april 2008 office technology

01OT0408:01OT0408 3/26/08 7:36 PM

The BPCA was founded in 1963 with the vision of

forming a best practices organization that unites

leaders of independently-owned office equipment

dealers. The concept is quite simple - bring the

leaders of these companies together so that they

can share ideas, learn from each other, and take

their businesses to the next level.

Our members will attest that it’s well worth the

investment by making each of them better leaders

and bringing more value to their dealerships.

Feel like there’s something missing from your

organization? Let BPCA bring together all the

pieces of the puzzle.

Piecing Ideas Together.

If you’d like more information about our

organization and how to join, please send

us an email or give us a call.

Phone: 800.897.0250

Email: [email protected]

Website:

www.businessproductscouncil.org

Membership Director BPCA

c/o BTA

12411 Wornall Road

Kansas City, MO 64145

“Better Dealers Through

Learning and Idea

Exchange.”

31OT0107 12/18/06 2:51 PM Page 1

DocuWare_OFFICETECH_BTA_fullpage_Swimming in Circles-Illus10.. 4/26/2007 10:45:36 AMDocuware June 07 5/15/07 4:30 PM Page 1

‘Deliver the Difference’

Toshiba hosts National

Dealer Meeting March 2-5by Brent HoskinsOffice Technology MagazineFocusing on its commitment to and

support of the independent dealer

channel, as well as on new additions to the company’s

color MFP line-up, Toshiba America Business Solutions

Inc. hosted its national dealer meeting March 2-5.

DocuWorld 2008

Software vendor hosts

partner meeting Feb. 19by Brent HoskinsOffice Technology MagazineEmphasizing the growing opportuni-

ties in the market for document man-

agement systems, DocuWare Corp. hosted its DocuWorld

2008 meeting Feb. 19 in Las Vegas. Themed “Beyond

Boundaries,” there were around 180 attendees.

4 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | A p r i l 2 0 0 8

CONTENTS

Document Management

Streamlining customers’

business processesby Brent HoskinsOffice Technology MagazineThey can save customers space

now occupied by file cabinets,

provide instant access to infor-

mation and streamline docu-

ment-based business processes. For many office tech-

nology dealership customers, today’s document man-

agement solutions may be worth a second look.

Volume 14 � No. 10

18

10

20

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S

Pre-Call Planning

Ask yourself these questions

before any appointmentBy David C. RamosStrategy Development“Eighty percent of success is just

showing up.” This Woody Allen quote

may be true, but I would like to put some qualifiers on

Allen’s statement. To increase your odds of winning

new clients, you still need to do basic planning.

C O U R T S & C A P I T O L S

22

24 Millennials at Work

How to manage the

‘next great generation’by Paul SchwartzCopier Careers“Stand back all bosses!” CBS correspondent Morley

Safer advised in a recent “60 Minutes” segment. Mil-

lennials have just begun to enter the workforce.

P R I N C I P A L I S S U E S

Avoiding Headaches

Think twice before acting —

call the Legal Hotlineby Robert C. GoldbergBTA General CounselMost often a member contacts me prior to taking an

action or reaching a decision, but sometimes the

call comes after the fact.

23

D E P A R T M E N T S6

8

30

Executive Director’s Page

BTA President’s Message

Advertiser Index

27 Customer Loyalty

Competencies that can

help you lead the chargeby Joanne L. SmikleSmikle Training Services Inc.Customer loyalty, the profitable allegiance we all

seek, begins with leadership competence. How you

lead directly impacts customer relationships.

29 Executive Selling

Strategies for ensuring

success above ‘the line’by Tom KramerStrategy Mapping SellingMany salespeople do not fully understand how to go

about creating the executive-level relationship. Top per-

formers know the importance of upper-level contacts.

S E L L I N G S O L U T I O N S

04OT0408:04OT0408 3/28/08 2:31 PM

Print Audit ad Dec 07 11/15/07 9:07 AM Page 1

Executive Director/BTAEditor/Office Technology

Brent [email protected]

(816) 303-4040

Associate EditorElizabeth Marvel

[email protected](816) 303-4060

Contributing WritersRobert C. Goldberg, General Counsel

Business Technology Association

Tom Kramer, Strategy Mapping Sellingwww.strategymappingselling.com

David C. Ramos, Strategy Development www.strategydevelopment.org

Paul Schwartz, Copier Careers www.copiercareers.com

Joanne L. Smikle, Smikle Training Services Inc.www.smiklespeaks.com

Business Technology Association12411 Wornall Road

Kansas City, MO 64145(816) 941-3100

www.bta.org

Member Services: (800) 505-2821BTA Legal Hotline: (800) 869-6688

Valerie BrisenoMembership & Marketing Manager

[email protected]

Mary HopkinsDatabase Administrator

[email protected]

Teresa LeerarBookkeeper

[email protected]

Brian SmithMembership Sales Representative

[email protected]

©2008 by the Business Technology Association. All RightsReserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by anymeans without the written permission of the publisher. Everyeffort is made to ensure the accuracy of published material.However, the publisher assumes no liability for errors in articlesnor are opinions expressed necessarily those of the publisher.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PAGE

Since 1989, the

Business Tech-

nology Associa-

tion (BTA) has worked

to encourage manufac-

turers and suppliers to

strive to further im-

prove their support of

the dealer channel. In that year, the associa-

tion established what is today the Channel’s

Choice Awards program, designed to recog-

nize those office technology vendors that

have distinguished themselves above all

others in terms of the quality of their sup-

port of the dealer channel.

In the March issue of Office Technology

magazine, BTA announced the 2008 Chan-

nel’s Choice Award winners. This year’s

award recipients — Muratec America Inc.,

Savin Corp. and Toshiba America Business

Solutions Inc. — were determined by voting

ballots cast by 275 office technology dealers.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Beyond simply asking dealers to rate the

performance of their vendors in order to

help the association recognize those that are

deemed the most supportive of the channel,

BTA makes the full results of the balloting

process available to its members. Specifi-

cally, in recent years, BTA has engaged

Industry Analysts Inc. to produce a compre-

hensive report on the ballot results, allowing

members to see details on how all vendors

rate in the eyes of dealers.

I’m pleased to announce that the 2008

Channel’s Choice Report is now available

for download in the members-only section

of the BTA Web site, www.bta.org. (Click on

“Research” on the home page. You will need

your member login and password to access

the report.)

This is not just a three- or four-page re-

port. It is a 106-page report ( free to mem-

bers) that features dozens of charts and

graphs so that you can clearly see how your

primary and secondary vendor partners

compare to their competitors in four key

performance categories — corporate

support, marketing distribution, digital

product line and inventory.

In each of the four categories, dealers were

asked to rate their primary and secondary

vendors in key areas on a scale of 1 (not at all

satisfactory) to 7 (excellent). For example, in

the area of digital product line, the survey

asked dealers to rate vendors in 14 areas

related to product availability and perform-

ance. Among them: product reliability, avail-

ability of technical/software support and ease

of installation on a network. The report

includes a look at the findings for each of

these areas (and all the others) for both

primary and secondary vendors.

Here is a sample of the type of informa-

tion you will find in the report:

� On the scale described above, for the

overall comparison of primary vendors, the

mean among all of those those casting votes

was 5.70. Toshiba, the winner, received a

mean approval rating of 6.09. The first

runner-up was Savin with 6.03, followed by

Canon with 5.96.

� For the overall comparison of secondary

vendors, the mean among all of those casting

votes was 4.89. Muratec, the winner, received

a mean approval rating of 5.65. The first

runner-up was Toshiba with 5.53, followed by

Canon with 5.20.

If you are interested in learning more about

how others view your vendors and their

competitors, download the report today.

— Brent Hoskins

Channel’s ChoiceReport Available


®

06OT0408:06OT0408 3/28/08 11:36 AM

Muratec ad Mar 08:Layout 1 2/27/08 11:06 AM Page 1

BTA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

In many cases, the

Business Techno-

logy Association’s

member dealers are not

fully familiar with all of

our benefits. In fact, we

often hear such com-

ments as: “I didn’t know

BTA offered that to its members.” A good

example is the BTA Scholarship Foundation,

which, each year, presents $1,000 or $1,500

scholarships to the sons and daughters of

the employees of member dealerships.

