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

Selling Copiers & MFP's "P4P Hotel Members Are Quota Busters"

In a year when the economy stunk, credit was denied more than it was approved.  Add the fact that a Tsunami, Earthquake, Nuclear catastrophe (all in Japan), horrific floods in Thailand that affected MFP supply lines. 

Print4Pay Hotel Members (we sell multifunctional copiers, and solutions) were at the top of their game and blew out their quotas!

I for one can attest that 2011 was tough, mentally tough as well.  I left more than 150K on the table that could not get credit approved. 

2011 saw almost 64% of those polled rolled in with 100% of quota or better!  What was more astounding is that 32% posted 150% or better and 5% broke the bank with 300% of quota for 2012!  But, you know what that's what I would have expected from this group.  Over the years I've found that Print4Pay Hotel Members are a breed apart from the rest.  They have the Desire, Determination and Dedication to be the best, and they are the BEST MFP & SOLUTION Reps in the World. 

Take a gander at some of these numbers.  For the month of December 57% were over 100% of quota, and 26% were 150% or better. A whopping 52% were among the top two reps at their company!

For those of you that are not familiar with the Print4Pay Hotel, the Print4Pay Hotel is a forum based web site that allows members from all over the world to collaborate with others in a secure forum.  In order to be a member you'll need to get registered (no cost) and within minutes  you'll see thousands of threads related to our beloved copier industry.  We cover all topics and leave no stones unturned when it comes to sales, solutions, share files, share prices, share quotes, stories, what works and what doesn't work.  You could be a poster or a lurker (just read), you could be in sales, marketing, direct sales, dealer sales manager, direct sales manager, product manager, dealer owner, COO or CFO.

Here's some other numbers from Print4Pay Hotel members.  These are 4th quarter results for 2011.

	(5%) 300% plus
	(16%) 200-299%
	(5%) 150-199%
	(10%) 125-149%
	(26%) 100 -124%
	(16%) 75-79%
	(21%) 50-74% As you can there's some pretty awesome numbers. You can become a member here Print4Pay Hotel registration BTW, Who said Copiers were dead? Or the death of WHAT? Some forget that it WAS copier reps that first started the Managed Page thingy many many moons ago. Heck, I started replacing laser printers and faxes with MFP's, when Managed Print Services was just a pimple on someones butt!  -=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFPs "1 Awesome Way to Increase Profit through Knowledge"

What happens when you have no one to turn to about a specific solution on a piece of hardware? You know what I'm talking about, there always seems to a question or two that you know the exact spec or the workflow involved.

I'll give you a scenario, you were at the customers office and had a great meeting, however some additional questions came out of left field about an "xyz" solution.  You could tell the client was hot on this and if your system had the capability you would have a better chance to demo the solution, propose the solution and close the sale. To add fuel the fire the client wants the answer asap since they are making the decision within the next 24-48 hours.  Typically you'll call your manager, or someone within your organization first, and it's not uncommon that they won't be available (seems to happen all to often) or do not have the answer.  You'll then try the manufacturers dealer or direct channel rep, most times it can be a hot and miss here also especially with the recent reductions in staffing. Plus what happens when you need the answer the next day coming off a late afternoon appointment?

My golden rule is the more knowledge you have the better you chance to close additional sales and increase profit from your knowledge with hardware and solutions.

Let's face it, there are not that many guru's (docusultants) in the copier and MFP business.  These are the guys and gals that eat, sleep and breath the industry.  You could also refer to them as the "geeks" of imaging.

Back in 2003 I created a loose knit group of copier people within MSN communities,  probably eight or nine of us to start, and we grew and grew.  Today sees the Print4Pay Hotel forums as the only forum of it's kind that allows copier & mfp people to share information, discuss hardware, software solutions, comp plans, new products, price quotes, leads, new trends, new solutions along with daily threads on new products in a secure closed forum. There's a  "core" of copier and MFP guru's that help each other, with no strings attached.  There's also a handful of solution manufacturers that monitor the site and provide support through the forums.  The best part about the forums is that they are FREE. The Print4Pay Hotel has over 3,000 followers in the industry.

