"What's old is new." A statement uttered by countless generations before and leagues to come. For me, and I am sure many timeline-compatriots, today's world seems eerily reminiscent. Certainly not identical, and more than nostalgic.
More like a Renaissance.
Managed Print Services is still alive and experiencing a bump. Partly due to some pent-up demand and a reduction of IT resources.
The demand is provisional. I still believe pivoting into IT services is possible, not strictly because of an existing print-centric relationship as much as the supporting infrastructure of MPS practices is a solid foundation for the transition.
Sales and marketing will shift demographics and talk tracks, but needs assessments and proposals are parallel paths. But again, the demand for IT services has a shelf life.
Consolidation runs rampant, and the larger, establishments remain overconfident in their temporary position.
Looks like another layoff announcement, doesn't it?
But it isn't.
The news is GOOD NEWS, especially if you're a proponent of #WFA - which as we know, Bloomberg is not.
When driving more 'clicks' outweighs journalistic value, sensational headlines carry the day.
"Bloomberg reported Wednesday on Amazon’s plan to shift call-center employees from offices to work from home and close the Kennewick site. An Amazon spokesman declined to comment about any planned office closings, but on Wednesday confirmed the shift to remote work."
HP printer experiences "More volume in 30 days than in the last 11 years..."
As F1000 and F100 firms cajole employees back to the fields, many on the supply side of office technology await a spike in laptop, stapler, and paper sales.
One company is pulling its weight and splitting open reams of paper like it in 1999.
"The last time I was involved in a paper usage study was back in 2012. Our print volume decreased 97% from 1999 to 2012."
So far this week, the offices have printed five A4-sized documents; and increase of 500%.
Unfortunately, the number of A3 documents remains at zero.
It's been a long time coming and I'm not sure where it is going to end up.
I've always enjoyed the conversations had AFTER the formal meeting, presentation, or class. Seriously, the best information is exchanged after hours, in the dark, over adult beverages - no surprise.
Great ideas are spawned over libation and debate.
The show will strive to be entertaining and informative with guests within and outside the industry - sometimes on the other side of sanity.
The Greg Walters Show brings top B2B Office Technology Influencers
and personalities to the forefront. In
the self-described cross-style of Johnny Carson, Joe Rogan, and Between Two
Ferns, guests will talk about everything from the latest Business Technology trends
to Tic Toc UFOs.
“I am excited and honored to have such a distinguished list
of guests,” says Greg Walters, “I promise to deliver relevant views and
opinions in an entertaining and informative manner.This is going to be great.”
The overwhelming popularity of live streams continues to
increase as grassroots, end-user-based information and narratives attract more
global viewers.
Here is the published schedule, dates and guests
may change without notice:
The following content was originally published on April 11, 2014, and although extreme, I think it aged well.
Inspired by the Johnny Depp movie, Transcendence. For me, we are on the Edge of the Singularity or Ultimate Convergence. The transition will be immediate - from "off" to "on", like bits, from "0" to "1". The singularity will occur in an instant. Sure there will be warnings, there have been for decades, but when it comes, it will be an institutional
This month marks the 25th anniversary of the addressing vehicle for the internet, the "World Wide Web". The internet, as it is defined, has been around 40 years, created in 1973. The thing is, I don't see the internet surviving another 40, let alone 10 years.
No really, I'm calling it, we are witnessing the very beginning of the Death of the Internet.
It’s an age-old argument. “Without Sales, the lights don’t come on,” says the selling professional. “Without Service, you don’t get a paycheck,” says the seasoned service technician. Who is correct?
I’d like to share ideas about something I haven’t heard anyone address: the relationship between sales reps and your service department — more specifically, how to work with people who service your customers almost every day.
Good friend and colleague, Art Post has a great interview over at ENX. I know the business model at ENX and if Art is getting space, he is worth the listen.
Here is a sample:
Based on your 40-plus years of experience, what do you think are the primary reasons you’ve been able to unseat incumbents and pull off net-new wins?
Post:
"For one, they don’t get enough training or support from their organization. A second thing is one of my biggest pet peeves: work ethic. They simply lack it. Ours is not a nine-to-five job; if you want to make nine-to-five money, go work for a fast food company. In my writing, I like to focus on the three Ds: desire, determination, and dedication. If you’re going to be successful in this business, you need to have the desire to succeed.
You need to be dedicated to continuously learning. And you have to have the determination not to fail. That determination to see something from start to finish and not give up, to not give in.
And I think that’s missing. It’s a reason a lot of good people fail. I believe you can’t teach desire; the desire to be the best is an innate trait salespeople must have in order to make money and succeed.0
It probably applies to the top 20% of salespeople; after all, they say 20% of the salespeople make 80% of the sales."
