------------------------------------ Lyra Establishes Reynolds Family Support Fund to Help Colleague and Friend, Steve Reynolds, in His Battle Against Colon Cancer
Lyra Research announces the establishment of the Reynolds Family Support Fund to help Lyra Senior Analyst Steve Reynolds and his family in his battle against Stage 4 Colon Cancer.
Since 1998, Mr. Reynolds has been one of the prominent faces of Lyra—first as an editor for The Hard Copy Observer and then as a senior analyst for Lyra’s Hard Copy Industry Advisory Service. Diagnosed in June, Mr. Reynolds is meeting this grim news with the same direct, fearless attitude that he brings to his professional career.
I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Cortney at this year's Lyra Conference in Palm Springs.
She is engaging and will provide some very good information. Information derived from a large pool of data - 100,000 devices.
I recommend checking out this MPS Summit.
Press Release:
Newton, MA (PRWEB) June 15, 2009
Lyra Research announces that Lyra Senior Analyst Cortney Kasuba will present The Evolution of MPS: A Look Ahead, at the 2009 Managed Print Summit, a frontrunner event to Recharger Magazine's World Expo. The inaugural Managed Print Summit will take place on August 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The summit shines the spotlight on managed print services (MPS) for aftermarket companies.
During her discussion, Kasuba will compare the MPS program offerings of select OEMs, supplies vendors, and channel players, and provide analysis on program strengths and weaknesses. She will also examine MPS implementations in a few select vertical markets. Utilizing real-world installed-base and print-volume data from Lyra's Office Print Monitor (OPM) information service, Kasuba will deliver examples of which verticals are best suited for MPS programs and insight into how MPS vendors can enhance their customer programs to create bottom-line results.
"We value the opportunity to be part of the Recharger's first Managed Print Summit and to share Lyra's analysis of both the more traditional MPS providers and some of the new players," said Kasuba. "We also appreciate the chance to provide the Summit's aftermarket audience with an understanding of the nuances of vertical markets and 'real-world' printing trends to help them create high-impact MPS programs."
Scheduling an Analyst Meeting during the Event -
To schedule an analyst meeting with Ms. Kasuba during the conference, please contact Kasuba at 617-454-2662 or ckasuba(at)lyra.com.
About Office Print Monitor
Lyra's Office Print Monitor information service helps printer and copier vendors track changes regarding where and how hard copy is output. The OPM service also enhances Lyra's coverage of office printing by combining real-world corporate printing data, powered by PrintFleet, with Lyra's strategic analysis, forecast and installed-base data, and detailed hard copy specifications.
Through its relationship with PrintFleet, Lyra has established an ever-expanding panel of hard copy devices that are monitored in real time. The current panel consists of more than 100,000 hard copy devices in nearly 5,000 corporations throughout North America.
OPM includes five components--expert consultation, snapshots of specific corporate printing attributes, in-depth analysis reports of key trends, indexes, and optional client-defined customized data reports.
For more information on this service, please contact Tom Sandock at 617-454-2621 or tsandock(at)lyra.com.
Lyra Research: The Digital Imaging Authority
Lyra Research collaborates with imaging industry decision makers worldwide, enabling clients to strengthen their market position and achieve profitable growth. Lyra's expert analysts and editors help clients devise and implement creative solutions to business challenges, arming them with competitive intelligence, strategic and tactical advice, news and analysis, and market forecasts.
Since 1991, Lyra's custom research and consulting, advisory services, award-winning journals, and innovative events have set the standard for analysis of imaging hardware, consumables, and digital photography markets.
Visit www.lyra.com to learn more about how Lyra can be your strategic business partner.
It's like we share a brain, except DOTC doesn't have a staff and was on this page 12 months ago...Yeah, I know, I have self-esteem issues.
An article posted on The Imaging Channel caught my eye, "Managed Print Services: OEM Strategies". The headline piqued but the source engaged - Lyra.
Of all the research groups I know, only two command my attention. One is Lyra. I trust their opinion, to be honest. Sometimes, I may not agree with their observations but that is okay.