For the current 2006-07 school year, BTA

awarded students 20 scholarships to use at

colleges or accredited vocational trade

schools for tuition, books, school supplies or

lab fees. Each recipient was selected by an

impartial and independent evaluator based

on the evaluation of completed applications

and essays submitted to BTA.

The application asks students to provide

information on: school activities; leadership

positions; work experience, recognition and

awards; and community involvement. Each

applicant is also asked to ensure his (or her)

current transcript is provided to BTA. In

addition, as noted, applicants must submit

an essay on a specific topic. For the up-

coming 2008-09 school year, for example,

applicants are being asked to submit an

essay in response to the question: “As a

member of the ‘Millennial’ generation, what

do you see as the two greatest failings of the

preceding generations, and what would you

do to correct them?”

As a parent or employer of those who have

college-aged children, perhaps your question

is: “How long has BTA been offering scholar-

ships?” It’s been a few years. This member

benefit got its start on Feb. 23, 1968, at the

retirement dinner of Dorothy R. Ames when

the BTA East District (then EROMDA)

announced the creation of the Dorothy R.

Ames Scholarship Foundation. In 1971, that

foundation transitioned into what is today

the BTA Scholarship Foundation. Since

then, BTA has helped hundreds of students

defray the cost of higher education.

As you might expect, students are always

excited to receive a BTA scholarship. Here’s

a sampling of some of the thank you notes

we received for the current school year:

� “Thank you for allowing me this won-

derful opportunity to advance my educa-

tion. I was so excited to see I was a recipient

of this prestigious scholarship. Thank you!”

— Lindley B.

� “I was very pleased to hear that you

had selected me as one of the scholarship

recipients. The award is greatly appreciated

and will be put to good use.” — Jeff B.

� “Thank you so much for your $1,000

gift through the BTA Scholarship Founda-

tion. The scholarship money will aid me in

purchasing much needed textbooks and

will ultimately help me achieve my goal of

becoming a veterinarian. Thank you, once

again, for your generosity.” — Michelle R.

As a BTA member dealer, if you or your

employees have college-aged children, I

encourage you to contact BTA for a scholar-

ship application. Don’t delay. The deadline

for submission of applications and essays

for the 2008-09 school year is May 1. To

receive an application, contact BTA’s Mary

Hopkins at [email protected] or (816) 303-4031.

Whether you have college-aged students

or not, please consider making a donation to

the BTA Scholarship Foundation, which is

funded through member contributions. �

— Shannon Oliver

Did You Know BTAOffers Scholarships?

®

2007-2008 Board of Directors

PresidentShannon Oliver

25 Wheaton CircleGreensboro, NC 27406

[email protected]

President-ElectRonelle Ingram

Steven Enterprises Inc.17952 Sky Park Circle

Ste. EIrvine, CA 92614

[email protected]

Vice PresidentBill James

WJS Enterprises Inc.3315 Ridgelake Drive

P.O. Box 6620Metairie, LA 70009

[email protected]

BTA EastThomas Chin

Accolade Technologies LLC31 Mamaroneck Ave.

Ste. 508White Plains, NY 10601

[email protected]

BTA Mid-AmericaMike Blake

Corporate Business Systems LLC2018 S. Stoughton Road

Madison, WI [email protected]

BTA SoutheastJerry Jackson

All South Copiers (ASC)1325 Cobb International Blvd.

Ste. AKennesaw, GA [email protected]

BTA WestRock Janecek

Burtronics Business Systems Inc.216 S. Arrowhead Ave.

P.O. Box 1170San Bernardino, CA [email protected]

Ex-Officio/General CounselRobert C. Goldberg

Schoenberg Finkle Newman & Rosenberg Ltd.222 S. Riverside Plaza

Ste. 2100Chicago, IL 60606

[email protected]


08OT0408:08OT0408 3/28/08 11:43 AM

InkCycle ad Apr 08:Layout 1 3/25/08 8:43 AM Page 1


by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

Document ManagementStreamlining customers’ business processes

They can save customers

space now occupied by file

cabinets, provide instant

access to information and stream-

line document-based business

processes. For many office tech-

nology dealership customers, today’s

document management solutions

may be worth a second look.

The market for such solutions

remains largely untapped. Today,

there are approximately 620,000 U.S.

companies that have between 20

and 500 employees, says Gregory

Schloemer, president of DocuWare

Corp. (www.docuware.com), which

offers the DocuWare 5.1x document

management system. “Only about

15 percent of those 620,000 have

implemented a document management system,” he says.

“Eighty-five percent of the market is still wide open. I’m not

aware of any other industry that has that kind of potential.”

Chris Wacker, senior vice president of business develop-

ment for Laserfiche (www.laserfiche.com), which offers the

Laserfiche 8.0 document management product suite, shares

a similar assessment of the market. “It’s very far from satu-

rated,” he says. “I would say that if a salesperson makes 10

calls, only one of them will have something in place in docu-

ment management. For all intents and purposes, he [or she]

will have far more leads than he can deal with.”

Coupled with the appeal of the wide open market is the

reality that the value proposition of a document management

solution is fairly simple to explain. Without such a solution

the end-user must look through multiple places for docu-

ments related to a single business transaction, says

Schloemer. “You’ve got to look through paper files, your

incoming e-mail, your faxes and

probably through your PC files to

find all the information you need

about a business transaction,” he

explains. “What we are able to do

with DocuWare is take all docu-

ment types or file types and bring

them into a central document pool

— or electronic file cabinet — so

that with one search you have all

the documents related to a busi-

ness transaction. We don’t care

where the documents are coming

from, we can organize them and let

you start to manage them. This

allows you to automate the busi-

ness processes around these docu-

ments, creating workflows.”

Actually, end-users are being

increasingly led by certain market drivers to implement a

document management solution. “Today, you have business

processes, workflows and integration, but you also have com-

pliance issues with Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, etc.,” says Paul

Maxwell, vice president of sales for Westbrook Technologies

Inc. (www.westbrooktech.com), which offers the Fortis docu-

ment management solution. “So, customers are saying, ‘Not

only do I need to reduce my storage costs, but I need to get

my arms around these compliance issues as well.’”

While there appears to be a growing need for a document

management solution in the workplace, there may be reluc-

tance among many end-users to initially implement an

enterprise-wide solution. For that reason, document man-

agement solutions are scalable.

“Among the prospective customer objections, number

one is price,” says Maxwell. “We tackle that by providing a

departmental type solution that is scalable. We can say,

Cover Story Apr 08:Cover Story Apr 08 3/31/08 11:49 AM

Print Audit May 07 4/18/07 2:15 PM Page 1

‘We’re going to give you a

product that looks and feels

the same with three concur-

rent users as i t do e s for

3,000 concurrent users. You

don’t have to get into this

for a $100,000 investment.’

That way, the dealer can

start small, attack the pain

points and say to the pros-

pect, ‘If I can show you an

ROI on this department,

can we do business?’”

It should be noted that document management solutions

are often ultimately implemented enterprise wide. “When a

dealer [selling the Fortis solution] gets started, the average

transaction is about $10,000,” says Maxwell. “But that doesn’t

mean that we don’t have $100,000 to $300,000 orders. We

have plenty of those.

“Those come over time for the dealer,” he continues. “We

are a mid-market company, fully playing in the enterprise

solutions space. However, we have to take incremental steps

to get the dealership to the position where it is able to

compete in those environments.”

A wide open market? Market drivers? Ease of entry? Orders

up to $300,000? Why are more dealers not pursuing the docu-

ment management market? “Inertia,” says Wacker. “There is a

comfort level in selling commodity or low-margin products.”

In many cases, says Maxwell, dealers do not believe their

dealerships are ready to aggressively pursue the sale of a

solution. “They have been to the dealer meetings, read the

articles in the industry publications and, so, have heard they

need to be in the solutions space,” he explains. “But, when

you are talking about an independent organization that has

been owned by the same family for many, many years, there

is reluctance to make that investment.”

