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Sunday, March 31, 2013

MFP Solutions Top Ten Copier & MFP Blogs for March 2013

Spring comes to the Northeast, finally!  Over the long weekend I found myself thinking about a potential sale, my prospect sent me an email on Friday (day off for me) and advised that he was in the market for a high end color system and would be making a decision ASAP, probably in a few days.

I've got competition from two major players and the last time we did this I lost out on the high end black system.  Friday night saw me exchanging emails, doing a side by side comparison and tonight I'll be preparing my numbers and pay them a visit in the AM.  Just goes to show you that you never know what tomorrow will bring and our job is not a 9-5 effort.

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15 Ways to Make your MFP & MPS Proposals Standout!

Over the years I've seen a lot of really bad Copier and MPS proposals and some very good ones. The very bad ones far outweigh the very good ones.

AS much as we always try to get in front of the decision maker(s) there are many times when we just can't get the access to the DM and we have to submit a proposal to the gate keeper that will then forward the proposal for a decision.

What can make your proposal stand out from all of the others?

1. Make sure the proposal is perfect, no misspelled words, no wrong model numbers and no abbreviations.  I'd like to point out that abbreviations can make you seem lazy because you didn't take the time to type out the entire words,  and this can be seen as taking shortcuts, the last thing I want is the DM thinking is that I'm lazy or not putting the full effort in on something as simple as a proposal.

2.  Call to action items which can include value points, list of features and benefits to the prospect.

3. A lockout solution/feature, if you did you an awesome assessment you'll probably have one or two solutions or features that will make you stand out. Make sure that you list what your solution or feature is going to do for them such as:  "On our assessment we noticed that there are many prints being left on the copiers and printers that are never picked up, in addition these documents have personal information on them.  Our device agnostic Print Secure software will eliminate those pages being left on the printers and copiers, and in additional all of the pages that are printed will have a banner on the document stating who printed that document."

4. If you have multiple systems to quote add a floor plan showing the existing systems and what systems will be moved, replaced or retired.

WTF is a Copier Lease Forgiveness?

This week I was handed a quote from one of your reps in the office.  The system that was quoted was a Sharp MX-264N and the proposal in my eyes was weak at best.  The proposal addressed speeds, feeds, pricing and of course those meaning full laundry list of features such as scan2email, scan2folder and network printing.  Don't all of the MFPs have these as standard features now, the point I'm trying to make that in this proposal there was nothing that made the dealership, or the system stand out from all of the other proposal. 

The most I got out of this quote was this "Network printing utilizing PCL print board for fast efficient printing",  WTF!!!

The best line of the quote however was this "Includes Lease forgiveness of current lease and shipping unit back to leasing Co".  Buyer Beware right!!

If you're an end user reading this blog, if you ever see the above line I beg you to through out the proposal and the sales person and here's why.  First, there is no such thing as a Lease Forgiveness and if there was you would only be able to get that from the leasing company that you leased the equipment from and not the Dealer or Direct Branch.  If you think that the remaining payments are going to

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Top Ten Copier and MFP Proposals for March 2013


At least for me the first Quarter of 2013 has come to a close. Business was good, over 100% for the quarter and almost logged 200% for March, however April business seems like it might be marginal at best.  You know a lot of reps will say to themselves whoa is me, it's going to stink, I have nothing in the pipeline. While others realize it's time to pick up their game so they can work towards another solid month.  Which one are you?  I hope that from reading this blog that you are one of those that makes things happen!


Each month on the Print4Pay Hotel forums we'll upload "Pricing on the Street" quotes, these quotes are certified as accurate since the pricing information is emailed to us from other Print4Pay Hotel members in the field.

We'll also receive and upload quotes and proposals from other Print4Pay Hotel members and these quotes will be "the proposal or quote" that was emailed to the end user.

