MLS - Managed Laundry Services?

Yep...

Managed services are everywhere...

A few months back, midway through the second stage of an analysis for a local college, the IT guy and I stopped to engage in a short conversation about the MPS program that my company would be implementing at the school with a lady from the library.

Much to my surprise, about halfway through the conversation a parallel was drawn between our MPS program and the way that the school plans on managing it's... laundry?

Yes, indeed.

The school plans on implementing what I refer to as an MLS plan.

All service, supplies and repairs are included in the cost of the plan with a fix it or replace it guarantee (whoa, deja' vu).

The company (of which the name the IT guy did not know) will provide the machines to the school all of which will be under contract with a CPL "cost per load" plan. Monthly visits from washer and dryer techs will ensure all machines are running at optimum performance levels and will undergo repairs or cleanings when necessary.

As mentioned earlier all soaps, powders, dryer sheets and additional supplies are included in the price of the plan.

Students will be prompted to buy a "laundry pass" which will save them money on their weekly laundry should they choose to do their laundry on campus, while any profits will either be funneled back into the MLS plan or go to benefit other campus needs.

Haza.

Think about the people

As many of you know, I have a certain level of contempt for the bloating of the managed print services industry. Or rather the level of non-experts who insist upon hijacking the bandwagon and riding the coattails of folks like us, which from my point of view dilutes the professionalism and elegance of a once respectable niche market. Adding to the frustration of this situation is the fact that the "big boys" speak of expertise and flaunt global accounts with flashy marketing schemes which for all intent and purpose are grandiose collectives of smoke and mirrors. There is more (snake) oil in this industry than there is in the gulf of Mexico.

While organizations such as the MPSA and the Photizo group are reflections of the finer points and honorable aspects of the industry, neither of these groups speak of these hard truths. While this is to be expected for obvious reasons, one has to consider the dynamics within the realm of managed print services and report on both the light and the dark sides of this industry.

Managed Print Services is at once an honorable industry with virtually unlimited potential while also serving as a catalyst for the darkest depths of depravity in regards to the filth of commodity which for some, will serve as nothing more than a tool for self righteous financial indulgence.

We must ask ourselves

Is being a giant corporation with a "now offering MPS" marketing ploy enough to make you an expert?

Will the customers who get burned by the "used car salesmen" of the industry spew hate for MPS as a whole?

Will they give the real experts a chance after such an ordeal?

Will MPS carry the same debonair after the wheat is separated from the chaff?

Who knows. Maybe the bullsh*t wont hurt the industry all that much and after its shoveled and removed everyone will forget about it right?

Customers who signed multiple year contracts swayed by the promise of savings falling from the lips of well dressed men, only to find out that had they dug a little deeper and had they looked past the buzz words and green wash that they could have done business with a real expert apposed to a magician with well rehearsed lines of double talk...

The most import people in managed print services are the customers.

The customers.

These are the people who matter the most.

And these are the folks who are going to get burned by these "MPS experts".

Yeah sure you may end up feeling bad for the guy who spent a month in Vegas gearing up for a long succesful career in MPS only to crash and burn. But think about all the hard working people in the companies he was supposed to be helping. When a customer signs that contract they believe that you are going to save them money and on some levels provide them with a sense of security. They believe that their business is going to be better because they choose you to be their provider.

So before you hotshots latch on to the bandwagon, think about the customers. Think about the people.

Truth and Toner

A couple months back I posted an article by guest blogger Amanda Brand of the Go-Green N' Save Blog about the fate of e-waste, notably toner cartridges. The article which cast light upon one dark area of the "green movement" was educational and indeed, a good pitch at potential customers why they should switch to re-manufactured toner cartridges over OEM. The post hit hard showcasing the sad truth that many recycling companies choose to sell toner cartridges and other such e-waste to Chinese "recyclers". In all honesty much of this waste ends up in the streets, rivers, and virtually any open space in the town of Guiyu, China (and other similar communities around the world). Children play upon heaps of old computers, broken monitors, circuit boards, wires, toner cartridges and a whole universe of junk technology. Fires spewing black smoke into the air burning away plastic so that folks can sell the precious metals inside for whatever they can get fill the air with toxic fumes.

As a marketing professional it was a no-brainer. Like a hungry journalist I jumped at the opportunity to not only help Amanda get an audience for her post through our blog, something which in theory would benefit us both (she was kind enough to return the favor and post one of my articles with links on her blog) but also to use this information to hopefully capture new customers for our own line of re-manufactured toner cartridges which at the end of their life are fully recycled here in the USA at our own plant in Southbridge, MA.