If you are an MpS'r from way back, say 24 months(!), what the Big 3 say is of no surprise; if you are a steady reader of DOTC, again, no surprise.
Lyra spoke with Xerox, HP, and Ricoh during the first half of 2011. The article is a reflection of all three.
The caveat is these discussions orbit around enterprise-level MPS engagements - not that there is no value - it's just that when interviewing at this level, the information is more proactive than responsive - the OEMs projecting their view of MPS, not necessarily reflecting the real MpS.
Photizo, Supplies Network, Xerox, Great America, MWAi, & Lyra
Photizo - They get it right and have been there from the beginning.
Before Gartner ever considered an MPS Quadrant, Photizo was there.
Back then Gartner didn't give a lick.
IDC, didn't know MPS.
Back then, half of our "esteemed" instructors carpet bagged on dealer fear.
When the consultants of the day were espousing the similarity of MpS to color and poo-pooing MpS as "just another marketing scheme..." Photizo tagged the name "Hybrid Dealer" - of course, they copied the phrase.
That's what Copiers Do.
While others were 'find and replacing' the word 'copier' for 'MPS', Photizo published the Three Adoption Stages of MpS.
And just as others enveloped those three into their MPS talk-track, Photizo added even more stages, resulting in the above chart.
They've gotten it. They've been on it from day one.
Now some in our ecosystem confuse me with them, promoting me as a Photizo employee or worse, their hatchet-man. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem being a GunSlinger, but I choose both my allies and my targets - nobody tells me where the Red Dot lands.
Truly, if back in the day anybody else was saying what Photizo was saying, I would acknowledge them as well.
"...Sooner or later, One has to take sides, if one is to remain human..."
So we make our choices and we stick with the plan. I chose Photizo because they've been right there on the same page as I, seeing the same things I have in the field from Genesis. And sometimes, they make people uncomfortable - awe, poor baby...
The 2009 Lyra Imaging Symposium: Collaboration, Customization, and Innovation in the "New" Imaging Industry features two days of illuminating industry information and primary research results, helping attendees to critically examine how the industry will change over the next five years.
With comprehensive presentations and a full offering of recreational activities, the Symposium is an ideal venue to debate, discuss, network, and challenge conventional wisdom with the industry's leading players. The 2009 Lyra Imaging Symposium arms attendees with actionable insights on the industry today and a top-to-bottom analysis of what lies ahead..."
Managed Print Services -
Steve Reynolds, senior analyst at Lyra, and Edward Crowley(pictured right), CEO and founding partner of the Photizo Group, will join together to examine the role of managed print services (MPS) in the digital imaging industry and discuss why MPS is resonating with customers more than ever before and whether the MPS trend has staying power potential.
-------
The agenda appears exhaustive and chuck full of interesting issues permeating our industry. It's just down the road from me, perhaps I shall crash it.
I stopped in at the Lyra Symposium last week, in Palm Springs: The Road to Recovery.
The year is what it is so far, my schedule has been filled with activities associated with what I call, my "day job".
So, I was able to catch just one day, the day with all the MPS data and presentations.
I was present for 8 hours and can safely say, there were no copier reps in attendance; if by copier reps I mean folks who would be on the phone closing a single copier deal between sessions, which I do, there were none.
I also believe the majority of attendees may have sold face-to-face in the past, just not in the past 24 hours.
Be that as it may, the data presented by Lyra is priceless.
Especially to we who sell, we in the thick, in the smoke, in the fire.
I am not advocating every Selling Professional attend this and other symposiums, but, I do recommend getting synopsis or any other information you can, from your manufacturer rep or your sales manager (yeah, right, sure...). Why?
Information is King in your personal, and professional development. Your "personal, professional development" might get lip service from management - but it is just that, lip service. When the chips are down, you tell me who gets the ax.
The more you know, the more you can see where your dealership/management is falling down and the easier it is to chart your own course.
My top five Value-Adds from Lyra- 2010:
Historical data mined from their extensive database of devices, monitored by PrintFleet, is presented in spaghetti graphs.
Detailed analysis of each copier and printer manufacturer's financial standing and projections.
