Print4Pay Hotel forums

-=Good Selling=-

Smart MFP's Take to the Cloud "Why UDOCX is Killer Solution"

General Introduction to UDOCX

Over the last few weeks you may have heard about technologies such as “UDOCX”, “cloud” and “MFP integration” coming from multiple sources. You might have read one or more of our blog articles or maybe you’ve even taken a look at our UDOCX website. Maybe it’s time to introduce ourselves personally.

UDOCX is an abbreviation of Unified DOCument eXchange. It is the first real cloud solution that connects multifunctional peripherals (copy/scan/print “all-in-one” devices) to cloud-based services (specifically Microsoft BPOS/Office 365). Using the Software as a Service (SAAS) model, UDOCX allows users to securely scan, store, mail, and print documents to and from multifunctional peripheral devices anywhere in the world.

Furthermore, not only can you integrate your MFP devices with BPOS/Office 365 in the cloud but you can also integrate them with on-premise Microsoft Exchange 2007/2010 and on-premise Microsoft SharePoint. Should you wish to move to a hosted infrastructure in the future, UDOCX is easily reconfigurable – flexibility which saves our customers both time and money.

In contrast to typical software solutions for multifunctionals (document management solutions, managed print solutions, etc.) or to other “cloud” solutions, with UDOCX you simply configure your browser-enabled MFP with the URL of the UDOCX website. We then record some basic information about your MFP devices for authentication (serial number, email domain, etc.) on the UDOCX side and your MFP’s are immediately integrated with your office environment, regardless of physical location.

No need to install or maintain additional software or hardware. No need to purchase additional, proprietary hardware/software add-ons from the MFP manufacturer that only integrate with their proprietary cloud services.

UDOCX is a cloud-based solution designed to support MFP models from multiple manufacturers. The service is constantly evolving to support more and more devices and OEM’s driven by market demand and customer requests. If your chosen MFP devices aren’t currently supported by UDOCX, it’s likely that they soon will be in the coming weeks and months.

The company behind UDOCX:

Fenestrae’s origins as a Microsoft-centric messaging and communications solutions vendor go back more than twenty years. Fenestrae Faxination Server and Fenestrae Communication Server have set the standard for fax and mobile unified messaging solutions by which all other competing products are measured. Fenestrae is a long standing Microsoft Partner and currently has a Gold ISV/Software competency and Windows Server 2008 R2 certification.

Fenestrae’s innovation and expertise in messaging and communications platforms led to the development of the UDOCX cloud solution for MFP’s and its introduction in December 2010.

If you have any questions or requests for articles please email us! info@udocx.com

-=Good Selling=-

9 Questions for UDOCX "Ricoh MFP's to the Cloud"

While holed up sick the other night, I had the chance to converse with Neil Griffiths from UDOCX in reference to some questions about UDOCX. Please if you have any additional questions please post them in the reply section here or you can start a new thread. Neil Griffiths (UDOCX) will monitor and or you can send him an email neilg@fenestrae.com.


Does UDOCX install Java software on the MFP and if so how?

UDOCX does not install any software on the MFP it is pure cloud via the MFP browse.

So, the information on the MFP screen is actually coming from the cloud?

Yes

Besides offering a cloud solution and training for their customers, how does a dealer make profit on reselling your services?

The reseller will make profit with the commission from the sale(per monthly fee)

So, it would be safe to assume that this would be an ongoing revenue stream for the Dealer, right?

Yes, that's correct there certainly is a reoccurring revenue stream!
What type of support is offered, and is there a maintenance fee?

There is no maintenance fee.

How does one activate the UDOCX cloud service from the Ricoh MFP?

There is a provisioning process that you need to go through to activate UDOCX on the MFP , it Is a pretty straight forward web based process (sign up , we allow company access to UDOCX and then we need to identify which machines can use UDOCX via machine serial number)

Are there any other manufacturers supported at this time for UDOCX?

Currently we support Ricoh, Xerox very shortly, others including Canon, HP and more, to follow.

What do you like most about UDOCX?

The thing I most like about UDOCX is that it is cloud based , so no expensive software to install, no hardware, no maintenance charges or installation fees.

How long has been UDOCX been available?

December 2010

-=Good Selling=-

Why I Stopped Selling Used Color Copiers...

This post is from one of my good pals in the industry! 

As a sales rep, it can be easy to get greedy and try to sell the item with the greatest amount of gross profit, especially if your paycheck is based on gross profit from copier sales. One of the more profitable areas in the copier business can be in the used copier market, but it can also be one of the most aggravating and least desireable areas to be involved with. We look at used copiers a bit differently than we did a few years back. Now a used color copier is not nearly as desireable to sell for me or the other copier dealers I work with. We work with people who sell copiers in Houston, copiers in Chicago, copiers in Boston, and we sell copiers in Denver! So, why have we lost that lovin feeling for used color copiers?
We have been getting tired of customers complaining that supply levels are too low, and then eating the cost to get them to an acceptable level. There are imaging units, fusers, toners, transfer kits, waste cartridges, etc... we see 10 to 15 consumable items on most color copiers, so by the time they are all "up to spec" we can be in the copier more than what a small new copier would have cost.

