Copier Sales People Destroy Managed Print Services Opportunities: Daily

June 2009 -

It will not matter how many "MPS Training Programs" start scrambling out of the darkness.

Hire all the "MPS Experts" in the world, it won't make a difference.

Get the hottest, newest, collection agent that can generate a highly professional appearing yet canned proposal.

Toshiba, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Samsung, Xerox, or Canon MPS training programs are doomed to fail and will result in nothing more than frustration and lost potential.

Why? Because Old dogs abhor change and Dogma flourishes.

I keep going back to this saying, "...at the beginning of the month, we all sell solutions, but in the last week of the month, we move a box..." - is the copier dealer/manufacturer sales manager's mantra.
This past week, the last week of the month, I came face to face to face(3 times) with this old, worn-out, schlocky, scheme - standing shoulder to shoulder with my clients.

All I could do was shake my head, apologize and supply my clients with "20 Deadly Questions" no copier salesperson ever wants to answer - they walked into a sales buzz saw - one rep called for reinforcements from his manager, that was a mistake.

On occasion, I find it best to apologize to clients for wrongs done by others.  I was once told,

"..it may not be your fault, but it sure as heck is your responsibility..."

Think of how a captain is responsible when his ship runs into an iceberg while he is asleep.

So it is not difficult for me to look, my client, my partner, straight in the eye and say, "I am sorry this happened and I will make sure it never occurs again."

This week I needed to apologize twice - with two separate clients - over three unique instances.

Here's the twist, neither I nor anyone on my team committed a fault - I was apologizing for the actions of my competitors.

"Have you ever met a copier salesman you liked?"

"What's the difference between a Software salesperson and a Copier salesperson? The copier guy knows he is lying to you."

"Swarmie", "slick", "arrogant", "schiester", "salesy", "pushy", "unprofessional" -

You have heard them all and more.

"Stereotypes". And what's the first rule of stereotypes? Stereotypes are based on fact.

First Client: One of my larger MPS engagements, a three-year project. Our(by "our" I mean my client and me) goal in year one is to manage and control the fleet refresh, implement supply management, and save millions.

Our implementation includes continuous, about 3/week, and detailed site surveys and interviews in order to match requirements to a preset list of hardware selections. Simple enough.

Because my list of supported devices is purposely narrow, over the next three years, an occasion will arise where the departmental requirements do not fit my current product line- my client may need a machine that I do not sell.

Interesting conundrum, wouldn't you say? What to do...what to do...? If you go to the true definition of MPS, you already know.

Well, as luck would have it, the opportunity came up, and I needed to make "copier" recommendations. I felt comfortable suggesting brand "C", again, a line I do not carry.

So I specified three optional units, talked with friends in the industry, and obtained pricing, my client also made contact with a local sales rep that had been "bird-dogging" this account for years.

They figured it was a good idea to "throw a bone" at the local - I agreed.

What resulted was a classic, end-of-the-month, sales onslaught - worthy of all the "bad rep" we confront every day.

I could only shake my head, laugh, and deal with the Delayed Stress that was triggered by brushing up against my past.

The Sales Manager

For whatever reason, the local sales rep felt it necessary to bring in his manager. Ah yes, the infamous "closer".

A summary of this cluster:

Verbal pricing that didn't match the written quote.
The written proposal was a price and datasheet, only.
Non-existent SLAs. Literally, the service agreement is empty; no min, no overage, no response time - nothing. Just a per-click charge.

Perceived shortcomings are blamed on competitors - non-compliance with HP WJA was blamed on HP, not brand "C's" unwillingness to write plug-ins.

The Close - "Always Be An Idiot"

"...all I need is your initials, here on my proposal, and I can have your new machine delivered by Friday. (end of the month) No need to issue us a P.O. - your word and a handshake is good enough for us..."

LOL! This is an actual, real, quote.

Bravo Sierra.

Sure, the sales manager doesn't need a P.O. - he doesn't WANT a P.O. because a P.O. would have T's and C's on it. Generating a P.O. requires some sort of oversight and review - he doesn't want that, he's got a number to hit by month's end.

Listening vs hearing? His concerns over those of the prospects? "Box" over "solution"? And this was the MANAGER.

What "genius" didn't know, because he never asked, is that this particular client had been run over for a decade by brand "X" having Department level users "... initial a quote..." to initiate an order.