Unrivaled views of our industry, where it was, where it is, and where it might end up.
Current reflections and projections around the economic free-fall and the Day After.
And of course, especially this year, Managed Print Services and the "experts" who extol the virtues of MPS.
--------------- The Number One piece of information, significant to me, personally -
The recession has bottomed out, but we will not get to pre-recession placement levels.
As a matter of fact, according to Steve and Lyra, we will be losing 2 million units in placement - they will never come back.
It's like 2 million copiers just died.
Huh. If only somebody had seen this coming and publicized his views somewhere easily accessible to others...that person could come up with a snappy title like, "Your industry is Dying"...or something...
IT IS THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT. - again.
Second, to MPS, the next big subject was the economy and the Road to Recovery.
The Industry -
In a nutshell, the industry leaders all sucked wind, some more than others, but still, they all ate it, in 2009. An occasional silver lining here and there, accounting trickery, but no surprises.
Steve Reynolds' presentation started by defining the Cyclical vs Secular effect of a recession:
Cyclical, meaning a temporary sharp drop followed by a sharp recovery
Secular, meaning the recession causes a permanent and fundamental change in behavior
I have seen for a year now, the economy changing the fundamental way businesses do business. Especially when relating to printing and documents - this is SECULAR.
To quote Steve, "...once enterprises have discovered and implemented more cost-effective processes with less or no printing, they will not go back..."
Indeed, monochrome laser printers, MFP, and color printer shipments will be flat through 2013. The only bright spot is color MFP with a moderate increase(approx. 250,000 units) between 2010 and 2013.
And if that isn't bad enough, Steve expects a price war to erupt.
You see, as the recession is declared "over", customers will creep back into the market with caution. Hungry vendors will be pressured into getting their share of the new demand.
The feeble and hungry will drop prices to move the product, the last gasp.
The strong and carnivorous will lower prices to kill the remaining, weaker players. It's a Japanese model practiced and perfected by Wal*Mart.
Imagine HP reducing their MFP pricing AND toner by 50%. An M9050 for 5k and $40.00 toner? Real, HP toner? Where's your MPS savior now, third-party toner guy?
Vector this with Photizo's and others' belief of a 50% failure rate, in the BTA channel, by those who have not embraced MPS we have ourselves an honest-to-goodness Perfect Storm.
Your customers are or already have realized they DON'T NEED AS MANY devices and that they don't need to stock thousands' worth of toner in closets.
Why? Because the recession made them look for areas of cost reduction, and the constraints of the last 4 quarters, forced all of us to do with less.
For example, did you lose customers because they couldn't get HP CM6040s even though they gave you a PO last August?
No, you, the VAR/Dealer didn't lose customers. You helped your client get through "these trying times" by encouraging patience and utilizing their existing systems.
Or maybe you helped your client extend his lease on a month-to-month basis. Copier still works?
We in the field didn't lose customers - HP and the industry, lost placements, lost "clicks" and lost face.
Managed Print Services -
Managed Print Services was all the rage.
Both Ricoh and HP talked about MPS, albeit from the Enterprise level. Well, to be fair, Tom Codd's (HP) presentation included one slide dedicated to HP's commitment to driving MPS expertise into the Channel - through Synnex, et el.
Another slide depicting HP's product lineup, in order to show the Canon relationship as a good fit, DID NOT SHOW EDGELINE.
Edgeline? What? Never heard of it...next?
Twice, the name "MPS" was assaulted as not adequate - especially the "P". The phrase "Business Process Outsourcing" was bantered about a couple of times.
It was felt that the current MPS ROI is immediate, but where does one go from there?
"One-word kid..." Software, the future is in software.
Yup, the Third Stage of MPS is, Enhance the Business Process. We barely get people into the 1st and 2nd stages and already stage 3 is upon us. Really? No, really? Business Process Optimization/Outsource?
Are we to expect a channel that still thinks color and duplexing are value prop's possess the wear with all to talk software and "business process"?
And SELL this? For Greenbacks? (which is just as good as money)
Right.
When a member of the audience asked, "...how do we motivate a copier salesperson to sell software?" the collective response was, are you ready for this, "...increase the commissions on software until you modify the salesperson's behavior..."