Similarly, Christopher Lupton, president of InfoDy-

namics (www.infodynamics.com), which offers the Intact

SMART document management solution, observes that

some dealers are hesitant to proactively make a software-

based solution a significant part of their business. “Those

dealerships are becoming ‘Me Too’ dealerships,” he

explains. “In other words, they’ll bring up a solution when

a competitive dealer has presented a worthwhile opportu-

nity to the prospect.”

Fortunately, software vendors recognize the challenges

dealerships face when transitioning from essentially selling

hardware only to also selling

software. Maxwell cites the

typical questions dealers are

asking: “‘How do you turn an

office equipment jockey — a

sales guy — into a solution

specialist? How do you get

an organization to look at

you as a solutions company

as opposed to just a hard-

ware dealership? How do

you create incentives for

sales reps?’

“We all know what the challenges are, so what I do is I

acknowledge those challenges from the word ‘go’ with the

potential dealer,” says Maxwell. “I also acknowledge that a

lot of the document management products that are out

there are sort of the same. My approach is not about how my

software is different and better — it is — but it’s about how

we take the office equipment dealers’ challenges and help

them to sell the product.”

For example, he says, Westbrook, which sells its products

through VARs and office technology dealerships, can help

dealers build the right compensation program to help

incent sales reps to seek and pursue document management

opportunities. Likewise, through its marketing team, West-

brook offers “everything from case studies to PR pieces to

hosted seminars to open houses on technology solutions, to

get the dealer’s customers to accept the fact that the dealer-

ship is now in the solutions space,” explains Maxwell. “We

have all of the professional resources. Most dealers don’t

have the breadth in the organization or the experience and

history or expertise on the marketing side. Dealers can look

at us as being an all-inclusive service.”

DocuWare adheres to a similar strategy. “We spend

perhaps 40 percent of our time developing a product

feature and the other 60 percent in making the feature

channel ready,” says Schloemer, emphasizing that the

company only sells through dealers, referred to as “part-

ners” by DocuWare. “We know from the moment we write

the first line of code that somebody else is going to be

installing this, maintaining this and providing training on

how to use the product.”

For that reason, says Schloemer, DocuWare provides a

broad range of training opportunities and support tools to

its partners. For both service and sales, the company offers

12 computer-based training courses that are followed by five


“‘You don’t have to getinto this for a $100,000 investment’...The dealercan start small, attackthe pain points and say tothe prospect, ‘If I canshow you an ROI on thisdepartment, can we do business?’”

— Paul MaxwellWestbrook Technologies Inc.

Cover Story Apr 08:Cover Story Apr 08 3/28/08 3:35 PM Page 11

FMAudit ad Mar 08:Layout 1 2/29/08 8:23 AM Page 1

days of classroom training,

culminating in a certifica-

tion examination and then

annual recertification. “On

the sales side, for example,

we really take it to ‘Sales

101,’” he explains. “We start

very basic with prospecting,

qualifying and presenting —

what to present and how to

present — but al l geared

around selling solutions. So,

in the end, it isn’t really so

much about DocuWare, it’s about any solution that the

partner sells, to provide them with the tools they need to be

better and stronger in selling, even to the point where we can

train the partner on how to generate professional services.”

In all, says Schloemer, DocuWare offers its partners more

than 200 tools that help in

the sales process. Beyond

the training courses, these

tools range from assistance

with the development of

compensation plans to pro-

files that identify key em-

ployee skill sets.

While word of the avail-

ability of comprehensive

training and support is un-

doubtedly welcomed by

dealers, two key questions

likely remain for those only now considering the document

management arena: (1) Are specialists required? (2) Where do

I begin?

Regarding the need for document management specialists,

the responses vary. DocuWare partners, for example, are


“We start very basic withprospecting, qualifying and presenting ... but allgeared around sellingsolutions. So, in the end, itisn’t really so much aboutDocuWare, it’s about anysolution that the partner sells ...”

— Gregory SchloemerDocuWare Corp.

Having trouble findingmoney for your

child’s education?

BTA Can Help.Scholarships for use at colleges or

accredited vocational trade schools areavailable to the sons and daughters of

BTA retail dealer members and the sons and daughters of their

full-time employees.

Scholarship recipients are chosen by an impartial and

independent evaluator.

Completed applications must be receivedat BTA by May 1. To obtain a scholarship application form, contact Mary Hopkins

at [email protected], call (816) 303-4031 orwrite to: BTA Scholarship Foundation,

12411 Wornall RoadKansas City, MO 64145.

®


PluggedIn:19OT1207 3/21/08 9:18 AM Page 1

required to have both a ser-

vice and a sales specialist

within the dealership. Schloe-

mer explains the requirement,

focusing on the sales spe-

cialist. “Quite honestly, one of

the benefits is to limit the lia-

bility of the dealership,” he

says. “ The last thing the

partner wants is for Docu-

Ware or any solution to be

sold into an environment

incorrectly where the cus-

tomer becomes unhappy. In that case, the partner — the dealer

— starts to lose the relationship and, ultimately, the customer.”

Unlike DocuWare, InfoDynamics does not specifically

require specialists. However, says Lupton, the dealerships that

are the most successful selling the software company’s prod-

ucts “typically have a person — a ‘champion’ — whose role is

to either sell the document management solution or someone

who is the point person for the sales staff,” he says. “So, to be

successful you don’t need a document management expert,

but it’s best to have someone who can explain the benefits the

customer will get from a document management system.”

In contrast to the comments from Schloemer and Lupton,

Laserfiche’s Wacker says his company’s product does not

require a specialist or necessarily benefit from having a

champion. “I would say a general equipment salesperson

can do it,” he says. “You don’t have to be a solutions spe-

cialist to be able to construct a system for somebody. If one

is familiar with Microsoft Office or Explorer, he is familiar

with Laserfiche immediately. They are very similar.”

While dealers will want to further pursue the “Are spe-

cialists required?” question when comparing document

management solutions, one might expect that the simple

answer to the “Where do I begin?” question is: “With cur-

rent customers.”

Maxwell offers a more detailed response in the form of

advice to dealers. “You have a book of business of, let’s say, a

thousand customers,” he says. “Out of those thousand cus-

tomers, who do you have a ‘very good’ relationship with?

These are the customers who, when you talk to them about

ROI, no matter what the product or solution, they are ready,

willing and able to listen.”

Next, says Maxwell, the dealership should “whittle” that

list down to 25 customers that have “high-transactional”

and “high-value” documents. “That’s who you target,” he

says, adding, as previously

suggested, that the dealer-

ship first pursue a depart-

mental solution within the

customer locations. “ You

show them value. You show

them a product that is easy

to use and, ‘Oh by the way,’

scalable. That’s a key com-

ponent. You are selling a

product that is enterprise

capable . S o, si x months

down the road, when the

customer comes back to you, you don’t have to sell them

another product.”

That will occur, Maxwell essentially promises. “About 50

percent of our revenues come from our base,” he says. “What

that tells us is that most customers add licenses and serv-

ices when they buy document management software.”

Wacker offers another indication of the nature of the soft-

ware category’s revenue opportunities, referring in partic-

ular to Laserfiche. “We offer dealers a 40 percent margin on

our software,” he says. “And, our best VARs make up to $10

on every $1 of Laserfiche. That’s on professional services,

like consultation, configuration and so forth.”

Beyond any revenue from the software and professional

services, dealers should be thinking about how document

management solutions can help to lock-in the customer, says

Maxwell. “Most customers add licenses and when you add

licenses to a document management solution, you are cre-

ating exit barriers around that account,” he says. “The best

value proposition for dealers — facing eroding margins and

growing competition— is putting up exit barriers so those

accounts will stay with them. So, when that hardware lease

comes up, the customer doesn’t think twice about renewing

with the dealer because it’s all tied together.”

Without the exit barrier that a document management

solution provides, “at some point somebody is going to

come in and have a better price than you,” says Maxwell.

