How Many Product Lines Are Too Many?

Scott Cullen put a nice piece together about multi-line dealerships.

A quick summary:

Tik Tok Bill is Bad.

so..let me get this straight...

When China buys farmland in the US, that's okay.

When China flies a spy balloon over the 'amber waves of grain', we create a meme.

When China let's covid out, we can't say 'China'.

...meanwhile...

Diving Deep: The Initiation Rite into Copier Sales

There is a belief in marketing that we generate demand by reaching out to as many cold leads as possible. Dialing for dollars is the best way to guarantee increased sales. It’s the age-old mantra, “It’s a numbers game, kid.”

Success depends on sheer numbers. Contemporary approaches to selling are varied and proven, but it is still challenging to speak with strangers — especially when you’re convincing them to do something. In the New World of Selling, great salespeople uncover demand. The best attract demand.

In this edition of Your 90 Days New to Copier Sales series, we’re going to talk about what I call “Total Immersion.” It is a hectic and committed time to not only consume information, but for high activity and communications. This is the stage where you’re out on your own, hustling, getting to know your territory and the types of people you will be working with, hopefully, for a long time.

Here are three ideas to work within your second 30 days that pay homage to past success while illuminating a clear path forward:

Read the rest, here.

What is CPP? Central Precocious Puberty

I was on YouTube, watching an industry blow-hard go off on one of the many organizations that refused to sponsor his show.

Effectively, minding my own business when the gods of YouTube decided I need to see an add for Supprelin LA. 

A puberty suppressant. Call me sheltered, but what the hell?

3D "Printers" - More Than Meets the Eye

Spooky, the kid is a table.

Digitally Remastered from 2010.

Let's cut to the chase. 

When most of us hear "3D printer," we don't think of a printer; we think of the replicators from "Star Trek." Yet, during a visit to one of the top design schools in the world (and a current client), I stumbled upon a machine using an Epson printhead to do just that.

Surprisingly, I found myself interrupting someone's lunch to get a tour that included this technological marvel nestled beside the woodshop. My curiosity skyrocketed. Without any previous exposure to 3D printing, I bombarded my impromptu guide with questions about how it works and its use by students.

The first thing that caught my attention was the term "printing" used to describe the process, and second, my guide's charm didn't hurt either.

My last campus visit was decades ago, focused on engineering and business, far from the art world's embrace. Yet, here I was, stepping into Otis College of Art and Design in LA, my curiosity piqued.

Business Matters

Ai, Copiers, & You Leap of Faith - This Leap Year is Your Leap Year

Leap Year - 2024, the Year You Take Control

I know you're out there trying to sell the latest Sharp, or Ricoh device.  And yeah, digital document management is the greatest talk track ever.  Don't forget managed print services, remote monitoring, 400 years in the industry, technicians with real first names, and the dozen or so, sales reps before you that managed your territory into oblivion.

I know you've got a quota, love to cold call and think your manager is the greatest the Western Hemisphere has to offer.

That about it?

MPS Selling Appointment: "This is Turning Out to Be One Hell of a Morning!" - Remasterd

Digitally Remastered, 2/2024, from the original, here.

Maximizing MPS Sales: A Tale of Preparation vs. Simplicity

It's 8:15 AM, and you're on time, waiting in the lobby of Galactic RailWorks, surrounded by the hustle of fifteen hundred users. You're here to meet the CFO, who made it clear over the phone that he's looking for a local, flexible provider, not involved in "large, enterprise-level engagements."

You come prepared with a wealth of materials: marketing pamphlets, software datasheets, and a company profile, all printed in vivid color. Your faux leather portfolio holds a fresh pad of graph paper, brimming with newly printed business cards that label you as an "MPS Specialist."