In that respect I realize that marketing and advertising is not unlike sorcery in many ways. We are paid to combine colors and symbolic images into ads, videos and or other such mediums with the intent to manifest emotional reactions from people that will aid in our quest to get them to buy our products. I am fortunate to work for a company like Expert Laser Services who actually provides a green product that not only saves our customers money, but when the product fully loses its use and profitability, it is in fact fully recycled and the fate of such waste is guaranteed not to be Guiyu, China or for that matter, the landfill in your community. This can not be said for all companies and I would advise you to be weary of messages that make you feel warm and fuzzy and also be sure to check out the company behind any slick marketing piece.

With that being said I would implore you to please do your homework. Many companies talk the good talk but only in the spirit of financial gain. A little digging may help you have a clear conscience when it comes to your own actions in regards to what you do with that spent cartridge, cell phone, computer etc. Sure, the small town of Guiyu, China is a world away, but if it was your child playing in a heap broken metal, plastic and glass surely you would think twice about who you give your e-waste to. A little poking around, a phone call, and a quick web search may help you find a recycler who can truly stand upon the integrity they claim to have.

MPS Interview #3: Greg Walters

AIOI: What company do you work for?

Greg: SIGMAnet - one of the larger, west coast IT services provider.

AIOI: How many employees does your company have?

Greg: We currently employ 100+

AIOI: How do you personally define Managed Print Services?

Greg: MPS is any process designed and implemented to reduce costs associated with moving, creating, storing and presenting information.

AIOI: How long have you been involved with Managed Print Services?

Greg: Technically since 2007. But I have been in the copier industry since 1999. Starting with Oce, through Panasonic and finally served three years at IKON. Going way back, I started working with clients in 1989, Selling B2B accounting software(AccPac, Timberline, Great Plains, Solomon, etc.)

AIOI: What benefits does your MPS program offer your customers?

Greg: My MPS Engagements bring all the benefits associated with Stage 1 and 2 of the MPS process.

We are fairly deep into a partnership with our distributor when sourcing and fulfilling supplies. I have a team of technicians and we specifically work with "HP houses", which are not that difficult to find.

We are certified up to Edgeline and we run all of our MPS on CPI agreements; B/W we typically sell at 0.0120. Not the cheapest, but we aren't the cheapest and all our supplies are OEM.

Additionally, I can work directly with IT for all their needs - from servers to storage to staffing. This is a major competitive advantage when working with IT-types- I have people who speak their language. What is more intriguing, even if I never engage a MPS client for their traditional, IT needs, the simple reason that I CAN gives me instant credibility.

Also, we are not afraid to work with any manufacturer, vendor or dealer. For example, when one of my client's true, output requirements(as determined by me) dictated a machine that I would not supply, my Partnership with the client allowed me to manage spec'ing the unit, and managing the RFP process.

I worked the copier guy.

An interesting spin, wouldn't you say?

AIOI: What are some of your major successes?

Greg: Successes are all over the board - I have saved a company $1,000.00 per month, not that much, but 12k to this small business was greatly appreciated.

I am currently 12 months into a 36 month project, we have currently reduced their hard cost by $500,000.00; my replacement ratio right now is 1:5, for every machine I place, I remove 5 other devices.

I have advised prospect and client alike on the ways of copier leases - sometimes resulting in a new equipment placement, sometimes not.

As a result of our assessment, I have helped many clients evaluate and re-align their oversight and internal accounts payable process.

AIOI: What separates your MPS program from your competitors?

Greg: This goes back to the IT Services - when I walk through the door, I am not a copier dealer, I am not a toner supplier, I am not simply a laser printer service company, to the prospect I can be much, much more.

Death of the definition?

I sure hope so...

The once worthy quest of defining managed print services has become at best a caricature of itself and at worst a gimmick.

MPS Insights had this to say about such ambitions:

"MPS is complex as a product, including hardware, services, software and consulting. Since it is new for (nearly) everybody, there has been a fair amount of discussion regarding the proper definition of the term. And just to compound the issue, a player with a printer background will have a different view of the world and a different view of the MPS industry and products than a player with an MFP (or consumables, or service, or . . .) background."

and a bit later in the same article noted:

"New participants are joining the industry all the time: vendors, channel partners and clients. While the discussion is no longer new for us, it is certainly new (and highly relevant) for them."