Each month I'll list those proposals/quotes and "Pricing on the Street" here with the associated links.  You need to be a Premium Member in order to download the documents.  So without further ado here's the top quotes from March 2013.  Enjoy!
-=Good Selling=-

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Top Ten Copier and MFP Proposals for February 2013

There was an interesting spread sheet I picked up on the web from a dealer comparing the Ricoh MP3352SP to the Xerox 5335, I must admit it was well done and I'll be using it in the near future.

Each month on the Print4Pay Hotel forums we'll upload "Pricing on the Street" quotes, these quotes are certified as accurate since the pricing information is emailed to us from other Print4Pay Hotel members in the field.

We'll also receive and upload quotes and proposals from other Print4Pay Hotel members and these quotes will be "the proposal or quote" that was emailed to the end user.

Each month I'll list those proposals/quotes and "Pricing on the Street" here with the associated links.  You need to be a Premium Member in order to download the documents.  So without further ado here's the top quotes from February 2013.  Enjoy!
-=Good Selling=-

Sunday, March 24, 2013

MPF Solutions Blog Earned A Half of Million.....

Way back in July of 2008 I added Google Analytics to the MPF Solutions Blog. Before July I was not tracking any of the page views, and the average monthly page views for the blog then was in between 12-13 thousand page views per month.

I'm a copier guy at heart and not an SEO or Google Analytics expert, and personally I have more fun with selling MFP's and solutions. Somewhere in 2010 I started seeing monthly page views above 15 thousand per month and it pretty much remained that way until late 2012.  December of 2012 was the first time the MFP Solutions Blog topped 20 thousand page views, followed by January 2013 which almost topped 25 thousand page views. We leveled out in February (short month) with a little over 21,000 and seems March will be over 21,000 (with a week vaca). 

In the meantime, just yesterday the ALL time MFP Solutions Blog cracked 500,000 page views! It's been a long journey since I've starting writing the Blog and I'd like to take time to thank all of our readers. I don't know who most of you are, but I thank you for reading and coming back as often as you do.

Moving forward in 2013 will be a big change for the Print4Pay Hotel, I'll be incorporating all three sites into one, the Print4Pay Hotel end user forum, the Print4Pay Hotel secure forum, the Print4Pay Hotel web portal and the MFP Solutions Blog will be moved to one site and one domain. 

Thanks again to all of our readers, you all are awesome!

-=Good Selling=-

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Sharp "What Will Happen" Part Two

On the Print4Pay Hotel forums we've had an ongoing poll titled "Sharp What Will Happen". We posed this question to our members:

Pretty cut and dry, do you think they will sell the MFP division to stay afloat?  

The end of the fiscal year for Sharp Japan is right around the corner, sometime in the next few weeks we'll see the earnings potential for Sharp.

Some Print4Pay Hotel members have speculated that if a deal is going to cut with Samsung for the copier division that it may happen before the end of the 2012 fiscal year which is March 31st, 2013.

In the last week Sharp had missed the deadline to receive the additional monies from Qualcom, I find it amazing that for months all we new about this deal is that Qualcom had bought  a 2.65 percent stake in Sharp. Not until last week did we find out that Sharp had missed a March 29th deadline to complete a plan to begin fabricating power-saving screens.  Thus Sharp missed out on the final $60 million payment.  I'm thinking that was pretty painful. In a recent bit of news it was reported that Sharp will now receive the other $60 million some time in late June of 2013.

Seems most of us were not aware of this T & C with Qualcom and Sharp, and I'm now wondering if there were also some other  T & C's that were built into the Samsung buy in also?

So much for the recent updates with Sharp:

Here's how are Print4Pay Hotel members voted:

59% voted YES "That Sharp will sell the MFP Division"
41% voted No   

In politics some would argue that 59% - 41% is a landslide. Stay tuned I'm sure we'll here much more in the coming weeks.  BTW if you'd like to cast your vote please follow this link if you're a Print4Pay Hotel member VOTE HERE and if you're not a member then Register Here (It's Free) and then place your vote.

