ArcDrive Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Greg Walters
June 6, 2019 262-370-4193 or greg@grwalters.com

ArcDrive Delivers Converged Advance Capture, Intelligent Workflow, and Managed Print Services

Oconomowoc, Wi. – Greg Walters Inc. today launched a new entry into the office technology channel that will revolutionize the MPS market for the independent dealer channel. ArcDrive is a self-contained, converged solution stack that will allow vendors to initiate or build out managed print services (MPS) engagements.

A cutting-edge appliance embedded with advanced capture, intelligent workflow, data collection, remote monitoring and automatic supplies fulfillment software, ArcDrive is a small box that can be attached to a network or used as a standalone workstation and provides SharePoint or hybrid storage on the device or through the cloud.

“Since 2009, I’ve promoted managed print services as a bridge to managed IT and, ultimately, managing the Internet of Things,” said Greg Walters, the creator of ArcDrive. “I believe MPS, electronic document management (EDM) and IT asset management should be under one umbrella. ArcDrive is the realization of this concept. All the tools that you typically think of with an entry-level document management system and MPS program are embedded on this device.”

"Today, our industry is transforming like never before. Independent dealers are joining together to form large networks, OEMs are shifting go-to-market strategies, software companies are converging,” said Walters. “ArcDrive will help independent dealers protect their base, establish new income streams and increase monthly recurring revenue.”

ArcDrive is available today with MPS, advanced capture and intelligent workflow software. Future releases will incorporate network probe, RFID, ITIL real-time asset management and a single-pane interface.

Greg Walters is available for media interviews. He can be reached at greg@grwalters.com For more information, visit TheArcDrive.com.

D-Day. 75 Years Ago

#ArcDrive

"Why did you choose June 6th as your announcement day?"
"Because without D-Day, there would be no ArcDrive."

I mean it.

D-Day turned the tide.  From that day till the end of the war, the Nazi's were in retreat, receding across Europe, all the way back to the heart of Germany.

Easy Company, Eagle's Nest.

If Hitler had defeated US and allied forces, the world would have gone off the rails into a completely different direction - we wouldn't be who we are today.

To some, 75 years seems so far away.  Times change, technology marches, but people never really change - good and bad.

Take a moment today to remember D-Day.

Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989

June 5, 1989.  I remember watching this on TV.  

Students held a sit-in at Tiananmen Square.  Peaceful, yet doomed from the very beginning.  Troops opened fire and quelled the protest.

China in 1989 was a Communist realm.

China in 2019 is a Communist realm.

Events like this seem impossible today.  Unfortunately, repeat situations are just a mouse-click away.

Remember Tank Man.

Convergence Chat with Greg - #Imaging Channel, Fall in Love Again. #ArcDrive

Do you remember your first time?

Remember configuring the first #copier, late at night for a morning delivery? Staying up past midnight, attaching the finisher, paper drawers, ADF, and large capacity paper tray?

Remember the first time you forgot to order a stair climber or tile protection? How about the time you used the forklift to deliver an Oce up to the second floor?

Did your heart sink when that toner spilled out on the floor during your demo?

You fell in love with it, all of it. You fell in love with watching your employees and customers evolve. Memories of the small office Christmas parties, new babies, and hiring your nephew, still warms your heart.

Your vision, your idea, your business.  Partnering with hardware vendors who worked with and valued your relationship.

It's easy to say those days are long gone - one time partners are wily competitors, rivals have turned into arch enemies and the elusive client doesn't fall for stunts, techniques or bloated copier deals.

It's tough.



"The first rule of flying? Love. Love keeps her in the air when she outta fall down..."

Love what you do, again. Love bringing your customers something new, shiny, again.

It's called #ArcDrive and it's new, fun, easy, familiar, sophisticated and for you.

Fall in love again, #ArcDrive.com

##Wedge, Newport Beach, CA.Convergence...The

There is this place, a special place, a man-made nexus in Southern California called The Wedge. 

Locals know. Tourists rarely get there. A point where waves come in two directions and converge with outgoing flows to create large waves very close to shore.

