CricketsUS - Bringing Robots to the Channel and the Channel to Robots.

Robots in the Office: We’ve Seen This Before

Back in the 1980s, Xerox built an empire on a simple formula. Sell the machine at thin margins, but lock in every cartridge, drum, and service call for years. Dealers thrived because they didn’t just sell boxes. They serviced them. They showed up when the machine broke. They built relationships that outlasted product cycles.

Now look at what just landed. Figure, the humanoid robotics startup, has cut a deal with Brookfield, one of the largest property managers in the world. More than 500 million square feet of office space, plus 160 million of logistics facilities, are being turned into a training ground for humanoids. Forget showroom floors or TED stages. These robots are heading into lobbies, cafeterias, and mailrooms, everywhere copier dealers dominate.

You’re Not Selling a Machine. You’re Selling Time.

When I started in this business, I thought I was selling copiers. 

Machines. Toner. Maybe a contract or two. 

The truth didn’t hit me until a client said this: “Greg, I don’t care what brand it is, just make sure my people don’t have to think about it.”

That’s when it clicked.

They weren’t buying a copier. They were buying time.

You can dress it up all you want. Feed rates, duplex speed, finishing options, mobile compatibility. None of it matters if the buyer still feels like they’re wasting time. That’s the true cost center.

Here’s the part that’s hard for new reps to swallow. Most of what you’re trained to say—the machine specs, the upgrades, the lease deal—none of that really addresses the real value prop. The C-suite is not looking for a slightly faster warm-up time. They want their operations to move smoother. They want to stop hearing complaints about the printer jamming or the receptionist asking for another toner order.

They want to stop wasting time on things that are not their business.

So the next time you're in front of a buyer, stop selling the box. Sell the time the box gives back.