I nearly upchucked in my lap, right then and there. And I was a bit insulted. If I was holding a watered-down drink in my hand, I would have thrown it in their faces.
Is this all they, these experts, think to motivate the Selling Professional? A few more duckets?
We are truly doomed.
My summary:
MPS is now being swung around by the big players, the definition is being molded in their likeness and most of the data and "play" presented is a product of and pertains to, "Enterprise" level engagements. One exception that I can see, is Xerox. X seems to be working 'on'(instead of with) their channel, time will tell.
The economy is in a rebound, but our industry will never be the same. More ships will merge or sink, and more dealers will jump into MPS, listen to old skool consultants, run it as a Marketing Campaign and fail. Managed Print Services is a Secular change for dealers; it is not "just like when color came out..."
More MPS Professionals will end up working at OfficeMax, Staples, or RiKON. ------------------- Click to email me.
The drive down was unexceptional; snow after an hour, still clinging to the roof of the Rover.
"You have snow on your car..." says the valet-girl, "yeah, I thought it would melt by now," I respond.
A quick walk to the registration desk - "Good morning." she greets, "Greg Walters...", I reply. "oh...you're The Death of the Copier guy!" she says.
"yes, I am that guy..."
Jennifer and Irene greet me and make me feel right at home - right then and there, I decide this is going to be a good show.
I was not disappointed.
Walkthrough the door, grab a coffee (coffee flavored coffee) and some fruit and collect my thoughts for the day.
This is a show, a symposium, a collection of people with the same interests, here to learn and connect.
A most human characteristic.
First, I meet Brian from Lexmark - 13 years with the company, an engineer. A great guy. We talk about the weather here in Palm Springs versus Kentucky - they get ice, we get sun.
Two gentlemen from WE Soft, Johnson Cheng, General Manager, and Victor Poon, Vice President come in and share a corner of our table.
We all chat about this and that and then they ask me what I do...I simply hand them my card, "The Death Of The Copier...I know you, I've been to your site."
I must admit, I am flattered and a bit embarrassed every time somebody recognizes my site.
Cary Kimmel, from WE Soft, joins us while I am handing out cards. He reads, and then gives me "the look" -
"Hey, I am trying to get people into this market, not scare them away. What the heck are you talking about, the death of the copier?" - Cary Kimmel
So it's official, I am in the room for less than 30 minutes, and already defending the name of my blog.
Honestly, I never did "defend" the name, I simply explain - and when a "copier" person thinks about it, I know they get it. I am, after all, a copier guy.
Since 1988, I have been to so many shows, symposiums, conventions, I have forgotten more than I remember - the Lyra Symposium kept me awake and attentive during every single presentation.
The presentations were engaging and moved along - Lyra is a research company, compiling data on all things printing - statistics (the word still gives me the willie's - delayed stress from my days in college).
Yet, I understood and "kept up" with the "pasta-charts" and financial diction.
I met some great people in our industry and had some really good conversations.
Over the next few days, I will re-digest my notes and put together hopefully some interesting articles.
Jim Lyons was clicking away during the presentations - so he has some really good posts right now.
Matt Zimmer VP of Sales from Photizo has a good update, here as well.
HP had set their eyes on the copier world again and this time it was different.
This time HP has it's own machine, not some "duct taped" apparition.
This time HP was in charge of the channel, not partnering with a non-committal, old school dealer channel.
With Edgeline and an existing VAR channel, The Death of The Copier was just around the corner.
The machine utilized ink, did not use heat, corona wires, or static.
Demos were conducted, partners and service technicians trained.
Awards like the "Must See ‘em award" at the Graph Expo trade show, the “Technology Award” from the Microsoft Vendor Program (MSVP) and kudos from no less than BLI came rolling in.
Elite dealers made unit commitments - the world was their oyster.
The world waited - And waited.
Fast forward to January, 2009. More specifically to the last session of the three day Lyra 2009 Symposium.