Bodyboards are the safest, but surfer dudes can't pass up storm-induced sets. People have died here. For a summer, I lived on Balboa, the Wedge was within walking distance away. #Turbulance and #Convergence are natural and man-influenced phenomena. At the time, I didn't realize the significance; only today do I recognize the simile:

The dealer channel is in the middle of the maelstrom and has always surfed the Wedge. 55-degree saltwater, ears full of sand, and the possibility of ultimate elimination do not stop you.

You hit the sets every, single morning. Who is there with you? Does your body-board manufacturer tell you how to set up for a wave? Are your board shorts too tight or heaven forbid, too loose?

Do surf vendors tell surfers how to surf?

#copiers #managedprintservices #DCAMonopoly #ExpensiveScanning

"You Gave Up a Steady Paycheck...Maybe It's Not Worth It."

I'd never heard of Keap.com but the video caught my eye.

Whoever produced this hit the nail on the head for the SMB. The Keap offering is a #Converged solution stack of services on one platform.  Designed to help businesses stay in business, the accompanying script is full of doubter cliches.

QUOTES WE'VE ALL HEARD:

• "Hey, listen. Maybe owning a business is too much to handle right now."
• "You gave up a steady paycheck to chase this dream. Maybe it's not worth it."
• "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find new clients these days?"
• "It's great that you took the risk but it's time to admit it's not working."
• "I know you're passionate about this...I know you gave it your best shot but maybe it's time...to get a real job."

Memorial Day - What Does it Mean?

You could google it.

You could look it up.

You could go to the VFW and ask.

Maybe check out those guys riding motorcycles from Arizona to DC - they have a message.

Memorial Day in the USA. What is it?

New to Copier Sales: What’s This Thing Called #ManagedPrintServices?

Once, long ago, “managed print services” (MPS) was considered an outlier, something in which only the fringe of our industry would participate. Today, you’ll see an MPS offering on every website and run into clients who know all about the various programs. What’s more, the realm is chock full of managed print content and training sessions, so, for now, I’ll just give an elementary description of today’s managed print services sales.

Let’s start with a quick definition of managed print services from the Managed Print Services Association:

“The active management and optimization of business processes related to documents and information, including input and output devices.”

Who Is #Greg_Walters: 2011

I was digging around some old stuff when I ran across this interview.  This was written and aired back in 2011 on the old "The Imaging Channel" website.

Cracks me up!

###






Most of us know Greg Walters … or at least we know a little bit about him. We’re familiar with his blog, The Death of the Copier (DOTC), and the scantily clad ladies of said blog. We recognize his bandana and Harley Davidson. We know he’s opinionated and passionate about MPS. But we here at TIC Talk wanted to know more …

TIC: Do you have a “real” job? If so, what is it?
Greg: Yes, I have a “real” job as the MPS Practice Manager at SIGMAnet, a 25-year-old, West Coast VAR.

The ArcDrive

How We Choose Wine

The viticultural libation is as timeless as love and life. The Romans did it. Indeed, Roman soldiers were required to drink a minimum of one liter of wine per day. The Greeks invented the god of wine, Dionysus and Jesus made wine from water.

Like water, wine is a global constant and the altered consciousness achieved by consumption has been considered religious since its origin. I think the mass consumption of wine traces back to medieval urban areas and the lack of clean water.

LinkedIn is NOT personal branding.

http://www.grwalters.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregwalters/

"LinkedIn is NOT the internet." -

New to Copier Sales: What’s This Thing Called Managed IT Services?

Managed services is referred to by various names — managed IT services, managed network services, MNS, etc. But no matter what you know it as, managed services is the hottest thing since managed print services.

As a new copier rep, you may not initially hear much about managed services, but it is the next evolutionary step in the copier industry. The industry has developed repeatable revenue models around hardware, and for those who wish to survive, we’ll shift this model into different areas, or “anything as a service” (XaaS). Down the street copier reps should get familiar with MS basics.

Let’s start with a definition of managed services. According to Wikipedia, managed services is “the practice of outsourcing on a proactive basis certain processes and functions intended to improve operations and cut expenses. It is an alternative to the break/fix or on-demand outsourcing model where the service provider performs on-demand services and bills the customer only for the work done.”

Over Complicating Workflow… Again.

2013, Workflow

Back in my IKON daze (pun intended), one of the best sales managers I ever worked with told me, “Sometimes we overcomplicate things. It’s just copiers.” He was referring to an inability to close any deal that included EDM in less than 90 days.