“Then you are going to lose that customer. Every time you

lose one, you’ve got to work twice has hard to get a new one.

That’s why these exit barriers are so criti-

cally important.” �Brent Hoskins, executive director of the

Business Technology Association,

is editor of Office Technology magazine.

He can be reached at [email protected].

“We offer dealers a 40percent margin on oursoftware. And, our bestVARs make up to $10 onevery $1 of Laserfiche.That’s on professionalservices, like consultation,configuration and so forth.“

— Chris WackerLaserfiche



Sales Management ad:Layout 1 3/28/08 3:51 PM Page 1



‘Deliver the Difference’Toshiba hosts National Dealer Meeting March 2-5

Focusing on its commitment to and support of the

independent dealer channel, as well as on new addi-

tions to the company’s color MFP line-up, Toshiba

America Business Solutions Inc. (TABS) hosted its national

dealer meeting March 2-5 at the Four Season Resort Aviara

in Carlsbad, Calif. There were approximately 550 attendees.

The opening General Session began with a presentation of

the Business Technology Association’s Channel’s Choice Supe-

rior Performance Award to TABS. The Channel’s Choice Awards

are based on a nationwide survey of independent dealers, asked

to rank their primary and secondary vendors in key perform-

ance categories. In addition to the top honor in the awards

program, TABS earned the Channel’s Choice Awards in the cat-

egories of corporate support and marketing distribution.

Mark Mathews, president and COO of TABS, was joined

by approximately 75 TABS employees as the Superior Per-

formance Award was presented. “This award not only repre-

sents the hard work of all of these people on stage and many

others behind the scenes, it represents a vote of confidence

from you, our dealers, and we appreciate it from the bottom

of our heart,” he said. “BTA has always been the voice of you,

the independent dealer. The Channel’s Choice Award is a

great indication that you know we’re delivering the differ-

ence, with the tools, training, services and products you

need to succeed in today’s competitive market.”

Mathews later continued his emphasis on the meeting’s

theme, “Deliver the Difference,” noting that TABS’ ability to

change and innovate has contributed to its success. “Toshiba

America Business Solutions is growing and profitable despite

a market for our products and services that is flat,” he said. “In

fact, in the just-released market share results for calendar year

2007, of the top ten MFP manufacturers, Toshiba was one of

only three that grew unit placements in the office market,

while many of our competitors shrank at double digit rates.”

One notable area of growth in 2007 was in the color arena,

said Mathews. “Our growth rate in color was extremely

strong, more than twice the market rate,” he said. “Color now

accounts for over 40 percent of our new-product revenue

and an even higher percentage of profits.”

Despite the contribution of color devices to TABS’ rev-

enues and profits, Mathews acknowledged that a recent

industry survey revealed concern among TABS dealers

regarding the lack of breadth of the color products offered

by the company. “As of today, that is a non-issue,” he

announced. “Toshiba has been investing millions in the

research and development of next-generation, high-speed

color products. The question on some of your minds is: ‘Are

they ours?’ I am pleased to tell you that the resounding

answer to that is ‘Yes.’”

Above: Joined by TABS employees on

stage, President and COO Mark

Mathews (at left) listens as BTA

Executive Director Brent Hoskins

announces TABS as the winner of the

2008 BTA Channel’s Choice Superior

Performance Award. Right: Mathews

presents his keynote address.

Toshiba Apr 08:Toshiba Apr 08 3/28/08 11:55 AM Page 10

During the meeting, TABS previewed

the e-STUDIO2330C/2830C/3530C/

4520C series of color MFPs, offering 23,

28, 35 and 45 page per minute (ppm)

color output, respectively. Among the

features is a new Easily Replaceable Unit

(ERU) design, allowing for improved

serviceability and less downtime for end-

users. The series will be available to

TABS dealers in May.

In addition, TABS previewed the company’s e-STUDIO

5520C/5520CT/6520C/6520CT/6530C/6530CT series of color

MFPs, which offer color printing up to 65 ppm. Among the

key features is a new, two-part developer delivery system that

automatically replenishes developer into the system as new

toner is introduced, eliminating the need to install or main-

tain developer for the projected life of the MFP. The series will

be available to TABS dealers in the third quarter of 2008.

The recent dealer meeting also provided TABS the oppor-

tunity to announce a new relationship

with Fujitsu Computer Products of

America Inc., which will initially make

available to TABS dealers five Fujitsu

stand-alone scanners, with scanning

speeds ranging from 25 ppm to 120 ppm.

All of the devices scan in color and

include standard duplexing and Kofax

VRS (Virtual ReScan), an automated

image enhancer that reduces the need

for operator input to produce high-quality scans.

“We’re bringing these to you so your customers can pair

them up with our other third-party software solutions,” said

Steve Rhorer, TABS vice president of marketing, during the

General Session. “This pairing enables you to offer customers

a complete turnkey document management solution.” �Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology

Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine.


“... Your customers canpair them up with ourother third-party softwaresolutions. This ... enablesyou to offer customers acomplete ... documentmanagement solution.”

w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | A p r i l 2 0 0 8 | 19

Toshiba Apr 08:Toshiba Apr 08 3/31/08 11:57 AM Page 11


by: David C. Ramos, Strategy Development

Pre-Call PlanningAsk yourself these questions before any appointment

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”

This Woody Allen quote may be true,

but I would like to put some quali-

fiers on Allen’s words.

I know there are times you do just show up

(or a prospect calls you) without having

done any preparation for the sales call. It

is reasonable to suggest that on occa-

sion, sales calls are appropriately

deemed “exploratory discussions”

— the kind of discussions in

w hich you just talk and see

where the conversation goes.

If you take this approach in

every appointment, you will

lose many sales that you

could have won and you will

fail to bring value to meetings.

Interestingly, w hether you have a

$10,000 or a $1 million price point, to

increase your odds of winning new

clients, you still need to do the same

basic planning and know the same

essential information before your

sales call.

Here are some planning questions you

should answer before any appointment:

What is the prospect’s current situation?

Are they growing? Are they achieving their

financial goals? Do they have senior manage-

ment continuity? You should ask yourself these

questions and more to provide an understanding of

the company’s business environment. Often your

goals for the prospect, the value your services can

offer them and your action plan for the rest of the

sales call come out of your detailed knowledge of the

prospect’s current situation.

If you find that you do not know enough about the

current situation, think about what research you can do

before the meeting to learn more. This research will help

you move more quickly through situational discovery

that can become tedious or boring. It also demonstrates

to prospects that you are the type of professional that

does his (or her) homework and goes the extra mile to

make sure they get the most value out of each

contact with you.

There are plenty of resources to get this infor-

mation: company Web sites, annual reports,

online information sources like Hoovers, Dow

Jones News and business periodicals.

What are your business development

goals for this customer or prospect?

Every sales call will not be an

opportunity to actually close

th e sale , but it wi l l b e an

opportunity to better under-

stand the prospect’s business

situation so that you are in a posi-

tion to close the sale and get your

share of wallet. Questions you can ask

yourself will include:

� Is the meeting purely for discovery? Is the

goal of the meeting to get to know one another

and build rapport while learning how you might

be able to help them?

� Are you meeting with a current customer

and introducing a new set of services from your

portfolio?

� Are you and the customer having an

account review, where you go over the results

from the previous quarter? Are you trying to

resell your value so the customer stays loyal?

Ramos Apr 08:Ramos Apr 08 3/28/08 2:25 PM Page 10

� Are you looking to cross-sell or up-

sell currently available services to add

more value?

�Are you trying to replace a competitor?

� Is this a shared customer where you

have one division and would like to get

introductions into other divisions?

I am sure you can add to this list. The

point is to be as concise as possible

regarding your goals before you enter

the actual meeting.

What is your desired outcome? This seems like an easy

question, right? However, this question is often overlooked

by sales professionals. I recommend not having a meeting

unless you know your desired outcome.

What are your strengths? SWOT analysis (strengths,

weaknesses, opportunities and threats) is a normal aspect of

business planning and is critical in pre-call planning. In

every sales situation, different forces are working in your

favor. Know what these strengths are for this particular cus-

tomer or prospect so you can leverage these strengths to

earn the sale.

