Top Ten Copier & MFP Industry Predictions for 2012

Whoa! What a year for the industry with the earthquake/tsunami in Japan, the floods in Thailand, the continued devaluation of the dollar vs the yen, Xerox dumps wide format, Global Imaging Systems has taken over all of the SMB business from Xerox, and major copier manufacturers finally produce their own A4 MFP systems.

Speaking of Xerox, word on the street is that Xerox may be bought (this coming from a Print4Pay Hotel Member on the forums), a recent blog stated that the dancing partners maybe HP, Dell and IBM.  You just never know in this business.  I just though about this scenario today, Dell buys Xerox and keeps ACS and then spins off the imaging division!  You never know.

Last year saw these predictions Top Ten MFP Copier Industry Predictions for 2011.  I'm not claiming to be a soothsayer, not when you get 6 out of 10 wrong, however we were right with Kodak on the verge of Bankruptcy (stock is at .65 cents), Samsung did introduce the A3 MFP in the US, it was announced in 2011 that the IKON brand will disappear in March of 2012, and Copier Manufacturers did make the move and purchased MPS related companies.

What can happen in 2012?

1.  I'll go out on a limb, Xerox will be bought by....well someone

2.  Kodak files for Bankruptcy or is bought "A picture is forever, Kodak is not"

3. Ricoh USA finally comes clean and announces that Ricoh Americas Corp has moved to Malvern, PA

4. Sharp bows out of the commercial MFP business similar to what Panasonic did three years ago, however they will still continue to market A4 devices through distributors and the web, no more dealer and direct channel.

5. Chinese Manufacturer Siene Technology introduces first MFP and looks to establish USA dealer network.

6. Toshiba Business Systems withdraws from the copier/print hardware business, instead they focus on giving the hardware away for free to capture the clicks.

7. One of the Big four Xerox, Ricoh, Canon or KonicaMinolta will buy Auxilio, who ever does takes a major leap of faith in MPS.

8. Managed Print Services......the hype continues

9. Xerox announces additional layoffs in the US

10. USA MFP Copier manufacturer sees the introduction of the first segment 5 A4 MFP.

Some of these are meant to be light hearted and have no chance of coming true, so please take some of this as entertainment and figure out what could happen and what's not going to happen.  Above all I hope you enjoyed this!

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Service Industry Notes from Around the World!

Fifteen Trends at Managed Services Conferences: This blog offered insights from the Kaseya Connect User Conference, HTG Dallas and the Managed Print Services Conference. 7. Cloud Computing is Big Business for Small Business: This guest blog, ...go here for more

And our managed print services are helping them keep those costs under control. The other thing we're hearing about is process improvement. With Perceptive, and now Pallas Athena, we help them understand better what their processes are. ...go here for more

I’ve spoken with industry analysts, listened to co-workers and read plenty of IT prophecies form an opinion about what the New Year will bring. In my opinion, the two hottest managed services sectors entering 2012 are managed document services (MDS) and go here for more

Dec 27, 2011 Scottsdale, AZ. – MWA Intelligence, Inc. (MWAi), a leader in enterprise-class M2M (machine to machine) and M2P (machine to people) solutions and services, has been named as one of the Top Managed Print Services Organizations of 2012 by Greg Walter’s The Death of The Copier blog...read more here

-=Good Selling=-

10 Tips for "More Light With Less Current"

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.

Times have changed this is for your enjoyment and nothing else.

You can reduce those electric bills by-

1. Eliminating colored bulbs. The greatly lessen the actual light you get.

2. Replacing dark shades and shade linings with light ones.

3.  Using one high wattage bulb in place of several smaller ones. A 100 watt bulb gives 50% more light than four 25 watt bulbs, yet uses the same amount of current.

4. Dust the bulbs and the linings of the lamp shades. Wipe off parchment shades, inside and out, with a damp cloth (Turn off electric before dusting).
5. Wash light bulbs occasionally, but be careful not to get the metal section wet. Dry thoroughly before replacing. Be sure electric is OFF while replacing.
6. If after washing the bulbs still look very dark, get new ones.
7. When you leave a room for more than 5 minutes, switch the light off.

8. If your rooms are due for a repainting, consider the lower electric bills you will enjoy by painting walls white or some pastel shade, thereby requiring less artificial lighting.

9. "Bargain" light bulbs are usually and extravagance. They dim quickly, but consume as much electric as good ones. Play safe by using the standard brands.
10. If you spend much time working in the basement, spare your eyes by whitewashing the walls so they reflect more light. If the joists overhead are exposed, you can increase the amount of illumination from the ceiling fixture without changing to a larger bulb. Simply nail several white painted boards or cardboards to the joists around the base of the fixture.

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "9 Tips to Start the Year Right"

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? 

Even me with 32 years in the "down the street" sales can still learn a few things.  Over the last few years I've made the effort to schedule vacation time a few days before Christmas and then the week after Christmas.  I don't go anywhere, will do a few things around the house that need attending, take some longer naps (I need em), get some of the odds and ends done that I've put off like re-registering the car. 

More importantly, I'll take this time to recharge.  Things that I like to do during my time off that will help me with next years sales.

