"Green" Printing with "Eric the Office Worker"

So, you just bought a shiny new Color "Green" MFP. You know the system, your salesperson touted the "Green" features such as default auto off, default power save mode, default duplex copying, the small carbon foot print, scan2email, scan2folder, scan2UDOCX, scan2dropbox, and of course it was the end of  the month special deal just for you!

So, what good is all of this if you can't control printing?

Did you know that the average employee prints 34 pages a day and 17% of those pages are never used?

Do you think that "Eric the Office Worker" knows the cost per page of every MFP and printer in the office? What stops "Eric the Office Worker" from printing a 100 page color report to an ink jet printer (that can have a per page cost as high as 60 cents a page), all just because he didn't want to walk to the Color MFP or workgroup printer that prints at .08 cents per page.

The idea of "Eric the Office Worker" not taking the short walk just cost your company

What is "Print Management"?

Kudos to Trevor Hoffer from Print Audit for this article. Trevor is our featured "Guest Blogger" for the month of January!

What is Print Management? How will it benefit you and your customers?

Despite the fact that print management has become a ubiquitous term there is still considerable 

confusion about what exactly it is and what its benefits are. Many people confuse print management and fleet management solutions, but the two perform very different functions.

Fleet management (or device management) solutions are used to collect meter reads on imaging devices and perform service functions such as supplies management and service history tracking.

In contrast, a comprehensive print management solution allows organizations to capture and control every print job that occurs in an environment. Print management solutions also enable organizations to control who can print to where and can be used to alter user behavior by setting printing limits, restricting color usage and forcing duplexing. 

Any ideas for new leads for Print Management Solutions?

The above title was taken from a thread I found on linkedin. I'm assuming the person is asking the group for new ideas for Print Management leads.  Of course the solutions part may mean the utilization of print management software like Print Audit, Preton, etc...  The person who posted the thread works for a company that sells print and copy management solutions.  There were some replies to this thread however all of them were not related to a "new idea for print management leads".

I paid a visit to the web site of the company that the person who posted the thread works for.  The web site was as generic as you can get for copiers, printers, document management etc.  It's no wonder that the sales person is looking for new ideas, one look at the web site would tell me that the website is not generating any leads.

So, what can be some new ideas to generate print management leads for this person?

1. Dang, put something on the website that tells your potential prospects or existing customers that you are in that business (print management).

2. You need to enable your current customers to

Managing Print Costs for Wide Format Ink Plotters

Over the weekend I took the time to finish one of my spreadsheets that enables us (Print4Pay Hotel members) to identify the cost per square foot for HP inkjet plotters.  Let me tell you this was no easy task.  Why in the world is there no information from HP that states how many mililiters of black ink is used to print one square foot for a CAD drawing?  Every time I searched the HP web site for additional information about cost per page for Designjet plotters I was stymied by a notice that stated there was no information.

I was able to find a few documents that related to color use, but nothing related to CAD drawings.  Each HP plotter cartridge tells us how much ink is in the cartridge, but you'll never use all of the ink due to evaporation, ink head cleaning/purging and some residual ink left in the cartridge.  For example one cartridge has 69ml (mililiters) of ink.  Thus I was curious as to how much ink is a mililiter.   A mililiter measure to be one thousandth of a liter.  I know liters because that's because most of the soda bottles are now measured in liters, but how about a mililiter?  Is that less than a shot glass, more than a tablespoon? I found this handy document that tells us 1ml is also equal to 1cc, 2.5 ml is equal to a half of teaspoon, 5ml is a teaspoon, and 30ml equal two tablespoons or 1 fluid ounce.  Ok, I get it so the HP cartridge that hold 69 mililiters of ink is equal to a little more than 2 ounces.  Since the cartridge resells for $69, the price per mililiter is $1.00.

As I stated the key was to

Top 7 Solutions @ Transform 2012 DOCassess @ #5

I've been a little backed up lately with providing the last three "cool" solutions from the Global Transform Photizo show in Orlando last month. But, I'm back on track and the #5 slot goes to DOCassess. Now, while I'm not an expert with MPS, however I've been doing MFP fleet assessments for years many years.  One nice tip when doing assessments is try to visit every printer if you can and find out who uses that printer, and then interview them about the media requirements that they have. This information is very handy if you are upgrading the fleet, and also opens the door for additional print work flow opportunities such as print stream management.

