Today, I spoke with an MpS God - she was just fired. #managedprintservices #sales

I’ve said it many times, “ the path to MpS nirvana is littered with the skeleton frames of burnt out MpS Managers, Directors and Sales People”.

No sour grapes -

I’m sure there are dozens of good reasons for termination and every separation has at least two stories.  In the past decade I've been a Practice Manager, advisor and support specialist. I’ve thrived, struggled and witnessed good people churned under the seven step, "xerographic process".

And that’s exactly what I mean - the copier niche can destroy vision, creativity, and dumb down every business solution into 30 day segments.  Managed print Services is the latest victim, with managed IT services right behind.

Some of our industry leaders are no more than box movers - they confuse ‘applications’ with business solutions and project hubris as wisdom.  Take a trip through the LinkedIN community and notice how many times we compliment each other or brag about the latest sale, certification, trip or baseball team we're associated.

It is one big, circle-jerk.

These are observations not complaints. We all get what we deserve and this industry deserves its decent into obscurity.

But not just yet.

I've seen this before, from above and below and can list cautionary red-flags for the folks still selling MpS.

Here are some signs indicating you should give my friend Steve Spencer(MpS recruiter) a call:

• lie
• lack of vision
• too many rules
• change the rules
• filter out all creativity
• do not see beyond 30 day cycles
• incentivize for equipment sales only
• promote month/qtr/year end specials
• narrow-minded C-Level management
• put MpS under the service department
• dependent on hardware/service revenue
• refuse to integrate MpS and Managed IT services
• bad, complicated or non-existent compensation plans
• a corporate culture centered around past copier success
• focus on leasing and linking equipment inside MpS deals
• install a C-level executive with little or no experience beyond the box
• enforce identical activity expectations for support specialists and down the street copier sales people
• say "X is a major part of the business", yet majority of revenue is copier generated
• utilize a foggy compensation plan & do not enforce gates on sales teams

Here's a big one: Does your leadership yell? Do your C-Level meetings include loud voices, hands slapping desks and belligerent attitudes?

“You’ve got to be tough out there”
“This industry isn’t for the thin skinned”
“If you can’t take this, you’ll never make it in sales”

I’m no snowflake. This type of behavior says leagues about the yeller and the enabling organization.  At the very least this is unprofessional - would management slam desks or scream at prospects?

When people communicate in this manner, the organization is:

Insecure
Afraid
Negative

This is not normal behavior - Leave. Now.  Call Steve.

Not every organization operates like this, I bet not many at all.  But if you're in one, in any industry, consider your self-worth and get the hell out.  It's a big world. No matter your current skill set or personal/professional goals, there are companies and positions out here for you.

You're Notbroken.