From Doom to Quake to Half-Life to Day of Defeat, I have been online gaming since 1999.
A few years back, a movie based on the Doom FPS was released. In spite of the predictable mayhem, and The Rock, it wasn't that bad of a flick - pretty good actually.
In the movie, the remains of an ancient civilization have been discovered on Mars. A humanoid civilization is similar to us except for one distinct difference; they have an extra pair of chromosomes, 24 vs. our 23.
The 24th pair gave this race superhuman abilities - great physical strength, speed, and the ability to heal in minutes versus weeks.
Managed Print Services and Doom? No.
But how about this: Managed Print Services is your 24th chromosome.
At one point in the movie, the hot, female, scientist isolates this chromosome and injects it into her dying brother. He awakes completely healed - faster, stronger - and rips up the bad guys.
Imagine your VAR/Dealership as the shot-up, dying, brother - with 23 chromosomes.
You've been performing at accepted levels of success, perhaps honing your skills and excelling along the curve; customer-centric.
But now, with the economy, times are tough, and sales are down. Mutants may be at the door and your selling team, your whole team for that matter, is unprepared - still selling transactions confusing "availability" with Value.
I also bet that MPS was never really part of your "core competency" and that you dallied in MPS "to check it out" because just like printers, "nobody really cares about toner and ink costs".
How's that working for you? Are you thinking about moving to Managed Services?
Perhaps you need a hot injection.
The MPS/C24 injected into the bloodstream of your organization, from the top, will flow through executive management. Out to the Help Desk, into your Accounts Payable department, your dispatch, service technicians, operations managers, and finally, ultimately, to your BDM's (Business Development Managers/Salespeople).
The warehouse guys will know your definition of MPS.
The inside reps, although processing orders at 3 points, start to think differently about CarePacks.
Why?
Because your ownership/leadership has determined that MPS is the one area where all growth can originate. Because MPS will change the way your organism processes, works and performs - enhancing your best qualities and bringing your latent GREAT qualities to the surface. You will make more money.
But Wait -
Like most apparently good things, there is an uglier side.
In the movie, Doom, not only does C24 enhance the good for the better, it tends to exaggerate the bad. Morphing those with evil in their heart/DNA into super strong, super ugly bad guys.
The application to MPS?
If your existing systems are flawed, injecting MPS will only make things worse.
If ownership isn't thinking beyond inventory levels and pitches MPS as the "straw savior" - your existing bad processes will seep into the mediocre processes and those long-ignored organizational problems will grow into full-fledged, 20-foot tall, acid-bleeding monsters.
Great care and forethought are needed.
Or like in the movie, a good heart and a really Big Freakin Gun...
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