He was right. We often did overcomplicate transactions beyond lease payments and cost per image in an effort to branch out into more “sophisticated” imaging subject matter, adding value and becoming a “trusted advisor.”

"Reversing deforestation is complicated; planting a tree is simple." 

- Martin O'Malley

Did the discussion of document management enhance our ability to close a five-person church? No.

Did talking about moving from printed pick-lists to digital images elevate the discussion, enhance our position and add 120 days to the selling cycle? You betcha.

But the point still holds. Overcomplicating transactions by...

Read the rest, here.

American Oak, The British Navy And Scotch

To be aged in bourbon barrels is the ‘hot’ thing in libation. From tequila to Worcestershire sauce, the finishing qualities of used bourbon barrels permeate a plethora of consumables.

But why and how did this ‘fad’ take off?

First, aging in used barrels is not new. Indeed, the practice of reusing casks goes back millennia.

Contemporary usage owes to these basic influences:

• The British Navy
• The Frugal Scotts
• Taste
• The British Navy

CubeSats, Ion drives, and the Internet of Space

Thousands of small satellites, circling the globe maintaining geosynchronous orbit.  Quarter sized thrusters hold these nano-boxes in place. Engineered like microchips, one thruster contains a grid of 500 needles — each a solar powered, custom-built nozzle generating ion sprays.

Not science fiction.

"CubeSats" are small ( 4 in × 4 in × 4 in) satellites, launched in space, in a low-Earth orbit - as of January, 2019, there have been 1,000 cubesats launched.

These devices are cheap and with newly developed 'fusion engines', they have the ability to remain in place or move to a different location.  Applications range from communications to giant, space-born, billboard signs.

The copier industry was the vanguard of connected devices(M2M) and we should be looking for future avenues of growth.

Imagine 5 or 6 or 7G connectivity speeds running on a mesh of cubesats.  Imagine all things connected; plants, paint, elevators, RFID, CCTV, and yes, even one or two remaining photocopiers.

Perhaps the Internet of Space is hyperbole.

I'm sure there were doubters and naysayers when the first copier connected to a thing called the "network".  Either way, is connectivity the 'manifest destiny' of our time?

"Manifest Destiny held that the United States was destined—by God, its advocates believed—to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent." - History Channel

New to #Copier Sales? What’s Going on In Your New Industry?

You’re hearing a great deal about “disruption” in the copier niche — but it’s actually turbulence, not disruption. A cursory look back through our history reveals that manufacturers digesting competitors and dealers coagulating together is the normal state of affairs. Whether Ricoh/Lanier, Ikon, Ricoh/Ikon, Canon/Océ, Global, Xerox/Global, HP/Samsung, Staples/DEX, Flex, Pulse, POA, Gorden Flesch, Marco or dozens more, acquisitions and mergers occur what seems almost daily. The rate has accelerated but the process has been the same. Like galactic space, the expansion and contraction is eternal.

Today, every dealer is looking for a way to deal with a declining industry by offering new services, or through merger or acquisition, and when it comes to attracting outside funding or merger candidates, the window is closing.

And that’s OK; it is the way of things.

Here are some ideas for a newbie to copier sales:

“Ignorance is bliss”

I’m not recommending you shove your head in the sand and ignore the reality that is the copier industry circa 2019 — we are ALL experiencing external pressures on our everyday lives. Focusing on what we can influence, like cold calls and presentations, has always been the best approach. Go about your routines and keep an ear to the ground. Establish a network of contacts inside and outside the industry and always be improving your personal business acumen. If you are working for a family-owned dealership but are not in the family, keep your options open.

“Business as usual”

Staff reductions and reduced real-estate footprints are frequent. Smaller dealers are being gobbled up by bigger organizations every day. Still, the standard press release after a merger or acquisition relates something along the lines of, “We look forward to offering our clients exceptional service during this transition,” which is a true statement. But looking back in time, it’s easy to find examples of mergers and acquisitions initially removing redundant functions, then ultimately reducing costs through staff write-downs; it is a consistent formula.

Concentrate on your 30-day cycle — that’s the best thing to do. Keep the sales coming in, and maintain your personal standing. But don’t stop there. Build out your LinkedIn presence and be more than just a lurker.

