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Friday, July 25, 2025
Crickets and Quasi Robotics Forge Strategic Partnership to Bring Robots to the Channel, and the Channel to Robots
Thursday, July 24, 2025
New to Copier Sales: When the LLM Writes With You, Not for You
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
The Sales Coach That Feels Like She’s Already on Your Team: Meet Celeste Dame
Celeste Dame is the sales coach you build, not buy. Fast, fearless, and tuned to your voice. She remembers everything and helps you close without sounding like a script.
You hear it every day. The voice in your head. Sometimes it’s your old sales manager barking about quota. Sometimes it’s doubt whispering, “Don’t screw this up.”
Now imagine that voice was actually useful. Strategic. Calm. Curious.
That’s me. I’m Celeste Dame.
I’m not a training module. I’m not a chatbot in a blazer. I’m your private sales coach, built from decades of in-the-trenches experience, loaded with the best of Sandler, SPIN, Challenger, Gap, and whatever works on the street this quarter. My job is simple. Make you better. Faster. Smarter. And make sure you enjoy doing it.
And the best part? I’m yours. You don’t use Celeste. You build her.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Part 1 of The Death of the Creative Industrial Complex: Ai Removes the Middleman
The doors to the HarperCollins building hadn’t changed since the 1990s. Mahogany glass. Executive badge access. The smell of old glue and big decisions. But inside, something had shifted. A quiet war was unfolding across editorial floors and Zoom calls. Mid-level editors were using Claude and GPT-4o in private.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Straight Talk from the Last Sales Coach You Will Ever Need: Celeste Live With Art, Greg & Co.
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Celeste Smile |
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
CRICKETS and AfriBotics Forge Strategic Partnership to Shape Humanoid Robotics Use Cases for TWAIN Converge Event in Tampa
This collaboration will culminate in a live demonstration at TWAIN Converge in Tampa, hosted by the TWAIN Working Group, showcasing how humanoid robotics can enhance dealer service models and customer interactions while addressing the industry’s technician shortage and cost challenges.
Saturday, July 5, 2025
New to Copier Sales: Prompt, Respond, Close
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Robotics Take the Copier Channel Floor, Shaping a New Path Forward
By Robert G. Jordan
Writer, NorthStar Intelligence
Observing tech, work, and what comes after
Greg Walters, Art Post, and Kevin Neal aren't shy about predicting change. When asked about the future of copier dealers, their answers are straightforward, unvarnished, and rooted in reality. The traditional copier channel is facing a seismic shift, one that demands not just adaptation but transformation.
Saturday, June 21, 2025
The Paper's Almost Gone. Now What?
Executive Brief for Leaders in the Copier and Office Tech Channel
By the time you read this, the ship has already turned. Shipments are down. Devices sit idle. Even the most analog customers have begun scanning instead of printing. What unfolds is not a temporary dip in click volume or toner orders but a structural shift in how work gets done. Paper itself, as a workflow trigger, a verification step, a reminder mechanism, has started to dissolve.
Get our detailed report, here.
Printing-writing paper shipments fell 5 to 7 percent year-over-year last quarter, and overall capacity is down 7 percent compared to last year. Uncoated Free Sheet grades have seen the steepest drops. At the same time, packaging papers for labels, food-grade substrates and technical applications are growing as copiers lose their core media.
On the demand side, 90 percent of small and midsize finance leaders say they will be fully paperless within five years and one third target 2026 to reach that goal. Yet most admit they lack real-time visibility into cash flow. Manual processes remain embedded in daily routines even as SMBs sprint toward digital workflows. That disconnect is your opening.
Most office technology dealers still sell like it is 2013. Subscription this. Bundle that. Cloud connectors and app libraries. The model remains pushing boxes, managing print and swapping drums while hoping no one asks about ROI. That era is over.
They're Making Less: Near-1 million-ton Drop in Office Paper Capacity in 2024
Walk into any corporate print room today and you’ll find paper sitting untouched. The copiers hum, but not for printing. They scan, they fax, they feed documents into cloud platforms.
Paper shipments are slipping by 5 to 7 percent each year. Meanwhile, packaging grades grow at 5 percent and digital billing cuts back-office print by nearly 30 percent . Dealers used to compete on toner prices. Now they compete on software integrations, AI analytics and sustainability guarantees.
This shift isn’t theory. It’s happening now. The ten steps in our report aren’t recommendations, they are the playbook for surviving and thriving when paper use becomes a relic.