It was eerie. The Oce office was next to the runway at Ontario Airport, in the IE, SoCali. Our windows overlooked the 10; Southwest planes landing every 10 minutes or so...
Not today. No planes, no cars on the 10, the 91, 55, or 405. For the few of us who did venture out or in, few words.
Watching those planes go, the bodies tumbling, and the towers rumble down, was incredible, heartwrenching, and "...more than anyone of us can bear..."
In the Deep Silence of September 12, the inability to contemplate such an act gave way to anger, then guilt - what could we have done to allow this? How can somebody hate us so very much?
There may or may not have been "weapons of mass destruction" - We didn't care.
The nations states of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan may not have officially condoned - We didn't care.
Allies shaking in their boots, predicting our massive reaction, positing restraint - We didn't care.
In the resolute absence, we wanted 'big holes in the ground' somewhere.
It started that day. The integration of all arms of the military and each intelligence agency. Army, Navy, and Airforce coordinated attacks together - sailors, marines, and soldiers coalesced. FBI deployed overseas, sharing data with the CIA, and military intelligence.
The Patriot Act. Metal detectors, long lines, in our airports, and disappearing receptionists - that's right up until September of 2001, salespeople were greeted(or shunned) by somebody at a desk in the lobby.
Not anymore. Bulletproof glass, cameras, employee phone listing, and a phone waited in front of a locked door.
The times changed.
For over two decades we've seen independence and freedoms eroded in the name of security, in the name of health.
The United States of America has been at war since its inception. Is it because we're inherently evil?
No.
The world has evil in it. The downing of the Towers didn't deliver Evil, it cast light on that forever present force, comfortable in our ignorance.
Today, 21 years later, the impact is felt in every facet of Life - you can almost smell charred remains; hear the distant crash of concrete, glass, and flesh.
For as long as I can remember, I've played this video on 9/11. Super Bowl 2002, months after the attack, our country was numb and jumpy.
Well before self-loathing Americans started calling our movements in the middle-east "invasion" and "occupation", patriotism was on every street corner.
I remember that night; I remember seeing it live. I can't tell you the football teams playing, but I can say it was one of the deepest, most moving TV moments, ever.
U2 - that Irish rock band, stood on the world stage, honoring the greatest country on earth and her fallen citizens. Names float to the sky, as the rousing "Where the Streets Have No Name" beats on. The song, the second of the half-time set, was written about a place without class stigma, where the distinction between religions and income is no more; a World Without Sin?
Bono ends the tune exposing the Stars and Stripes - Triumph.
Here we are, 15 years later - The Twin Towers, replaced by that defiant Freedom Tower, slip deeper into the fog with each passing 911. The threat remains the same, if not more pronounced.
Do you honestly feel safer now than you did that faithful day of empty skies, September 12, 2001?
Day of cogitation: What have we learned?
On this day of reflection, consider not only the ones who've helped you see who you are, but remember the hearts you've "imprinted"; sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, friends, lovers and ex-lovers, customers, and co-workers.
Be gratified knowing you've changed somebody's life for the better - we all have.
Take time to remember those on the 98th floor, at 8:47 AM, sipping a Starbucks, considering a sales forecast or the regret of not saying "I love you, I always will..." on that morning, years ago.
Somehow, working normal hours, fulfilling your responsibilities on a 9-5 schedule, or in the #WFA world is being demonized by corporate America.
To use a common vernacular, the #RTO movement has been weaponized.
If the goals of your job can only be achieved during non-paid, post-regular business hours, your employer is taking advantage of you. - you're not being paid to fall for the "after five is when the real work begins" dogman.
By now, if you have any presence on social media, you probably have heard the name Andrew Tate. To summarize, Tate sticks up for men.
He says being a man has been under attack for decades. He is a showman.
To me, he is part of the social commentary team of men; Jordan Peterson, Steve Harvey, and the like. His opinions and pontifications are not the issues I find interesting.
What I find most intriguing is how Tate has been removed from ALL social media channels.
ALL.
Imagine your organization and the different departments, agendas, opinions, views, and feelings around change. How often do all the decision makers align?
How easy is it to get everyone on the same page? It's like herding cats. But for some reason, Twitter, Instagram, FB, Google, on and on, all these separate companies act as a single brain.
They all banned one person.
"...in order to be able to think you have to risk being offensive..."
I've said it many times, "Nobody grows up wanting to be a copier salesperson...or in sales.' Your sons and daughters do not look up from that Tonka truck and say, "Daddy, someday I want to sell trucks."
Right?