1. Re-read a few chapters of my favorite sales books. (you've got to stay on top of your game, there's nothing new in sales, so it's always good to review and make sure you're doing all of the right things)
2. Make a list of my goals for next year.  (I'll make one or two major and then 5 or 6 minor ones).
3. Update my data base in our CRM software. Out with the crap and in with the new. (In my case, just like the old index cards, some accounts will get lost in the shuffle.  I'll take this time to make sure every account gets a call)
4. Make a list of 20 "Net New" Companies that I'd like to get as accounts. (Kinda my wish list for accounts that I'd like to get into for the new year)
5. Educate myself about what my competitors have to offer for hardware & software. (Sometimes we get so caught up with prospecting, researching, quoting and closing that we find ourselves not knowing about new products and software from the competition, I'll take a trip to their web site to review)
6. Make some follow up calls to make sure I have some January business. (There's always some loose ends that need to be taken care of)
7. Review pipeline for first quarter. (What can I say, you always need to know what you need to do to make things happen and have the business that will pay you the big bucks)
8. Relax (My most favorite, this will also include power naps, mindless entertainment, and a few good flicks)
9. Family Time (Other than relaxing I'll make sure I help the wife or the kids with something special, if it were not for them I might not have the desire, determination or dedication to be the best at what I do)

The industry has  been good to me and I'm pretty sure it's because I've always worked hard.  With out hard work and passion I probably would have wilted many years ago.  But, after 32 years there's always something new and something new to learn.

-=Good Selling=-

Ricoh's New SP5200SR Copier MFP Review

Whoa!  It's been four days since I posted a blog, just goes to show you what the end of the month, the end of the quarter and the end of the year can do to you when you're still selling!

I'd like to put my thoughts down about the new Ricoh S5200SR series, pretty much what I like, what I don't like and some of the unknowns that I see about the new product.

Over the last 3 or 4 years I've been a big fan of A4 Copier/MFP devices. For years I couldn't fathom why major manufacturers like Xerox, Ricoh, Canon and KonicaMinolta (The Big 4) were not developing their own A4 strategy. I'm thinking the proliferation of MPS (Managed Print Service) in recent years changed the mind set of the Big 4 to enter the A4 MFP marketplace with their own home grown devices.

Ricoh SP5200 series

One of the most confusing aspects of this series is the model number, there is a laser printer version and an MFP version.  The model numbers for the laser printers are SP5200DN and SP5210DN. The SP5200DN prints at up to 47 pages per minute and the SP5210DN prints at up to 52 pages per minute.  D represents Duplex, white the N represent Network .

Here's where it gets confusing, in the MFP series we have an SP5200S, SP5210SF, and the SP5210SR.

The SP5200S prints and copies at up to 47 pages per minute and out of the box offers print/copy/color scan/store. While the SP5210SF offers out of the box configurations with print/copy/color scan/store/fax and an inner one bin tray (for fax receptions), and has a print speed of up to 52 pages per minute. 

The flagship of the series is the SP5210SR offers the same out of box configuration as the SP5210SF except that the fax is an option and the 1 bin tray is replaced with an internal 50 sheet stapler (50 pages for letter and 30 pages for legal). What ever happened to keeping it simple. When talking about the systems it's crucial to make sure  that you know the difference between the DN, S, SF & SR versions of the device.

For time being I'm gonna put the laser printers on the back burner and from here on I'll be writing about the MFP version in general.

Ricoh USA Website in Countdown Mode to......

For the last ten days if you paid a visit to the Ricoh USA web site the main banner was replaced with a banner of a "cloaked" product and a picture of a color GUI (Graphical User Interface) that is placed on their copiers.  As of Friday or it might have been Thursday the countdown was down to 1 day left.  I'm thinking it was Thursday when the one day was left. I didn't have the time to visit the site on Friday, nor Saturday, but had the chance today to pay a visit and see what the hype was.

I'm thinking I knew what the hype was, the delayed launch of the SP5200 A4 series multifunctional products.  The SP5200 multifunctional series is much needed to compete with the Canon 1700 series.  We were suppose to see it here in the US in November.

However, I bit at the banner ad and was expecting to see something on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.  Well, the countdown banner is gone, the old banners are back up and there is no press release. Heck, maybe they'll post it on the overnight or first thing in the AM.  It's not surprising since.....

12 Gas Saving Tips "800 Ways to Save & Serve"

Your Gas, Electric and Phone Bills

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort. Times have changed this is for your enjoyment and nothing else.
Ideas on keeping them "down to earth"

Conserve Cooking Fuel

1) Fuel is a victory essential. Conserve your bit by lowering the hear once the watter is boiling. It will remain at this tempature. Buy an oven thermometer so that the roasting and baking can be done at the most economical, recommended temparture.

2) Don't heat a whole tea kettle of water when all you need is two cups.

3) Remove sediment in your tea kettle.

4) Cook most vegetables in the smallest possible quantity of water - this saves vitamins and minerals too!

Digital A3 Envelope Press from Ricoh? I Think....

I've been around this business long enough to know a good thing when I see it.  My roots are in the Print4Pay market of the office equipment business.  My first introduction to the Print4Pay business was when I began selling the Minolta 450Z analog copier to print shops, advertising agencies, newspaper and basically any company that needed to reduce or enlarge a document by 1/10th of 1%. Gosh darn those where the good ole days right?

In the past few years dedicated "digital" envelope presses have emerged from the likes of Xante, Oki and a few other third party suppliers.  If you're not familiar with these devices I'll make it short and sweet, it's a tweaked OKI  Color LED (Laser Emitting Diode) print engine with A3 (up to 11x17 print) print capability.  These LED (technically not laser, but is laser quality or better, depends on who you ask) are then married with an envelope feeder attachment   and then an exit conveyor attachment.  The feeder feeds envelopes into the by-pass area of the paper feed system.  There you have it, a digital press that can produce 4 color envelopes with for consumables of about 2 cents each.

Price...., the systems are pricey, with  most models that will range from $16k-$22k per system.  You have to see a whole lotta envelopes to make up that kinda cash.  If the price was right for these systems, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that every print shop and CRD would have one.  The fact is the price is not right and not every print shop has one or can afford to have one. 

120 Ways to Save on Food "8 Tips on Vegetables & Fruit"

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort. Times have changed this is for your enjoyment and nothing else.

