Art Post

Cost Per Image, Cost Per Page, Cost Per Copy, Cost Per Print, whatever you call it, it all started with the copier industry. The question above was posed by Greg Walters with a recent thread that was posted on LinkedIn.  I stated the reply of “I do, I do”,  I was that Read More

I’ve been thinking about this for the past week or so. Where is the sizzle for selling Managed IT or BDR (backup disaster recovery)? Selling Managed IT and BDR is boring! As my wife states, “it’s a real snooze!” Where is the sizzle?  Am I missing Read More

Most will say, “Aargghh, it’s way too complicated and I don’t have the time for that. All I want to do is sell and make money or I’m sure the commission report is correct and there’s no need to double check.” Or how about this comment that was once stated Read More

When I first heard about LinkedIn I can remember that LinkedIn was a social site for professionals that would help you advance your career and help with finding new job opportunities. Personally, I enjoy using LinkedIn and I feel that LinkedIn is one of those invaluable resources Read More

I believe I wrote this about four years ago and at that time I never used a real CRM system. Believe me, I fought it tooth and nail, four years later, I can’t operate without it.  If I had once wish for a CRM program it would be that I could have it display a large warning Read More

Since the Giants are getting hammered by the Broncos, and the fact that they will now be 0-2 leaves me with some additional Sunday night time. Thus, I thought I’d bring back this blog from 2010.  Enjoy!  How many calls will it take to get an appointment? It’s a Read More

A Star Trek flick from 1996 had the crew of the Enterprise travel back in time to undermine the Borg attempt to stop Earthlings from making first contact with the Vulcans. The last few days I’ve been busy on the phone prospecting for new accounts, new opportunities, new Read More

(Editor’s note: This is an excerpt of an article that I wrote in 2007 for ENX magazine. It’s just as relevant today as it was then.) If you’re selling imaging technology you don’t need me to tell you how competitive it is out there, especially if you’re in a major market. Even if Read More

If you asked my sales manager, he would probably say NEVER! Many of us know that only the strong (tough minded) will survive more than three years when it comes to selling copiers, printers, and managed print services. Those who survive more than 20 years of selling (not Read More

What started as a great head start for August sales turned into a crap show leading up to the last day of the month for me. I had $36K booked at the end of the first week, thus needing a minimum of $25K seemed like a no brainer, right? Things happen, and I call these conditions Read More

In case you missed the comments for some of last week’s articles, here’s three worth sharing. The first two were in response to the “Off the Record” piece on the manufacturer’s race to zero. The last comment was in response to Art Post’s column, “Copier Scams Part Deux: Dude, Read More

Way back when in 1986 I went into business for myself at the ripe age of 29. I had been selling copiers for a Minolta dealer in central New Jersey since 1982, and by 1986 the owner was in a divorce, hooked on other stuff and the business just didn’t open one day and the Read More

I ran across yet another scam from a copier dealer. First let me point out that 99.9 percent of the dealers out there are great at what they do and great to do business with. However in any industry there are always a few bottom feeders that go to any length to fatten their Read More

What does Priport mean or what possessed Ricoh to choose the name Priport?  If I had to choose a name for a high-speed duplicator I would have chosen something like DocuPress, Image Print or DupliPress many years ago. In the last few months I’ve been able to learn more Read More

Last week I scheduled an appointment with one of my prospects to go see a Plockmatic Booklet Maker in action at an existing account. The existing account is one of those accounts that, how can I say, was a little tardy on keeping up with agreements and had to go and find supplies Read More