On stage sits the panel of esteemed financial pundits who specialize in analyzing the print industry. Keith Bachman, Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst Enterprise Hardware and Imaging BMO Capital Markets, Rob Sethre, CEO Woodford Group, Charles LeCompte, President Lyra Research, and Shannon Cross, Managing Director IT Hardware and Imaging Technology Cross Research.
Someone from the audience asks about HP Edgeline.
The panel does not hold back.
Phrases like,
"...the Edgeline has had no success at all..."
and proven to be an "objective failure" or HP is at best "...persistent at their failure..." seem to echo off the dark blue velvet back drop.
Edgeline falls within in IPG so the discussion blossoms once again with phrases like,
"...IPG is getting decimated..."
because "...Hurd is now focusing on IPG...trimming the fat..." so IPG can be "...more nimble..." especially when "...there is no more growth coming from the cash-cow..."
As bad as all this is, and deservedly so, there is a silver lining of sorts. It is expressed that no other firm in the world would be able to absorb such a disappointment. Additionally, it was commonly believed that HP will "do something" to get into and ultimately dominate the copier market.
As for suggestions on how HP could do just that - Shannon Cross in a wonderfully abrupt and direct manner clearly stated,
"HP should buy Canon."
She followed up with, "they should buy Xerox...but there would be dominance issues." I believe alluding to the monopolistic aspects of such an occurrence.
HP Should Buy Canon - that is the take away from this session.
An acquisition like this would allow HP to own outright, their laser engines and give them some sort of foothold in the copier industry. But, in light of the relative strength and dominance Ricoh will soon have in the industry, the question has to be, does HP have enough guts to get into the fray?
Lyra Research announces the launch of its new Managed Print Advisory Service. The new service analyzes the active migration away from the traditional imaging hardware and cost-per-page purchasing model toward a more robust and efficient managed print services distribution model. It examines how the aggregation of imaging devices and supplies as well as service revenue under MPS agreements are shrinking the point of customer contact and quietly consolidating the overall distribution channel.
Another stage, power point, round table, expert panel and cast of hundreds looking to commune and see the “new MPS” …again. I've witnessed multiple iterations and others broken promises since 2007. I’ve attended many such gatherings and presentations: Lyra, Photizo, ITEX, ReCharger, MWAi Executive Summit. I’ve spoken with thousands of customers, hundreds of resellers all the OEMs and countless dealers about MpS, copiers, printers, toner, managed services and the like.
Now, a new effort is in town. The "Top 100 Summit" focusing on the future of managed print services; "MPS is Changing" is the tag-line.
In the beginning, managed print services was mocked for being nothing more than facilities management or copier-service on laser printers. Something the more “forward" thinking copier providers and OEMs had ‘been doing for decades’ - not really.
But even back then, in the frenzied years of possibilities, there were those who saw managed print services literally; a service that managed print. Some of us understood ‘print’ to be any media - from 8.5x11 to voice mail. Further, we recognized this managed service as a path to higher thought, more relevancy and a foundation for a sustainable business model not increased shelf space, capturing clicks, or trapping clients in 60 month contracts.
We knew the future of print had less to do with copiers, printers, ink or toner hitting paper. We eagerly embraced the talk tracks and value props around ‘more efficiency in the office’, reduction in costs and optimizing the print environment - and we meant it.
We attended new and interesting shows. In April of 2009, Photizo ushered in this bold new concept and talked about managed print services well before ANY other pundit, consultant, training house, OEM, toner remanufacturer or copier dealer - yes there were a few true managed print services providers but most of the traditional imaging industry either explained away the movement as ‘just another gimmick’ or claimed to have been in managed print services for “25 years”.
We believers "...gave the Future to the winds and slumbered tranquilly in the Present, weaving the dull world around us into dreams.” Designing a future of connected devices, less print and optimized business environments. Yet, like most promises, our dreams were burned away by the reality of equipment quotas and dogma; more specifically, in toner and ink.
Spin the dial six years into the future and it seems who can spell “MPS” can sell “MPS”. Bags of ink are the new MpS. Analytics are the new MpS. Copier service is the new MpS. Despite consistently declining equipment placements, shuttered paper plants and industry lay-offs, increasing print volumes are the new MpS. It is an upside-down world.