VITAMINS ARE EXPENSIVE

Save those Vitamins! They're most precious part of your food and the more of them that you get inside you, the fitter you'll be for those stressful times. Here are eight common-sense rules for conserving vitamins, as recommended by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company:

1. In cooking vegetables, raise the temperature to the boiling point as rapidly as possible. Heat may then be lowered.

2. Foods shout not be put through a sieve while still hot.

3. When cooking, use as little water as possible.

4. The water used in cooking is valuable for soups sauces, and gravies.

5. Chopped fruits and vegetables should be prepared just before serving.

6. Start cooking frozen foods while they are still frozen.

7. Frozen foods which are to be served raw should be used immediately after thawing.

8. Stirring air into foods while they are cooking cause vitamin destruction.

P.S.

read more 8 bonus tips

Copier & MFP Color Cost Per Page Poll

Over the years the Print4Pay Hotel has conducted many "secure" polls that are only available to registered members on our forums.

Just yesterday we started our Second Annual Color Cost per page poll.  Within the forums we allow our members to click the Color Cost Per Page that they are charging end users. The poll is anonymous so no one knows who clicked what cost per page and what monthly volume.  After two days we've already posted 156 page views.

It's essential that we as sales people, Dealer Owners, and the Direct Channel can get a view of what is being charged for the Color Cost Per Page.  Here you can see the average cost per page, the low cost per page and the high cost per page, plus you can match them with monthly and quarterly volumes.

In recent days 67% of our members stated that the Color Cost Per Page on a 50 page per minute color MFP doing 5,000 pages per month is below .........yup gonna have to be a member to get that information.  Membership is FREE, you just gotta put up with a weekly email of updates on the latest industry threads from our members.  Keep in mind that our forums are secure, no end users, no bs registrations. So if you can take a trip here, become a member of the worlds largest group of copier, print and mfp professionals in the work.

Here's a sample of one of our Second Annual "Color Cost Per Page Polls"

Question:
Please check your average color cost per page for 10,000 plus pages per month.

Choices:
.08
.075-.079
.070-.074
.065-.069
.060-.064
.055-.059
.050-.054
.045-.049
.040-.044
.035-.039
under .034

Question:
Please check your average color cost per page for 7,000-10,000 pages per month.

Choices:
.08
.075-.079
.070-.074
.065-.069
.060-.064
.055-.059
.050-.054
.045-.049
.040-.044
.035-.039
under .034

Question:
Please check your average color cost per page for 4,000 - 7,000 plus pages per month.

Choices:
.08
.075-.079
.070-.074
.065-.069
.060-.064
.055-.059
.050-.054
.045-.049
.040-.044
.035-.039
under .034

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Service Industry Notes from Around the World!

Mission Viejo's AUXILIO Inc., a managed print services (MPS) provider for the healthcare industry, is holding an informal webinar on Friday, Dec. 8 at 8 am hosted by Modern Healthcare. ...read more here

NEWSBYTE, Dec. 6, 2011 - Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK) has enhanced its offerings for the public sector by combining the power of Lexmark multifunction product (MFP) technology with ImageNow from Perceptive Software. To save valuable time when submitting documentation for services, the Lexmark MFP and ....read more here

Despite CEO Meg Whitman saying that 2012 would be a year of balance sheet rebuilding, HP(HPQ) announced another acquisition Monday, purchasing German software company, Hiflex Software GmbH. HP spent more than $11 billion in 2011 making ....read more here

The lawsuit was filed in US District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of all HP LaserJet owners by David Goldblatt of New York, who recently purchased two of the printers. The lawsuit accuses HP of violating California's consumer ....read more here

Brother strengthens senior sales team with print industry veterans

Printer manufacturer Brother has expanded its sales team with the appointments of two senior managers.  Cathy Ellis (pictured) joins from Dell, where she was the UK head of its printer business for three years. She will take up the newly created position of head of sales, online partners, developing Brother’s online partner network, and ....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Document Capture Workstations "Is the Time Right"?

A few days ago I was flipping through the MFP Report and there was an interesting article on an HP device listed as a "Document Capture Workstation".  The MFP Report states that the HP Scanjet Enterprise 8500 fn1 was previewed at Innovation Impact in Shanghai a few months ago.

I'm all over this technology!  Many years ago I mentioned that Hi Speed Network Scanners Stations are needed in the office, but you'd have to spice them up with some additional features like:

• Scan2email
• Scan2folder
• Scan2ftp
• Scan2sharepoint
• Ability to run third party software such as ecopy, digidoc flow, NSI, etc....
• Network Fax
• Cloud Fax
• Scan2Print
• Scan2fax

What is Jetmobile?

Recently Jetmobile signed on as an annual supporter of the Print4Pay Hotel. I'll admit I knew little about Jetmobile and what they did until I spoke with Stoney Tuckness Director of Business Development. So without further ado, I've posted the first Print4Pay Hotel Interview with Stoney @ Jetmobile. Please go here for online demo.

Stoney what is Jetmobile?

Jetmobile is an ISO 9001 certified company with 17 years of experience developing enterprise-class software solutions for the printing industry. Jean Francois d’Estalenx established Jetmobile in 1994 in Paris but has since grown into a global company with strong representation in all 3 major regions; Americas, EMEA, APJ.  Jetmobile headquarters are located in Nampa, ID, Paris, France & Singapore.  Jetmobile is nearing 70 employees, 45 of which make up our research and development department and quality control. This reach and scope allows Jetmobile to tailor our already flexible software based on regional needs as well as offer technical and sales support 24/6 in local languages.

What type of Jetmobile products are there?

Jetmobile offers 3 major products; SecureJet, MicrDIMM, and BarDIMM. These products are sold as either OEM products from major printing manufactures or through indirect channels.