So, the one awesome tip is to click this link Register for the Print4Pay Hotel forums and get timely information on products and solutions that will help you add value, add profit and close sales.  Here's another link for our testimonial page. Enjoy and have an awesome New Year!

-=gOOD sELLING=-

Closing a Perfect MFP Sale!

I'm watching the Met game tonight and I'm hearing that a pitcher for the Tigers is about to throw another perfect game, that would be #3 this year!

You just don't hear of that many being thrown let alone being at a game where one is thrown. I was able to see David Wells perfect game at Yankee Stadium many years ago and it was the thrill of a life time for a baseball fan like myslef.

Any how, I flip to ESPN to see if they've got the game covered, I watching.... and the last batter grounds out to the first baseman he flips to the pitcher covering the bag and he's out, no wait he's safe!!1 The unpire clearly blew the call! My first thought is that this kid will probably never ever come that close again in his career. A shame, a blown call takes away a perfect game.

It just goes to show you that nothing is given, even if it's earned. Many years ago I had demo'd a duplicator at a print shop in Trenton, NJ. The duplicator performed verything that it needed to do. I had the lease ready for the buyer, handed him the pen, he had started to sign when my boss (who was with me), asked the buyer a question, the buyer obliged answer the question. What happended next you might ask, we my boss blew the call! We were never able to get back to that closing point and the print shop never did buy the duplicator. From that day forward, I never ever let him go with me on any future closing calls of demos.

Like I said, sometimes even if you EARN, you still might have it stripped away from you becuase of soemthing that's out of your control.

Armando, I feel for you!

-=Good Selling=-

Copier Sales "Friday Night Lights II"

Here I was in the office on Friday afternoon; we had just finished having a few vendors in for a lunch and learn. We finished up about 1:30PM and at 2PM I had a webinar schedule with an existing client for 2PM. After that I was off to a 4PM appointment for a new customer interested in a wide format system.


A little back ground on my 4PM appointment, I had called a few weeks ago about a wide format product. The DM had expressed interest and we set an appointment for later that week. I arrived at the appointment a few days later and the DM was not able to make it, so I figured I would make the best of it and ask as many questions as possible with the DM's assistant. After about 30 minutes I was done and was on my way to the next stop.

Now, with my appointment on Friday the DM gave me his cell phone number and expressed that I give him a call before I came out. Well, I made one call with no answer, 20 minutes later made another with no answer and then 20 minute later called the office to see if the DM was there and the DM was not there. The time was now 4PM and since I had to travel towards the client’s office to go home, I figured I'd give his cell number one more ring a ling. Well, the DM picked up and I stated if he had time we could still meet, I could be there in about 4 minutes, the DM agreed and off I went. I arrived sometime after 5PM by the way I had filled out an order form and a lease earlier that day, just in case, need to be prepared eh?

While there, we discussed the features, advantaged and benefits, and then we got down to the dirty which was the finance part of the system. Initially the client had balked at the 60 month lease and asked if he could put money down to lower the interest. I agreed, and we went over a few scenarios and then he dropped a bomb by asking "well if I went ahead with the order" can you hold the machine for me? His objection was that he may be building an addition. To say the least this wasn't going to help me, I explained we needed to get this placed this month, and suggested that we install the hardware and leave the network connection for a later date. He mulled it over and then asked about us financing the equipment. Ok I thought, here we go, I stated we could do that but would only be able to do a 30,60,90 and before he could answer I pulled out the "bakers dozen" lease, this is where you can offer a 13 month lease and the customer owns the equipment at the end for $1.00. You take the purchase price of the equipment divide by 12 and that's the payment to the customer.

Keep in mind that when doing a "baker dozen" lease the leasing company will take 5% of your invoice. I had explained that in order to this type of deal I would have to increase the cost by 5% top cover what the leasing company takes from us in order for him to have such a low lease rate. Well, he agreed and we signed all of the paperwork on the spot. By 6:30PM on a Friday night I was on my way home with and order and feelin good for the weekend.