-=Good Selling=-



Friday, March 22, 2013

7 Ways to Help You Get Better Results When Prospecting

Prospecting in the office equipment industry is equal to putting your shoes on every day. It's just something you do all of the time!

Now that I'm a little older and little wiser (that's me), I've been able to hone some of my prospecting skills to get better results and qualified prospects. Here's a few tips for you.

1. Sometimes during the sales process, the customer will ask for a better price, and yes you can use the standard close, "If I can give you a better price can we do business today?", however I'll also add that in order to get the better price I'd like to get two to three names and contact information for friends or associates that are in business that may have a need for my services. This is probably the best references or leads that you can get, and you must follow up on them right away!

2. Vertical Market Prospecting, follow up with other businesses that are in the same business where you just made a sale. Mention to the new prospect that you just helped out "xyz" company to new state of the art technology and also make the statement that there are many features designed for your type of business that will save time and money. It's just like the copier industry, when you come right down to it, its a small world and everyone pretty much knows someone else in their same line of work.

3. Prospect Around The Corner, when you have made a sale or have gained an appointment be sure to make a call to other businesses in the area and let them know you'll be meeting with so and so, and ask if you can stop buy. The same goes true for knocking on doors, whether before or at the end of the appointment take the time to stop at other businesses and tell them of your success or just drop a card and a brochure. It may take so time, however these cold calls will pay dividends down the road.

4. When going to a network event, GO ALONE!, this will force you into having conversations with other people and not yucking it up with your buddy from the office. Volunteer to be an officer or chair a committee for that organization.

5. Develop and maintain a mailing list of all your cold calls whether phone or on-site calls. Then set a reminder on a calendar program for a monthly mailing or emailing to these clients. You can mail brochures, flyer's or my favorite a neat little one page newsletter that will keep them updated with your new products and services. If you are religious in sending mail or email every month, you will start seeing great results in 3-6 months.

6. Many times when prospecting we can't get the name of the "right" person to speak, this is when you can turn to their web site and see who may be listed as C level execs. If you can't get the information I have a little secret that I can share (via email only art@p4photel and you'll need to register to be a print4pay hotel member, it's free) and I will send you a little trick that may give you the contact name you need or at least someone to start with.

7. LinkedIn baby! I use the free version, however I will use it to see if any of my contacts are connected or doing business with the company that I'm looking to penetrate.  I'll also use it to see if I already know anyone who is working there. If there is a connection with one of my existing accounts or someone I know I will ask for a connection.

If you have anything else to add, please feel free to!

-=Good Selling=-

Why Sales is a lot like Fishing

On my recent vacation in Deerfield Beach, Florida, I had the chance to catch up on some fishing. The day before I was to go fishing I thought I would check out the pier and see what types of rigs were being used, what was being caught, the type of bait they were using and possibly what was the best time to go fishing. So, off I went before the sun was up, I made it to the pier in about 15 minutes (walking).

The fishing pier was about a quarter mile long and shaped as a T, I noticed there were two types of fishing going on. One group of anglers were armed with five or six fishing poles each. They were fishing for the REALLY big ones, Tarpon, Wahoo, Cobia and Barracuda. The other group of anglers were fishing for the REALLY small ones, Grunts, Runners, Puffers and some other name I can't recall.

Our first group the Really Big Ones  would bait up all of the their poles, cast them out and then wait, and wait and wait some more. After being there for four hours there was not one REALLY big fish caught by the REALLY BIG ONES, as a matter of fact they caught none! They were caught up in the waiting game.....and what's the old saying "winners make things happen and losers wait for things to happen".

Our second group the REALLY SMALL ONES were only using one pole each. However this type of fishing seemed to best if you were there to catch fish. Once they lowered the lines they were getting hits and bringing fish in, no big fish, but never the less, they were bringing one and two pounders consistently. These guys were constantly changing their baits, cutting their baits and rail'in and pail'in fish! That's what they came for, heck they didn't even have the time to rest!

