While the length of any sales process is difficult to pin down, many of our dealers participating in this month’s State of the Industry report on production print agree that given a number of variables inherent in vetting a solution, it tends to take somewhat longer than an MFP sale, for example. Just how long, and why, constitute the talking points in this week’s look at production print, and we’ve tacked on the adjacent role that manufacturers play in cultivating a successful sale.
A carefully cultivated process can sometimes result in a sales cycle that can last between six months and a year, according to Ray Bullins, production print and business solutions manager for Systel Business Equipment of Fayetteville, North Carolina. He feels every production print overture should begin with a business discussion.
“Far too many vendors are concerned with making a sale rather than listening to customers and providing them with a solution that meets their needs and improves their business,” Bullins said. “Production Print equipment is more complex due to the multitude of feeding finishing options, as well as caveats in regards to substrates, page counts and complexities of the finished piece.”
Bullins points out that the best solutions result from working with specialists to understand the entire document cycle, including how they are received, proofed and delivered. “By understanding the document cycle, we are able to explore job ticketing, variable data packages, augmented reality, document composition and recomposition,” he added. “The printer is just a small piece of the whole. A quality production print program should be able to understand the complexities that customers are facing from beginning to end, and have the expertise to streamline workflow processes and improve time to market.”
Chip Miceli, president and CEO of Pulse Technology in Schaumburg, Illinois, believes the cycle for production equipment is longer than MPS programs, as MPS is more prevalent within the industry than production. Thus, while MPS can benefit nearly every business or organization, production occupies more of a niche in the industry.
As for manufacturer support, Miceli sees it being fairly mandatory, especially from Pulse’s standpoint. “We do look for OEM support in print production, and one reason why is the (EFI) Fiery organization is not affiliated with Sharp, so that to design and develop a print production system requires the involvement of Fiery as well as a manufacturer such as Sharp, and that can take longer to facilitate,” he stressed.
Competitive Considerations
One of the benefits to the sales cycle is that it mirrors MFP engagements, as prospects typically have a competitive lease expiring or the salesperson has been able to uncover an application, notes Josh Salkin, a partner with Atlanta-based EDGE Business Systems. In that case, it’s up to the account representative to extol the virtues of bringing work in-house as opposed to outsourcing it.
This is also when manufacturer partners can really shine for the dealer. “We have tremendous support from both Canon and Xerox production teams with virtual demos, onsite client visits, running samples and competitive analysis,” Salkin said.
OEM representatives provide the necessary product and solution collaboration to facilitate business for Fisher’s Technology. Eric Taylor, production print specialist for the Boise, Idaho-based dealer, notes that due to business being conducted in a virtual fashion, having access to OEM virtual showrooms makes it possible to demonstrate more options than can be accomplished with the dealer’s facilities.
“The demonstration of the equipment and its capabilities seem to be more important to production print than copiers and MFPs,” Taylor added, noting the sales cycle is longer when dealing with PSPs as opposed to its real estate and religious clients, which tend to track similarly to MFP cycles.
Deal Maker
While Advanced Imaging Solutions (AIS) of Minnetonka, Minnesota, generally sees a longer sales cycle for production gear, MFPs are often multi-quote scenarios with multiple vendors in play, lending itself to lowest-price considerations. Whereas many customers do not need to see MFPs in action, the on premise demonstration for production can speed the time to signing while eliminating the low-cost suitors, according to Stephanie Keating Phillips, director of solutions.
“In the production world, depending on the needs of the client, there are fewer competitors,” she said. “Most production clients want to see jobs run on whatever device you are proposing, with their stock and their files, which means a demo. Most demos turn into additional demos and questions based on output.”
Manufacturers don’t play a role in the sales process for AIS, unless the product is new to the market or has yet to be released. “We pride ourselves on being extremely self-reliant in selling whatever the product may be,” she added.
While Totowa, New Jersey-based Docutrend finds the traditional production print sales cycle to be no longer than many of its MFP counterparts, the process does contain a few more steps, notes Richard Ostrowski, professional services manager. The production conversation differs from MFPs in analysis, proof of concept and sample generation, according to Ostrowski.
