Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay in the estimation of Kevin Jackson. And that’s just fine with the president and CEO of Advanced Business Equipment (ABE) of Asheville, North Carolina. In a year that proved to be the most taxing in the company’s 44-year history, AI galloped into its operations on a white steed and forever changed the way ABE attacks the market from a sales standpoint. Jackson, for one, believes the best may be yet to come as the technology further penetrates ABE and its client base.
Primarily a carrier of Konica Minolta and Canon technology, ABE set out to discover more effective ways to engage clients and prospects and not only go wider with existing accounts but also ferret out the always-desired net-new opportunities. Tapping into its relationship with Konica Minolta, ABE contracted with sales training specialist Butler Street to help account representatives leverage the power of generative AI, namely ChatGPT. The training enabled ABE reps to better harness available information on accounts, devise more targeted inquiries, elevate the tone and sophistication of client communications and map out a cadence for subsequent touch points.
ABE has enjoyed a noticeable uptick in appointment scheduling via the enhanced strategy. It’s delivered a stem-to-stern solution package, right down to overcoming client objections. In fact, the reps can role play an appointment with ChatGPT 4.0, using the verbal sparring session to anticipate and address client objections.
AI has the potential to completely reimagine a dealer’s sales program, and Jackson is a staunch advocate for the technology. “It’s really helped us in all areas of the sales process,” he noted. “It’s drastically improved drafting professional and efficient email and voice mail scripts, providing a more meaningful dialog with nonprofits, churches and real estate clients. You can enter the customer’s website address into ChatGPT, which then provides relevant content that reps can discuss. They can customize the touch point to get the client’s attention. It provides fresh ideas and a different approach.
“ChatGPT is really a virtual sales manager attached to your phone. It can help reps restructure a conversation and role play the appointment, offering meaningful objections they will likely need to overcome to close the deal. We’ve really enjoyed engaging with the technology,” he noted.
Launch Point
ABE was founded by Jackson’s father, Harry, in 1981. Like most dealers during that period, it offered primarily calculators and typewriters. When Kevin took the helm in 2008, it was the outset of a technology revolution that would eventually lead ABE into wide-format, VoIP, smart boards, LED posters, scanners and finishing equipment. The dealer services the needs of nonprofits and churches as well as the education, financial, health care, legal and real estate verticals, among others. Its geographic target is a 90-minute radius around its two core markets—Asheville, North Carolina and Greenville, South Carolina—covering 25 counties in all.
ABE was enjoying a tremendous 2024 until Hurricane Helene slammed the southeast (see sidebar). Even with the storm leaving a nasty skid mark across Q4 financials, ABE finished the year with a flourish that carried into January. Interestingly, the dealer benefitted from 39% growth with its wide-format unit placements (courtesy of Canon and KIP), as well as solid growth with VoIP phone solutions. The core MFP business remains strong, aided by a boost from service billing and a focus on growing the base of net-new accounts.
ABE has offered wide-format technology for 20 years. KIP was the longtime vendor of choice, but Canon gear such as the 63” roll-to-roll Colorado has provided increased access into AEC, CRD, manufacturing environments and in-plants in need of high-end window graphics, floor signage, car wraps and multi-layer printing. That also opens the door to furnishing substrates, ink and service revenue. Jackson is leaning toward the addition of the Canon Arizona flatbed printer as well, which he feels can be a growth catalyst for 2025.
The diversity of ABE’s product and service offerings aligns with Jackson’s quest to bring more value to clients and have the ammunition to provide subsequent solutions. “We’ve always been very aggressive when it comes to asking good questions, finding out what clients need and then spending the time to engage with the right partner to bring it to market,” Jackson noted. “I spend a lot of time on our go-to-market strategy and vendor relationships. I’m very involved on the sell side of the business and try to keep a close connection with the customer and the market and figure out the pain points. In the end, we’re problem solvers.”
Enabling account reps to elevate their game stands as the crowning achievement for ABE. They’re invested in the AI technology; each rep has a monthly subscription for the higher tier ChatGPT version, and it’s $20 well spent. While not a significant expense, it does allow the reps to have some skin in the game, according to Jackson.
“The reps quickly saw the value in generative AI, how it can speed up their day and allow them to respond faster,” he noted.
Road Warriors
Within the same vein is ABE’s addition of mobile CRM systems, allowing account reps to access client data and update records while on the road. It’s another tool in bolstering responsiveness and allowing sales reps to keep their feet moving while enjoying the same CRM experience they’d have in the office.
“We’ve got tens of thousands of contacts within our CRM, so there’s no ‘cold calling’ that we’re doing,” Jackson added. “It’s more of a warm call that’s good for new reps to pick up where the last person left off. And if a client isn’t in the CRM, they can be added within seconds. They can push the CRM right into their Outlook calendar and it populates all the client’s information.”
ABE boasts a tightly knit culture that’s positive and supportive while truly valuing employees. The company’s leadership team regularly touches base with the crew of 30-plus team members to ensure they have the tools and training to drive both individual and team success. ABE is a customer-centric business renowned for quality service and customer satisfaction, Jackson notes, and team members take great pride in fostering that success.
Jackson, too, loves being a cog in helping deliver desired outcomes. “If the customer is thriving, then we’re thriving, and it brings me joy in knowing we’re part of their success,” he said. “Businesses depend on us to keep their core technology up and running so that they can focus on their own growth and not be distracted with office technology that isn’t performing.”