 What are the benefits of each product?

Jetmobile’s BarDIMM turns your HP LaserJet printer into a barcoding expert. BarDIMM supports over 90 barcoding formats, numerous manufacturing symbols in multiple languages, is fully scalable, and supports color.

Jetmobile’s MicrDIMM allows for ad hoc dynamic check printing including signature lines, logos, and addresses, removes the need for pre printed check stock, and minimizes security risks of pre printed checks or third party check printing services.  Our flagship product is SecureJet. SecureJet is a security, mobility and traceability solution for print devices. SecureJet is a next generation, enterprise-class, fully scalable, security, mobility, and traceability, solution. SecureJet allows customers to minimize printing cost, increase security, and prove utilizations and efficiencies as well as providing knowledge for actionable print environment optimization.

What Happens When You're Numero Uno in Copier & MFP Sales

Every now and then I like to have a little fun with the blog.  Today, I had a few chuckles at Ricoh 's expense and a few others.

If you're number one, it always seems you're going to take some heat about something. In 20 or 30 years it would be interesting to see what the likes of Ricoh, Canon, Xerox and KonicaMinolta are doing and how they got there.

I'm thinking the past 4 years and the next 4 years will define how companies like  Ricoh, Xerox, KonicaMinolta and Canon will be moved forward or backwards.

I need to get to the chuckles right?  I was speaking with an RICOH person today just chomping it up about us being in the business for a long time and that person made a statement that they had to travel to Malvern for a corporate meeting, with that statement I could tell there was some, well...let's just say it was evident with the tone that Malvern is the NEW HQ as GMAN's (Member of Print4Pay Hotel) been stating for sometime! First chuckle!

But, even more unsettling was that I received a "ricoh" document the other day.   Nosey me, I clicked on all of the TABS and found out that what I thought was originally a "ricoh" document was actually  a document developed by IKON many years ago and then converted to Ricoh. Hey, there was the second chuckle of the day.

Sometimes I wonder....did Ricoh Americas buy IKON or did IKON get paid to take over Ricoh Americas? Ha!! Another chuckle, you really gotta laugh at this stuf.

Here's another, I follow Canon and Oce. Since the Canon take over, the web is flooded with OCE Press Releases, yet I get almost nothing coming from Canon. What gives?

What about this, how the heck can Toshiba, Sharp, or Kyocera Dealers and Direct Branches feel about their manufacturers marketing programs when there are virtually ZERO Press Releases for MFP, MPS or copier related products?

 I have alerts set for all four and I see more from Kyocera, less from Toshiba and a minuscule from Toshiba and Sharp.  By far the most press releases are in this order Xerox, Oce, Ricoh and KonicaMinolta. 

As my father in-law always stated "what do expect from a pig, but a grunt". True, you can take a visit to the Toshiba, Sharp and Kyocera....and where the heck are the mfp's and or copiers?? You really have to get down the page or dig deep to find them.

Thank you to Ricoh for sticking to MFP's and Copier for now, Hoping I'll be around in 30 years to see how all of this shakes out!

-=Good Selling=-

To Ricoh "What I Want for Christmas" 2011

The tradition of burning a Yule log actually has its roots in ancient Scandinavia. Supposedly the Yule log was a source of good luck and its remnants were saved to inspire good fortune throughout the year. It was such a widely held belief that people even threw the ashes in wells to make the water safer to drink.

It was once believed that any woman who went under a mistletoe and was not kissed would not marry the coming year.

Thanx to Interesting Christmas Facts for these.

I did a wish list for Ricoh last year, Here's what I want for this Christmas from Ricoh Americas for 2011:

• Dedicated A3 Color Envelope Printer with or without a Fiery
• 60-90 page per minute A4 MFP's
• Increased Mono & Color Scan Speeds for Segment 4 A3 MFP's
• A4 MFP's with an A3 "Cost Per Page Model"
• Embeded Browser Units on all MFP's so I can sell the heck out of UDOCX
• Duplexing A3 (11x17) Digital Duplicator
• 4 PPM Wide Format MFP with Color Scan
• Network Scanning Station: All of the Scan Features of the Ricoh MP5001 with NO print engine!
• Wide Format MFP that will Color Print/Color Scan and Color Copy
• Stop laying off good Ricoh people in favor of IKON people!

I'm sure there's a few more I could think of however these are on the top of my list!!

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "Beancounters Enable More Sales"

Last month saw me not being able to maintain my monthly quota, and that really sucks!  Our month is suppose to close on the 24th of each month, however due to Thanksgiving and being closed on Friday and then the weekend we would have had until the 28th of the month.

Heck, I was good with that since Wednesday the 23rd is travel day before Thanksgiving and the 28th would have been a full business day to close additional business!    Thus I had the month of November at 23 Selling Days!!  Dam, just what I needed and extra day right?

Kinda, and not so fast, on or about the second week into the month we had a notice that we're closing the month on the 23rd which is the busiest travel day in the US. 

Basically means that you'd have to have all your sales completed by the 22nd of the month. So what was to be a bonus day, turned into one less day in the selling month, that's just like losing 10% of the month.  I'm not making excuses, however let me see some of those dam beancounters do my job and then let me take away a couple of selling days here and there, right!

But, you know, there is a shining light at the end of the tunnel.  When I'm back to work on Monday the 28, I'll still have 3 days left in the calendar month. So, I'll be back in the swing of things trying to get business closed with urgency before the calendar "end of the month".  In essence the beancounters need to close the month early gives me an additional "end of the month" closing tool.

Looking back, I kinda like having two "end of the month" opportunities, it gives me the additional desire to close things up and start the "new month" on a high note.

