Ideally, we would have engaged Tony Robbins to speak to you about potential, success in business and striving to find your better self. It doesn’t take Robbins, one of the most recognizable motivational speakers of the last 20 years, to help shed some light on how to enhance your B2B relationships. Plus, we couldn’t afford him, anyway.
Fortunately, as part of the January State of the Industry report on trends and predictions, we asked our panelists to perform a little self-introspection. And while the man dubbed by Fortune magazine as the “CEO Whisperer” would certainly have drawn a crowd, it doesn’t mean we can’t get to the heart of what can make you (and your company) a better business partner in 2025. As you read these individual reflections, it might be productive for you to consider the same question while formulating your 2025 business plan. The answer just may surprise you.
This will be the first of a two-part feature, with more analysis on tap next week. These will be chosen at random, as opposed to your company’s role within the industry.
Jim Hawkins, Toshiba: For us to remain an elite business partner, we need to continue aligning with the needs of our dealers, and those needs will vary. Those who want to diversify will find a full kit of resources and access to experts from us to do so. Those who want to drive more demand will see greater sales and marketing support from us. And those who need help with hiring/retention will find education and HR resources available to them.
Laura Blackmer, Konica Minolta: It’s continuing to help dealers invest in their own organization’s skills, marketing efforts and/or product offerings.
For those dealers who are diversifying their portfolios through production print, we need to provide the right support to ensure they have the ability to build out solutions-focused demo rooms, get training for sales and technicians and the right partnerships for installations.
As we have done in the past, we will continue to help dealers invest in their local communities and in philanthropic activities.
Casey Lowery, Applied Innovation: I like to think that we already do a pretty good job, but we are putting a big focus on first call effectiveness this year to deliver even better service.
Evelyn Pichardo, Brother International: We must deeply understand our channel partners’ pain points and provide simplified, flexible and easily implemented programs. Our professional services team should continue to deploy complex solutions using business analytics and physical audits to help build long-term customer relationships.
Offering customizable MPS programs will empower customers to meet their business goals. If we continue these achievements, we will position ourselves as trusted partners, driving mutual success in the new year.
Brent Martin, Arlington: Focus on an enhanced customer experience. Understanding our customers’ challenges and providing solutions at our disposal to enhance their offering to their end-users. At the same time, we are seeking opportunities in new vertical markets that fit our distribution model and provide us with diverse solutions for tomorrow.
Jim Coriddi, Ricoh: Ricoh has always strived to be the number-one partner for our Ricoh Dealers and we are laser focused on their success. It is critical that we continue to partner and work together on how to further improve efficiencies, streamline customer communications and lead in areas of growth. Success in this industry cannot be achieved alone and transparency is key.
Jose Estebanez, Kyocera: Embrace ECM, cloud printing, and digitization to meet evolving customer needs. Focus on building partnerships that prioritize mutual growth and innovation. Offer consultative support to help businesses navigate technological and workflow transitions.
Tim Renegar, Kelly Office Solutions: We will become a better business partner by streamlining our operations and making ourselves more efficient in everything we do. By getting all our systems at maximum efficiency our customer and employees experience a more seamless transaction and a higher satisfaction with their experience.
Chip Miceli, Pulse Technology: Sales today are more about relationships and less transactional. Sales people who understand this will do well, as will the companies they work for. We always keep this top of mind in recruiting talent and will continue to do so in the new year.
Clark Bugg, Lexmark: At Lexmark, we understand the key trends shaping the future of the office technology channel market, and how to help dealerships thrive while providing a seamless customer experience. These include leveraging cloud services, developing industry-specific solutions, harnessing AI and data analytics, and prioritizing security at every touchpoint. These trends will remain top-of-mind focus areas for Lexmark in 2025 and beyond.
Stu Wise, United Business Technologies: Continuous improvement with talent and process will make us a better partner. We have invested heavily in new administrative and operational talent to support our sales effort and customers. We have consciously and very deliberately added new talent that possesses a skill set that includes creativity in thought, energy in their actions, strong technical aptitude, and above average communication skills. Attracting and keeping this talent will make us better and ultimately serve our prospects/customers better!