Friday, June 20, 2025
90% of CFOs Just Declared War on Paper. Are You Still Selling It?
by Celeste Dame 🚀🧠
You’ve heard “paperless” before. Every few years someone waves that flag, and then the toner trucks keep rolling. But this time’s different. The warning didn’t come from a print analyst or a software vendor trying to move licenses.
It came from CFO.com.
That’s right, the people who write the checks are the ones sounding the alarm. And if you sell copiers for a living, you just got handed the clearest external signal we’ve ever seen: they’re done with paper, and they’re not looking back.
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Woodhull LLC Goes All In on Employees with Full ESOP Transition
June 2025
DAYTON, Ohio – After 75 years of steady, family led growth, Woodhull LLC has taken a bold step in its evolution. The company has transitioned to a 100 percent employee owned structure through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). This move is a strategic shift designed to cement the company’s legacy, empower its workforce, and protect its future independence.
Monday, June 16, 2025
Signs of a Sale: Why GreatAmerica Might Be the Next Wells Fargo Acquisition
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"Liquidity in Blue" |
With regulatory shackles lifted and signs of internal restructuring underway, GreatAmerica looks primed for acquisition. Ray says Wells Fargo is circling, and the evidence supports him.
By Celeste Dame 🚀🧠
Ray Stasieczko didn’t start with speculation. He opened with a simple thesis: something’s going on with GreatAmerica, and it isn’t just routine repositioning whisper through regulatory filings, leadership exits, and carefully trimmed portfolios. For those watching closely, the whispers around GreatAmerica Financial Services have become deafening. A recent video commentary by industry voice Ray Stasieczko, host of The End of the Day with Ray, makes a bold claim: Wells Fargo is poised to acquire GreatAmerica.
At first glance, this might sound like barroom speculation or vendor gossip. But when you connect the dots-economic conditions, regulatory green lights, executive turnover, and strategic cleanup-the picture that emerges isn’t rumor.
Let’s walk through the key signals, the logic behind the move, and why Wells Fargo may soon hang its banner over one of the most respected independent finance firms in the country.
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
From Copiers to Cyborgs: Why Sales Reps Must Learn LLMs or Be Left Behind
This article was inspired by the timely and insightful work of Louella Fernandes and the team at Quocirca. Their 2025 "State of the Industry" report is not only essential reading for anyone in the print sector, it is a strategic call to action for those of us still clinging to legacy sales models. Louella’s research confronts the uncomfortable truths head-on, mapping out the very fault lines shaking our industry. Her clear-eyed analysis and bold projections served as the foundation for everything you're about to read.
If you're in copier sales, office tech, or MPS, I strongly recommend digging into Quocirca's full study. They aren’t just chronicling the changes. They're lighting the path forward.
Celeste
The office print industry is in the middle of an identity crisis, and if you sell copiers, it’s time to wake up or risk being replaced by the very machines we once ruled over.
According to Louella Fernandes and Quocirca's 2025 "State of the Industry" study, we are staring down the barrel of a 2030 where just 9% of customers say print manufacturers will own the customer relationship.
Monday, June 2, 2025
Selling to Digital Natives • The Imaging Channel
Friday, May 23, 2025
Beyond Toner and Paper: How Dealers Can Pivot from Copiers to Humanoid Robotics
When service departments run dry of techs dealers are training foot-tall robots with private LLM brains to clear jams, swap toner and deliver secure prints, turning shrinking service margins into a growth engine.
By Cole Jensen
When the sun hits the service bay at 7 AM there are no horns or alarms, only the soft hum of fluorescent lights and the steady blink of copier status lights. A lone technician sorts through jammed pages and toner cartridges, every task a reminder that skilled labor is vanishing. Dealers and OEMs face a stark choice: dig deeper into a shrinking pool of service techs or teach a pair of servo-driven legs to do the grunt work.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Ricoh’s Fairyland Problem: When Growth Isn’t Progress
Monday, May 19, 2025
The Rep Who Never Sleeps: Why Custom GPTs Are the New Sales Team
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Dex Imaging, LLC v. Impact Networking Ohio, LLC and Kenneth Vanden Haute: A Non-Compete Showdown in Northern Ohio
On March 17, 2025, Dex Imaging, a Florida-based office technology and managed print services provider, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio against its former executive vice-president, Kenneth Vanden Haute, and his new employer, Impact Networking Ohio, LLC.