This blogs a little different from the rest,  I actually asked Mike Lamoth to list some bullet points for his solution and I loved the fact that last bullet point addresses work flow so that you may be able to uncover work flow opportunities!

As Managed Print Services gains more momentum globally the need to have reps articulate whats involved with MPS, how it differs from the past "over promos under deliver" and actually perform a professional assessment so they can actually speak more intelligently about the customers environment has become a necessity. Not to mention, the Dealer or OEM is now on the hook because they are telling the customer I will manage your print environment for $$. So they require reliable resources to help them understand the TRUE picture and not pie in the sky.

What was once a nice to have has become a must have and that’s an assessment tool.

One of the biggest complaints I hear from dealer principles is that many of the tools in the market require an analyst to use and the dealer can't afford an analyst for every rep. So we developed a sales aid and an assessment tool for all sales reps to use.

How does DOCassess differ:

• Ease of use
• We have incorporated a Print Environment Balanced Score Card as a sales aid – this allows the rep to meet with the customer and discuss their print environment by asking 22 related questions. At the end the customers score will fall into one of three categories giving them some industry stats and suggesting they move forward with an assessment.
• Two types of assessments – Surface Level for SMB (small to medium business) and Advanced which goes so far as to offer individual device TCO's, a sophisticated carbon calculator, and much more.
• Interview section to asked end users questions that will uncover process and workflow improvements

One of the strongest financial sections in the market providing detailed current vs proposed options, blended service, financial comparison down to a CPC (cost per copy) etc.

 

Take a trip here to find out more about DOCassess.

 

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

Most managed print service (MPS) contracts rely on hardware and software recommendations made by the supplier, so it pays to check the specifications of the device and applications offered as part of the deal to make sure they represent the best fit for any one company’s print environment. For those looking for the maximum environmental credentials, all printer and MFD manufacturers make claims for proprietary technology that reduces ink and toner usage compared with...read more

COLUMBUS, OH. – October 19, 2011 – Treeno Software, a leading provider of Electronic Document Management systems, is one of the newest Corporate Members of the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA).  Here’s a look at MPS from Treeno Software’s perspective: Treeno Software: MPS from Top to Bottom
Treeno Software provides enterprise document management (EDM) and workflow systems that can be deployed...read more 

It took a critical report by the National Audit Office (NAO) to prompt the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to take a long hard look at how it could optimise its poorly managed document supply chain, including print services. The NAO judged that a lack of centralised control, a proliferation of suppliers and document types, a lack of visibility into stock or spend, and slow processes prone...read more

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

Downers Grove, Ill., September 20, 2011 – With demand for workplace printing expected to grow or stay at current levels for the foreseeable future, more organizations are taking a closer look at managed print services, according to a new study by CompTIA, the non-profit trade association for the information technology (IT) industry. Though four out of five firms surveyed by CompTIA say becoming a “paperless office” is a...read more

Columbus, OH – Questex Media Group LLC, specifically the Technology Group, which includes the ITEX National Expo and Conference and imageSource magazine, has joined the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) as the newest Foundation Member. Questex is a global,...read more

Columbus, OH – September 20, 2011 – General Data, NER Data, and PartsNow! are among the companies renewing corporate memberships with the Managed Print Services Association (http://yourmpsa.org/).  The association provides a means for organizations of all kinds to play an active role in the development and direction of the fast growing managed...read more

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Sep 19, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Developed to facilitate the ability of dealers to offer comprehensive MDS services to their customers, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today announced new professional services support and a new Partner Transformation Program. The new professional services support offerings leverage Canon's enterprise document systems and...read more

Historically, Japan has led the imaging industry in developing and manufacturing products that print, copy, scan and fax our ever-growing mass of documents. Japanese firms have had such a strong position in the market, that seven of the top 10 equipment providers are headquartered in Japan, and the Num. 1 brand (HP) even relies on a Japanese firm (Canon) for their laser printer ‘engines.’ Japanese firms have benefited from this strong and highly profitable business, as they have captured a dominant portion of the highly profitable toner and ink supplies being sold into this market..read more

-=Good Selling=-

Weekend Copier & Multifunctional Print4Pay Hotel Notes 7/30/2011

My summer Collegiate Baseball season has ended, not a great year for the team record wise, however I'm always delighted being able to coach the game!