So, where's the meat in all of this? Well, the guys who fished hard and were willing to take the smaller fish were the guys who went home with fish. The guys who wanted the big ones, got nothing and went home with no fish. Seems to me this is a lot like sales, you can be the guy who only goes after the big ones or the guy who is willing to work harder and take the smaller ones. Day in and day out the guy who works hard and takes the smaller fish out fishes the guy who waits on the big ones. I've always stated that I may not be the best sales person nor the best closer, however what I will do is out work everyone else.

A friend of mine once said, "the hardier you work, the luckier you get"

-=Good Selling=-

Copier Sales People, Abe Lincoln & Baseball "What do they have in Common"?

Just back from Presidents Club and we lost a day coming home due to flight delays with another winter storm here in the Northeast.  I had just four days left in the month and quarter. Thus, I've not been able to write as much, so I thought I would go through some of the older Blogs that I liked and repost them and give some additional updates. The story below is awesome display of why we never quit.

We've all heard the story about Abe Lincoln and how many times he lost running office before he finally succeeded, one of the oldest sales success stories. Never give up, never lose faith, be a grinder, his law partner said of him "His ambition was a little engine that knew no rest." 

You know what?  I know a kid just like Abe Lincoln.
 
For those who know me, they know that my passion is for coaching. Since my son turned 5, I added my name to the ranks of those who have coached Little League, Babe Ruth, Pony League and then graduating to Summer Collegiate Teams and Fall High School Teams. Over the years I have coached these young men in three D's of Life or better referred to as the 3D's of Baseball. Desire, Dedication and Determination, I have always preached that if you have these three qualities you can reach what you've always dreamed for whether in baseball, life or work. I am honored that some of these guys still find the time to call me and "shoot the breeze".

Until, this summer, I would always recruit players or someone who knows someone would call me to be placed on the team. I don't run an elite team, just one where everyone gets to play no matter what the talent level is. This summer coming off the Collegiate season, I really didn't have the time to make a lot of calls and especially with the economy dragging. So, this summer I placed posts on local sports message boards in NJ looking for players.

I had a few calls, placed a few guys and then I had an email from a player. He stated that he was a LHP Pitcher and had pitched in HS and was looking for a fall team to play on. I responded with and email stated we would love to have you on the team. A few days passed and I didn't hear from him, then a few days later I heard from his father. I was a little surprised since I had not heard back from the player. His father and I spoke and he stated, "did my son tell you about his disability", (geez I thought), I responded with no he didn't. With that the father told me that his son has cerebral palsy in his right arm and has no use of it..........., however he is a hard worker and loves the game of baseball, his father stated that he son pitched like Jim Abbott . To tell you the truth, I was not sure what to do at that time. I then relied on why I coach, why I run the teams, its not for me its for the guys to get better and hopefully they will be able to advance and play baseball in college. With that I stated we would love to have him on the team.

The day came when Bryan arrived on the team. Bryan is about 6'0" and has good size for baseball. He had very limited use of his right arm and did a glove transfer similar to Jim Abbott.

I find it hard to describe all the great things about this kid. I saw it right away, he already had the 3 D's. His desire to succeed, his determination to get better and his dedication to the sport was probably more than all of the other guys on the team. He's enthusiasm to learn, to work hard and to soak up our knowledge was impressive. Did he throw hard, no, but he was a lefty, and all this kid needed was some confidence. Well, I must say that his attitude and perseverance won everyone over, team members, parents, coaches from other teams and players alike.

On one day he called me and asked if I thought he could pitch in college. I told him there is a college for everyone who still wants to play ball, and I thought he could pitch at some college. His outings kept on getting better and better and he quickly became one of our best pitchers. (confidence, desire, dedication and determination). I had spoken to Bryan and asked if he had contacted any colleges, he said he had however he was not getting much interest. I made a call to a local college and spoke to the coach and told him about Bryan, his demeanor and all of this kids attributes. A few days later the coach came to one of our games, saw Brian pitch and was impressed. He then called Brian and set up a visit with him and his parents to the college. As of a few days ago, Bryan will be going to college and will be playing college baseball.