So, what can we take from all of the this? Well, the objection was the interest that was paid on the initial lease. Most of the time, we sales people believe the customer wants the lowest payment which goes hand in hand with the longest term. In this case, not true! Remember there are many different leasing programs available from leasing companies that we tend to forget about, such as bakers dozen, step leases, 90 days with no payments and I'll be there are a few more out there. Go over these programs with your leasing companies or lease administrator and you may be able to close a few additional deals on Friday Nights!



-=Good Selling=-


-=Good Selling=-

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gas Station

I'm in sales, live, sleep and breath it. Yesterday I pulled into my favorite Exxon mobile mart in Red Bank, NJ. I needed a pitstop to get some water, hit the head and fill a tire with air.

So, while I was out there filling the tire when I was approached by a young man dressed nicely with a tie. He said excuse me and asked if I ever heard of this product, and promptly showed me a spray can and explained that this is the greatest thing ever for getting rid of minor surface scratches from a car. He sprayed it on a small surface scratch that I had, and then proceeded to swirl the rag and wait a few seconds and then swirled the rag again and presto, chango the surface scratch was gone! I thought, that's pretty neat and asked him what was in the can, I won't get into that and in the next second he walked over the my cars head lights and did the same thing, and then did the rag swirl thing....presto, chango and the haze was gone from the head light. I thought this was cool...I had always been looking for something like that for the lights. He then moved to the rim and did a spot there and walla, he was ready for the close. How many cars do you have? Uh...one, I replied. He then stated that this product was used by Nascar (ok, now I thought that's BS), however he gave me the price for three cans and you what, I bought all three for $35. I handed him forty and he went top get change and on the way back he was waving a yellow cloth and stated that I could have this yellow rag for $5, I stated no thanxs, took my five and was happy I got a product, however I was happier that I had helped a young kid out that was just starting a sales career!

I gotta go, so I'll keep this short, what happened to the days of calling someone for an appointment and bringing a copier out for a demo? You're in the office, showing the new system, you've got mr. or ms. right there and presto chango, you make a sale. No quotes, no proposals, just plain old fashioned salesmanship. The problem with our industry today and most of us sales people on the street are not allowed to ship a unit out for a demo (it is frowned upon). If you're like me you don't even bother asking for one from the customer anymore. Who's to blame, is it the owners, sales managers or just an art that we lost. I will tell you one thing if I still had the chanc to do demo's, I would have at least two units going out every week and ya know what, I'd probably move more boxes at better margins. Too often we had a quote for a box or a box solution and the only thing the customer has is a piece of paper. Paper's paper right?, and that's how they go about buying systems, we've commoditized our own business by worrying about the cost to ship a machine and do a demo on site for the customers.

-=Good Selling=-

Top 5 secrets on How to Make $100,000 a Year Selling Printers

Want sell more printers, take a look at what Jesse Harwell does, and the tools that he uses.

Top 5 secrets on How to Make $100,000 a Year Selling Printers:

Tip 1: Color is King.

When you walk into a customer location it is absolutely essential that you ask where the color printers are at and discern what sort of volume they run. The typical copier rep makes the mistake of immediately trying for the home run with a color printer when it is often unnecessary or hard to justify. Let's take an example. A customer prints 2,500 pages a month with 40% coverage (real estate offices, for instance). Most copier reps will work to try and sell a $6,000 to $8,000 copier. These agents don't want to spend that much. If you have them at $.07 per print to $.09 per print... maybe you will make $.02 per click as profit given the coverage numbers. You can make the same amount if you sell the Xerox 8860 and put it on a cost per print plan. For the standard rep, you could charge $.10 per print and make $.05 per click. The added advantage is the box can be sold for $2,400 instead of $8,000. So, let's do the math... 2,500 X $.04 (per color click) X 48 (standard lease term for color lasers) = $4,800GP for supplies plus about $400 for the printer plus a little more for the maintenance contact. You would likely have 1 printer here which resulted in $5,500 in GP. It would be even higher if coverage % was low.