Limitless Potential
Moving forward, what Jackson finds most enticing is the possibilities that AI could offer for the dealers as well as their customers. One of his goals for 2025 is finding new ways to integrate AI with sales and service operations to bolster loyalty and the customer experience. Jackson firmly believes AI can change the way businesses think about office efficiency, and he’s keen on ensuring ABE remains ahead of the pack in delivering that level of solution.
Beyond AI, Jackson is banking on growth with production print and net-new major/high volume accounts to help drive service revenue. If wide-format units can produce another boost in the range of 40% to augment the consistency of MFP sales, ABE should be able to continue its upward trajectory.
“Success, for me, is all about market share,” he said. “I’m excited to see if AI is truly something the dealer community can embrace and bring to market. We might not yet know exactly what it will look like. But AI is here and every business is going to need some form of it and get it from someone. We’ve got the relationships and the market share, so if we can make it easier for clients to eliminate some of the mundane and monotonous tasks and focus on more meaningful work, that will be a win-win for everybody.”
Beyond Destruction, Hurricane Helene Brings Out the Best in ABE and the Dealer Community
The beauty of living in and around the Blue Ridge Mountains, beyond the breathtaking vistas, is the knowledge that they provide insulation from many weather events, including hurricanes and tornados. When hurricanes creep up from the Gulf of Mexico, 99% of them dissipate by the time they reach the mountain region, notes Kevin Jackson, president and CEO of Advanced Business Equipment (ABE) of Asheville, North Carolina.
drove to Advanced Business Equipment
with much-needed supplies
But when Hurricane Helene struck Asheville and the Carolinas on Sept. 27, 2024, communities were caught flat-footed, according to Jackson. There had been little to no warning. It had rained incessantly in a two-day lead-up to Helene, saturating the ground and maxing out river levels. The hurricane’s 100 mph winds, accompanied by equally rare tornados, devastated Asheville and nearby communities. Docile creeks were transformed into raging rapids. Tree damage was unprecedented. More than half of the nearly 250 dead or missing hurricane victims were from the Tar Heel State, and damages totaled nearly $60 billion.
“It was horrific and unpredictable,” Jackson noted. “And the amount of debris and trees that came down is really unimaginable.”
damage to an office machine
From the end of September until early November, Jackson’s life centered almost entirely on aiding with cleanup and helping the community, ABE’s employees and clients—not to mention his own family. When he wasn’t cutting down trees, he was sourcing gasoline, water and food. He tapped into his own resources to help locate trucks and equipment. He brought a portable bathroom trailer to ABE. A tanker truck of gas helped fill the automobiles of its team members. Water tanks were brought in to mitigate one of the greatest areas of need for employees. Jackson delivered generators to his team; for many, power wasn’t restored until November.
It would be four weeks before Jackson would have a regular work day. ABE was truly living in two contrasting worlds: Asheville was ravaged, and communicating with friends and team members was difficult, as many cell towers were down. However, in the dealer’s second base of operations in Greenville, South Carolina, it was business as usual.
Endless Toiling
The constant digging out gave the impression there was no end in sight for the cleanup. “The tough part was, no matter what you did all day, you’d look around and feel like nothing was getting accomplished,” Jackson admitted. “I think I’m helping, but am I really having any kind of impact? It was 16-hour days, 7 days a week. I just kept moving at the highest rate of speed possible to help as many people as I could while trying to balance the business.”
A number of ABE’s customers were totally wiped out, and Jackson was able to snap some photos of client MFPs caked in mud and crushed by ceilings. Along with the hurricane-created river that cut through the center of a main street, it made for surreal scenes.
Jackson is quick to point out that he wasn’t the only person operating at full tilt in the days and weeks ahead. ABE employees were significant contributors to the recovery process. And the response from the industry was truly heartening: manufacturer Konica Minolta and fellow dealer Shore Business Solutions sent down truckloads of supplies. Peer groups mobilized to donate tens of thousands of dollars to make sure ABE’s workers would receive a paycheck. Lessees GreatAmerica Financial Services and DLL were critical in helping clients get through the insurance process as quickly as possible to aid in the resumption of business operations.
“It really demonstrated the resilience and dedication of the ABE team, the vendor partners, my fellow dealer communities and the clients,” Jackson noted. “It really took all hands on deck to stabilize the community. It was gratifying seeing my kids step up and help their neighbors. We were going door to door to ask neighbors how we could help them. Everybody pitched in to help one another, and that’s what community is all about.”
ABE is back to 100% from an operating standpoint. Some clients lost everything, and the once-thriving tourism community in Asheville was absolutely devastated. The dealer was fortunate in that it didn’t have a large percentage of business concentrated in any one or two sectors. Asheville is a strong community, and in time, Jackson expects it to bounce back stronger than before. But even with the massive clean-up effort, much work remains to be done.
Silver Linings
One of the few positives to emerge from the experience was an appreciation for having a backup/disaster recovery plan. It’s also important to maintain cloud solutions for as much of the operations as possible to enable access to business-critical applications. The experience also ensures that the people who endured it will forever have an appreciation for the basic needs that are taken for granted, such as electricity, running water and Wi-Fi connectivity.
“It was definitely a life-changing experience, but I hope to never go through anything like it again,” he added. “Still, it showed us what community, partnership and teamwork are all about.”