On this past Sunday, we gave him the ball against one of the best fall teams in the State, we lost 2-1, however Brian pitched all 7 innings, allowed zero earned runs and only two hits. It was one of the finest memories that I will ever have and one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. So many of us, will say why me and he says why not me? His Desire, Dedication and Determination hits home, and is a great story about a great kid who has the heart to compete, the heart to win and the heart to never give up.

My hats off to Bryan, way to go kid!

The next summer Bryan was invited to the Old Timers Yankee Game (yes, Bryan is a Yankee Fan) at the New Yankee Stadium where he was honored and got to met Jim Abbott.  Bryan reached out to me and my family and invited us to the game. I was honored and it was a wonderful experience.

=Good Selling=-

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Sharp to Sell it's Imaging Division or Not to Sell it's Imaging Division

I was not planning on writing on blog tonight, however with the recent news from last night that Sharp (Japan) has rejected a proposal from Samsung to buy Sharps Imaging Division (FYI, all of our Print4Pay Hotel members were notified last via email).  There's already been 12 threads in reference to the proposal. 

For months and months we've been hearing the hype from Sharp USA that the Imaging Division will not be sold, matter fact there so much hype out there that many pundits were starting to drink the Koolaid that Sharp USA was dishing out. 

In fact recent months have been better for Sharp (Japan), I mentioned this in an earlier blog.  As I told a few Print4Pay Hotel members today, why would I bother presenting a proposal to someone if they were not in the market or willing to listen?

It's obvious that Samsung and Sharp were talking due to the fact that Samsung engaged with Sharp for a 3% stake in the company.  What we don't know is if the original proposal to Sharp included the offer to buy the Imaging Division, or this was something that was done after the investment by Samsung.  We also don't know why the proposal was rejected, was it not enough money, did the Japanese banks squash the deal, is Sharp still reluctant to sell one of money making divisions, or are they holding out for a better offer or maybe there's a better offer on the table from someone else?

Today, I received this headline "Sharp May Sell Copier Operations to Samsung", whoa, now this is a complete turn around from what I heard last night, and this report came from the Sankei Shimbun.

At this point in time, I'm leaving for my trip. I hope that Sharp & Samsung will work something before I get back.


-=Good Selling=-






Saturday, March 9, 2013

New Copiers from KonicaMinolta with Advertisements!

I simply enjoy this business!!! Last week KonicaMinolta submitted this Press Release:

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta) today announces the launch of the Corporate Announcements application. Targeting organizations of all sizes and in any business sector, this new application provides administrators the ability to configure corporate announcements or advertisements to display directly on Konica Minolta’s award-winning line of bizhub® multifunctional products (MFPs).

With the new PC-based Corporate Announcements application, Konica Minolta provides the tools necessary to help users broadcast messages via bizhub MFPs across an organization’s network. Administrators can distribute messages to specific audiences, or display messages on specific bizhub MFPs. Announcements are easily viewed and managed via the control panel of any networked bizhub MFP and can run in a continuous loop as a screensaver once the MFP

Sharp jp Update "Fiscal End of Year Fast Approaching"

I figured it was time for another update with Sharp jp,  since the end of the fiscal year for Sharp jp is March 31st.  There were two stories this week from Reuters.

Recently I've read a few articles from the likes of  a few industry pundits and both have downplayed the Sharp debt crisis. I know that both of these industry pundits have a financial connection with Sharp, so instead of trying to make sense of those articles I'll read as many stories as I can from news sources that don't have any skin in the game.

Even though some of the reports from Sharp have been better as of late. The recent money from Samsung and Qualcomm which total 230 million dollars is chump change when compared to the $2.1 billion convertible bond that is due in September of 2013.