Color quality concerns. After 3 to 5 years, image quality can suffer. Who wants to explain why the color copier looks worse than their new $299 color HP Laserjet printer when they spent 8 times more to buy the copier.

The new units have come down a ton in cost. Now, the supplies are cheaper as are the units, so trying to make a used copier can be a real challenge when you see all of the incredible deals on color copiers and color laser printers in the market!

Techs are busy keeping older equipment running, so a lot of the used color copiers are more in the lemon catagory as many who like their current color copier are keeping it for an extra year or two.

It's just easier to convince a customer a new copier will last. Customers want to know the color copier they are buying today will last for years to come.

So, we have decided that because of the headaches involved in getting a used color copier ready to go, the costs being so close and the image quality not being as good on a used color copier, we prefer to sell new color copiers instead.
 
-=Good Selling=-

"MFP Weekend Industry Updates" P4P Hotel forums

This week equals over 500 Multifunctional Copiers are up for Grabs in the Print4Pay Hotel forums!

I'm finally starting to feel that a real spring is just around the corner.  In the Northeast it's been wet, windy and cold, and seems some sort of winter wants to keep hanging around.

Here's a bit of interesting news, over the last few days I had the chance to speak to a few companies who showed their services or goods at the ITEX show. All of them told me that the attendance was poor, and a few comments that it was worst than last year!  Well, next years show will be back in Las Vegas and I'm guessing that will be a good excuse to get some warmth and rays next year!

Below are some of the threads that were posted for discussion on the Print4Pay Hotel forums. Enjoy!


Announcements & Discussions Forums:


Cloud Printing
KIP in Trouble?
Rumor has it....Ricoh interested in.....
IKON steals University of Kentucky MPS contract from Lexmark!
Canon iR2525 is Killer!
P4P Hotel's Document Library:

MFP Journals
Sharp GSA Catalog
How to win a negotiation
Price Positioning Ricoh MP C300 vs HP CM3530


P4P Hotel's Industry Proposals & Quotes:

Assorted Bid Summary for KM, Ricoh, Toshiba, Kyocera
ricoh mp7001 _mp2851
copystar cs-250ci color
Xerox WorkCentre 5665 "Pricing on the Street"
Canon imagePRESS 1110S


RFp's, RFQ's & Leads:

Huge Managed Print & Multifunctional Copier RFP
300 plus MFP "Request for Proposal: in the Mid South
100 MFP's in Southern Cal
Multi Copier RFP in New England
More in North Carolina, South Dakota, Michigan and South Carolina

Copier Stuff We Found on the Web:

competing against xerox docucolor 252
Sales Manager Advice
Should you ever sell something for nothing?
Emailed request for quote????
9 Questions for UDOCX & their Cloud Solution!


The Print4Pay Hotel forums are closed to the public and only accessible for industry professionals. To date we have over 2,300 registered members that consists of Dealer Owners, Dealer and Direct Sales Managers, Dealer & Direct Account Representatives, Manufacturers Direct Reps, and Industry Analysts. Log in here to become a member of the largest social group of imaging professionals in the world!

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Ricoh Copiers that Scan to Sharepoint

If you're a Ricoh Family Group Provider, you've got to check out UDOCX. No software, no server, it's pretty much a lock out feature and gives you something more to talk about than speeds, feeds and more importantly it seperates us solutions sellers from the box sellers. Offer solutions, and value in turn command a higher price for your knowledge to being state of the art solutions to your customers. 
I went through one of their webinars about a month ago, just today I was trying to get one of my customers to move to a larger system. For the life of me, I could think of any additional items that would make them go with the larger (mp6001), I then asked the IT person "are you guys using sharepoint", the answer was yes, and I directed them to the www.udocx.com site. While he and I were on the site, my statement was that the new larger unit will be able to support UDOCX. The head of IT was impressed, so impressed that he was moving the MP6001SP and UDOCX solution up the ladder for approval.

We all know we need to seperate ourselves from BOX sellers and become more value added to the customer. UDOCX can help!!!!

We'll have a blog from them next week and then we'll be having webinars for P4P HOTEL members only!!! We all know the CLOUD is HOT and it's all going in the right direction!!!!!

http://www.udocx.com/

BTW, UDOCX is now a sponsor of the Print4Pay Hotel forums. Log in here and become a member of the largest social group of imaging professionals in the world!!!


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MFP Copier Take Down Poll!