With that, we're into the last month of the year. I had a lot of business push to December and I'm hoping I can get it all done by the 14th, cause after that I'm closing shop until the end of the year!

Just a side note here from 1/20/2012, I was not able to finish the month by the 14th.  I was working all the way until the 23rd of the month.  For those that give up a few days before Christmas and pack it in. I was able close almost $100K in business on the 22nd and 23rd.  Just goes to show you that everyone is in buying mode around the Holidays!!!

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "Alternatives to Discounting"

It's that time of the month again. I reached out to "Old Glory" a Print4Pay Hotel Member and asked Jim Parker if he'd being willing to write something for us. As always Jim came up BIG!  It's always good to talk to someone else who has been selling in the industry for some time.  Special thanx to Jim Parker for this this!  Jim is a Premium P4P Member and his input is always welcomed, take the time to become a Print4Pay Hotel Member, you'll be glad you did!

Alternatives to Discounting

Particularly when I am upgrading a current customer, I pretty much never let the current lease go full term AND pretty much never eat the whole cost of a buy-out and neither does the customer. I add the remaining months to the term of the new lease. If there are three months left on a 60 month lease, I tell the customer that the remaining obligation just becomes a part of the new lease.  Instead of back-to-back 60 month leases, they end up with a 60 month lease that only goes 57 and a 63 month lease...same 120 months. The extra funding that the 3 month longer obligation gets me comes close to paying the buy-out on the original lease. May not be able to do it again next renewal but I’ll worry about that when the time comes.

If you are hearing anything akin to “We’d have a deal if…” The first question needs to be, “Do you prefer to buy from me?” If the answer is yes then consider the following before giving in to discounting:

·        “Would you consider a longer term in return for the lower payment?” Earlier this year I placed 23 machines by matching the competitors 36 month payment by telling the prospect that I could match the competitors payment if they wouldn’t mind committing to 48 months instead of 36. They plan on always having a payment and never owning the equipment so does it matter that much whether the equipment stays 36 months or 48 as long as we keep them happy?

·        What about a step lease? “Mr. Customer, would you be willing to pay a little more in years 2 and 3 in return for the lower payment in year one?”

·        What about a deferred payment? “Mr. Customer, what if I could arrange for you to be able to go without a payment at all for a few months. Would that be helpful?” This will cost a small amount in funding but may be far less than the discount they were asking for.

·        If you are accustomed to -0- in advance leases… “The only way I can get you that payment is if are willing to pay a two payment security deposit. You’ll get it back in the end.”

Daily Managed Print Service Industry Notes from Around the World!

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) has announced a seven-year deal with Xerox managed print services through which it aims to save £1.2m. The deal, part of a wider project by Logica to create an intelligent back-office infrastructure for the Trust, means that UCLH will now have only one print supplier to manage. Before....read more here

Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (TABS), a leader in managed print services (MPS) that help organizations reduce cost by printing smarter, working safer and maximizing their green savings, continues leaving its mark in multifunction printer (MFP) innovations with the introduction of the....read more here

In 2012 what we’re focusing on is enabling our partners to sell more than just the box. While our core hardware business is very important to us, Lexmark, through a number of acquisitions over the last couple of months and through our own research and development, has come up with a number of tools to enable us help our channel partners go outside that normal channel sell. It’s very important for us as a print vendor to provide a compelling reason to partner with Lexmark, and we....read more here

Reading, UK, 22nd November 2011: Kyocera Mita UK Ltd is delighted to announce that it has successfully retained its Carbon Trust Standard certification following an audit by the Carbon Trust. The retention of the certification indicates that Kyocera Mita UK has continued to improve its carbon efficiency since the Standard was initially awarded in 2008. During a period of significant growth for Kyocera Mita UK, the company has achieved a....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

Midway, KY– The managed print services (MPS) market continues to make great strides and grow in this tough economy, according to the 2011 MPS Market Size, Share and Forecast Study from Photizo Group, the leading research and transformation firm for the MPS market. With a 27 percent year-on-year growth in 2010 revenue, the MPS market indicates a....read more here

Managed Print Services give your business the tools that you need to succeed. MPS offers a variety of benefits that range from increasing the productivity within your office to reducing costs and helping improve the environment. In part one of this three part series, we will be discussing the benefits of Managed Print Services on Office Productivity....read more here

Manchester, UK – 21 November 2011 – M2’s independent managed print IT services (MPS) has helped one of the UK’s leading regional law firms, Pannone to reduce its spend on print and unnecessary print consumption....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

Contex Group has signed an agreement to sell its subsidiaries Z Corporation and Vidar Systems to the American company 3D Systems Corporation. The enterprise value amounts to USD 137m. In connection with completion of the deal, a large part of the bank debt in Contex Group will be....read more here

LEXINGTON, Ky., Nov. 21, 2011 -- Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK) has announced the opening of a new regional office in Moscow to help meet increased demand in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Since 1994, Lexmark was represented in the region through a distribution....read more here

The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s (NMMU) Bulk Printing Facility has a print output of just over 2 million A4 images a month. Being a strategic business unit that receives no subsidy from the University and with stringent SLAs in place with its internal customers, the Bulk Printing Facility has a tight business case to fulfil. During a recent open tender process, the University appointed Xerox to replace its ageing fleet with new high speed digital 4127 Copier/Printers and a Xerox 700 Digital Colour Press....read more here

Nov 21, 2011 London – Ricoh Europe, a specialist in office solutions, managed document services and production printing will be working with the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London this week to make document processes at the high profile tennis tournament more sustainable. The activity forms part of Ricoh’s commitment to providing carbon neutral document management to all its sponsorships through its award-winning....read more here
Nov 18, 2011 Ricoh employees, members of Sunnyfield’s Day Options Program and their carers gathered together at Ricoh’s Head Office in French's Forest to launch the Sunnyfield Buddy Program on Friday 4 November, 2011. Ricoh’s Sunnyfield Buddy Program is designed to provide an opportunity for staff to share their interests and develop....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

IKON brand Copiers & MFP's to Disappear

Once upon a time there were three Independent Copier Companies in the US and the time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes.