The more specific you can be for the particular situation,

the better. Sure, it might be a general advantage that you are

a well-known expert in your field with a good reputation,

but it is more advantageous to know who you are selling

against and how you have been successful winning against

this particular competitor. Was selling unique financing or

a specific product solution successful? Was wrapping in pro-

fessional services like variable data or a capture solution

effective? Did you win with a print management solution?

You need to understand the specifics that might be working

in your favor.

What are your weaknesses? Maybe you have less experi-

ence than the competition. Maybe another company is the

incumbent service provider and you are the newcomer.

Being objective when considering your weaknesses will

allow you to prepare to either turn them into advantages or

at least minimize them as vulnerabilities.

For example: Perhaps another company has more experi-

ence in the traditional copier industry and they have a

strong reputation. You can say: “Yes, they do have a lot of

experience in the industry as this is their only focus.

Because our focus is broader, we bring knowledge from

outside the industry that has really been valuable to our

other clients. Did you know that large IT consulting firms

show that printing output is seven times copied output and

that in 2002 it was only 2.5 times? Is it

probable that your company has similar

output? By looking at al l of your

printing assets, we can save you sub-

stantial money. We can look into that

together if you’d like.”

If you are prepared, the “tough ques-

tions” are not as tough and objections

become paths to open more doors.

What do you need to do before the

next call? You probably use to-do lists to help you accom-

plish your priorities. By taking the time to answer the above

questions, you will be able to develop a list that will keep

your actions:

� Informed by the knowledge of your customers’ (or

prospects’) situations.

� Guided by your goals for the customer from a business

development perspective.

� Built to help you achieve your desired outcomes and

think with the end in mind.

� Planned with the knowledge of your relative strengths

and vulnerabilities in this particular business development

situation.

Make sure you allow adequate time for sales call plan-

ning; this is not something you start 10 minutes before you

walk out the door.

Perhaps for Woody Allen, 80 percent of success in life is just

showing up. But the most successful prospectors and business

developers I have seen over the years show up prepared. �David C. Ramos is a consultant with Strategy Development,

a management consulting firm specializing in sales strategy

and process, advanced sales training, performance

improvement strategies, and mergers and acquisitions.

Ramos has more than 12 years of experience in the imaging

industry as a top-producing business development and

management professional, holding positions in the United

States and Mexico. Ramos’ career experience spans from

working for Xerox Corp. as a major accounts manager to

IKON Office Solutions, where he held various positions

including director of sales. He worked at IKON University as a

senior trainer and co-developed IKON’s sales training

program. He is also co-presenter of the

BTA Sales Management Workshop and

BTA Print Management Workshop.

Ramos can be reached at

[email protected].

Visit www.strategydevelopment.org.

Being objective whenconsidering your weaknesses will allow youto prepare to either turnthem into advantages orat least minimize them as vulnerabilities.


Ramos Apr 08:Ramos Apr 08 3/28/08 2:25 PM Page 11



DocuWorld 2008Software vendor hosts partner meeting Feb. 19

Emphasizing the growing opportunities in the market for

document management systems, DocuWare Corp.

hosted its DocuWorld 2008 meeting Feb. 19 in Las Vegas.

Themed “Beyond Boundaries,” there were around 180 atten-

dees at the meeting, including representatives of approximately

60 percent of the company’s U.S. and Latin American partner

dealerships. (DocuWare refers to its dealers as partners.)

“The theme ‘Beyond Boundaries’ is about you as our part-

ners,” said Gregory Schloemer, president of DocuWare, as he

welcomed attendees. “What that means, very simply, is that

this is an opportunity to learn about DocuWare — what we’re

doing, what we’ve done, where we’re going. It’s also an oppor-

tunity to network with your peers and to learn about what

your associates are doing and how they are being successful

and, finally, to explore with our alliance partners (sponsors)

how you can expand your opportunities with DocuWare. We

have a very exciting event today geared to helping all of us

move beyond our normal space — ‘beyond boundaries.’”

The meeting featured several guest speakers, including

John Mancini, president of AIIM (the Association for Informa-

tion and Image Management), who noted that recent research

indicates a continued growing opportunity in the document

management market. AIIM research also indicates, however,

that among potential customers there remains an outdated

perception of “nobody owns the problem and the technology

is too expensive,” he said, expressing the need for DocuWare

partners to still help end-users overcome the perception.

Fortunately, he said, it appears that prospective cus-

tomers increasingly understand the importance of better

managing documents. “Our data says that end-users get it,”

said Mancini. “They don’t necessarily know what to do

about it, but they get it. End-users understand the fact that

there is more information surrounding their business

processes and organizational processes than ever before.”

With that awareness in mind, coupled with today’s afford-

able systems, Mancini said he believes the market served by

DocuWare partners is on the verge of growth. Five years ago,

“who would have thought that you could get a document

management system for less than $100,000,” he said. “There

is a tipping point going on where I think the industry is going

to look a lot different in three to five years, because there are

going to be a lot more deployments than there are right now.”

The meeting also provided the opportunity for senior

management from Germering, Germany-based DocuWare

AG, the parent company of DocuWare Corp., to report on the

growth of the company. “We had 845 new installations in

2007,” said Thomas Schneck, president of sales and mar-

keting, noting that 305 of the installations were in the Amer-

ican market. “It was a very nice increase — about 18 percent.”

Founded in 1988, DocuWare (www.docuware.com) offers

the DocuWare 5.1x document management system world-

wide through its 400-plus authorized partners. The company

has more than 6,000 installations in 50-plus countries. �Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology

Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine.


Approximately 60 percent of DocuWare Corp.’s U.S. and Latin

American partners attended DocuWorld 2008 on Feb. 19.

Docuware Apr 08:Docuware Apr 08 3/28/08 9:02 AM Page 10

Receiving calls on the BTA Legal Hotline is

an education in and of itself. Most often

a member contacts me prior to taking

an action or reaching a decision, but sometimes

the call comes after the fact. By acting, and then

asking, many have made unfortunate mistakes.

Let me share with you some of those errors in

the hope that history will not repeat itself.

�Ready, Fire — More than once a member has returned to the

office and found an employee (or employees) engaged in (or not

engaged in) a specific activity. Perhaps the sales team members

were standing around when clearly they should have been calling

prospects. This was not the first time that the sales team had

ignored its responsibilities, but this time the owner was having a

bad day. As a result, he fired, on the spot, the individual he had

been most dissatisfied with for the last two months. The employee

sued for wrongful termination and was successful because his

personnel file failed to contain a single negative statement. Emo-

tions have their place, but seldom do they belong when reaching a

business decision. Before terminating an employee, make certain

the action is fully justified and can be supported, if necessary. Yes,

most employees are employed “at will,” but many are also in a pro-

tected class of employees. Fire in haste and it may cost you dearly.

� Ignoring Your Financial Statements — The very essence

of the BTA member is independence. But doing it your way is

often not the right way. Unfortunately, dealer independence may

result in taking a business in a direction that is not encouraged by

experts. Having attended ProFinance, I learned certain truths that

were dictated by one’s financial statements. These “sacred cows”

are business areas that others have found to be essential to prof-

itability and success. Ignoring these truths or attempting success

by other means is risky and perhaps unproven. The dealer invari-

ably asks: “Why was I so independent?” Do not ignore the

industry knowledge available to you in seminars, publications and

at industry events. Whether it is product, budgets or marketing,

chances are the collective knowledge may be better than yours.

� Not In My Footsteps — Many members followed in their

fathers’ footsteps and joined the family business. It would be

extremely rewarding to have your children do the same. The first

thing to acknowledge is that your child’s career is his (or her) deci-

sion and not yours. To express your displeasure if a child does not

chose the family business is going to adversely

affect your relationship. If your child does elect to

pursue the family business, then send him else-

where to gain experience. There will be plenty of

time to learn at your dealership after he has

gained the basics elsewhere. If there are family

members in the business, create a Family Council

to discuss issues on a monthly basis. Separate

family and business and they will both develop successfully.