Machines had been showing up, at any time, without review for years. No oversight, no review, no compliance, or network standards.

The List of 22.

I put together a list of 22 questions for my client to pose to this "crack team of salespeople" - a "buzz saw".

No "trick" questions, and not meant to "slam" the competitor, simply points of clarification. Clarification for my client's sake, not brand "C".

The really unfortunate issue, these folks will get the deal.

________

And because of month-end, I was able to witness ANOTHER assault.

Client Number Two: MPS small engagement, a total of 21 devices, three in need of refresh/upgrade.

This little fiasco was a result of both an inattentive vendor, brand "I/R" and a pushy cold call, brand "K/M".

The Cold Call

Weeks after I made contact and installed our remote monitoring software, Brand 'K' walked through my prospect's front door.

He was all wound up about his new product OPS and how he could save my prospect "thousands" of dollars by getting rid of the "more costly, laser-based MFPs, (HP M4345s) and installing a new, business color "Hub". Yes, his dongle was hanging out as soon as he entered the building. (Put that away!)

My prospect allowed him to look around, ask some questions and prepare an alternative.

The Presentation

Instead of calling or emailing this sales rep felt it appropriate to simply "stop by" to make his presentation. This, I am sure, was is Sales Manager's idea, as he was in tow, and the end of the month was approaching.

The presentation was a disaster.

Simple sheets of paper covered with pricing and options, impossible to decipher. His price was near twice as much as mine. His "recommendation", a huge, centrally located, color/b&W MFP, the removal of ONE color and 3 black and white laser printers, and complete indifference to the existing Canon 5075(with 28 months remaining) - he ignored it.

The topper was my client realizing that although the price was twice as much, it included the hardware payment only.

As she pointed out to me on their price sheet,

"...look at this, the service rate is mentioned up here, but they quote the volume-based monthly payment at the bottom of the page, in a smaller font..."

I will be darned if that wasn't the truth, I saw it with my own eyes. She did not appreciate the unannounced appointment, she did not like the "heavy-handed attempt" to get an order and she was absolutely livid over the "small print" pricing.

The Incumbent

One more sorry aspect of this was the fact that the incumbent, brand "I/R" never contacted their customer(my prospect) to possibly upgrade the three units I did.

When my prospect asked for some attention, the "I/R" rep simply sent over a contract for signature - no phone call, no appointment, no needs analysis - nothing but an 8-page contract waiting for ink.

So, yes - I apologized. Again.

I apologized, no less, for all the bad salespeople in the world. All the used car guys, the evening telemarketers, the boiler room bandits, and the smiling real estate salespeople. For all the lousy Chase customer service reps, for all the terribly unhappy retail salespeople - I apologize, my bad.

Post Script -

I know not all copier salespeople are like the ones illustrated here.

But think about it. In this one week, THREE separate, industry-leading firms, have been represented by the third class, old-school, hacks. Some believe that MPS will grow with this type of talent? Really? Honestly?

I do not believe that ANY amount of "MPS Training" can help.

If you are putting together an MPS Practice or looking for a Managed Print Services Partner, beware, be very much aware.

________

Executive Summary:

1. The author argues that existing Managed Print Services (MPS) training programs, regardless of the expert personnel employed or the sophisticated tools utilized, are ineffective due to deep-rooted practices and attitudes. The main issue raised is the prevalent sales-oriented mindset that often overrides solution-based customer service.
2. The article illustrates this point through real-life experiences with various sales teams. These incidents highlight dubious sales practices such as misleading quotes, inadequate service level agreements (SLAs), and aggressive sales tactics. The author asserts that such practices lead to customer dissatisfaction and fail to solve the client's actual needs.
3. In response, the author emphasizes the importance of clarifying client needs and putting their concerns first. They suggest that to genuinely serve clients and improve the reputation of the MPS industry, the industry's professionals should aim to break away from outdated sales tactics and adopt a more transparent, client-centric approach.

Keywords: Managed Print Services (MPS), training programs, sales tactics, solution-based customer service, service level agreements (SLAs), customer dissatisfaction, client-centric approach, industry reputation, transparency.

Search Question: How can MPS training programs be improved to promote client-centric services and eliminate misleading sales tactics?