In 45 days or so we should have a better handle as where the

How to Add More Selling Days without Really Trying

How many sales days do you have in a year?  Betcha you don't know!  Sales aka Selling days or how many days per month, per quarter and per year has been something that I keep an eye on.  Try to take a sales day away from me because you want to close the month early drives me up a wall.  Let's face it I only have "x" amount of days each month and I need to make the best of them.

Some dealerships or direct branches will close on the calendar end of the month. Others will close the month early so their "bean counters" can get a better handle of closing all of the sales by the end of the calendar month.

Some months have more selling days and some less, your job is to get a handle on how many days you have each month to attain your quota.  There are ways to add to your selling days, and the first would be to stop doing

Friday, March 8, 2013

The Birth of "State of the Art" Copier Technology

There was a recent post on the Print4Pay Hotel forums that was asking members if they inject humor in their copier/mfp demonstrations and if so what were some of those classic wits of humor that we use.  Of course I added by two cents but I also added a paragraph about some of the old technology that was used in copiers before they went digital in the mid nineties.

With one of our Mita (I sold the Adler Royal version), there was a feature that allowed users to white out or black out areas of the copy.  The prospect/user would use a plastic pen to white or black out a section of the document. I would set the user up, give them the pen and state that they need to be very careful with the pen because "inside the pen was the technology that enabled the document to white out or black out" and that if the pen was lost it would cost $300 or so for a replacement. The user then selected the points on the editing board, pressed the copy key and the copy would be edited with either the white out or black out section of the copy. Prospects and users awed when we showed this feature!

This was funny to me because some users actually thought the technology was in the pen and I had a few frantic users calling me that they had lost their pens and needed another. LOL

Another Mita copier had the ability to copy in two colors at the same time. It was always

Thursday, March 7, 2013

MFP & MPS Dealers Have Options in a Tough Economy

At a recent BTA event I was able to finally meet Chris Polek (CEO) of Polek and Polek.  Many years ago when I had my own dealership (13 years) we relied on Polek & Polek for imaging supplies.  Just this past fall when Hurricane Sandy devastated Highlands, NJ.  Polek & Polek and their employees sent boxes upon boxes of much needed supplies to my church (with out a call from me).  I urge you to include Polek & Polek as a valued vendor for your imaging supplies and I'm proud to have Polek & Polek as a long term sponsor of the Print4Pay Hotel.

 Polek & Polek, a family owned wholesale distributor of parts and supplies for copiers, faxes, and printers in business since 1974. Take a good read of Dan's article, its quite good!

You Have Options in a Tough Economy

The headlines of today’s economic news are adding to the already challenging environment in the imaging industry. OEM’s, now more than ever, are operating in your territory. This is bringing concerns to dealer management all over the United States. Pricing pressure coming from CPC pricing in the .0029 vicinity is challenging even the best dealers to search for ways to compete and reduce costs. Here are some other forces that are creating serious headwinds for the dealer community.

 OEM quotas are demanding on your resources, stuffing warehouses all over the country to the benefit of the OEM and to the detriment of the dealer community.

 Cash flow is slowing down as a result of this and the slowing economic environment.

 OEM’s threaten cancellation or to open competing dealers down the street.

 Color printing and page coverage is squeezing the dealer between the customer and the OEM supplier more than anyone else in the supply chain.

 OEM direct competition is still going on at or below your lowest price with all discounts included at retail.

 Some dealers are seeing machine placements, copy counts and new business slowing to a trickle.

 Operating expenses are all going up.

 Tech salaries are being challenged and competed for from the IT industry.

 The burden of producing profit is on service and supplies.

There ARE ways to overcome these tough setbacks and situations.

Become part of a buying group or Industry organization ‐ IBPIBTABPCACDA or SDG groups.