� Sharing End-User Information — The most valuable

component of a dealership is its customer base. Every time you

share customer information with another you are giving away a

portion of your business. When a business is sold, one of the

components in determining the value is the installed base.

Whether it is a supplier, finance company or any third party,

you want to obtain a confidentiality agreement prior to pro-

viding end-user information. The confidentiality agreement

must establish the purpose for which the information is being

provided and that under no circumstances can the information

be used for marketing or sales purposes. Failure to do so dimin-

ishes the value of your business without any compensation to

you. Many members have regretted the decision not to protect

the very valuable information they have developed.

� My Sales Team, My Comp Plan — Maintaining control

of your sales team is essential for success. Allowing suppliers

to offer spiffs directly to your sales team eliminates a degree of

control. Independent dealers determine the products they

wish to sell and the emphasis they wish to place on those

products. Direct payment to salespeople is also another

method for a manufacturer to obtain end-user information.

Take control of your sales team and prohibit suppliers from

making payments directly to your employees.

BTA stands ready to assist members in every phase of their

businesses. Concentrating on education focusing on sales,

service and management skills, one can learn from experts

and strengthen his business. Educate yourself

through BTA and you will not wish you could

make the decision again. �Robert C. Goldberg is general counsel for the

Business Technology Association. He can be

reached at [email protected].

by: Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel for the Business Technology Association

COURTS & CAPITOLS

Avoiding HeadachesThink twice before acting — call the Legal Hotline


23OT0408:23OT0408 3/27/08 3:19 PM Page 26

“Stand back all bosses!” CBS correspondent Morley

Safer advised in a recent “60 Minutes” segment. “A

new breed of American worker is about to attack

everything you hold sacred!”

Safer was referring to the “Millennials,” the generation of

Americans born between 1982 and 1995. Millennials have just

begun to enter the workforce, but already their approach to

work and to life has unnerved corporate America — so much

so, says Safer, that companies across the nation are shelling

out millions to teach their managers “how to deal with this

generation that only takes ‘yes’ for an answer.”

The “60 Minutes” report prompted a backlash among young

viewers, who condemned it in blogs and on Internet message

boards. “What a myopic, unfair representation of the work

ethic of my generation,” wrote one viewer.

“Isn’t this the same story you ran when the 60s generation

started working?” asked another.

Still , there were plenty of (mostly older) viewers who

praised Safer for articulating their objections to young

workers. “I say fire all of them,” wrote Jim Backlan of Frederick,

Md. “When they get hungry enough they will do what the rest

of us did: work hard to put bread on the table.”

Undoubtedly, many employers in the copier/MFP industry

share Backlan’s viewpoint, and for good reason. Most of the

people who now manage or own independent copier/MFP deal-

erships started out as entry-level sales reps or technicians; they

owe their success to years of hard work and dedication. Ours is

not an industry associated with easy money or effortless promo-

tion and yet — if Safer is to be believed — those things are

exactly what young employees are after. And if they cannot get

them from us, we are told, they will get them from someone else.

It would be convenient if we could tell the entire generation

to take its demands — for higher wages, better incentives,

more flexible schedules, faster advancement — and shove

them. But the laws of supply and demand are in their favor and

few business owners can afford to ignore the first generation

of Americans to grow up using personal computers. Now that

networks and software are the new nuts and bolts of our busi-

ness, we need young technophiles more than ever to help us

sell and service our merchandise.

Companies like Google (which consistently ranks among

America’s top employers) use perks like massages, exercise

classes, game rooms, free food and naptimes to attract young

employees. Needless to say, we will not see many copier/MFP

dealerships installing air hockey tables, hanging hammocks or

hiring yoga instructors any time soon. Still, to stay competitive

they will need to make a few less-frivolous adjustments.

“If It Weren’t For You Meddling Kids”“When you’re finished changing,” wrote Benjamin Franklin,

“you’re finished.” Though Franklin and the rest of his “Awak-

ening” generation (born 1701-1723) are long gone, his observa-

tion remains as relevant as ever. For the Boomers and

Gen-Xers who comprise today’s managerial class, the only pro-

tection against redundancy is adaptation. To manage Millen-

nials effectively, you will have to identify fissures in your

management technique and change your style accordingly.

How do you know what to change? Try examining your

complaints about young workers:

� Millennials Require Too Much “Hand-Holding.” This

complaint, common across all industries, is shared by many

employers in the copier/MFP business. Employers say that Millen-

nials simply want too much from their managers: too much atten-

tion, too much instruction and too much feedback. “You have to

give them more direction than other workers,” says one dealer.

Millennials at WorkHow to manage the ‘next great generation’

by: Paul Schwartz, Copier Careers

PRINCIPAL ISSUES


Schwartz Apr 08:Schwartz Apr 08 3/28/08 8:31 AM Page 26


“You need to be with them all the time and

make sure they’re doing their jobs.”

Source of the Problem: Baby Boomer

and Gen-X employees have always favored

autonomy in the workplace; they like to do

their jobs with as little interference from

management as possible. As the Boomers

and then the Gen-Xers aged and moved

into supervisory roles, they brought with

them a hands-off approach that rewarded

“self-starters” and eschewed “micromanagement.” Although

this hands-off style has reigned in the American workplace for

decades, it does not always bring out the best in today’s young

workers. Millennials — many of them raised by an extended

family of anxious parents, teachers, counselors and coaches —

seek guidance and leadership. Millennials are no less confi-

dent or intelligent than anyone else, but they want to be

assured that they are doing their jobs correctly. This need for

validation is seen by many employers as dependence, incom-

petence or indecisiveness.

Tips for Managers: The best thing managers can do is

overcome their distaste for micromanagement — or, as writer

Bruce Tulgan calls it, “undermanagement.”

“Managers who think they don’t have time to manage spend

their time managing anyway,” he says. “But it’s all crisis man-

agement that could be avoided if they were hands-on man-

agers every day.”

Your duty as a manager is to improve the bottom line by

helping your employees succeed. If that means spending more

time with young workers, so be it. You are delusional if you

expect your employees to adapt to you. Instead, be flexible

and manage each employee as an individual with unique

strengths, weaknesses and needs.

� Millennials Do Not Know How to Work. Mary Crane, a

consultant interviewed for the “60 Minutes” report, exaggerat-

edly noted that Millennials “have climbed Mount Everest.

They’ve been … to Machu Picchu. But they’ve never punched a

time clock. They have no idea what it’s like to actually be in an

office at nine o’clock with people handing them work.”

“I don’t think these kids have had it as tough as we did,” says

an employer in the copier/MFP industry. “A lot of them are

coming from dual-income families. They didn’t have to earn

money in their youth and they take it for granted that they’re

always going to have enough. The work ethic isn’t there.”

Source of the Problem: Although there are myriad excep-

tions, it is true that some Millennials — particularly those who

have graduated from a four-year college — do not have a long

work history. There’s a reason for this. As Neil Howe and

William Strauss write in their book “Mil-

lennials Rising: The Next Great Genera-

tion”: “Many Millennial teens feel that the

payoff on the skills and credentials they

could acquire by studying, training or

interning are worth a lot more” than the

wages they would earn from a part-time

job. By the time they enter the workforce,

Millennials have worked hard — at school,

at sports, at art, at music, at volunteering

and at internships. But Crane is right: some of them have not

punched a time clock or felt the sting of poverty or unemploy-

ment. Consequently, the term “company time” does not have

the power over them that it does over older workers.

Tips for Managers: Steven Shepard, a Vermont-based con-

sultant, writes that “nothing will turn off a Millennial faster

than work that has no perceived value.” They have little

stomach for boredom and are determined to find stimulating,

worthwhile work. So if you want to keep your Millennials from

Millennials are no less confident or intelligent than anyoneelse, but they want to be assured that they are doing theirjobs correctly.


surfing the Internet, loitering at the snack

machine and giving you less than their

best effort, you need to keep them chal-

lenged and motivated. Help them under-

stand how their efforts contribute to the

company’s health and take the time to

define goals, assess progress and establish

criteria for success.