The Universe according to Greg:
Print Analytics - Who Cares? We do, but do our clients?
Ink vs. Toner - Who Cares? We do, but do our clients?
Print is not dying - Ignorance is bliss.
Managed (IT/Network) services is the future - Oh, really? Even the IT guys understand MS is short term - look up Software Defined Workspace.
Print volumes have been going up - rearranging the deck chairs, nobody is creating new "clicks".
So what about all this?
Is it still the doom and gloom era? Not really. But no matter how many round tables, expert panels, sales classes, consulting services, or business transformations our industry attends or participates, we’re all simply talking to ourselves; alone in the dark. Until we stop looking at our prospects as ‘targets’ to be ‘trapped in an agreement’ or design ‘sticky’ marketing schemes and start ‘solving’ instead of ‘selling’ those who do survive, will wander the the abyss; shadows of the once might ‘copier industry’.
Which brings me to the Top 100 Summit. Will we usher in a new era? Will the sins of our past support positive change or drag us into the depths of irrelevance?
Big questions and unseen answers.
I suspect we’ll have a great time. I see us sharing new ideas and expressions of hope. Ultimately, what really matters, is how everyone feels 72 hours after the show; sinful and atoned or raptured ignorance.
Continuing our journey into the 10 Truths of MPS we look now to partnerships and overhead.
3. Be a partner
The tough times are making everybody re-evaluate their position in the ecosystem, and the best way to survive is to gather together with like-minded people. Partnerships open up your services portfolio; good partnerships bring with them even more connections and synergy. Isolation leads to desperation. Partner with your clients, toner provider(s), OEMs and fellow employees. If HP can work with third-party toner suppliers, why can’t you partner with a managed services provider? Or better yet, how hard can it be to become a tablet reseller? Today, it is all about partnerships and teams. Build a team that includes players from all over — from network infrastructure experts, software application specialists, property managers, bankers and shop owners. Full press your personal network and choose those you deem worthy.
4. Be lean
Tough decisions are coming, if they haven’t already. The economy is making a rebound unlike any other time in history, and the recovery will not include a spike in manufacturing jobs or employment. Look to reduce your overhead.
Do you really require a demo floor? Really? No, really? It may look nice, but ... really? Is it a stipulation of your dealer agreement? If so, throw that Lyra chart in front of them and push back. Nobody holds inventory anymore, so why are you? How tight are you on trunk stock and warranty exchanges? How many service calls have you made over the past 12 months on your fleet of laser/cartridge-based devices compared to your traditional copiers? Do you need so many technicians? Do you need three dispatchers? How many people in accounting?
I am not recommending you fire everyone in sight. I am recommending you look at the costs that could be reduced or shifted over to some of your partners and possibly move traditional infrastructure talent into your sales team.
For example, in my practice, I did not want to stock toner, take orders or coordinate the shipment of and maintain an inventory of toner cartridges. I did not want to — nor did I believe I should have to — bear the overhead cost. I evaluated every single fulfillment program out at the time from front to back. I looked at their process and the infrastructure the value-add provided and talked with the people on the ground.
I made the shift and demanded much from my new, integral partner — from delivery and customer relations to report generation. When I found somebody I could work with, that company became a full-fledged member of my team. It worked and reduced my overhead immensely. Lean, agile, clear.
2015 After five years of managed print services, one would imagine a standard set of MPS rules would rise out of the fog. And yet there is still debate over what exactly MPS stands for — not the acronym, but the vision and real value of managed print services.
I remember the great device-to-technician-ratio discussion of 2008.
"Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it."
- Winston Churchill
The Earth rotates, our Moon orbits, both circle the Sun, the solar system flows within the Galaxy and the Milky Way drifts through the Universe.
Nothing stands still.
Some observe "change" in patterns - our lifecycle, ocean tides, seasons, sunrises and sunsets - there is a basic rhythm and circular order. Though seasons repeat and the Sun always rises, each Summer is unique, every Sunset, one of a kind. Flow patterns have similar signs, yet every journey is singular.