So how did you get into the crazy world of static electricity, fire, and black powder? More importantly,
What can you learn and take with you to your next position?
I like big, loud, powerful American muscle cars - but - that war is lost. This administration has enticed or threatened American auto companies and old Springsteen songs into the historic abyss.
Every shift in technology has collateral damage; from the Luddites of the 19th century to paint booth operators of the 80s - when new tech evolves, labor shifts into other areas.
Railroads, looms, computers, typewriters, newspapers, department stores, shopping malls, Beanie Babies, Saturday Morning cartoons, - gone. Next, the V8, filling stations, and auto dealerships.
That's right, the American staple of automotive nirvana, that one place nobody likes to go, but everyone does, the car dealership follows the internal combustion engine into oblivion.
Dropping river levels in Europe are revealing historical artifacts while here in the States, Lake Mead gave up the remains of five folks 'sleeping with the fishes'.
"Perhaps the most ominous findings are the “hunger stones” etched along the banks of central Europe’s rivers. These inscriptions date back centuries, and generally offer the same message to future generations: “If the water is low enough for you to read this, prepare for pain.”
It's happening. Ignoring reality, the Establishment hierarchies are taking a hard stance with employees pushing return to the office protocols, policies, and edicts.
For all of us providing office technology services, there is nothing more important than getting the workers back in the cubes, back to the office, computer, printer, desk phone, electricity, coffee machines, fax lines, and Wifi. Nothing is more important.
"We're going to get you in here three times a week, at first. You're going to love the new expresso machine and the monthly, themed lunches so much, you'll want your old desk back in no time."
This week, HP hits the market with 23(!) A3(???) devices - in color.
Not to be outdone, Toshiba puts hope in the cloud when it comes to printing.
The Apple Watch continues to help manage your health as Amazon buys big in healthcare.
A convergence of print, telephony, and managed print services for a London firm, Queen sets a record (in records) and here in the US, nobody wants to work on Fridays.
"Both Michels and Kleefisch falsely claimed the 2020 presidential election was rigged, a lie Trump has pushed in an effort to overturn his loss to Joe Biden."
Tell me what's wrong with this sentence from an article in the Press Democrat written by SARA BURNETT AND SCOTT BAUER, AP., regarding the Wisconsin Rep primary -
"Both Michels and Kleefisch falsely claimed the 2020 presidential election was rigged, a lie Trump has pushed in an effort to overturn his loss to Joe Biden."
What two words destroy the journalistic credibility?
I'll answer: "falsely", and "lie".
Here is a better version of this one sentence:
"Both Michels and Kleefisch claimed the 2020 presidential election was rigged, an ARGUMENT Trump has pushed in an effort to overturn his loss to Joe Biden."
Can you feel the neutrality? And I'm not a journalist.
Amplify this by all the channels - social, TV, cable news, print, radio, and other information outlets - and you've got a propaganda machine, not a news service.
There is more.
Inject a narrative into entertainment vehicles - like Star Trek Discovery,A Million Little Things, or Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and you've got an insidious, almost subliminal, indoctrination program that would make Goebbels proud.
No. No. No. #WFH is not casting people out, it is unleashing the most potential possible.
The office is the plantation fields of the 20th century.
His thoughts and words of the past are all now in question - his upbringing sounds like a smorgasbord of villages and communes.
He grew up without "broader anxieties".
Well, get ready for more anxiety than you've ever experienced.
Gladwell, "...the people who have tended to leave are the ones who are the most socially disconnected from their organization, who came into the office the least or who were not based in another city and we hired them largely to do remote work..."
"...it's very hard to feel necessary when you're physically disconnected and ... we Face the battle..."
Mr. Gladwell assumes that getting to the office is desirable. This is not the case, as the current #WFH movement continues to prove.
For the SMB, “How do I sell my stuff now that pricing has increased?” is a classic question, if not a timeless one. In the post-COVID era, rising costs across the board for everyone is the new reality.
First off, we’re all in the same boat when it comes to cost increases so broaching the subject with your prospect should not be a surprise. But in selling, it all comes back to value balanced against “costs.”
Here are some ideas to help you sell higher price.
Acknowledge the issue – internally.
Your prospect is experiencing higher rates everywhere, so you don’t need to mention supply chain issues or rising fuel expenses as it applies to their specific solution. I’m not suggesting you ignore the realities of the economic challenges; rather, it is safe to assume your prospect already knows about rising expenses, so don’t be intimidated about talking about the stressful concepts...
"Five Skills College Students Will Need for Their Future Careers" - WSJ. #Paywall: but come on!
New classes in AI ethics, climate-friendly design and how to be an entrepreneur in the metaverse are coming to campus
No Way is higher education future-ready by promoting TOPICAL curriculum. By the time the TA gets a syllabus together, it is obsolete.