The end of July really, already!  It's been an ok year so far, I've already met my annual quota (our year ends in December), Presidents Club is in the bag and I'm going to try and focus on driving additional profit along with adding more potential accounts that have multiple units.  So, at least for now I'll be back to blogging on a regular basis!

So for all our Print4Pay Hotel Members and Members to be, here's some links of our latest and greatest threads. Check out the new beta portal here.

Recent Document Uploads:

"Pricing on th Street" for Xerox_Quote WC7755PC
"Pricing on the Street" for Lanier LDC 365C proposal
"Pricing on the Street" for IKON_Quote Ricoh MPc 6501
"Pricing on the Street" for Canon iR6075

There's many more, just the latest from today!

Leads, RFP's RFQ's:
Bid for 23 MFP's in Canada
Bid in Canada for two Print Production units
Request for Proposals for 2 Copiers in California
RFP for 3 Print Production Units in Richmond
Copier lead in New Hope, PA

Many more of these also!!!

Recent Interesting Threads from P4P'ers:
Rumor has it....(Xerox to Market MFP's through Global only?) 
Material Data Safety Calls to the Manufacturer

Cloud SAS (Software as a ServicePoll)
New Sharp End of lease HDD feature
Xerox marketing FREE 120PPM Copiers
List your favorite funny copier moments

MFP Cloud Threads:
UDOCX in hybrid environments
Print email from the cloud (Video)
Generic advantages and differences of UDOCX vs.in house installs

These are just some samples of the threads from this week alone!! The Print4Pay has over 2,300 world wide members that are dedicated Imaging Professionals. Take a trip here www.p4photel.com/eve (registration link, don't worry man, it's FREE) and become a part of the largest social group of Imaging Professionals in the work and the opportunity to discuss solutions, best practices, rumors, and make new friends in the industry (it's nice to have a secure forum that's not out there for the public, eh?)

-=Good Selling=-
Art Post
"One of the Top 40 Most Influential People in the Imaging Business"

Why is Managed Print Sooooo Sexy?

Well, if you're reading everything over at DOC (Death of the Copier), it sure is!

Greg's combined great content with sexy babes, now you tell me, where would you visit to get your daily does of Managed Print Services, a static site with decent information and NO babes or DOC where the content is real because my man's got feet on the street and babes everywhere!

All kidding aside Greg does a great job with DOC and keeps me coming back for more with the articles (haha) along with Great Pics!

Maybe you can post a Managed Print "Babe of the Week"?

Some recent DOC pics:



-=Good Selling=-

Copier Dealers Move Over Manufacturers Sets Sights on MPS Providers

MPS Wars Salvo Shots Fired!

Copier Dealers get outta the way! Manufacturers are now setting their sites on Managed Print Service Providers!

In a recent blog MFP Wars "Copier/MFP Manufacturers to Buy Printer Manufacturers", I suggested that the time may be right for copier manufacturers to start acquisitions of the largest Managed Print Service Providers.

A few days ago Fuji Xerox announced that they had purchased Upstream Print Solutions based in Burwood, Victory in Australia. Upstream Print Solutions operates three offices out of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Born in 1995, and then a merger in 2007, "Upstream Technology and Print Solutions Australia merged to create “Australia’s largest independent print company”.

Upstream's claim to fame is that they bucked the trend and focused on Total Cost of Operation early on, while doing that they also made claim that the differentiator "remains our experience, size and vendor neutrality". I'm gonna go out on a limb here but I think that's gonna change very soon.

Who's next the next manufacturer to strike gold and who will be the next candidate for purchase? All good questions and ones I don't have the answer to. But, we all know it's the next wave of aquisitions by the giants of the industry. It's unlikely that Ricoh, KonicaMinolta, Canon will sit tight for very long.

Any Comments?

-=Good Selling=-

Print4Pay Hotel Weekend Updates for 2/21/10

Print4Pay Hotel Weekend Updates!

Here's some of the HOT content from the last few days that's been posted on the Print4Pay Hotel's forums in recent weeks. It has been busy with over 31,000 page views, and 88 new members.