Contribute on social media without being a sycophant, and crystalize your personal brand, not your current employer.

“Will I have a job 12 months from now?”

In copier sales there is a magical milestone: to see if you can make it through the first 12 months of your copier sales career. So make it through. Sell stuff while learning your business processes and client digital transformation experiences. Work with your...

Read the rest, here.

New to Copier Sales: Evolving Into an Advisor

One of the milestones of moving from a newbie to a seasoned veteran is your ability to present yourself as a colleague to your prospects. One catchphrase I’m sure you’re hearing is “consultative selling.” The phrase is a bit disingenuous as it refers to giving prospects advice on how to best utilize your offering when solving business problems.

Indeed, consultants (i.e. advisors) receive compensation for knowledge shared, not the number of devices placed. The word “consultant” infers an air of neutrality without bias. You are advising. A sales manager, on the other hand, is extremely biased — there’s no neutrality in sales.

The best way to gain your prospect’s trust is to offer advice without expectations. For instance, when a prospect has an issue with their fleet of trucks, selling them a 50 ppm device isn’t going to help them get the oil changed.

On the other hand, because you’ve been asking all your other clients and prospects about their businesses, and you know one of your contacts repairs trucks for a living — and is good at it— you can simply forward their contact information to the prospect in need. Do things like this without expecting a payback, and you’ll be on your way to being seen as a trusted advisor in no time.

The concept is simple, but there are many characteristics to consider when becoming an advisor. Here are three of the most important:

Read the rest here.

Seven Reasons to Go to #ITEX2019 & The One Reason I'm Not.

ITEX -2019

Every show or conference is a logistics nightmare - from booth set-up and break-down to hotel rooms, flights and presentation equipment, wether you're speaking, attending or managing the show - the undertaking is huge.

Cudo's out to the conference management team; I'm sure the show will be everything expected, and more.

Here are my Seven Reasons to attend ITEX 2019:

1. Ray Stasieczko - pitching his transformation group
2. Greg VanDeWalker - from MPS to MS, this guy knows how to finance in both niches
3. David Ramos - opinionated, seasoned industry sage, David has the data
4. Patricia Ames - from the very beginning, Patricia has been there, seen that, wrote the article
5. Randy Dazo - another data-miner, and industry pundit
6. Kevin DeYoung - real-world, MPS first adapter, Kevin burns the ships on the beach
7. Jerry Newberry - cost data from the beginning of time, presented for easy consumption

Seven speakers I am familiar, have heard speak and regard highly. If you're going, make sure to catch their sessions.

The other day, I was speaking with a few colleagues when one asked, "Greg, are you going to ITEX this year?"

Me, "No."

Them, "Why"

Me, "I've already been to ITEX..."

#SalesDifferentiation: What Makes You, You?

Another theme in the recent "sales revolution" is "differentiation".

I remember back in the olden days of sales, whenever a trainer would ask a new sales rep, "What makes your company different from your competitors?" undoubtably, the newbie would spit out, "My company has me as your sales person.  The biggest difference between my company and my competitors is Me!"

Back then, this response was a major Fail.

Irony -

Today, building your personal brand is more important than building your employer's brand.  Today, when you become an "expert in your field" YOU add value to your employer.

So, if every other sales rep become more authentic, more serving, and less speeds and feeds oriented, one day, everyone will still be saying the same thing in the same manner.

For the ultimate diversification, I go back to acquiring Business Acumen.  Acumen cannot be commoditized - your specific history, the path you've traveled while acquiring knowledge is yours and yours alone.

Do this:

1. Learn from all your prospects
2. Read general business books
3. Study impact of technology on your dealership

If you haven't started acquiring knowledge, get to it,  today.

#ManagedPrintServices Leads the Way Edge Computing

I've been a party to a few discussions regarding the consolidation currently underway in our little niche and the mention of Managed Print Services surprised me. Specifically, how MPS is so attractive when it comes to outside money and the future.

HP mentioned MPS as a foundational pillar in their future - as a matter of fact - HP is looking to transition transactional supplies into contractual relationships; Managed Print Services.(Who woulda thunk?)

Staples undoubtedly understands the value of acquiring an entity transformed from transactional to contractual.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

#SolutionSelling is Dead

“Business acumen” (BA) selling is what your prospects want today.

