After going over some older posts at a few of my favorite industry blogs I stumbled over Greg Walters "Managed Print Services Conference 2010, The DOTC Take Aways: Impressive" post over at DOTC.
Even after the second reading I must say, I really enjoyed this post. As usual it was relevant and had some great humor in it.
Reading this line from the article about the possibilities at the 2011 MPSCon "imagine a sea of Leopard Headbands...glorious, simply, glorious." I couldn't help but think the only thing that would make this scenario better would be to see such a crowed getting down to a live version of "Why can't you fix my printer" performed by the Expert Laser Services MPS all star band.
I also loved this quote from Greg: "I am rough on copier peeps, because I once was one. Ok, well I am one, you can never really get out, once you're in. It's like the Mafia, which never existed, by the way."
Ha!
And while the there was a lot more excellent perspective on MPSCon 2010 as well as numerous other tasty bits to this piece, I would say that this comment from "Josh" was the highlight of my reading experience in regards to this post,
Josh said...
It is still interesting to me that 50% of the presentations had the old "The customer hides printers under their desk" story.
My personal takeaway from the conference, from an end user perspective: I got to see glimpses behind the curtain of how this service is offered and sold; the things that are sometimes exploited, and how the ones doing it right can shine, even amongst a ballroom full of industry experts.
Emphasis mine.
Haza, Josh... Haza.
Showing posts with label death of the copier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label death of the copier. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
MPS Interview #4: DOTC
AIOI: What company do you work for?
DOTC: Death Of The Copier - one of the premier niche publications in the world.
AIOI: How many employees does your company have?
DOTC: We currently employ millions.
AIOI: How do you personally define Managed Print Services?
DOTC: Anything and everything the person on the other side of the desk says that it is.
AIOI: How long have you been involved with Managed Print Services?
DOTC: Its not the age, its the mileage. Let's just say, I have been in MPS longer than Staples has.
AIOI: What benefits does your MPS program offer your customers?
DOTC: We at DOTC try to tell it like it is, we may not always be correct, but we don't care.
Also, most people in our industry/niche are some of the most dynamic and fun folks to work with or be around - so why can't we show this off to those outside the industry?
Do we really need to be so...bland?
Copier nerds? Yes! Toner-dudes? Of course! MPS Geeks? Sure, why not? Belly up and share some stories.
In addition to the blog, we assist dealers, new MPS practices and individual Selling Professionals in "translating the corporate dogma" being spewed from consultants and the "big boys". We boil down or negate the propaganda, for the Selling Professional.
The Death Of The Copier, currently, has no "sponsor" - I don't advertise or engage Infotrends, so it is unlikely that you will ever see, "DOTC" in the upper right Quadrant. So, I can afford to be a rogue, a provocateur as you will. Suits me just fine.
AIOI: What are some of your major successes?
DOTC: Ok, now we get serious.
I have had the honor to advise an MPS selling team at a dealership, somewhere in the south - this client, who shall remain nameless, engaged me (yes, a check was made out to "The Death of the Copier) to simply "talk" about my successes and my failures in MPS - he wanted to get a real, from the trenches, no bullsh*t view of MPS. He had been a paying customer for some of the more well known copier consultants.
After talking for a couple of weeks, we moved to 1:1's with the selling staff.
Here's where the success comes in, during one discussion, I was able to pontificate and advise this selling professional on one specific account. I told them what I would do in that situation.
Well, I'll be damned if they didn't take my advice, say what I said to say in the way I said to say it, resulting in a close, a sale. I was stunned, flabbergasted, proud.
To me, this is the greatest success in the world. I know now how the consultants must feel or at least had felt back in the beginning.
It is weirdly fulfilling to have somebody take your advice and see results in the form of dollars, because they did what you recommended.
AIOI: What separates your MPS program from your competitors?
DOTC: In many ways, I have few, if any, competitors.
My uniqueness is my history: I started selling B2B solutions, accounting systems, back when the AT was still a viable device, when Epson 24-pins where all the rage and connected via parallel ports. I was in that niche for nearly 7-8 years.
I have sold uniforms, excuse me, I mean, Corporate Identity Programs and AFLAC insurance, excuse me again, I mean, pre-tax, self-funded employee benefit programs; again, all B2B.
Add to this my stints in the Office Equipment Industry, sprinkle in a little, Detroit smart-ass and viola!
In the end, my true "competitor" is Time.
DOTC: Death Of The Copier - one of the premier niche publications in the world.
AIOI: How many employees does your company have?
DOTC: We currently employ millions.
AIOI: How do you personally define Managed Print Services?
DOTC: Anything and everything the person on the other side of the desk says that it is.
AIOI: How long have you been involved with Managed Print Services?
DOTC: Its not the age, its the mileage. Let's just say, I have been in MPS longer than Staples has.
AIOI: What benefits does your MPS program offer your customers?
DOTC: We at DOTC try to tell it like it is, we may not always be correct, but we don't care.
Also, most people in our industry/niche are some of the most dynamic and fun folks to work with or be around - so why can't we show this off to those outside the industry?
Do we really need to be so...bland?
Copier nerds? Yes! Toner-dudes? Of course! MPS Geeks? Sure, why not? Belly up and share some stories.
In addition to the blog, we assist dealers, new MPS practices and individual Selling Professionals in "translating the corporate dogma" being spewed from consultants and the "big boys". We boil down or negate the propaganda, for the Selling Professional.
The Death Of The Copier, currently, has no "sponsor" - I don't advertise or engage Infotrends, so it is unlikely that you will ever see, "DOTC" in the upper right Quadrant. So, I can afford to be a rogue, a provocateur as you will. Suits me just fine.
AIOI: What are some of your major successes?
DOTC: Ok, now we get serious.
I have had the honor to advise an MPS selling team at a dealership, somewhere in the south - this client, who shall remain nameless, engaged me (yes, a check was made out to "The Death of the Copier) to simply "talk" about my successes and my failures in MPS - he wanted to get a real, from the trenches, no bullsh*t view of MPS. He had been a paying customer for some of the more well known copier consultants.
After talking for a couple of weeks, we moved to 1:1's with the selling staff.
Here's where the success comes in, during one discussion, I was able to pontificate and advise this selling professional on one specific account. I told them what I would do in that situation.
Well, I'll be damned if they didn't take my advice, say what I said to say in the way I said to say it, resulting in a close, a sale. I was stunned, flabbergasted, proud.
To me, this is the greatest success in the world. I know now how the consultants must feel or at least had felt back in the beginning.
It is weirdly fulfilling to have somebody take your advice and see results in the form of dollars, because they did what you recommended.
AIOI: What separates your MPS program from your competitors?
DOTC: In many ways, I have few, if any, competitors.
My uniqueness is my history: I started selling B2B solutions, accounting systems, back when the AT was still a viable device, when Epson 24-pins where all the rage and connected via parallel ports. I was in that niche for nearly 7-8 years.
I have sold uniforms, excuse me, I mean, Corporate Identity Programs and AFLAC insurance, excuse me again, I mean, pre-tax, self-funded employee benefit programs; again, all B2B.
Add to this my stints in the Office Equipment Industry, sprinkle in a little, Detroit smart-ass and viola!
In the end, my true "competitor" is Time.
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