Print4Pay Hotel U Webinars:

The Copier Marketing arm of your company, your sales reps always wanted!
When: DATE: MARCH 1ST TIME: 2PM EST P4P U (University)

Most Viewed Threads:

Print4Pay Value Membership
Riso ComColor Review
Rumor has it.....
PostScript Vs Fiery
Canon Buyout Marketing Dollars "Canon Ball"
Print Audit® To Exhibit At ITEX Hybrid Dealer Event In Las Vegas

Interesting Threads:

Green Initiatives
Canon launches ‘Business Leap’ competition
Ricoh Production Printing
Océ and Konica Minolta revise production print alliance
The US Photocopiers Market to Reach 1.5 Million Units by 2015
New Photizo Managed Print Services Study Reveals Significant Changes in
Kodak i1405 Scanner Helps Small-to-Medium Sized Businesses
Xerox Color Qube Samples!

Posted Price Quotes:

Toshiba Bid for 40 Units
Sharp MX3100N_MX2600N_MX5001N
Sharp 363n_453N proposal
Canon 7095 bid award and proposal


Leads, RFP's & RFQ's:

RFP for 12 MFP's in COlorado!
RFP for 2 45ppm color MFP's (Expires 3/18/10)
Wide Format Lead in British Columbia
17 MFP's in Maryland Area!
Multi MFP's for Connecticut

The Print4Pay Hotel is the world's only business/social site dedicated to people who work in the office equipment industry. Go ahead log on.....become a member of the Print4Pay Hotel!

become informed, share and maintain your knowledge.

-=Good Selling=-

P4P Hotel "News & Updates" Week of January 26th 2010

Here's some of the HOT content from the last few days that's been posted on the Print4Pay Hotel's forums in recent weeks. It has been busy with over 30,000 page views, 81 new members and a little over a 1,000 downloads.

Webinar Threads:

February 10th---- NEW Print Audit "MIF" Review Webinar!


Most Viewed Threads:

PC issues with MP W5100/7140 c...
Ricoh Pro C720
Toner Page Cover Examples
Xerox Plans to Cut 2,500 Jobs
Help, IKON CPP500 Relationship with Konica Minolta

Interesting Threads:

Selling Copiers "Machines in Field" Review
KonicaMinolta loses NJ Dealer!
New University Copier Contract (Xerox)
Soda, Pop, Coke or Other
The Next One
Bizhubs and Alchemy

Posted RFP's:

3 MFP's RFQ (Due 2/12/10)
6 MPF's "BIDS ARE DUE BY FEBRUARY 15, 2010"
Copiers for Iraq
Bid for 20 MFP's
Qty 1 New Production Copy Machine "Expires 1/21/10"
RFP for 431 units

Pricing on the Street:

Ricoh Pro 907EX
Canon imagePRESS 1110S
Xerox DocuColor 242
Ricoh Pro C900

The Print4Pay Hotel is the world's only business/social site dedicated to people who work in the office equipment industry. Go ahead log on.....become a member of the Print4Pay Hotel!

become informed, share and maintain your knowledge.

-=Good Selling=-

P4P Hotel "News & Updates"

Here's some of the sizzling content that's been posted on the Print4Pay Hotel's forums in recent weeks. It has been busy with over 30,000 page views, 81 new members and a little over a 1,000 downloads.

Interesting Threads:

February 10th---- NEW Print Audit "MIF" Review Webinar!
The History of Cloud Computing

Most Viewed Threads:

Hold for Resources
Let's talk about ComColor
Top Patents Issued in 2009
Managed Print Services Shaking up the Office Equipment
Scan in One City, Print in Another by City

Interesting Threads:

Selling Copiers "Machines in Field" Review
DECEMBER PROMOS* and HOME THEATER GIVEAWAY!!*
Samsung "Going After the Big Dogs"
Top Ten Predictions for the Copier Industry in 2010
Regarding Canon Fax830i
How to Justify a Large-Format Scanner, Part 1
How an $18K printer turned into a $1.5M lawsuit Nashville Business Journal

Posted RFP's:

Qty 1 New Production Copy Machine "Expires 1/21/10"
RFP for 431 units
Print Optimization Project
Copiers for the City's Reprographics Office
Purchase Of Printers
CANON COPIER MAINTENANCE AND SUSTAINMENT

