MPS (Marriage Print Services)

Today I read Ken Stewart's "4 Pillars of your managed print services program" post from the MPS Insights blog.

In the article Ken suggests that the client/provider relationship should be one of a symbiotic nature. The kind of relationship where each entity involved receives something positive for their presence within said relationship.

I think Ken is on to something here and overall I thought his article was great...

I would however like to take things a step further and suggest that the best client/provider relationships should be (in a metaphorical sense) not unlike a marriage.

In his article Ken hit the nail on the head in saying:

"While this is not entirely an unpredictable thought-track, managed services at their core have a “win-win” endgame at heart; both the provider and client must share in the success while both understand that they must also sacrifice some in order to maximally benefit from the relationship." (emphasis mine)

The above statement is in many ways the key to a successful marriage and in the same way is also the key to any great relationship.

In today's society you see a lot of "hook-ups", messy marriages and divorces. This is largely due to the fact that often times people enter into a relationship with their focus being on what they want or rather what they expect from the other person involved.

This kind of selfishness may lead to initial gains for one or even both parties involved however, it will also almost certainly lead to a problematic future.

I am sure by now you have come to expect this warning in my posts however like the wiser parents who have gone before their children I must advise the clients out there...

Do. Your. Homework.

If you don't take the time to really dig into the MPS offerings out there and decide to just go with what feels right in the moment or pick the MPS plan with the most bells and whistles, you may very well find yourself locked into a multiple year contract (or shall well say marriage) with no option for divorce until you suffer through the experience and reach said contracts end.

Indeed there are MPS providers out there who truly want to help the customer. Folks who earnestly have the desire to make a living by truly helping you to save money, get the most out of your equipment and help you to reduce your impact on the earth.

With that being said there is no denying that there are those who want to sell you machines, sell you a "plan", get your signature and then move on to the next score.

This scenario sucks, but we all know this is the truth.

So how do you find an experienced MPS provider who is one of the "good guys"?

Do. Your. Homework.

Compare at least a few of the offerings out there. Speak with those organizations "MPS experts", talk with other business owners who are on contact with these companies and see what they have to say about their providers.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; those who seek will find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)

Sometimes the truth is simple.