After experiencing master service providers first hand as the COO with a very successful managed IT security and services firm, I wanted to share some thoughts regarding how I see the future of these providers. First, I must say that I am not a fan or proponent of outsourcing to Read More

Last year, when I produced a video describing the Staples/DEX Imaging scenario, many people said it would never happen. But to envision that scenario, it was just a matter of using some imagination. In our industry, it’s imperative for leaders to use the power of their own Read More

Well, it’s not just office supply and print service resellers who are witnessing changes which pose both opportunities and threats to their status quo. When Sycamore Partners, the private equity firm who owns Staples, bought the office supply wholesaler Essendant, many office Read More

Well, it happened: some pioneers in the print industry are delivering an as-a-Service model. The participants of the imaging channel must respond and deliver print equipment, its supplies, parts and labor to repair in this as-a-Service model. It’s a fixed cost for a product Read More

Many people ask me where I see the copy/print industry in the future. To answer that, we must first define what we mean by “future.” I see the future as a constant journey towards relevance. As we witness the world’s many technology advances over time, we must agree that Read More

An ancient Latin saying is “caveat emptor,” meaning “let the buyer beware.” Before you buy into the hopes of high volume based on marketing strategies, let’s look at the data (real world numbers) and hopefully this will motivate you to look at your own data and get a better Read More

“The customers you once caught are now hunting for your replacement. That is my explanation of the Push-Economy becoming the Pull-Economy.” — Ray Stasieczko How will customer relationships change? Here’s my thinking. In the product-pushing sales environment of the past, the Read More

I had the privilege to spend two years working with a managed IT security and services organization as its vice president/COO. So, now let me say this to all those reading. Profit success in managed IT services is not about being the greatest sales organization; instead, it’s Read More

During the transformation of a business or industry, it’s important to understand both the cost of inaction and the cost to respond. Many organizations plan their path forward; they determine a budget, put together a proforma, assign the team and move forward enthusiastically. Read More

The moat around the castle was deep and wide. Those who lived inside the walls of the castle felt safe; they thought no one could or would dare attempt to destroy them. They never calculated the threat inside the castle. Like a castle, a business has its moats and walls, Read More

“Zombie management is when old bad management habits you once killed with improvement have come back to life.” When you know the old way is no longer relevant, why insist on allowing the old irrelevant ways to continue coming back to life? Like you would kill a Zombie, it’s time Read More

Taking control of operating costs has never been more critical to the future success of the office technology channel, providing the needed resources for budgeting their growth to continuous relevancy. Dealers who sell in the channel understand the need to diversify. They Read More

The pull economy is gaining momentum across many industries. When will the office technology channel be impacted? Let’s go back in time to when copying and print usage was growing. Everybody was printing everything. The information one read was on paper; back then things just Read More

All service providers pride themselves on their service department’s FCE (First-Call Effectiveness). However, many don’t know their FCE percentage and others aren’t sure how to calculate their FCE properly, or worse they are informed by consultants who lower the standards Read More

Why doesn’t the office technology channel’s owners and leaders pay sales reps $250,000 salaries with no accountability or quotas? Why do dealerships have millions in obsolete parts, spend millions on repairs and supplies, have a First Call Effectiveness (FCE) rate of less than 72 Read More