COPIER
Copier Profit (estimate) -- $1,000
Supplies Profit (estimate) -- $2,500
Total Profit -- $3,500
Total Cost to Customer -- $6,000 (let's be conservative) + ($.085 *2,500 * 48) = $16,200

PRINTER
Printer Profit -- $400
Supplies Profit (estimate) -- $4,800
Total Profit -- $5,200 (or $5,500 with maintenance included)
Total Cost to Customer -- $2,400 + ($.09 * 2,500 * 48) = $13,200

So, as a printer rep, I can come in and tell the customer they will spend $4,000 less and I make about $2,000 more in GP. If people have a color printer, they think that's what they need, so there is much less resistance to get them into another printer. It's good for the customer, and it's good for me.

TIP #2 -- What Else do you Have?

When a customer calls in looking for a printer, they often have a fleet of printers. It is important to see what they have because there is pretty much always the printer they are looking at AND the one they SHOULD BE looking at. If they are doing 4,000 prints a month on a HP 2300, do you know how much the 2300 costs per print? If you sell Kyocera, Ricoh, or Konica... you have solutions where you can "give them" a printer and have it be cheaper for them per month when you factor out equipment + supplies + maintenance costs. We can typically give a customer a Kyocera printer with all the toner and maintenance included for the same cost per print as just the toner for an HP 4250. Once you can get a customer to see they are already paying $.02 per click, it is easy to get them into a contract at $.018 per click which INCLUDES a NEW printer and maintenance for the device.

TIP #3 -- IT Professionals are Experts

Most IT people want to feel like an expert, they do not want to feel special like the typical office manager. What does this mean? They want options, they want it to be succinct and they want raw numbers. IT Professionals will not "trust you..." they want to see your numbers on paper where they can go to a favorite shopping or blog site and make sure you are telling them the truth. They want people to respect their choices and derive great satisfaction from being informed and up to date with current technology. They generally care very little about cookies on Fridays or if you remember their birthday or their kids names. Remember that you are speaking to someone who thinks they know more than you do, so you need to help shortcut their research and make them feel comfortable you are giving them good data.


Tip # 4 -- Scratch What Itches --

Too many copier reps are trying so hard to replace a whole fleet of printers with copiers. Many IT people and clients don't want to walk 30 - 100 feet for a print. You need to know what printers are the ones they find the most frustrating. The only thing an IT professional hates more than having a printer every 20 feet is having one that breaks all the time. They know their user won't let the printer go, but they get tired of being bothered with printer problems. Gartner estimates up to 30% of helpdesk calls are printer related. I go through my company service records every few weeks see if there are repeat offenders. When a printer comes up several times, I call up the contact and let them know I noticed they are having a lot of problems with XYZ brand printer. I let them know how much it cost when it was new, what a comparable printer is worth now and then give them a choice. For instance, I will let them know that the HP 4000 they keep repairing was sold for about $1,400. The last 3 service calls cost a combined $600 and a refurbished unit would go for about $600. Since they are having so many problems and since the machine is 8 years old or more, have they considered just putting a sticker on it for the next problem which says "do not repair, call Jesse @ Chess" so that we can help them stip the bleeding. This will get a replacement in mind when they are frustrated and they appreciate I was paying enough attention to call them and let them know I saw a problem.

Tip # 5

Since this is a public forum, I don't intend to publish it online. email me if you want to hear about #5...jesseharwell@gmail.com

Copier Sales "Lowering The Cost"

Just a quick note on this, when negotiating with a customer and if I have to use a "drop close", meaning, "If I save you an additional one thousand dollars can I get the order today?"

Most customers choose to lease the equipment, and with this type of close you need to take the amount of discount and divide by the term of the lease. ie: $1,000 divided by 60 months equals $16.66 per month, from there deduct this amount off of the monthly price that was quoted. Do not take this off of the purchase price. You have agreed to save the customer one thousand dollars and you have done so.

Here's another example. Price for the system is $20,000 with a rate factor of .0195, thus the payments are $373.34. When you minus off the $8.33, the new lease cost is $381.67 and will create a new sale price of $19,145.64. If you had taken a thousand dollars off of the $20,000 you would have lost the $145.64 on the transaction.


Remember that when selling payments, you are saving them a $1,000 over the term of the lease. You also have to be specific in how you state it, once you say that you are selling the system for a $1,000 less then you must go with that, however if you use the close that you will save then "x" amount of dollars if they buy today then you can use the formula I outlined above.



Good Selling!