� Millennials Are Unprofessional.

From their dress to their vocabulary to their

general demeanor, Millennials are often accused of being unpro-

fessional. Steve Say, president of AZ Tech, Tempe, Ariz., says that

Millennials do not have the people skills that older workers do.

His technician-training curriculum combats this deficiency with

lessons on customer service and business etiquette.

Loren Davis, owner of Davis Business Machines, Helene,

Mont., believes that standards of dress have degenerated over

the past several years and fears that common sense is in

retreat. Millennials “are quick to understand technology,” he

says. “But don’t ask them to write a business letter. They can’t

do it.”

Source of the Problem: There are surely many complex

socio-cultural explanations for why Millennials are the way

they are, but suffice it to say that every generation of oldsters

thinks the youngsters look funny, talk funny and act funny.

And yet, somehow, the world keeps spinning.

Tips for Managers: Flip-flops and t-shirts may be okay for

the Google crowd, but they are not going to fly in a copier/MFP

dealership. Weed out slobs by qualifying job candidates care-

fully. Would the young person across the desk from you make a

good impression on your customers or does his (or her)

behavior or dress leave something to be desired? No matter how

young or inexperienced a person is, if he cannot impress you in

a job interview there is no way he will impress anyone else once

he is on the job. So qualify, qualify, qualify, and before you

extend a job offer, make sure to explain your expectations

regarding appearance and conduct. If a candidate cannot live

with your rules, then he is not the right candidate.

� Millennials Want Too Much, Too Fast. Historically,

copier/MFP dealerships and other businesses have hired young,

inexperienced people so that they can train them properly and

groom them for long-term employment. The problem is that Mil-

lennials “want it all” — a killer salary, ample vacation time, flex-

ible hours — without first putting in the requisite hard work. “I

believe they think of themselves like merchandise on eBay,” said

Marian Salzman, an ad executive interviewed by “60 Minutes.” If

Millennials cannot get what they want from their current

employer, said Salzman, they will find a new job.

Source of the Problem: Millennials

insist on getting the best possible compen-

sation because they have to. Tuition costs

have skyrocketed over the past decade, real

wages have fallen for years and most entry-

level salaries barely cover the cost of living.

“If you consider that the typical Millennial

is expected to pay off thousands of dollars

in student loans, fund his own retirement

and pay into Social Security without

expecting to receive a single dollar in benefits, maybe this gen-

eration won’t seem so spoiled,” wrote one “60 Minutes” viewer.

Indeed, many managers do see Millennials as spoiled, greedy,

disloyal and unwilling to pay their dues. More often than not,

young workers are merely trying to make ends meet. They liter-

ally cannot afford to be loyal for the sake of loyalty alone.

Tips for Managers: Margins are tight, profits continue to

dwindle and many copier/MFP dealers are unable to pay their

employees as well as they would like to. Even for Millennials,

however, money is not everything. Remember that Millennials

also place immense value on doing meaningful work and

maintaining a healthy work/life balance. A couple of extra

vacation days, a more flexible schedule or even a few words of

praise may help you improve your retention rate.

The Kids Are All RightIn a column for Business Week, Liz Ryan writes: “As managers,

our job is to hire the people who will make our companies hum.

Anyone and everyone who gets hired — and remember that we

did, in fact, hire these folks — is likely to cause some disruption.

Lumping employees into generational heaps and then labeling

them by their generational faults is a crutch for poor managers.”

Ryan is right. Admittedly, it is easier to complain about Mil-

lennials as a group than it is to relate to them as individuals, just

as it is easier to impugn your subordinates than it is to manage

them. Luckily, you are old! You know that a little hard work will

not hurt you. So buck up! Quit complaining, learn to reject

stereotypes and make every effort to work with — rather than

against — the talented young people on your payroll. Even if it

has been years since you touched your toes, you can still teach

those kids a thing or two about flexibility. �Paul Schwartz is president of Copier Careers, a Minneapolis,

Minn., search firm solely dedicated to

the staffing needs of independent office

technology dealerships. Copier Careers strives

to give back to the industry through white

papers, articles and annual salary surveys.

Visit www.copiercareers.com.

Millennials insist on getting the best possiblecompensation becausethey have to ... Most entry-levelsalaries barely cover the cost of living.



Editor’s Note: Part two of this article will appear in

the May issue of BTA’s Office Technology magazine.

Customer loyalty, the profitable allegiance

we all seek, begins with leadership compe-

tence. How you lead the people in your

dealership, from the receptionist to the service

techs to the sales managers, directly impacts cus-

tomer relationships. Managing external relation-

ships requires successful management of internal

relationships. Whatever you do (or fail to do) with

(and for) your staff will be directly reflected in how

they interact with customers.

Before we explore the leadership competencies,

it is important to state the assumptions grounding

this article. The first assumption is that every busi-

ness owner wants loyal customers because it costs

more to get new business than it does to keep

existing clients. The second assumption is that

every business owner knows that loyal customers

rev up revenue with repeat orders, referrals and

word-of-mouth advertising. The third and final

assumption is that customer care is the top priority of your

dealership.

Assuming that these three conditions are in place, you can

begin refining your leadership skills. This means first examining

how you lead. Next, you will examine the relationship between

customer care and your business decisions. Refining your skills

will also require you to scrutinize resource allocation. Do you

devote enough resources to customer satisfaction?

Customer Loyalty From WithinBefore attending to external customer loyalty, it is impor-

tant to begin by building employee loyalty. When you position

yourself as the employer of choice you are then able to become

the supplier of choice. Think about it. Do you want to do busi-

ness with lackluster or disgruntled people? Of course not! So

don’t subject your customers to that either.

Loyal employees have several common traits. The first is

that they enjoy their work. They genuinely find their work

interesting and they like doing it. No one likes every aspect of

his (or her) work, but overall these folks take pleasure in their

chosen professions.

The next trait is that these employees respect their

employers. They believe in the aims of the organization. They

believe that their company is reputable, fair and ethical.

That respect transcends to their leadership as well .

Employees respect their leaders because they know them to be

honest, knowledgeable and equitable in their treatment of

employees and customers alike.

The third trait of loyal employees is that they are challenged

by their work. These people are able to solve problems, investi-

gate and suggest new approaches. They are not drones.

Rather, they are full contributors to the company’s success.

The results of employee loyalty are numerous. This loyalty

can bring about innovation. Because people are free to express

themselves and experiment, they are able to make the signifi-

cant improvements that make life easier for the customer. This

employee commitment reduces tension, friction and conflict.

Because environments that breed loyalty are characterized by

free-flowing communication, there is less likelihood of the

angst that destroys morale in other workplaces.

Customer LoyaltyCompetencies that can help you lead the charge

by: Joanne L. Smikle, Smikle Training Services Inc.

PRINCIPAL ISSUES


Smikle Apr 08:Smikle Apr 08 3/31/08 11:54 AM Page 26

Another obvious result of employee

loyalty is lower turnover. The best and the

brightest want to stay and contribute.

There are also benefits when it is time to

recruit. Because the environment is healthy

and employees are loyal (as are customers),

people want to get in on the action. Work-

places that have built loyalty have less

trouble recruiting. Building a reputation as

a desirable employer makes recruiting a lot

easier. Once the conditions are in place for employee loyalty, you

can begin addressing the required competencies that will point

your dealership in a more profitable direction.

There are four competencies that enable you to lead the

charge to customer loyalty: reflective ability, measurement

aptitude, committed connectedness and strategic focus.

Whether you are presently conscious of them or not, waking

up and paying attention will make a positive difference in cus-

tomer relations. Your development in these areas will also

position you as a role model in your dealership.

Reflective AbilityReflective ability is exactly what it implies — the ability to

look back and take inventory of successes and failures. This

competence is particularly important to leaders who are con-

cerned about their own professional development. Reflection

enables honest assessment of where you have been, what you

have done and what you would like to do to take you to your

next goal, be it personal or professional. Looking back allows

us to take stock of our style, skills and capabilities. That self-

assessment yields important information about decision-

making style, conflict management abilities and interpersonal

relations. It also yields information about how we interact

with customers. Reflection tells the tale of whether you, the

dealer principal, really know your customers.