About a month ago I was trying to come up with a new poll for the Print4Pay Hotel forums. I struggled for a few days when one of our new reps in the office made a statement "hey, we should keep track of manufacturers units that we take outta da (jersey talk) field!  With that statement I had the idea I was looking for! Thank goodness for newbies!

Oh, btw the way you gotta hear this, I'm always trying to help the new reps to learn more about the features, advantages and benefits of the hardware they are selling.  Sometimes, I'll quiz them (they must be thinking what a pain in the ass this guy is), however on this occasion I was trying think of an obscure feature that would be relevant top copying.  So, I asked......."what is 8 up", the answer was.....drum roll......"that's when the machine misfeeds and it ate up the copies", with that answer I stopped my quizzing, shook my head and went back to making calls!

Back to the MFP Copier Take Down Poll, our members can select how many units they removed from the field and what manufacturers machines were displaced.  Who's in the lead?  How many were displaced??  Let me just say in two weeks I'm pretty impressed with the numbers and we'll have to see were they end up. 

You can check out the MFP Copier Take Down Poll! Click here

BTW, if you're and end user of multifunctional copiers and you happen to be in the market and would like a P4P Certified Solutions Professional to provide assistance please click P4P Cafe to get a Professional Proposal!

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Considering buying a Colour laser printer?

Special thanx to Print4Pay Hotel member SalesSericeGuy  from Nova Scotia, Canada for this MOST EXCELLENT THREAD!

SalesServiceGuy been a valued member of the P4P Hotel forums for quite a few years!

Hopefully this will wake up a lot buyers!

Cost Per Page - Toner only

Let’s assume we are going to calculate the price per page for a colour laser printer called ABC.

ABC claims that their laser printer offers 7,200 prints based on the printer industry average 5% page coverage of their coloured toner. If the cartridge costs $199.95, this manufacturer will claim that their cost per page for toner is $199.95/7,200 or 2.77¢ per page for a single colour. This number is multiplied by four (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & Black) and becomes 11.08¢ page cost for 20% toner coverage. On the Toshiba e-STUDIO colour copier, assume a list price of $139.95 for colour and $99.95 for black and white (price may vary). The same toner coverage based on the copier industry average of 6% is 3.7¢. For every page printed on the Toshiba, the customer saves almost 300% per page on toner alone!!

Did you know that many laser printer manufacturers base their page coverage on a page that is 8 x 10 inches in size and not 8.5 x 11? The reason for the smaller size is to allot for margins or non-printable areas on many laser printers. For most copier manufacturers selling colour laser devices, they base their coverage on an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper. Using the same example as above, ask the colour laser printer vendor if the toner coverage is based on an 8 x 10 inch area or 8.5 x 11 inch area. In our example, if the print area was only 8X10, the percentage coverage falls to 7200 prints at 4.27% on an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper. This increases the cost for toner on the laser printer to 12.97¢.

Cost Per Page - Consumables

Toner pricing is the only cost per page some laser printer vendors want to discuss because it makes their device sound very affordable. What usually are not discussed are the additional items associated with a colour laser printer which can add significantly to the cost per page.

Fuser cleaning roller Fuser kit Transfer Rollers Imaging Unit

Oil bottle Waste toner kit Belt Cleaner Drum(s)

Transfer belt(s) Photo Conductor kit Supply Start Up kit Developer (each colour)

Some of these items are pricey (eg: a Supply start up kit of four required toners can cost $1,000.00 or more). Other Customer Replaceable Consumables (CRC’s) can add 10¢ or more onto the cost of a page coming out of a laser printer. These costs can actually double (or more) depending on what you are printing and what type of paper you are printing on to. The true costs can be difficult to calculate but the costs are real and add significantly to the cost per page. Unlike the service contract on a copier where your costs are very predictable, colour printers can vary greatly.

A significant cost concern when purchasing a colour printer with many experienced colour printers users is the industry approach to fixing an image quality problem. The typical solution will be to switch out the suspected consumable item with a new one, which the customer will have to pay for. This is a VERY EXPENSIVE WAY TO MAINTAIN QUALITY ON A COLOUR PRINTER.

Yield Clarification

Many printer manufacturers will claim that a user consumable item such as a fuser will have a life expectancy of 60,000 prints. The sales representative will base all of their cost per page calculations on this life expectancy. Rarely is the customer informed that, “If you print more than 5% toner coverage on the page, the fuser life is decreased. Other consumable items have their life expectancy shortened as well when more than 5% toner is printed on the page”. Additionally, if you print on other paper stocks or media like transparencies, the fuser life will be reduced. Thicker paper, larger paper (legal or 11 x 17) or even letter paper fed in landscape (sideways) can reduce the life of major consumables such as drums, developers and fusers. When a user reduces the life expectancy on a consumable they are significantly increasing the cost per page.