Even though we live within the turbulence, recognizing the past in our future is challenging. The establishment doesn't like change.
"Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
- George Santayana
Business systems abide the same laws yet it's difficult to recognize the signs of change, turn of seasons. Arguments are historically similar, the signs as prominent, examples clear, but buried in the status quo:
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." - Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation
"It’s time we wake up from the pipe-dream of the paperless office..." - Wired
"Tsk. Death of the Copier? Come on, the OEMs will be around forever and people need to make copies. Who let this guy in?" - Some print/copier dude, Lyra, 2009.
We've all been here before - as a society and as the human race - today it's the internet, a century ago it was the telegraph. Today it's iPADs, yesterday it was chalk.
Chalk.
There have always been visionaries, there will always be Ludittes. As further illustration, consider the following list discovered years ago via Fred Kemp, a professor in Texas, by way of Collins and Halverson and originally presented by Dave Thornburg and David Dwyer.
They're describing resistance to change. I know you'll see parallels.
Fascinating:
From a principal's publication in 1815: "Students today depend on paper too much. They don't know how to write on a slate without getting chalk dust all over themselves. They can't clean a slate properly. What will they do when they run out of paper?"
From the journal of the National Association of Teachers, 1907: "Students today depend too much upon ink. They don't know how to use a pen knife to sharpen a pencil. Pen and ink will never replace the pencil."
From Rural American Teacher, 1928: "Students today depend upon store bought ink. They don't know how to make their own. When they run out of ink they will be unable to write words or ciphers until their next trip to the settlement. This is a sad commentary on modern education."
From FTA Gazette, 1941: "Students today depend on these expensive fountain pens. They can no longer write with a straight pen and nib. We parents must not allow them to wallow in such luxury to the detriment of learning how to cope in the real business world which is not so extravagant."
From Federal Teachers, 1950: "Ballpoint pens will be the ruin of education in our country. Students use these devices and then throw them away. The American values of thrift and frugality are being discarded. Businesses and banks will never allow such expensive luxuries."
From a fourth-grade teacher in Apple Classroom of Tomorrow chronicles, 1987: "If students turn in papers they did on the computer, I require them to write them over in long hand because I don't believe they do the computer work on their own."
From a science fair judge in Apple Classroom of Tomorrow chronicles, 1988: "Computers give students an unfair advantage. Therefore, students who used computers to analyze data or create displays will be eliminated from the science fair."
Breathtaking, isn't it? "Deniers" from 1815 to 1988.
I remember business owners back in the 90's exclaiming, “Why would I ever need a computerized accounting system?” Three years later, most of those suppliers were gone.
Do you hear similar comments? Yes, everyday.
OEM sponsored ‘studies’ reporting how office print is rising or a blog projecting paper as the preferred knowledge transfer medium appear almost daily; more signs lamenting "pen-knives" and "store bought ink".
I hope you're not telling your employees or prospects, they don't know how to "write on a slate without getting chalk dust all over themselves" or "Ballpoint pens will be the ruin of education in our country..."
Robots are replacing jobs like never before, and that's okay.
The business world is evolving away from paper - processes are quicker and more efficient when utilizing digital conveyance of information, and that's okay.
Technology will be the great equalizer, women will be paid the same as men, minimum wage may end up at $40.00/hr, but cashiers and order takers will be replaced with the aforementioned robots. And that's okay.
Study history, recognize the signs, see the future, flow through the now.
Don't be the historic-denier.
Curious about your future? Interested in technology as a catalyst? Join us for a thrill-packed, riveting, web-event, "The Future of Everything", May 19, 2016.
Why paint MPS all black? Why kill MPS after just three short years? Why blacken the Sun?
I've said it before. Change releases fear and fear motivates.
Contrary to what the Imaging Intelligentsia bloviate, we are not witnessing the beginning of the End Managed Print Services - we are seeing the last gasp of "Print Services"(it's the "M" - stupid)
I had to go back and see what the official date was of my first post. I knew it was close to March, but to my surprise, it was a year ago, yesterday (Feb 20).
So I guess it is fitting that I put down some thoughts a year later.
