Network security is currently one of the most important deliverables clients need. With businesses like AWS leading the way, rendering the argument against cloud-based services invalid, cloud services should likewise be a strong consideration. For businesses across all markets today, business continuity is an escalating concern, with cybersecurity, ransomware and disaster recovery strategies topping the list of key concerns growth-oriented companies face when it comes to protecting their data. Likewise, the scalable and mobile opportunities presented by cloud-based software and mobile applications allow for new levels of data control and storage, whether a private hosted environment, or hybrid cloud landscape is the preference.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Depositphotos_12052809_original.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Without posing too much of a gamble, security and cloud solutions should have a strong place in your business\u2019 future. However, you must consider how you will differentiate your company from the competition.<\/p>\n
I love talking with dealers across our industry as they share their thoughts about leading edge secrets and what\u2019s trending. As you can imagine, some are simply catching up to the rest of the pack and offer nothing new at all. I hate to sound like a broken record, but, where someone is successfully driving innovation, it\u2019s almost always because of intense research and planning.<\/p>\n
If you CAN invest in market research and zero in on the leading edge of any successful trend, you\u2019re more likely to come out the other end extremely profitable and ahead of the crowd.<\/p>\n
So the real question is, are you a trendsetter?<\/strong><\/p>\n Business owners often ask me, \u201cWhere is our industry going, Charles, what trends do you see?\u201d The hard part about sharing trends is that what you\u2019re really sharing is historical data. It\u2019s easy to look at one\u2019s relationships and see how they\u2019re progressing, but most trends are based on things that have already happened. If I were to identify for you a prevailing \u201csuccessful\u201d trend, could YOUR company pull it off? For that answer, one must consider the many variables to execution.<\/p>\n Somewhere, somehow you have to learn what YOUR MARKET needs and consider where your strengths are as a business. What does your market place want from your company? Who is your primary target? Also, equally important today, what demographics (age) are you serving? The younger generations\u2019 life experiences and expectations will be completely different than the baby boomer generation. Millennials, for example, expect a mobile experience, with intuitive, flexible tools and platforms that allow for 24\/7 productivity, as well as real-time analytics and customer-centric dashboards. After all, most have grown up with technology at their fingertips and they anticipate an immediate response or action, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s too much of a stretch to believe that as they transition into leadership roles, they\u2019ll expect technology to serve differently. So, demographics ARE important.<\/p>\n Another aspect to consider is the \u201cfree app\u201d or \u201conly pay for what you use\u201d mentality. Those selling technology in the future, will have to consider these expectations more than ever. A model that delivers comprehensive technology as a service, whatever the need, is more attractive. I\u2019ve seen this trend growing in some markets; it\u2019s a competitive advantage for sure. Remember your advantage wins only as long as it\u2019s unique.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not built on a financial agreement term for 36 or 60 months where the client is trapped into a contract. It\u2019s based on the ups and downs of business and as you grow, or God forbid shrink, your technology, requirements do also, and without a penalty. It\u2019s the value of CHANGE, not being trapped with the wrong technology and having to wait for a completed term to alter or correct your path. With this flexibility, it becomes a more attractive program, something that\u2019s easy to say yes to \u2013 something that is scalable and capable of growing with a business as requirements demand. As the business changes, so does the technology configuration and cost. Everything is designed to make your client successful and to match their need for performance, without a major rebuild or approval process. This can make clients very sticky as the possible constant change keeps you fully engaged with their senior management.<\/p>\n So, it\u2019s a great idea, right? You have to really nail down your plan to make this a success. How are you going to pay your sales team on a no-commitment solution, that can shrink as well as grow? That is a big, BIG unknown and I\u2019ve yet to see a sales compensation plan that really satisfies its delivery.<\/p>\n Can You Say Trouble?<\/strong><\/p>\n Imagine putting a large technology program in place with a client and then paying your sales rep the appropriate compensation. Six months later, the floor drops in that client\u2019s industry, and they need you to pull back a significant portion of your solution. Now imagine that your market has a fair amount of clients in that same vertical and they all need that same adjustment! Can you say trouble? What if it\u2019s not limited to a single industry, but it\u2019s based on a declining economy? Get the picture?