Speed

A frequently overlooked fact about laser printers is their speed. Many laser printers today claim to have 15, 20 even 35 pages per minute printing speeds. Printers typically must print the same page over and over again to achieve their maximum speed. This speed is only ever achieved when a user requests multiple prints of the same page. Today’s colour copiers are document printers and will offer you a completed set of your document printed at the maximum speed of the colour copier. It is clear to see which one of these technologies would be more productive.

Service

While it is common in the copier industry for customers to expect the vendor to deliver, unpack, install and integrate the copier/ printer into the existing LAN, the same is not true in the printer industry. Most printers are shipped in the box to your location. You must unpack and set up the printer yourself. If you do not want to integrate the printer into the LAN yourself, you must purchase an optional installation fee. (approx.. $150.00 -$350.00 for two PCs only). If you do not want to service the printer yourself you must purchase an optional on site next day service contract (approx.$600.00 -$800.00 or more per year). If you expect the same kind of four hour on site service that your copier vendor provides then you must purchase a Premium priced service package. (approx $700.00-$1,700.00 or more per year). This all adds up and should be included in your cost comparisons. These extended warranties or “Care Paks” are in addition to any Customer Replaceable Consumables (CRC’s) you must purchase.

Quick Points

Many of these issues should be clarified by anyone considering a colour laser printer.

Speed of printing heavier stocks How is printer repaired when consumable replacement fails

Duplexing speeds Finishing options (staple, hole punch, booklet making)

Heaviest stock to duplex - automatically or manually Maximum paper size

Ease of access to remove paper stoppages Maximum paper thickness

Maximum paper capacities Remote access and control of printer

Longest job that can be printed unattended Calibration and consistency technologies

Speed of RIP Time to print each page

Page printer or document printer Number of pages printable from driver

Job logs and charge back Network traffic created (spooling of jobs)

Dept. Codes/ Print Limitations

Total Cost of Ownership

In the final analysis before purchasing a laser printer, one needs to do a careful analysis of the true costs of printing a document. Many studies have shown that printing documents is the third largest expense in many companies, right behind Human Resources and rent. Many companies underestimate their actual printing costs by 50%. While the initial low acquisition cost of some colour laser printers may seem appealing, one soon learns that the running cost of a laser printer far exceeds it’s purchase price over the life of the printer’s useful service.

Note from Art:  SSG, thanx for a great post! BTW you read more of what Derrick posts on the Print4Pay Hotel forums which is the only Global social site for Imaging Professionals (2,300 members) in the World!

Need to lease or buy a new multifunctional copier? Call a P4P Hotel solutions expert at p4pcafe
-=Good Selling=-

Print4Pay Hotel's Copier Forums "Weekend Updates"

Finally we've had some decent weather here in the Northeast!  My apologies for not posting much the last week, it was the end of the month, the end of the quarter and the end of the fiscal year for Ricoh.  Sales seem to be picking up some, credit approvals seems to be somewhat spotty at best and margins I guess they are what they are. 

In recent weeks I've been touting the fact that we have radiation FREE  systems still in stock, so you need to buy now. The line has generated a few chuckles, but I'm deeply concerned about the possibility of hardware and toner shortages in the coming weeks. Supply and demand is an awesome concept, right?

Below are some of the threads that were posted for discussion on the Print4Pay Hotel forums. Enjoy!

Announcements & Discussions Forums:
Cloud Printing
Japan Crisis
Rumor has it.....
Is toner rationing on the horizon?

P4P Hotel's Document Library:
Sharp GSA Catalog
How to win a negotiation
Price Positioning Ricoh MP C300 vs HP CM3530
competitive A4 Landscape

P4P Hotel's Industry Proposals & Quotes:
Assorted Bid Summary for KM, Ricoh, Toshiba, Kyocera
ricoh mp7001 _mp2851
copystar cs-250ci color
Xerox WorkCentre 5665 "Pricing on the Street"
Canon imagePRESS 1110S

RFp's, RFQ's & Leads:
Bid for approx 420 MFP's in Northeast  USA
RFP for School in NC
15 MFP's in Texas
hUGE pRINT pRODUCTION rfp IN ca

Copier Stuff We Found on the Web:
In 2009, it refinanced that lease, providing new copiers and lowering the monthly
Gordon Flesch wins 900K plus Bid
Another $25000 could be saved by removing all district printers and utilizing copiers
We were printing 45 million copies per year to the tune of about $1 million
Xerox can’t escape Carr case
We were printing 45 million copies per year to the tune of about $1 million


The Print4Pay Hotel forums are closed to the public and only accessable for industry professionals.  To date we have over 2,300 registered members that consists of Dealer Owners, Dealer and Direct Sales Managers, Dealer & Direct Account Representatives, Manufacturers Direct Reps, and Industry Analysts. Log in here to become a member of the largest social group of imaging professionals in the world!

-=Good Selling-=