 Before they left, their Stockholders told them   “Whatever you do, do it the best that you can  because that's the way to make your shareholders lots of money.

The first Independent Copier Company built their brand by acquiring dealerships, the second Independent Copier Company built their brand with Konica and Canon, and the third Independent Copier Company built their brand with Sharp, Canon & Ricoh.

Then in the course of two to three years, there were THREE large wolves, who dearly loved to gobble up copier companies. The first wolf swooped in devoured up Global, the second wolf feasted on Danka and the third wolf barbequed on Ikon.

There's no happy ending here, and that’s a shame, the likes of Xerox, KonicaMinolta and Ricoh thought they needed to preserve market share and instead of supporting dealers, they went out and bought market share.

So, with April 12th fast approaching another iconic brand will disappear. Ricoh will drop the IKON name as of April 2012. Those branches will now carry the Ricoh Americas Corp banner from here on.

For those who don't know, I'm still in the business of selling copiers, actually going on my 32nd year in 2012. I've sold for a Minolta, Mita, Adler Royal, and Ricoh dealerships in that time.

Weekend Copier & MFP Industry Threads

Thought I'd just take the time to share some of the interesting threads that have been posted on the Print4Pay Hotel forums in the recent week. If you're not familiar with the site, the Print4Pay Hotel forums designed for the Imaging (copiers, mfp, printers, mps) Professionals to seek information, gather knowledge and collaborate with Industry Peers in a secure setting.  To date we have over 2,300 registered members from all almost every country in the world.  Visit the Print4Pay Hotel and then click on the link for forum access (it's FREE).

Most Viewed Threads
Monocomponent vs. Dual Component
Comments on the Canon 1730/1740/1750 Models
Sharp MX-2310U/MX4111N
Western Digital Factory Under Water
Question for everyone..... with leasing are any of
Kodak & Possible Buyers?
Rumor has it.....
New Rep needs encouragement

Most Popular

Ricoh SP5200 Brochure
Top Color Production Systems?
Check this ^%$^ out!
Cloud Poll
HDD Wiping/Reformatting
Toner Save Software to Get MPS CPCs Down
Q. How does your company handle networking charges?

Request for Proposals

Purchase of one (1) unit Taskalfa Kyocera-Mita
Pennslyvania
New Mexico
South Carolina
STATEWIDE IT PROCUREMENT OFFICE (NC)

Welcome to Friday @ Print4Pay Hotel

Welcome to Friday...!!!
With the fourth Thursday in November less than a week away, we are pleased to bring you this Thanksgiving-themed installment of "Happy Friday from the Print4Pay Hotel."

But, did you ever wonder... why the fourth Thursday... or why do we traditionally serve turkey... or who else was with the pilgrims on the Mayflower...? We won't keep you in suspense any longer. Here are some fun and interesting facts that you may not have known about "Turkey Day."

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone...!!!

Now, for some stuff you may not have known.

Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of the nursery rhyme "Mary had a Little Lamb," is credited with convincing President Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday... which he did in 1863 as a way of trying to unify the country after the stress of the American Civil War.

Hale's letters to President Lincoln also included some "suggested family recipes" to be used during Thanksgiving dinner... many of which are now considered traditions, such as turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

Prior to the addition of Thanksgiving, the only national holidays celebrated in the United States were President Washington's birthday and Independence Day.

President Roosevelt (FDR) once changed the traditional date of Thanksgiving to extend the Christmas shopping season by a week... in an attempt to boost the economy. After some disagreements, Congress stepped in and officially set the date as the fourth Thursday in November.

With more than 280 million sold annually, about 91% of Americans serve turkey on Thanksgiving.

More than 20% of all cranberries consumed in the US per year are eaten on Thanksgiving.

Of the 102 people that arrived at Plymouth Rock on the Mayflower, only about half of them were what became known as "Pilgrims." The others passengers, who were called "Strangers," were recruited to govern the colonist.

BTW, I borrowed his from our companies blast email, hope they don't mind!

-=Good Selling=-

800 Ways to Save & Serve: "How 2 Take Out Spots & Stains"

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.

(Caution: In the long run, there is only one safe rule to follow when removing spots and stains from non-washable materials. Take them to a reliable dry-cleaner. The special solvents and cleansing agents needed make it impractical to attempt the job at home).

ADHESIVE TAPE MARKS

As a rule, these come off easily with a few dabs of non-flammable cleaning fluid.

ALCOHOL PAINTS AND STAINS

Sponge with turpentine; launder.

BLOOD STAINS

Lady MacBeth never knew that blood stains could be easily removed by soaking in plain cold water, then washing. If stain remains, soak in ammonia water (1 1/2 tablespoons ammonia to one gallon of water); then wash.

CHEWING GUM

Hold a piece of ice directly under the stuck-to part. This freezes the gum, which can then be picked off easily. Sponge with non-flammable cleaning fluid.

COLD LIVER OIL

Sponge with non-flammable cleaning fluid; then launder. If stain remains, use chlorine bleach, unless color of fabric is affected by bleach.

COFFEE

Copiers & MFP's A4 vs A3 Model "The War has Just Begun"

This question or statement was posed on one of the Print4Pay Hotel forums just yesterday.  I didn't think that I was in the mood to write tonight until I viewed this thread.