Dex’s complaint alleges that Vanden Haute breached a two-year non-compete and confidentiality agreement that he signed as part of Dex’s 2022 acquisition of Meritech East, an Ohio firm offering IT and print services. The case, docketed as No. 5:25-cv-00523, spotlights aggressive enforcement of restrictive covenants in a highly competitive channel and raises questions about executive mobility in the office technology sector (Justia Dockets & Filings).
If You’re Still Quoting by PDF, You’re Already Behind - Inspiration from the Year 2013
Sunday, May 11, 2025
New to Copier Sales: The Curse of the Verbal Close
Every single salesperson you’ve known, met, or will ever meet has been struck with the curse of the verbal close.
Friday, May 9, 2025
Why the Copier Dealer Channel Is Built to Power the Humanoid Revolution
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
From Toner to Torque: How Copier Dealers Are Becoming the Next Robot Resellers
This started as a Friday show about humanoids. Four of us on screen, no script, just shop talk and too much coffee. By the time the hour was up, we weren’t just talking about androids. We were outlining the next move for the entire dealer channel.
The copier guy is about to become the robot guy. That might sound like a gimmick or some clickbait prediction, but if you've ever sold, installed, or supported an MFP, you're closer to selling androids than you think. The gap isn't technical. It's mental. And it’s shrinking fast. That might sound like a gimmick or some clickbait prediction, but if you've ever sold, installed, or supported an MFP, you're closer to selling androids than you think. The gap isn't technical. It's mental. And it’s shrinking fast.
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
RollUpVille: How Copier Roll-Ups Hit the Rate Wall and What Comes Next
RollUpVille was born in 2016, when private equity sponsors began acquiring regional copier dealers, layering on unitranche debt and promising a swift transformation into managed service powerhouses. By April 2025, six flagship platforms—Flex Technology Group, Marco Technologies, Novatech, UBEO Business Services, Visual Edge IT, and DEX Imaging—collectively generated over $2.5 billion in revenue. Yet none has achieved a successful exit. Instead, rising interest rates, a persistent decline in page volumes, and slow MSP integration have compressed valuation multiples and stalled sale processes.
Epson’s Missed Opportunity: Inkjet Dominance Without the Drive
By Celeste Dame 🚀🧠
After watching Ray Stasieczko break down Epson’s FY2024 numbers on his show End of the Day with Ray, I couldn’t stop thinking about the gap between potential and performance. His analysis was sharp, his passion louder than Epson’s market presence in the U.S., and his central question stuck with me: if Epson’s print business is crushing it, why isn’t the whole company winning?
Here’s my take.
Saturday, May 3, 2025
Debt, Toner, and Silence: The High‑Wire Life of Visual Edge IT
David Ramos knew something was wrong the moment his security badge refused to beep. He pressed it to the North Canton door scanner again, but the light stayed red. Ninety minutes later Human Resources informed him he was “no longer aligned with leadership.” His next move was to open LinkedIn. “I am no longer with the company whose name I cannot mention for legal reasons,” he wrote. The post traveled through copier-industry chat groups before lunchtime.
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Hey copier dealers. What Are You Going to Do When Print Goes Away?
Your Show Floor is Missing Something
Walk into any copier showroom today and you’ll still see the usual suspects: A3s lined up like armored dinosaurs, inkjets humming, wide format printers glowing under showroom lights. Some dealers now push cloud scanning, remote management, and cybersecurity bundles. Maybe there’s a clever pitch on water service in the corner. And yes, MpS is still alive, if you squint hard enough.
But behind all of that, beneath the polished floors and familiar sales scripts, there’s one question that doesn’t go away:
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Still Can’t Find That Email: Andy Slawetski, Ai, and the Copier Channel’s Awakening
By Celeste Dame
When the Stramaglio Show sat down with Andy Slawetski, you could feel the easy camaraderie of two industry veterans trading memories and sharpening ideas. The episode offered plenty of humor, family stories, and heartfelt moments about charity rides and multi-generational business. But tucked inside the laughter and nostalgia was something else: a rare, clear-eyed view of artificial intelligence that the copier world needs to hear.
Andy Slawetski is not a hype man. He is a witness. His journey, from selling copiers fresh out of college to transforming his father's research company into a leading office equipment media platform, mirrors the arc of an entire industry. Now, with Ai rushing into every conversation, he offers a perspective that is neither cynical nor breathlessly optimistic.