Pricing on the Street:

Ricoh MPC 4000 Proposal
KM Bizhub C360 & C280
Ricoh MP C3300SPF
City of Ashland "Ricoh Agreement"
KIP 3100
KM bizhub C360 Muni Proposal
sHARP MX503N_Sharp MX453n pROPOSAL
Sharp 5MX503N_SharpMX453N Quote
Xerox 5655PT_Xerox 5638PT

The Print4Pay Hotel is the world's only business/social site dedicated to people who work in the office equipment industry. Go ahead log on.....become a member of the Print4Pay Hotel!

become informed, share and maintain your knowledge.

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers "Machines in Field" Review

Dig this, while you're out there selling your systems or servicing your systems, guess what your competition is doing? Well, if they've seen the "MIF" (Machines in Field) Webinar from Print Audit, then they're attempting to steal or have stolen your pages and migrate them to their devices!

Think about this, you've got an account that has 25 MFP systems and a boat load of printers, the MFP's are serviced by one vendor and the printers are service by another vendor. Guess what! The printer vendor who also sells MFP's and Print Management showed the "MIF" Review to the your client.

Now they couldn't get MFP's in their because your systems have been entrenched for years, however your competition demo'd Print Audit's "MIF" and sold them Print Audit 6 with Rules Based Printing. Six months later you find out that your volumes are down 50%!!! Where did they go? The other vendor set Rules Based Printing through Print Audit 6 and set a rule that most of the prints now go to their devices!!! My God they've stolen your revenue!

A little far fetched? Maybe, but if I was a vendors rep and I wanted those pages, that's what I would do. Combine this with the fact that MPS is here to stay and you're taking quite a gamble. These MPS providers will look to capture YOUR pages!

What to do? Take the time to view Print Audit's Webinar on Machines in Field Review. Protect your base before someone else steals your revenue!

When:

February 10, 2010, there will be two webinars one for Central and East Coast and one for Mountain and Pacfic. Exact time will be posted, plus a link to register.

“The Print Audit MIF Review has received a lot of acclaim from Office Equipment Dealers. The hour long, comprehensive overview starts with case studies that show you how much dealers are increasing their revenues. It then details the incredible value that your customers receive by implementing print management into their environments. Finally, you will be taught how to take the MIF Review to your customers right away through a customer presentation that will be given to each participant.

Every day Print Audit dealers increase their hardware sales “click” volumes by introducing their customers to print management. Print Audit dealer’s customers save millions of dollars while at the same time saving hundreds of thousands of trees, and all of the other environmental impacts created by making paper.”

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/472296019

-=Good Selling=-

Print Audit Green with "Eric the Office Worker"

So, you just bought a shiny new Color "Green" MFP. You know the system, your salesperson touted the "Green" features such as default auto off, default power save mode, default duplex copying, the small carbon foot print and scan2distribute.

So, what good is all of this if you can't control printing? Did you know that the average employee prints 34 pages a day and 17% of those pages are never used?

Do you think that "Eric the Office Worker" knows the cost per page of every MFP and printer in the office? What stops "Eric the Office Worker" from printing a 50 page color report to an ink jet printer (that can have a per page cost as high as 60 cents a page), just because he did not want to walk to the Color MFP that prints at .08 cents per page. Well, the idea of "Eric the Office Worker" not taking the short walk just cost you an extra $26 from one employee. Think of the abuse when you have 50 employees and this happens more than once a day.

Rules based printing, what does this mean to "Eric the Office Worker", well the next time "Eric the Office Worker" prints a report he will get a pop up alert on his pc that directs him to print green to this device (meaning the device with the lowest per page cost). Plus the fact that all of management will know when and where "Eric the Office Worker" is printing. So, if "Eric the Office Worker" does not print responsibly he could have a new "Green" job cutting the grass around the office!

Did you know that Print Audit Green on the average reduces your printing by 15%? Taking a closer look, I have a client who produces 200,000 prints each month on their MFP's. A 15% reduction would lower those pages to 170,000. So, that's 30,000 (that's more than 3 trees a day you are saving from the mill) less sheets of paper at .008 for a savings of $240. Then 30,000 less meter clicks per month at .01, this will be a savings of 300.00. Overall savings is $540 per month, cost to implement Print Audit Green in their environment (about 50 users) would be $146.25 per month. Savings WOO YAA of $393.75 per month.