"I am interested in hearing feedback on the recently introduced Canon IR 1730/1740/1750 models. These look to be similar to the Ricoh A4 B&W models introduced at the beginning of 2011 - the Ricoh models appear to be slow sellers. Wondering if these Canon models will be accepted better than the Ricoh models..."

My response

The Ricohs have been slow sellers is not because of end user needs or wants. Basically ours is a quota/revenue driven business from the top to the bottom.
The preferred compensation model for commissions is that of a revenue based plan with commissions. Why have a GP driven comp plan for your sales people when your Dealership or Branch has a revenue based quota plan from the manufacturers?  It just doesn't make sense....

800 Ways to Save & Serve: "5 Tips for More Heat from Less Coal"

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.

Consumer Quiz:  When do you add coal to the fire?

Answer:  After poking but before shaking for adding the coal AFTER the shaking hinders combustion and is wasteful.

Variety in the coal bin means savings in the budget. Always buy two sizes of coal, using the larger in the very cold weather, and the smaller, mixed with the larger, on warmer days.

Black diamonds in your own furnace await your discovery. Sift your ashes, and you'll be amazed at the amount of coal that is good for another burning. Salvaging those extra pails of coal will help you face the fuel shortage with a warm, as well as a stout, heart.

In hand-firing, observe these shortcuts to maximize heat at the minimum cost:

1. Keep the ash pit clean. Piled up ashes interfere with the draft and burn out the grates.

2. Keep the firepot full. It is not economical to run a low fire bed.

3. The fire door is for feeding only. Don't waste fuel by using it as a draft regulator.

4. If your coal is too fine, it smothers the fire. If too large, it burns uneconomically. Check with your coal merchant and get the right grade.

5. Don't invite costly troubles by using your furnace or boiler as a garbage dump.

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

Nov 14, 2011 Ontario, Canada. — PrintFleet Inc., a global leader in managed print software announced today that it has launched its latest PrintFleet Enterprise software version, Impact. PrintFleet is pleased to announce that after a year of focused R&D and substantial investment, its next series of product has been launched. As with all recent....read more here

IT solution providers report that more businesses these days are open-minded about managed print services that consolidate printing and related document management costs. Demonstrating those cost savings is a key component of managed print sales. ...read more here

James Laszko, CTO for managed services provider Mythos Technology, talks about his success with managed print in this excerpt from the webinar "Do You Own Your Customers' Entire IT Environment?" Mythos implemented its managed print services just two ....read more here

Tim Brien, director of managed print services for OKI Data, and James Laszko, CTO for managed services provider Mythos Technology, discuss reseller success with managed print in this excerpt from the Q&A session of the webinar titled "Do You Own Your ...read more here

Will managed print services contracts cannibalize machine and supplies sales for traditional printer manufacturers? Will managed print services contracts cannibalize machine and supplies sales for ....read more here

C3 Office Solutions, a value-added service provider of document imaging, copiers, printers, managed print services and digital display solutions, has moved to new offices in Irvine with expanded ...,read more here

HP joins as first Platinum Sponsor November 14, 2011 -- Midway, KY  -- Photizo Group will lead the print services market in a new direction at the Transform 2012 Global Conference in Orlando, Florida on May 24-25, 2012. Transform 2012 is the next evolution of the popular Global Managed Print....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Veterans Day 11/11/11

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

In its annual report on MPS, Gartner provides insight gleaned from global customers into the benefits and challenges of implementing managed print services, and criteria for identifying and evaluating providers. "We consider it both an honor and a ...read more here

TOKYO — Ricoh Company, Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital office equipment and advanced document management solutions and services, today announced Ricoh Managed Document Services™ (Ricoh MDS) 2.0, born from an in-depth analysis of customer engagements and focused on measurable results. MDS 2.0 represents significant....read more here

 The TAFE, which services over 60,000 students, turned to HP's managed print services division to help slash its fleet of light production printers from 2,200 to 1,020. TAFE NSW's John Myles, who managed the project, said the overhaul has saved in waste and costs and created a "much more professional print experience". "TAFE NSW's Sydney Institute....read more here

New managed print services with existing Xerox clients could cannibalize equipment and post-sale revenue by reducing printing costs by up to 30%, potentially offset by cross-selling opportunities for other Xerox products and services. ...read more here

WALNUT CREEK, CA, Nov 10, 2011  -- ARC, one of the leading document solutions companies in the U.S., today announced it has been positioned in the October 2011 Magic Quadrant for Managed Print Services, Worldwide, by Gartner Inc., the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. In its annual report on MPS, Gartner provides insight gleaned from....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

ROCKVILLE, MD, Nov 08, 2011-- Notable Solutions, Inc. (NSi), a leading developer of distributed content capture and workflow solutions, announced today that a leading Canadian manufacturer of plastics and chemical products will integrate NSi's AutoStore(TM) with the company's mixed fleet of 250 MFPs in business divisions across a wide range of geographic locations. The value of the contract to NSi is $300,000....read more here

Xerox India, a part of Xerox Corporation participated in PAMEX 2011 to showcase its technological strengths through a wide range of revenue-generating applications, digital presses and solutions. Among the key attractions at the Xerox booth this time were innovative application zones on photo applications & 3UP A4 applications enabled by the recently launched Xerox iGen4 EXP with the 14.33” x 26” print size capability! Speaking on Xerox’s participation at PAMEX 2011, Pankaj Kalra,...read more here

Nov 08, 2011 TOKYO — Ricoh Company, Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital office equipment and advanced document management solutions and services, today announced Ricoh Managed Document Services™ (Ricoh MDS) 2.0, born from an in-depth analysis of customer engagements and focused on measurable results. MDS 2.0 represents significant early progress in the evolution of the services-led business model Ricoh unveiled in January 2011,....read more here

