Search This Blog

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Who is Everything Channel and Why Are They Important to You?

I know, I know - one more 'industry magazine' to read.

One more collection of sponsored advertisements dressed up as 'journalism'.

Another "leg" in the Research-Convention-Publication Triad.

Why yes...actually.

From their website:

"...Everything Channel is the premier provider of channel-focused research and consulting, events, media and custom solutions for the technology industry. Everything Channel provides integrated solutions to technology marketers for managing channel strategy to accelerate technology sales..."

I swear - I looked high and low, walked that site corner to corner and I could not find anything from RiKon,  KonicaMinolta or Kyocera.

I did find some entries from Xerox.

But down in the lower right-hand corner, under "Industry Events" I discovered a nugget -

"Print and Imaging Summit, Orlando Florida, May 3-4".  I seem to remember there being another show around the same time - an MPS show no less.

Coincidence?  Are there ever any real coincidences?


Sunday, April 3, 2011

Ed Crowley, Photizo - 5 Steps for Implementing MPS/BPO/MSP/ITO/EDM/NOC/MOUSE

"I must tell you something, darling...
you...look...marvelous.."
Another guest author and fellow DOTC_Leopard, Ed Crowley (Photizo), chimes in.

This time, on the subject of 'implementation'.

Notice how the FivePoints can be applied to any discipline - expansive, isn't it?

Ed and I go back.

It is an honor to have so many fellow DOTC readers contribute - I consider myself fortunate.

Enjoy.
------------------------------------

Why is implementation important?

By Ed Crowley, Photizo


Implementation is the process by which you will construct the entire project and it is the frame and foundation, which anchors and shoulders the considerable weight of the entire project.

When I discuss implementation for managed print services, I don’t just mean the initial roll-out, but rather, the planning, customer-needs assessment, roll-out, on-going management, and evolution through the various MPS stages.

In my experience, the key to a successful MPS engagement begins with the end-user needs assessment. We often want to jump immediately into ‘right sizing’ the fleet, deployment planning, and all of those other activities that deliver immediate or near-term cost savings. Without an adequate understanding of the customer needs and the organizations environment, we can quickly turn from the hero to the villain.

Nothing can replace walking through the customers environment, survey where the equipment is, who is using it, asking about their needs, and issues. Holding internal focus groups with customers to understand what is and what isn’t working in their imaging environment is a great way to start. This can pave the way for a formal survey of all employees to gain an in-depth understanding of their needs and desires.

The net result of truly understanding the customer environment is that you will be able to craft a set of ‘policies’ for identifying how the products are rolled out and what are acceptable exception procedures.

Ed’s Top 5 for implementation :

Thor - Big Hammer Time



Click to email me.

Friday, April 1, 2011

HP to Purchase Xerox. Joins CISCO, IBM & MicroSoft in move offshore. Upside Down World.



In a late-night move, HP began buying outstanding Xerox stock. The Nikkei 225 responded by rising 5%  London's FTSE 100 hiking 3%.

HP's effort to gobble up one of its primary competitors is eclipsed by other stunning developments.

Reports of HP physically moving their headquarters to Sri Lanka are swirling around the water coolers and through the hallowed halls in San Jose. 

An unnamed source had this to say,

"...with the US economy growing at the speed of smell, and the apparent anti-business stance of both California and the current administration, we have no choice but to execute what we call Special Order 66.  This group of technology concerns will move all facilities and employees to special accommodations that have been constructed in Sri Lanka..."

Not only will this move include ALL domestic facilities and employees at HP, it appears that CISCO, IBM, and Microsoft have decided to exit the US as well.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Hatchet Buried - Another New Contributor To DOTC - David Ramos, Strategy Development

Wait...what...who? HUH?

The World "Zigs" and the Leopards of DOTC "Zag".

"...I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. 
Someday you'll understand that..."

The World Moves.

No matter how important we try to make ourselves,  arguing our  negative effect on the world, that we are bigger, more important and outside the ecosystem; violators.

That humans can change the earth, freeze it, over heat it, drill holes in it's protective atmosphere, lower the sea level, raise the sea level - this cacophony of 'chicken little' rhetoric distracting us from the obvious - we don't matter.

The World Moves.

We love to think we’re in charge. That we can tilt the planet's axis, punch holes in the sky, melt ice, drain oceans, and burn forests with a glance. That nature waits for our next decision.

But this isn’t power. It’s hubris.

The idea that we stand above nature, that we direct its course, is a story we tell to feel important. We don’t control the Earth. We don’t break it. We don’t save it.

The Earth isn’t fragile. We are.

The world moves. It always has. It always will. And it does not ask for our opinion.

Think I'm wrong?

While we install catalytic converters(devices engineered to choke my LandRover) and charge a buck per gallon "emissions tax" our "sacred mother earth" decided to move Japan eight feet closer to Cali.

If we took every single nuclear bomb, hell, every explosive device invented, used or envisioned throughout human history, we couldn't move that island nation an inch.  Put that in your Kyoto Accord.

And don't even get me started with May 18, 1980, 8:32 am PST - in a few hours, more toxic chemicals, carbon and "ozone killing" stuff was spewed into the air than ALL OF HUMANITY from the beginning of history.(Google it, no wait, Google, INC. is perpetuating the myth...)

"...don't amount to a hill of beans..."

So, it is within this context, out of a minor storm of controversy,  I introduce the latest contributor to DOTC, David Ramos.

Quite the lede, eh?

Unless you live under a rock, or are not part of the LinkedIn community, you've seen David's writings all over.

Strategy Dev. must have a pretty good S/M machine, a bit more "Push" than "Pull" for my taste - but that doesn't matter.

Content matters, and so far, I find David's content pleasing.  Appropriate content as measured against our own, high, DOTC editorial standards.

So it is with great honor, that I introduce to you, David's first DOTC article - Please Enjoy.

Click to email me.

Open Letter to all Sales Managers – Let the 1970’s Go, by Dave Ramos




by David Ramos, Strategy Development.


I focus on writing on topics that provide substance to the readers and my audience is usually sales/sales management professionals.

I hope this one lives up to my standard and I hope my passion doesn’t come across as though I’m crazy like a fellow “WINNER!” that has been in the media a lot lately.

But I just, have to get this off my chest.

I had a sales manager tell me last week that she wants me to help her people increase their ability to generate appointments.

 I said, “GREAT!”

She says “I want to work on phone scripts so that I have my people doing teleprospecting days.” I said, “you are talking to the wrong guy because I don’t believe that is the most effective use of your people’s time.”

Her response was “Huh?!”

Contact Me

Greg Walters, Incorporated
greg@grwalters.com
262.370.4193