These groups provide buying

Saturday, March 2, 2013

A Unique MFP Proposal with the Help of Ben Franklin

Some of us do ROI presentations and some of us don't. For those who don't you're missing opportunities! Do not leave any stone unturned when consulting on current costs for the total cost of operation

Recently, I had the opportunity to quote for two MFP's in two workgroups. First thing I noticed is that every desk had a laser printer on it. Below is a run down of the two work groups:

Workgroup #1 (6 people)
  • 6 laser printers

  • 1 fax

  • 1 large copier (MFP) however it was not connected
Workgroup #2 (8 people)
  • 8 laser printers

  • 2 fax (one for inbound and one for outbound)

  • 1 large copier (MFP) this also was not connected
I did my usual routine, gathered config sheets from every printer, got the meter reads from the copiers and printer along with the reports from the faxes for inbound an outbound pages. Once I gathered all of the information, I went back to office and looked up the cost per page for each device and put together a ROI spreadsheet for the customer.

As per usual, I indicated that the desktops printers and fax machines should be

10 Ways to Increase Your Copier and MFP Sales


I dug this up from the past and made a few minor changes, something that stuck out right away was that I was mentioning "workflow" three years ago.  Workflow is now the buzz word for the industry.  Just thought I would share that.

Whats made me successful in the field for so many years? I given this much thought and would like to share my top ten from my 32 years in down the street sales.

1. Be a consultant and not a sales person. Dig deep for their workflow and volume.
2. Always try to meet with the buyer/decision maker and not the gate keeper.
3. Be a professional at your job. Be on time, Courteous, Clean, speak their language.
4. Find out what your potential client does, what do they sell or manufacturer.
5. Position your self as the expert. Testimonials, Recommendations, Certificates..etc
6. Find out who they do business with. You may have common ground.
7. What is their buying time and why? (do they have pain)

The Emergence of Utility Printers?

The though of utility printers has been on my mind for quite some time, especially with the recent release of the Memjet C6010 color printer that will print full color at 60 pages per minute with a retail price of about $1,200 or so.

Now, I'm not sure what the wholesale cost of that printer is, however I'm thinking $700-$800 or somewhere around there.  

With the cost being so low isn't now possible to give the printer away, especially since the ink/supplies is controlled by the dealer? You could build in the cost of the printer into the ink cost.  Better yet, if there was a way to have software that would enable a tiered billing system, the system could be placed out there with a cost per page billing.  

Of course the software for tiered billing is not available for this unit, but we're a creative bunch and I'm sure we could figure something out.  Years ago in NJ there was a Canon dealer that sold some of the early analog copier devices, they sold the end user a three pack of toner (toner kit) it also included maintenance, parts and on site service for as long as the toner kit lasted.  A very novel approach and one that was easy for the customer to understand and an absolute win win for the dealer!  As I think more about this toner kit it may have been the beginning of the cost per page agreement.  Of course their were many customers that tried to scam the process and bought toner from another dealer, but the concept was awesome and it worked well for many years.

Lately I heard of a few dealers that will be going to

Death of "The 60 Month Copier/MFP Lease"

As we still struggle to keep margins on equipment, maybe we need to become better advocates of presenting shorter terms for leasing equipment.  Since I've been tracking all of my sales for purchase and leases, 92% of them involve leasing the equipment with a third party leasing provider.  Of that 92%, 89% percent of the leases I've written is for 60 months.  I would tend to think that give or take a few percent this would be applicable most of us.

60 months or 5 years is a long time, right?  Dang, I'm tired of my cell phone after two years and my car in about three. Technology changes so quickly nowadays that I want the latest and greatest new car features whether it's better gas mileage, more comfort, or new technology. The same is true of my cell phone, after only two years I would like to step up to new technology that may enhance my life style of make me more productive.  Wouldn't our customers want the latest technology with their copiers and MFP's also?

Why are we not quoting selling more 24 or 36 month leases?  

Look at it this way, if you put a customer into a 60 month lease, you'll have to wait at least four years until you or the customer has an upgrade path and 54 months would be the prime time to upgrade.  Even at 4 years the upgrade path may not be the rosey of a picture for your customer.  Putting your customer into a 36 month lease means that the upgrade path is now reduced to two years and 30 months would be the prime time to upgrade.

A lot can happen when you have to wait