"There are a lot of alpha animals in this industry. Rather than adopting somebody else’s definition and methodology, many feel compelled to develop, promote and defend their own version."

The above quotes seem to suggest that there will never be an accepted definition of MPS for all people within the industry as a whole...

And why should there be?

Lets face it, because of the egos involved there will never be "the" definition of MPS. Everyone wants to be the best. There are the alpha animals and those who want to be the alpha animals and as long as there are at least 2 managed print services programs owned by different companies there will always be disagreements about what managed print services definition is.

It would also seem that most of us are aware of this truth and yet new blog posts speaking of "this guys" definition of managed print services surface almost daily. Why is this? Can't find something better to blog about? Is there enjoyment in beating a dead horse?

What ever the reason, I would hope that this parlor trick of a topic disappears soon...

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.

MPS, This ain't boxes or bullsh*t

Adapt or Die!

Ed Crowley's insight is alive and well and all to real. In many ways this decree boils with the poignant perspective that selling MPS is not like selling boxes, bullsh*t or anything else for that matter.

Selling MPS is different from selling anything else. It is from my perspective... cake. A bold statment indeed, but I have been marketing MPS for almost 4 years now, for a company that has been doing MPS for about 20 years. For many others though, it is nothing short of advanced alchemy and most of the newbies will find that making gold is better left to the Issac Newton's of the industry.

On our sales team we have a core three guys who have made the grade and seem to be in it for the long haul. Aside from them we have had other salesmen come and go. Some managed to sell machines even in this climate and were able to capture some contract customers as well. Some however simply did not get the true nature of selling managed print services and while they had a good track record in regards to "selling" in general, MPS proved to be a confusing animal.

So when we had to let go of one sales guy (let's call him Andrew) for the simple fact that he was not selling to the required extent, I offered to pick up some of the slack and work as a salesman in addition to continuing in my marketing roll.

Having cut my teeth in all the different areas of the company I felt I knew what our program was about and figured that I could do this. I have been in sales less than month and I must admit my first prospect is a lesson to those salesmen out there who think they know how to sell MPS.

On the first day of cold calling I hit a local college. From the gatekeeper I was transferred to the IT guy who happened to be a friend from grade school (let's call him Dave). After throwing out my pitch he said yeah that sounds great...

going on he replied:

"Actually I think we started this process with someone else from your company a while ago and nothing came from it"

Hmm... Ok.

With that I told him I would look into it and would be in touch. Upon hanging up the phone I searched for about a minute in our archives and sure enough there was a contract proposal with all the info laid out ready to go.

I found this to be odd...

Calling Dave back I set up an appointment and met with Dave in his office and laid out how our program could save him money.

Dave's response was something like this...

"Wow, that sounds great... Oh you do that? Great! I would love to get that off my plate! This sounds excellent! Let's get the ball rolling!

(Additionally, Dave said a friend of his who does IT for another customer of ours had called him and raved about our product, so Dave had already felt good about us before Andrew or I had even walked in the door!)

So we set dates for a free 30 day analysis which will come to a close next Thursday, at which point I asked, so... do you recall what happened with Andrew? Any idea why we are not already doing business?

Dave replied well, he came and did the analysis with some USB device and then sent me the proposal that was the last I heard of him...

Wow...

So if you don't already get the picture let me lay it out for you.

Andrew came to the school, stuck a USB key into a computer and got page counts for the 16 networked printers, wrote up and e-mailed an MPS contract proposal to Dave and waited for the sale to go down...

Let me say this again,

"Selling MPS is not like selling boxes, bullsh*t or anything else for that matter."

While doing my "old school" analysis (walking to each and every printer) I found out that the school has upwards of 50 printers (of only 16 which are networked) of varying sizes and output. If Andrew had gotten lucky and Dave had been the one to instigate a phone call to move forward and the deal had closed, we would have only been managing 16 of the 50 printers at the school.

WTF!

Dave was not only into the program and excited about it as a potential contract customer but was open to giving his time to show me around the campus so that I could do an in-depth analysis of their printer fleet. Further more not only is Dave excited about the program but he could see the value right off the bat and when asked about any hoop jumping in getting the contract through the CFO and onto the finalization process he replied "Eh, I have the same amount of clout here, if I say we should do this you will get a signature asap..."

Let this be a lesson to you would be MPS salesmen.

"Selling MPS is not like selling boxes, bullsh*t or anything else for that matter."