Managed Print Services Selling in One Week, Three different Cycles, Three different Results

April 16, 2009

For your consideration, three, real-world situations:

1. Business Owner - 3 machines, 23 employees. After 3 week evaluation, MPS documents were signed and Level 1 MPS was engaged. Competitive landscape, typical copier Sales person pitching reducing costs with all-in-one functionality.

2. IT Director - 114+ single-function units, 15 copiers, 150 employees. One appointment/week in the past three weeks. Copier and MFP fleet separation achieved, MPS project moving forward; copiers to be dealt with upon lease termination, 12 months out. Executive Management wants the project to provide clear, verifiable, Green friendly results.

3. Purchasing Agent - 98, single-function machines, 14 copiers, 200 employees. After two meetings, multiple emails, and 2 direct phone calls; no forward movement. Competitive landscape, Xerox partner pitching MPS/PagePack.

Can you guess the details of each Selling Situation?

More Crime - Office Depot Alleged to have Over Charged us, the US citizen, by 100 Million

I first caught this story over at the AnswerCo | Office Products and Printer Supplies Cross Reference Guide about how a disgruntled employee is claiming Office Depot had been overcharging the Detroit Public School system for supplies.

Of course, I figured it was just another angry, laid-off, red apron wearing, part time clerk, working the system for some extra attention or cash - I was wrong, way wrong.

From the Detroit News:

"...David Sherwin, a former senior account manager with Office Depot, alleges that the company manipulated pricing on products that government agencies bought through the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance.

"Nationally, the overcharging amounts are somewhere in the range of $100 million annually to between 4,000 and 5,000 agencies around the country," Sherwin said..."

This accusation is not being leveled by some part-timer, he was a senior account manager, and according to reports, attempted time and time again to alert the authorities to O.D.'s activity. Finally, this whistle-blower, committed professional Hari Kari dispatching a terse communique to Office Depot CEO.

The story could end there in Detroit - but it doesn't.

Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Nebraska, Missouri and California all have cases, investigations or are expecting refunds from Office Depot.

California received 2.5 million back.

At issue, is Office Depot charging more than what was agreed to, on a national basis.

Apparently, this was easily done when government agencies and non-prof's ordered supplies via the Office Deport web site.

An Office Depot spokesman said the Detroit Public Schools has been buying supplies through the program since 2003.

"We are not aware of any complaints from Detroit Public Schools regarding overcharging," Jason Shockley an Office Depot spokesman said, denying the allegations.

Fact is scarier than fiction.

$100,000,000.00


UPDATE:

Apparently, the accuser threatened the CEO via email, while drunk. He has since gone through re-hab. I hate quitters.

Great read, here.

2009:First Annual Managed Print Services Conference and Association - Oh What a Difference a Year Makes!

4/2009-

The conference is fast approaching. We have had many "Go To Meeting" meetings. The awards have just about been determined, trophy's await the engraver.

I wrote my first article about Ed and the gang, April 15, 2008, one year ago, today.

They were the only ones out there talking about MPS - other than myself and a close circle of colleagues.

In that article, I quoted Ed, "“...It is important to note that the decision making process is less collaborative than might be expected. The market is shifting to an IT-controlled, printer-based MFP-centric environment, and study results indicate that IT is winning the battle to make the MPS decision for the entire fleet, including printers, MFPs and copiers..." - spot on.

In the beginning, there was no Xerox sponsorship, no special announcement from Samsung, no MPM (see the cool video, here.) And the idea of an association was months away.

Back then, HP sold Managed Print, Edgeline was "on fire" and IKON was, well, still IKON.

Today, MPS is just entering the "Trough of Disillusionment" on it's way to the "slope of enlightenment" - for reference, Confidential Printing is at the back end, on the Plateau of Productivity. If you don't know what the heck I am talking about, hit me up on email, I will share.

So it seems, today, there are dozens of MPS experts, hundreds of MPS providers and a growing number of consultants, advisers, mentors, blah, blah, blah - I know the real deal.

If you haven't got your seat, go register - it is going to be stellar.

I can say I was there, almost in the beginning.

Check this link.