There are many ways to begin purposeful reflection. The

operative word in that sentence is “purposeful.” Dwelling on

past failures is pointless, as is ruminating over mistakes and

missteps. These things are just as pointless as fixating on

wrongs done to you.

Purposeful ref lection allows you to look for moments,

instances and actions that will lead to better decisions. Consider

using these four questions daily to get in the habit of reflection:

(1) Did I have any conflicts or conversations that made me

uncomfortable today? (2) Why was I uncomfortable? (3) How did

I respond, react or reply? (4) What would I have done differently?

These questions start the internal probative process. They

provide a framework for examining the day’s difficult events.

Some people choose to jot down their

responses to these questions. Others, like

myself, choose to think about responses and

make mental notes of the lessons learned.

Purposeful ref lection should also

acknowledge successes. Be certain to make

time to reflect on what went well on a given

day. This is especially important after small

and large successes. Revel in the good

feeling. Make note of what you and your

team did to create that success. These are teachable moments

that supply data for replicating success.

Reflective abilities do not begin and end in isolation. Cer-

tainly some of that reflection will result in consideration of

what you could have done differently related to internal and

external customers. (On the off chance that you are not

familiar with the term ‘internal customers,’ it refers to your

staff. They are your customers — the recipients of your leader-

ship services.) By looking back and considering other

approaches, you are able to begin considering other ways to

enhance service. Some of those methods may revolve around

better communication tools, others may revolve around a

stronger complaint recovery system. Here are three questions

to begin this type of reflection: (1) How did my decisions

impact the customer? (2) How did my behavior impact the

customer? (3) What would I do differently?

Get in the habit of regular reflection. It will bring you closer

to the truth about how you lead, how that style affects internal

and external customers and the relationship between your

leadership and dealership success.

As you become more comfortable with reflection, work to

get comfortable sharing the results of the reflection. This is

not to say that you should spill your guts, fall prostrate before

customers and line up for flogging by your staff. Rather, this is

an opportunity to share what you have learned so that others

in your dealership can learn too. This may also be an opportu-

nity for apology. Your esteem and respect will rise immeasur-

ably when you learn how to admit mistakes and apologize.

Humility is an important component of leadership, whether in

a service environment or not.

In the May issue of Office Technology, I will discuss the last three

competencies: measurement aptitude, committed connectedness

and strategic focus. �Joanne Smikle is an author, consultant and

speaker specializing in leadership development.

Visit www.smiklespeaks.com to read more

articles on current business topics.

Smikle can be reached at (301) 596-3140.

Looking back allows usto take stock of our style,skills and capabilities. That self-assessment ...also yields informationabout how we interactwith customers.


Smikle Apr 08:Smikle Apr 08 3/28/08 2:28 PM Page 27

Executive selling is selling to the senior man-

agers and executives of your most important

customers. Top-performing sales profes-

sionals are skilled at making executive calls and

engaging in executive-level conversations. Today, the

key to managing important customers is calling

“high, wide and deep.” But many salespeople do not

fully understand how to go about creating the execu-

tive-level relationship.

Top sales professionals know the importance of

establishing upper-management contacts. They

know that executives are:

� A source of competitive advantage and leverage

� The people who buy value, not just price

� A means to competition-proof your accounts

� A way to grow your profits and success

So, what is the problem? Well, do the following

sales scenarios sound familiar to you?

� “Most of the time I sell through my customers’ purchasing

departments. They are focused on price and do not care about

the value we offer.”

� “My company is big on selling partnership with our cus-

tomers. Most of the people I deal with each day really do not

have a lot of interest in that sort of thing. Perhaps the execu-

tives might, but I do not usually have much contact with them.

So what use is value selling to me?”

� “I have been told to sell at the top. So I tried, but the

problem is that the executives in my accounts are not espe-

cially interested in talking to me. Why is that?”

The fact is, executives will meet with you if you have some-

thing they are interested in. Good executive sellers know this.

Selling Above and Below “The Line”From a decision-making perspective, your customers are

divided into two camps: the executive level and the technical

level. The technical level is the detail level. Employees at the

technical level have the responsibility to pick the right product

and get the best price. However, the need or application that is

driving the purchase is coming from the executive level.

So who is above and below the line? At the executive level,

we have CEOs, presidents, vice presidents and other C-level

managers. Below the line we have engineers, technical staff,

first-line and mid-level managers, purchasing and administra-

tion. Most of your selling effort is probably directed at the

technical level because your real value to this group is the

extent of your product and application knowledge.

What is very clear is that we have two very different types of

buyers that require two very different types of sales calls. Since

your people are proficient at selling to the technical level, let

us take a look at the executive-level buyer. What are they

looking for? What do they expect? And, how do you go about

establishing a relationship with them?

Senior executives are looking for business solutions and appli-

cation value beyond your product or service. They buy return on

investment, competitive advantage and profit generation. They

buy things that have a positive impact on their customer rela-

tionships and they look for efficiency and effectiveness.

In addition, executives expect you to know something about

their industry, how their company is organized, how they

make decisions, who their competitors are, their market share,

corporate goals, sales, profits, financial trends, position in the

market and the history of your company’s relationship with

them. They also expect that you will not ask them questions

that can be answered from publicly available sources.

Executive SellingStrategies for ensuring success above ‘the line’

by: Tom Kramer, Strategy Mapping Selling


SELLING SOLUTIONS

Kramer Apr 08:Kramer Apr 08 3/28/08 10:08 AM Page 26

The Show StoppersSo what is stopping your executive selling

efforts? We have identified three barriers:

�Not offering the right value proposition

� Comfort, competency and perception

� The “glass ceiling”

Technical buyers purchase the offer.

That is, they find value in product, specs,

delivery and price. To approach the execu-

tive buyer, however, you have to adjust your

value proposition and focus on competitive advantage, ROI or

the benefits of your products and services that will positively

impact your customer’s business or organizational issues.

The truth is that most of us are more comfortable at selling

at the technical level. When we cross the line into the execu-

tive level we are not as comfortable because we are in a dif-

ferent territory. To make things worse, buyers at this level may

not understand why they should meet with us. After all, they

may not perceive us as professional business people capable

of addressing higher-level business issues and we may be

blocked from getting the executive meeting.

To our surprise, we have found that the line that separates

the executive level from the technical level buyers becomes a

“glass ceiling” because each group has different interests,

goals and responsibilities. What is more, they do not com-

municate well with each other. So to get your message to the

executive level you need a direct route. You need someone at

the technical level who can introduce you to the CEO, CIO or

other upper-level managers. You will also need a powerful

set of value propositions that will power you through the

barrier between these two levels and you will need to build

strategies to work with each one of the executives as a

knowledgeable business person, not a

technical person.

Key Things to KnowBefore you make the executive-level

call, there are a few more key things that

you should understand about th eir

responsibilities. Top managers:

� Make business decisions for reasons

other than price or product.

� They establish business relationships and partnerships

with customers and strategic vendors.

� They are responsible for making investments in the

future for the good of the entire company.

� They have to solve broad-based, interrelated business

problems and provide direction and guidance to the company

to create competitive advantage.

Top-performing sales professionals know this. They know how

executives think, what their responsibilities are and how they

make decisions that affect their companies’ long-term success.

Today, successful sellers maintain relationships and sell both

above and below the line and they approach each customer group

with very different value propositions. For senior management,

they develop powerful executive business value propositions that,

ultimately, make their customers’ businesses more profitable. �Tom Kramer is an affiliate partner of Strategy Mapping Selling.

He has more than 30 years of sales, sales

management and marketing experience with

IBM, Eastman Kodak Company and

Canon U.S.A. Inc. He can be reached at

[email protected].

Visit www.strategymappingselling.com.


... The line that separates the executivelevel from the technicallevel buyers becomes a“glass ceiling” becauseeach group has different interests, goals ...

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