Nov 08, 2011 Ramsey, N.J. - Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), today announced Konica Minolta's placement in the Leaders Quadrant of the "Magic Quadrant for MFPs and Printers, Worldwide"1 published by Gartner, Inc. "We are proud that Gartner has recognized the Konica Minolta Group as a global leader in the highly competitive MFP and Printer marketplace," said Rick Taylor, President and Chief Operating Officer, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.  "The year 2011 has been....read more here

Nov 08, 2011 Ricoh Europe, London – Ricoh Europe has welcomed new research by analysts Quocirca* which reveals that businesses are taking unnecessary risks by employing a fragmented approach to document security. According to the research, a significant 70 per cent of businesses surveyed have suffered one or more accidental printing-related data breaches but only 15 per cent are concerned about data loss through printers or multi-functional products.  The findings align with a study commissioned by Ricoh where....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Dude, WTF is up with the USA Copier Direct Channels?

A little harsh you might say.....naw just disappointed again. 

A Print4Pay Hotel Member emailed me a Quote/RFP that he received for a School in...... The quote was presented for a Ricoh MP6001SP with all of these awesome features:

SR 4030 Stapler/Finisher
DOSS (Data Overwrite Security Unit)
Super G3 Fax (there's actually no Super G3 fax listed on Ricoh price sheet, there is a fax option type 9001 and a G3 option to add a second line. I'm thinking the rep just added the type 9001 option but added some hype with the SUPER.)
Power Filter

Keep in mind that these are all options and not the main frame.  The MSRP list for the MP6001SP is $21,500, add up the accessories at $4,765 and we have a total of $26,264, not included delivery and installation.

So, what's so spectacular about this quote? 

800 Ways to Save & Serve: "10 Tips Caring for your Rayon Flimsies"

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic.  The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.


More care, less tear.....more mending. less spending

BTW, yeah I know this is a blog about copiers , MPF's and MFP Solutions, however these are some really good reads and insights from years gone by.

The Art of Caring For Your Rayon Flimsies

With silk off to war, you will be relying more and more on rayon for your pretties and utilities. These pointers will save you money, trouble and disappointment in your rayon handling:

1. Because rayon threads are from 40% to 60% less resistant when wet,  rayon garments should be handled with special care in laundering. Never wash a rayon garment that does not carry a "washable: label. Certain weaves shrink, stretch or mat. Read the label - it is a dependable guide.

2. Hard water is hard on rayon and is likely to leave mineral deposits on the fabric, which weakens the fibres. Use a softener if the water requires it.

3. Don't soak rayons at all because soaking permanently dulls delicate shades. Wash quickly and carefully in lukewarm suds made with mild soap. Follow with throughly rinsing in several lukewarm waters to remove all traces of soap. which tends to weaken the fabric if not washed away.

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

OKI will be demonstrating the company's proprietary Managed Print Services (MPS) solution Total Managed Print™ (TMP) within their booth (#302), and will be discussing the solution's value to the channel during a breakout session entitled “The 30-Day ...read more here

"We wanted to get control of our costs, make genuinely positive green decisions and refocus our IT resources on core functions and services." Sydney Institute adopted HP's Managed Print Services, which offered automated supplies, reporting functions ...read more here

TRUMBULL, Conn., Nov 07, 2011 -- Oce, a Canon Group Company and an international leader in digital document management, today announced the Document Printing Systems division of Oce North America has begun selling the Canon imageRUNNER 1700 Series of monochrome, multifunctional office devices. These compact, yet effective systems will easily integrate with existing MFP and printer fleets and allow users to control their devices in a flexible and convenient print solution....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "I'm Thinking this is Not for Me" Ask Art

We (Print4Pay Hotel Members) try to help whenever we can.  Ours is not an easy business and we can all agree to that.  Since the Digital revolution of copiers, the new Digital systems offer companies endless opportunities to enhance work flow, reduce paper, scan 2 ERP systems and much more. But, I wanted to get to the the matter in hand.  Yesterday this thread was posted on the Print4Pay Hotel forums.

I've been selling MFP's for 9 months. I've only gotten a commission once. I'm starting to get discouraged. Questioning if this is the right industry for me. Can't see me supporting my family on base alone. I guess I'm looking for encouragement, words of wisdom etc.

One P4P'er (thats our short name for members) posted this today:

Quit selling MFP's and start selling solutions.
"You can get anything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want."
Zig Ziglar

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

EFI, a world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, today launched PrintMe® Mobile, a new mobile print solution available to IT resellers and managed service providers. PrintMe Mobile can help resellers with mobility practices, office technology solutions or managed-service businesses increase revenue opportunities and deliver new value-added services by meeting customers’ mobile printing needs. PrintMe Mobile provides SMB to,,,,read more here

There's now a new service provider in the Managed Network Services (MNS) sector and growing Managed Print Services (MPS) sector. Agiliant is officially open for business and is targeting customers looking to optimize their overall network performance, ....read more here

Pitney Bowes has launched its Managed Print service – a core element of the wider Marketing Lifecycle Services http://www.marketinglifecycleservices.com/ suite - designed to help marketing departments execute the print process more efficiently, more affordably and with uncompromising quality. Recent Pitney Bowes research reveals that European private and public sector....read more here

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Nov 03, 2011 -- The explosion of color printing represents lots of green for imaging vendors reaping the rewards of high aftermarket profitability when compared to monochrome printing. According to survey results delivered through a new study from International Data Corporation (IDC), users of color devices reported that 47% of their weekly print volume contained color on the....read more here

 

....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

NEW YORK, Nov 02, 2011  -- Oce, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, announced today that the company has been placed by Gartner, Inc. in the Challengers Quadrant of the 2011 Magic Quadrant for Managed Print Services (MPS) Worldwide.*