You’ve heard them all:

“Tell a story.”
“Use LinkedIn.”
“Sell the sizzle.”
“Sell our solutions.”
“Cold calling works.”
“It’s a numbers game.”
“Put that coffee down.”
“Email follow-up works.”
“Sell on social networks.”
“Research your prospects.”
“Reach the decision maker.”
“Present like a professional.”
“Increase your efforts by 10.”
“Become the trusted advisor.”
“Develop your personal brand.”
“Learn how to demo your devices.”
“Enhance the customer experience.”
“Probe for weaknesses, confirm, trial close, handle objections and present our solution.”

It’s all standard sales jargon — beware the cliché.

As a new copier rep, you’ll be forced to endure hours of being taught every selling technique ever created. You may find them new, but these schemes are timeless; repeated through the eons. And that is the problem. These standards are not nostalgic or even proven — they are old-fashioned. Prospects today learn product details without attending manufacturer-sponsored classes. The basic elements of a sale remain the same: We exchange value for the value given. This will never change. What has transformed is the volume of relevant information available to your prospects.

Sure, to be successful you’ve got to understand your product. But viewing your clients’ businesses holistically and effectively communicating your real-world understanding of them is the way forward. The future is business acumen selling.

This is a high-end concept, and it becomes more relevant every day. As prospects gain knowledge, the typical salesperson degrades in value.

So don’t be typical.

Knowing good business practices, basic operational procedures and... read the rest here.

#Bourbon Aged at Sea

Jefferson Ocean, bourbon aged at sea.

Visit Vino Etc., in downtown Oconomowoc(a.k.a, The Five O’s, O to the 5th, Ocondomowoc) and you’ll find more than an unpretentious selection of wine. 

You’ll discover over 45 different bourbons.

Whiskey picks up more flavor from the wood, and the salt air is breathed in by the barrel, giving a slightly salty taste. Additionally, each voyage turns out a unique taste profile - imagine the difference in weather, ocean motion, and overall environmental influence from one trip to a trip. 

Top left is Jefferson Ocean - bourbon aged at sea. I know you might be thinking, ‘aging bourbon on a ship is a marketing ploy.' But it's not, it isn’t even original. 

The #SalesRevolutionRebellion Is a Farce

The fake "sales revolution" attacks symptoms, not the cause.

"Lannister, Targaryen, Baratheon, Stark, Tyrell. They're all just spokes on a wheel. This one's on top, then that one's on top. And on and on it spins, crushing those on the ground."

Rebels and Revolutions - 

When individuals declare independence from tyranny, they put their lives, and the lives of their families on the line, risking everything for revolution, for future generations' independence.

For freedom.

Today, there's talk of a "Sales Revolution". Insurgents take to the nearest pulpit espousing "changing the way sales is done..." by being open, real, authentic, a trusted advisor, partnering to solve client problems - not a con man.  Noble efforts.

For them, it's not nine to five; it's always too always, elevator pitches, value propositions, and increasing effort 10 fold.

There are literally THOUSANDS of sales coaches and trainers in the world today.

Here are a few of the folks I respect and follow. Some are calling for sales a "revolution".  A few pitch themselves as 'rebels', "Leading the Sales Revolution":

• Copier guy turned trainer, Rick Lambert
• Marketer and builder of websites, Darrell Amy
• H8r of the empty leisure suit, Larry Levin
• That 10x dude,  Grant Cardone
• The Warrior of Copiers, Dale Dupree
• Passionate sales pontificator, Keenan

All are passionate and committed to their specialty contributing great content to the realm.

But -

EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF SELLING ADVICE IS MISSING THE POINT.

I'm not recommending the current sales training and consulting efforts are not valid.  I'm just saying there is so much more that can be done to 'save the industry'.

Of Smoke and Ice -

"Speeds, Feeds, Quota's, Commissions, Solutions. They're all just spokes on a wheel. This one's on top, then that one's on top. And on and on it spins, crushing those on the ground."

The sales revolution is an insidious movement because it is based on truth. Bad sales skills, low motivation, poor relationship building, aggressive attitudes, boring pitches, tedious corporate introductions, and unoriginal talk tracks, are real, yet each a  SYMPTOM of the sickness, not the cause -  - indeed, going to war against "bad selling practices" amounts to self-hate.