Arm your students by teaching them the basics. Teach them HOW TO LEARN real world, on the street, business acumen, instead of empty course work designed to increase tuition, and sell professor's books.
Maybe the fall semester should include, "How to deal with a Recession.", "How to lay off employees during an economic downturn." or "Keeping the Social and Business Issues Separate."
"What's old is new." A statement uttered by countless generations before and leagues to come. For me, and I am sure many timeline-compatriots, today's world seems eerily reminiscent. Certainly not identical, and more than nostalgic. More like a Renaissance.
Managed Print Services is still alive and experiencing a bump. Partly due to some pent-up demand and a reduction of IT resources.
The demand is provisional. I still believe pivoting into IT services is possible, not strictly because of an existing print-centric relationship as much as the supporting infrastructure of MPS practices is a solid foundation for the transition.
Sales and marketing will shift demographics and talk tracks, but needs assessments and proposals are parallel paths. But again, the demand for IT services has a shelf life.
Consolidation runs rampant, and the larger, establishments remain overconfident in their temporary position.
Smaller, more agile companies bite at their ankles, stirring up turbulence and poised to disrupt the onetime disruptors.
On a more celestial stage, the Webb telescope released stunning photos of our both crowded and sparse galactic neighborhood. The pictures are sure to give a great perspective.
The DOTC Office Technology Partnership Ecosystem continues to grow as we welcome All Associates to the realm. These guys have been measuring office output usage and Running Up That Hill, since the 80s.
Emus, Hybrid Work, Fog Machines, The shoulder of Orion and ITIL/Lifecycle Management...
Walt's Spin
This week Stephen King is Stranger Things, the cost of space flight is dropping, and the Hybrid office is now real because it is a victim of satire. Don't be agnostic, be neutral, when supporting devices; "it's the only way to be sure."
There is more...
Keep your office/disco clean and healthy with a groovy fog machine but never go to war with Emus. Never.
The lowest person on the org chart gets to walk around campus counting IT Assets - by hand. Not the coolest thing in IT. I found something that will help.
Tigerpaw talks, the cost of spaceflight is a victim of gravity, and is Service Now recession-proof?
Cybersecurity is hot, Hybrid eats culture, Apple's 'Lockdown Mode', Elon reduces as rivals pick up his pieces, and 25% of people will spend 1 hour daily in the metaverse by 2026, according to Gartner.
Thank the stars for Sci-Fi goodness; 8 books for the summer.
The summer is in full swing, 170 days away from Christmas. Dark days ahead, stay strong.
The E*Gaming movement is fascinating to me - I started 'late', in 1999, playing Doom, then Quake, and beyond.
In 2001, I was online with other players from around the world - my age group, BTW - it became the 'poker game' of the late 20th century. I dedicated many hours and became good enough to be highly ranked in my 'clan' (Quake PowerWeapons mode). But back then, EGaming as a sport was a pipedream.
Who would watch others play 'video games'? Although our server would only allow 25 players on at a time, a good number of 'Spectators' could join just to watch. And they did.
It was weird, knowing somebody was watching your screen/view as you played - like having a group on your shoulders as you shot your way through the digital landscape(Meta b4 Meta).
In the 2010's I started to play DoD just for fun - it was more difficult and takes a long time to get better.
But then I quit. I slipped back into a WW2 FPS, Day of Defeat after a ten-year hiatus - the same people are playing.
This week, Tigerpaw moves forward, robots are causing stress at the 'Sarah Conner' level, and Zuke tells it like it is, predicting rough waters ahead. Mark my words, Meta, Alphabet, Tesla, Netflix, Disney, Hulu, and dozens of other high-tech darlings will transform beyond relevancy to be replaced by up-and-coming Young Turks.
Studies continue to reveal back to office mandates are harmful and serve only the plantation bosses of the 21st century.
Currently, six out of ten US workers are remote, yet our cousins to the north, Canada, report a mere one out of ten working from home - how very obedient of them.
Trying to understand the brain can be a trippy escapade and big-headed scientists are using data and Psychedelics to help understand what goes on between our ears.
Take a trip and find out.
More DOTC Office Technology Partnership Ecosystem Influencers discovered. This time in the realm of Sales Acquisition. Firms inside and out of the office technology niche contribute to helping sales move with the times and remain rooted in proven, foundational relationship concepts. Turbulence demands smarter, more worldly, selling professionals comfortable with meeting face to face AND nurturing through every channel.
A saddened industry mourns the loss of a Xerox power player - Ichan may leverage to reignite options and opportunities.
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