One of the challenges in dealing with ancillary products and services is that, depending on the category, it can diverge entirely away from the more traditional offerings in a dealer’s arsenal. Most salespeople are entirely comfortable with discussing the core products in their catalog with clients and prospects, but when the offering has its share of esoteric nuances, it is often advisable to have subject-matter experts or third-party support functions that can help complete the sale.
As we continue this month’s State of the Industry overview of ancillary products—a.k.a. hidden gems—we ask our dealer panel about the challenges in scaling and the need for expertise. As the galaxy of office accouterments continues to expand as dealers look to shake their box dependency, the need for expertise becomes even more vital.
As the world of IT is a moving target, with experts continuously enhancing their knowledge font through product and software training, the value proposition can be as much about what you know as it is what you offer. A company such as Impact Networking of Lake Forest, Illinois, continues to enhance its growing reputation in the IT realm. According to Fred Barrioneuvo, the dealer’s emerging technology and AI team lead, underscores the importance of front-line sales staff and the service department to understand the full extent and capabilities that can be realized with advanced analytic solutions.
“Just as important to educate internally, our clients in many cases are looking for education in this space, too,” Barrioneuvo said. “For a lot of them, this is new technology, things they haven’t approached before. We make sure that there’s a really concerted effort to provide workshops, webinars and events where clients can send attendees. We’re helping to educate our own internal staff while doing the same for our clients. Even if they’re not ready for it today, they can understand what’s possible and what they can do in the future.”
Chip Miceli, president and CEO of Pulse Technology in Schaumburg, Illinois, points out that knowledge of a non-traditional offering such as LED walls—a growing area for the dealer—can present challenges. As such, Pulse partners with a company that designs the systems, analyzes the costs and assists with installations—all while Pulse maintains oversight of the process.
“Having someone to partner with in this area has made all the difference,” he said.
Success begins with the sales rep knowing what to say and being able to identify the “buy” signs, notes Erik Crane, president and CEO of CPI Technologies in Springfield, Missouri. Once they hear some of the keywords or phrases, it sets the stage for follow-up inquiries.
It’s very much a team effort. “My IT people are incredibly well-versed and 100% comfortable with product in any environment,” Crane said. “We have third parties help us with installations that do an outstanding job.”
In the world of conversion services, subject-matter experts are an essential ingredient. Christopher Malatesta, senior sales executive for IMR Digital, a division of KDI Office Technology in Aston, Pennsylvania, notes his company has a director of conversion services who provides support to the KDI team. In addition, IMR has sales executives who can also handle accounts virtually.