We're revolting against the wrong enemy.

The Real Monster -

"Xerox, Canon, Ricoh, HP, Lexmark. They're all just spokes on a wheel. This one's on top, then that one's on top. And on and on it spins, crushing those on the ground."

The idea is simple, the mission tragic - manufacturers' selling models must be taken down, defeated.  While we fight among ourselves over who can save selling, the real archenemy plods forward, assimilating more and more into its ranks.

Break The Wheel

WE DON'T NEED A SALES TRAINING REVOLUTION, WE NEED A REVOLUTION AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT.

It's the OEMs who push equipment quotas down the channel, and not just copier OEMs - every manufacturer has the same, Materials Resource Planning (MRP) based systems.

The model utilizes the following:

• MRP based quotas
• "Fear Uncertainty and Doubt"
• Purposely confusing and ever-shifting, commission plans
• "Kill it and Grill it" mentality
• Adversarial Selling construct 
• "Where there is a mystery, there is margin"
• "67% of salespeople do not reach quota"
• Features and benefits of training
• Solution Selling
• Sales Techniques...

A real Revolution(with a capital R) doesn't attack the symptoms, it takes on the creators of the Wheel. The hierarchies are organically crumbling, digitally transforming - gravity is drawing the towers down, but they fight.

As long as we continue to harp on old-fashioned ideas, as long as we concentrate on "new", non-standard training topics, we keep the chaos going - and that's just fine with the zombie kings. The dusted-off,  selling retreads are like 'opiates for the masses' keeping the "little people" hypnotized in their insecurities.

Do you want to lead a true revolution?  Then revolt against:

• Stodgy commission structures
• Outdated quota schemes
• Product-based, solution selling
• OEM dogma

Are you a self-proclaimed leader of the revolution?  Then:

• Produce videos telling the establishment to stop pushing old-fashioned ideas and programs.
• Write articles outlining the challenges of terrible infrastructure and processes.
• Establish standard, salary influencing, and sales training certifications.

Embark on the battle between independent selling professionals and corporate structures - it is time.

Unfortunately,  this two-dimensional skirmish is nothing compared to what's coming.  The next titan of turbulence holds enough power to wash away 50% of the sales universe.

Conversations with Your Prospects: Is Your #MPS #Sales Approach Missing the Mark?

My name is Greg Walters and I’ve worked in the technology sector since 1988. I've sold and configured and installed networks, accounting software, servers, PCs, laptops, manufacturing systems, corporate identity programs, copiers, EDM, BPO, Scan/Fax/Print, managed print and IT services.

Since 2007, I’ve helped providers build managed print practices, more importantly, I’ve assisted corporations (your prospects) design, build and implement self-managed MPS programs. I’ve been shoulder to shoulder with my clients (your prospects), in Canon, Ricoh, Lexmark, HP, Staples, Xerox and dealer MPS presentations. I’ve seen the best manufacturers have to offer and helped my clients choose the right partner. I’ve also been privy to the conversations and critiques from clients after each vendor presentation – I’ve heard some pretty enlightening things.

Whatever category the dealership falls into – copier, MPS, Managed IT—and whether the job title reads account representative or Vice President of Sales, these mistakes were made by the most seasoned MPS representatives.

Read the rest, here.

New to Sales: How to Manage Your Boss

Over the years, I have worked with dozens of sales managers. Unfortunately, I can only count two who possessed a skillset above and beyond that of a typical manager. The terrible managers shared a plethora of common traits — boorish, disengaged, privileged, etc. But the best managers also shared characteristics and habits:

They didn’t perform the salesperson’s job — like filling out paperwork — when it would have been more expedient to do so.

They knew how to play office politics to the benefit of the sales department while supporting company goals.

Although they possessed selling skills, they were not selling managers.

They didn’t use foul language and bully people into submission.

At the very top of the heap, the best managers will remove obstacles to your personal success. This is key. A great sales manager limits nonselling activities like vendor training, administration meetings, sales meetings and irrelevant paperwork. Additionally, a good sales manager keeps your service manager on top of installs, handles accounts receivable issues and works for you when commissions are calculated.

Read the rest, here.

Why did #WashingtonPost Choose Oklahoma Bombing Over 9/11 Towers?