Here's some more cool facts about Print Audit:

Understand your environmental impact

•Monitor 100% of the printing in your environment to spot abuse and waste.
•Learn who is printing to where and when.

Reduce unnecessary printing and waste
•Cut waste through the knowledge that all printing is being monitored.
•Decrease abuse by forcing duplexing, and restricting color printing.

Create green-friendly and cost-conscious users
•Utilize printing limits or redirect users to use more efficient devices.
•Educate users of the costs and environmental impact of each print job they print.

Not once in the last 10 years did a customer every present a print or copy report to me on an appointment. Thus, showing that the average company has no idea of how many pages are copied, printed, and scanned. Nor do they have any idea of the cost associated with their volume and hardware. How the heck can you be in business and not know this? Print Audit should be in every office, even if it's only used at the end of the year to review how many pages were used and what the cost was per page.

Did you know that you can enable Print Audit Green Software for less than 10 cents per day per employee?

-=Good Selling=-

Managed Print Service Poll "Review"

We've had this poll running for about a month now, or is it more like three weeks. Ah, can't remember it's the end of the month, the quarter and the year and I'm being hammered every day about sales!!!!

Ok, back to the poll. We asked: You're now selling Managed Print Services "Your thoughts now". Basically tell us, it is working for you or not!

Here's the choices that vendors had to choose from and the percentages:

It's been a great success for us 27%
It's been ok for us 26%
It's not reaping the profits we thought it would 37%
If we had to do it over, we would not have gotten into MPS 10%

Very interesting to say the least, it seems to me that 47% or almost 1 out of every two vendors are not happy with the move. I thought it would have been more like 80% would have agreed with "It's been a great success for us".

I'm a follower of MPS, I believe it has it's place, however if 47% are unhappy, why is that? It's obvious that I can't answer that question, so I reached out to a friend of mine Greg Walters with Death of the Copier in Southern Cal, here's what he had to say......l check back here in a few hours for the response!!

Here's Greg's opine:

You study does not surprise me. I know of a few very successful MPS Practices. But I have been taking many, many questions in the past 5 months all around getting an MPS Practice "going".

It seems that most MPS practices are set up on the wrong premise. Whether MPS is thought of as a marketing ploy to move more equipment, a strategic motion to secure existing accounts or a way to capture ongoing, single function volumes, most attention has been focused on "programs" and internal tactics.

We are ignoring or missing the Client in all this.

And...

All the MPS momentum gained from MPS ideas and programs and goals and potential is being bled off before it gets to the Selling Professional. Either the MPS philosophy is so weak, the sales person ignores and continues as always or the MPS philosophy is so complicated and nebulous, the sales person ignores and continues as always.

Here's the secret - Your study does note reflect MANAGED PRINT SERVICES problems, your study reveals basic, selling problems.

Put that on your whiteboard and gaze upon genius...

LOL!

Greg Walters
-=Good Selling=-

You're now selling Managed Print Services "Your Thoughts Now

Well, very interesting is all I can say. About a week ago, we posted a new poll for Managed Print Services "Your Thoughts Now". We asked, since you're now into MPS, how's it going?

As of right now, more than half rate it as a failure or not reaping the profits that they thought they would, while another 25% states that it's ok and only 9% stated "It's been a great success for us".

If you're into MPS take the poll, I can't wait to see the final numbers on this one.

We'll have this poll running till the end of the year.

-=Good Selling=-

Connect With Print Audit On The Web In Three New Ways

The leading print management company has launched a redesigned website, a Facebook page and a Twitter account to keep customers connected and informed

CALGARY, ALBERTA (October 29, 2009) – Excellent communication is key to any successful business, and the ways in which we communicate have evolved considerably over the past few years. In order to better connect with their business partners and customers, Print Audit has expanded its presence on the web by unveiling a new website, a Facebook page and a Twitter feed.

The redesigned Print Audit website, located at www.printaudit.com, features a new user-friendly layout as well as several new features including how-to videos and an ROI calculator that demonstrates Print Audit 6’s potential cost and environmental savings. To benefit office equipment dealers, Print Audit has also added a dealer portal that offers a variety of tools that enable dealers both to increase revenue in current accounts and to sell more hardware, supplies and services. In addition, new industry specific web pages allow businesses to find solutions that will meet the specific needs of their organization.