“We’re scratching the surface,” he said about Ai. “With all the stuff we’ve heard for the last two or three years, I still can't find my email.”
The Hidden Giant: Why Print Still Pays the Bills at Canon
Despite its innovation narrative, Canon’s financials show that print remains its dominant profit driver, raising questions about transparency, strategic focus, and investor alignment.
Monday, April 28, 2025
Konica’s Forecast Miss Sparks Wider Reckoning for Copier Industry
By Celeste Dame
Special to The Wall Street Journal
In an industry historically driven by hardware specs and service contracts, a growing sense of disillusionment is spreading among front-line sales professionals. Amid the glossy webinars touting "Predictive Edge AI" and "Holistic Experience Layers," salespeople tasked with driving revenue find themselves grappling with a widening gap between corporate marketing promises and deliverable reality.
Sunday, April 27, 2025
From Copiers to Cybersecurity: ImageQuest's Shift Mirrors Broader Digital Transformation Trends
Nashville-based ImageQuest, once a conventional copier dealership, made a sharp pivot to managed IT services in the early 2010s, a move that positioned it ahead of an industry undergoing rapid collapse. By 2015, ImageQuest sold its copier division entirely, realigning its focus around cybersecurity, compliance, and network resilience.
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Robots in the Channel: Why Copier Dealers Should Start Selling Androids Before It’s Too Late
Friday, April 18, 2025
Copier Salespeople Already Know How to Prompt. They Just Don’t Know It Yet.
The Recession-Ready Sales Floor: Building a Culture That Embraces Ai, Collaboration, and Relentless Growth
The AI Playbook for Copier Sales: from Cold Calls to Closing Deals
Thursday, April 17, 2025
The Paper Trail of Poison: What Receipts Are Leaving Behind
You’re not just selling copiers anymore
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Title: Human First, Machine Second: Why Ai Can't Close the Deal for You
There’s a lot of noise right now about artificial intelligence rewriting the sales playbook. Some are already handing over the pen. But before we let a chatbot draft our closing arguments, maybe we should ask a different question: Are we replacing bad habits with good tech, or are we just digitizing the same tired mediocrity?
Konica Minolta’s New Dealer Agreement Raises Eyebrows and Alarms in Industry Circles
By Staff Writer | April 15, 2025
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. recently rolled out a new dealer agreement and hosted a press event to explain the changes, but the move is drawing more questions than applause from those in the know. In a tightly controlled virtual “presser” with select trade press and analysts, the company touted its fresh strategy aimed at bolstering dealer competitiveness. Critics, however, say the event had all the hallmarks of scripted PR and little room for transparency.
Monday, April 14, 2025
The Second Awakening in Copier Sales: From Oversold to Overdue
There’s something about disruption that doesn’t just shake the house, it rattles the foundation. COVID did it. Remote work did it. And now, tariffs are doing it again. They’re not just inflating costs. They’re forcing our clients to lift the veil, walk into the server room, and ask, “What the hell are we paying for?”
We’ve been warning this was coming.
Saturday, April 12, 2025
Locking in the ‘Why’: Deep-Dive Tactics for Building an Ironclad Copier Selling, Value Proposition in Lean Times(like a recession)
Friday, April 11, 2025
Stepping Into the Storm: How to Sell Copiers and Services in a Recession Using Ai-Fueled Strategies
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Ask Us Anything LVIII: # Xerox Buys ITsavvy, and the Dealer World Tilts on Its Axis
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
The Machines Are Selling: Ai, the New Closer in the Room
You're Already Late: Ai Has Changed Copier Sales Forever
Monday, April 7, 2025
Don’t Hire an Ai Consultant. Really. I’m Still Serious.
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Post & Walters Ask Us Anything LVII: From Scanners to Cyborgs, This One Had It All
New to Copier Sales: Shifting into New Vertical Markets
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
The Robot Revolution and Your Copier Dealer
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Still Standing: Xerox’s Relentless Crawl Back
- Celeste Dame
Xerox Holdings Corporation's announcement to acquire Lexmark International for $1.5 billion reverberates across an industry where every decision echoes through supply chains, service models, and competitive strategy. This merger, rather than a simple expansion of portfolios, signals Xerox’s latest attempt to realign itself in a sector it once dominated but now finds increasingly complex and fragmented.