"The Washington Post's moving Super Bowl ad uses the power of Tom Hanks' voice to defend journalism..."

-Marcus Gilmer, Mashable, February 3, 2019

How bad has it become when the press runs an advertisement promoting and defending...the press?

Pretty bad.

Worse, the self-serving Washington Post missive displays why the Fourth Estate is alienating audiences and losing relevancy.

The minute-long piece begins with a vision of D-Day, scrolling from the Moon to a state funeral and into "When our nation is threatened..."  This is where I stopped paying attention, contemplating the image used to portray "...our nation is threatened...".  Something didn't sit right.  I recognized the site instantly, yet felt those around me would be challenged to remember the historical value.

While Tom Hanks delivers, "When our nation is threatened..." a shot of the 1995 Oklahoma Bombing fades in.

The bombing was a domestically motivated attack on a US government building, carried out by a madman who was caught, tried and executed.

Why use a 1995 incident to depict our nation under threat?

How many viewers recognize this vision?

1995.

Can you think of an image, in this century, that conveys the clear message of "our nation is threatened"? Be assured, the Washington Post engaged a team of highly paid, publicity EXPERTS.  They chose every shot, each word, background audio, musical pace and voice attenuation for a reason - a specific emotional appeal.

Why choose a domestically charged event, 24 years in the past?  Are there no other images that might convey a more poignant message?

Why yes. Yes there are...

A reasonable person would ask, "Why would the Washington Post choose not to use a 9/11 image at this point of the commercial?" Surely, the option was reviewed and rejected.

This is not nuance.

This not an accident.

Perhaps it is simply a reflection of a tone deaf effort - or the output of a nefarious cabal.  There are two ways our nation comes under threat: from the outside and from within.  The Washington Post chose internal danger over external threats, and this is most illuminating.

Does the US media consider internal, domestic challenges greater than global threats?

Or is the media purposefully ignoring external dangers in order to forward an agenda of domestic fear? Perhaps to perpetuate the belief that all the ills in the world are because of the US.

The US public has grown tired to the arrogant, media-state and supporting political players.  It must be striking a chord somewhere in those ivory towers - or else there wouldn't be so many lectures masquerading as commercials this year.

"Knowing empowers us..."

Another Reason You Don't Need a #Copier

Noodle this: How often do you walk over to a machine, place an original on glass, push a button and make a copy? The archaic organizations, state and local government, schools, and churches need not reply or read on - everyone else, stop and think. How many times a day do you make walk-up copies? “Many.” is the usual answer.

At some point in history, the average number of copies made per device was around 10k/week. Think about it. Do you copy 10,000 documents a week? Do you know your machine was designed to handle that level of volume? Seriously, take a day or a week and monitor the number of times and document types your staff is copying.

Let’s go deeper.

Observe the grandeur that is your office copier - paper drawers, nearby recycling bin - it's big, domineering, and physically impressive. Open the lid. The flat piece of glass is called a “platen”. How big is your platen and when was the last time you used it? How many walk-up, 11x17 copies do you produce in a year?

Deeper, still.

Now, walk over to your accounts payable department, dig through one of those big filing cabinets and find your monthly copier bills - look for the lease invoice. Because you’re with a typical copier provider, finding your lease payment could take a while. I’ll wait…

Still waiting…

Okay, do the math. Why are you paying for features and functions you do not use? Better yet, ask yourself, “Why was I SOLD capabilities I never use?”

When you do make copies, I’m guessing the majority of documents originate outside your organization, are letter size, initiate a process, and are finally filed away.

So here’s an idea. When your lease expiration date comes up - you’ll know its close by the increased number of voicemails, unannounced drop-bys, and invites to 'technology luncheons’ your current copier rep hits you with - go to the interwebs and start pricing out ‘workgroup’ scanners. While you're at it, check into the latest Epson or HP inkjet printers. Why not replace that $200-$400 monthly lease payment with a fast scanner and an efficient printer?

Install a printer and a stand-alone scanner.

When the need for an actual, real copy comes up, simply scan the document and print a copy. Now you’ve got a digital version of the original that can be printed or emailed and filed away.

As an added bonus, you've just taken your first baby steps into the digital workflow realm.

"Everybody from the 313..."