One of the techniques I have learned to drive traffic to a site, is to use easily searchable words in the title of the post, like "copier", "HP", "Xerox", etc. - this post will not show up on many Google results and that is fine with me.
It's fine because I really write to read what I write - that's how this started, and today it's still true. I started this little endeavor without really knowing what a "Blog" was - all I wanted to do was put some information "out there", within reach of potential clients. Information strictly around the HP Edgeline. At the time a revolutionary new technology, a "copier Killer" technology.
Well, I never really wanted to talk about what I ate for lunch or how many people came over for Thanksgiving dinner.
Back in the beginning, "driving traffic" to the site meant me telling my family and close friends about my blog and how they should "go check it out". One month, 12 of my friends viewed one page and spent an average of 30 seconds on the site. Today, I have a months with 16,000 and an average time on the site between 2.5 and 3.2 minutes.
Back then a "Blog", the combination of the two words web and log, was considered a diary created by individuals and stored on the internet.
I looked at the Drudge Report as a functional model. Scanning the internet for information regarding my industry and posting.
Pretty simple.
This idea grew into finding more information, again interesting to me, and writing some commentary or reflection. And ultimately, writing pure content based on topical issues.
As time progressed, I started to refer to the blog as "my site" - because it really isn't a blog, it's not a journal or diary. One of the many things I have learned, most successful, business blogs really aren't diaries. Neither is mine - but I must admit I do like to go back and read older posts.
Sometimes I cringe, sometimes I laugh out loud, most of the time I am just as amused as the day I wrote it.
They say any good experience is one you learn something from. This is the greatest learning experience, ever.
Over the past 12 months, together, we have been witness to the beginning of the largest merger in the history of our industry . We've seen $5.00/gallon gasoline prices grind the economy to a stand still and have witnessed the biggest transfer of private business to government ownership in the history of mankind - this has not been a "ho-hum" year.
I have learned more about smart paper, carbon credits, publishing, killer laser toner, nano-printing, copier leases, copier crimes in Cleveland, winery tours, and recycling centers, soy based toner, Hybrid Dealers, Galactic-Hybrid Dealers, drunk email, umbrellas of silence, Pearl Harbor, and Google Data Barges.
Some of the other things I have learned involve plagiarism, "feeds" vs content, verifying sources and that writing should not be easy, if it is, then it is not writing.
I have also tried to title my posts with a bit more thought - well, I must admit, I do like "The Death of..."
The Death of Xerography The Death of the Sale The Death of the Copier Person The Death of Print The Death of Kaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnn! The Death of Socrates The Death of Windows 3.0 The Death of the "Close" The Death of the Typewriter The Death of the Copier Dealer The Death of Edgeline
I still chuckle, and reflect, when reading "The Death of Kaaaaaaaahhhhhnnnnnn!" I am sure there will be more.
Ah...the people...
This site as introduced me to so many different people. People I would never have met without the DOTC. Great peeps - you know who you are. Collaborators, mentors, contributors, critics - peers. To you, I say thanks.
And the connections...
I have now been published in a new and highly regarded MPS Journal, I have been interviewed by dozens of pundits, industry analysts and peers. I am currently working on articles for a number of industry publications.
I attended the Lyra Symposium and will be attending the Photizo conference in April. I am part of a collection of MPS people focused on helping others make it in this field.
All of this is very flattering and a bit unbelievable. The attention is grand.
And yet, the most rewarding aspect has been receiving emails from folks who read the site everyday - who have made it part of their routine.
The regular, normal, everyday Selling Professional. The people that make EVERYTHING happen. Sometimes it's just a phrase or two and sometimes I receive a nice long letter - and to be honest I haven't received all that many. But a law of marketing says for every "one" response, there are 5.3 people who feel the same.(not sure on the actual figure)
The blog stopped being a blog, the day I received my first "good job" email, back in August of 2008 - since then, its been a odyssey.
And as this writing expedition, this journey into "self" continues to evolve, I am even more honored to have you here along with me.
Steve Lost this battle. I met Steve a few times, at two Lyra conferences and the MPS North America Conferences.