“We have designed our new website so that it is easier to navigate and we have added a number of tools that will make it easier for companies to get started with print management,” said John MacInnes, President and CEO of Print Audit. “At the same time, our new social media presence will allow our customers and dealers to stay informed with up-to-the-minute news about our company and products.”

On Facebook and Twitter, Print Audit will share product updates, industry news, tutorial videos, upcoming events, achievements and job listings.

Print Audit will also run regular contests on Facebook, starting with a November contest to refer their friends to become fans of the company’s page. The first person to successfully refer 15 fans will receive a $50 gift certificate to Starbucks Coffee Co. For more information about the contest or to become a fan of Print Audit on Facebook, please visit http://www.printaudit.com/facebook.

To follow Print Audit on Twitter, please visit http://www.twitter.com/printaudit.


About Print Audit
Established in 1999 and headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Print Audit is the fastest growing print management company in the world. By providing businesses with innovative and practical print management software solutions, the company has helped customers recapture over $150 million in printing and photocopying expenses while saving an estimated 190,000 trees a year. Print Audit has offices located in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada and the United States.

For more information on Print Audit, please contact:

Angela Onstine
1.877.412.8348
pr@printaudit.com
www.printaudit.com

Outside of North America, please contact:

Print Audit - Europe
+44(0)1483 726206
www.printauditeurope.com
inquiry@printauditeurope.com

Print Audit - Australasia
+612 9922-3756
http://www.printauditaustralasia.com


Print Audit - South Africa
+086 110 5777 (Within South Africa)
+27 11 531 1869 (Outside South Africa)
www.printauditsa.com
info@printauditsa.com

Print Audit – America Latina
+55(21)2220 0939
www.printaudit.com.br
Informações em Português:
suporte@printaudit.com.br
Informaciones en Español:
espanol@printaudit.com.br

-=Good Selling=-

Managed Print Service "Final Poll Results"

I had to end these polls today in order to start some new polls!

Poll #1: Xerox "unveils breakthrough color technology"

#1 Wow, this will turn the color market up side down! 197 34%
#2 A lot of hype about nothing, not a big deal! 268 47%
#3 I'm gonna have to see how this pans out! 110 19%

Total of 575 votes!!

Poll #2: Is your company going to offer Managed Print Services

#1 Yes 54 39%
#2 No 19 14%
#3 We already have it in place 65 47%

Total of 138 votes!!

Spectacular 85% of copier dealers are in, or are going to get into Managed Print Services!

-=Good Selling=-

MFP Wars "Death of the A3 MFP" Part II

So, what's a dealer to do?

Dealers need to become more like VARs (Valued Added Resellers). Recently there was an article I read in CRN magazine about a company that specialized in networks. Over time, the owner noticed that they were getting calls from customers to add additional network drops for printers, mfp's, and telephone systems. Along with that they would also get trouble shooting calls for the printers and scanners that were on the network. He thought, why not have be the sole source for all of the hardware in the office, the benefit to the customer is that they did not have to have multiple vendors for hardware, so a company could reduce their workload with having one vendor to support all of their products.

So, this company decided to revamp their whole business model, he stated it took about a year, however they became and authorized dealer for printers, mfp's, telephone equipment and mailing equipment. Sales, are up along with new profit centers for consumables.

Here's my point, it's so hard and costly to get new customers. This guy found a way to increase his business by offering more products and services to his existing account base, plus the fact that some new additional business was accumulated by acquiring the new hardware lines. We all have the tech departments for on-site service, we are experts in technology.

Of course this type of business model may not work for everyone, there has to be a well laid out business and marketing plan along with acquiring the right people to staff those departments.

If you're not one for adding new hardware vendors then you need to get the solution thing figured out NOW! Figure out where you want to play in solutions market, do you want to capture more clicks with forms solutions, how about transpromo, or can you make the leap into document management. You could also just specialize in moving clicks from existing customer laser printers to your devices with a print management solution. Whatever it maybe, you need to focus on a few core items and become an expert in those solutions.

-=Good Selling=-