<\/p>\n This \u201cpay for what you need only\u201d flexibility can create a significant competitive advantage, but it does have some associated risk, and some might say significant risk. With a proper go-to-market plan you would mitigate that risk with a product mix strategy assuring that only the right amount of flex programs are consummated. Without a safety net, if the bottom does fall out, you could be stuck. Still, I think it\u2019s a trend you shouldn\u2019t ignore and should consider, as a strong contender, and most likely there is a workable sales comp model.<\/p>\n Just a quick thought on a possible compensation strategy that could work with the flexible \u2018pay for what you need only\u2019 technology model. You\u2019ll have to create a rolling inbound revenue review each month, where your sales rep is compensated for their monthly-billed revenue\/profit total. This helps keep them interested in growing their inbound monthly revenue\/profit and expanding every client relationship.<\/p>\n Whether or not you agree with my thoughts on the flexible technology trend, you probably agree that a value proposition that sounds exactly like 50 other competitors, has no way to move your business to the \u2018front of the pack.\u2019 That will only begin happening when you\u2019re offering unique values and deliverables that match your target\u2019s needs and concerns.<\/p>\n So, ask yourself…are you a trendsetter?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Any fast wind out of the north can propel a new trend. Trends are often created by accident when a business stumbles into a unique way of delivering solutions or recognizes inefficiency and take the time to get a little inventive. Knowing what trend to follow can be a little like reading tea leaves \u2013 and just as accurate. Who knows if it\u2019s real and worth the investment to go all in when evaluating an emerging trend? Talk to any dealer today and they\u2019ll tell you their opinion of where the industry is going. Their beliefs are usually based upon some current success they\u2019re experiencing within the company. If you\u2019re leaning on a colleague\u2019s opinion of what\u2019s trending, be careful, many trends are regional, but real trends sweep across the country as word of mouth spreads about how to drive success. In our industry, believe it or not, many are just now discovering Managed Print Services, and they say it is the future. It might be for them, but as you know, many dealers have long since progressed well beyond MPS. Others believe that IT and or managed services are the future, but those who started in that space, who don\u2019t sell copiers, know the challenges that exist there. So where is our industry going and what products or services are trending? Network security is currently one of the most important deliverables clients need. With businesses like AWS leading the way, rendering the argument against cloud-based services invalid, cloud services should likewise be a strong consideration. For businesses across all markets today, business continuity is an escalating concern, with cybersecurity, ransomware and disaster recovery strategies topping the list of key concerns growth-oriented companies face when it comes to protecting their data. Likewise, the scalable and mobile opportunities presented by cloud-based software and mobile applications allow for new levels of data control and storage, whether a private hosted environment, or hybrid cloud landscape is the preference. Without posing too much of a gamble, security and cloud solutions should have a strong place in your business\u2019 future. However, you must consider how you will differentiate your company from the competition. I love talking with dealers across our industry as they share their thoughts about leading edge secrets and what\u2019s trending. As you can imagine, some are simply catching up to the rest of the pack and offer nothing new at all. I hate to sound like a broken record, but, where someone is successfully driving innovation, it\u2019s almost always because of intense research and planning. If you CAN invest in market research and zero in on the leading edge of any successful trend, you\u2019re more likely to come out the other end extremely profitable and ahead of the crowd. So the real question is, are you a trendsetter? Business owners often ask me, \u201cWhere is our industry going, Charles, what trends do you see?\u201d The hard part about sharing trends is that what you\u2019re really sharing is historical data. It\u2019s easy to look at one\u2019s relationships and see how they\u2019re progressing, but most trends are based on things that have already happened. If I were to identify for you a prevailing \u201csuccessful\u201d trend, could YOUR company pull it off? For that answer, one must consider the many variables to execution. Somewhere, somehow you have to learn what YOUR MARKET needs and consider where your strengths are as a business. What does your market place want from your company? Who is your primary target? Also, equally important today, what demographics (age) are you serving? The younger generations\u2019 life experiences and expectations will be completely different than the baby boomer generation. Millennials, for example, expect a mobile experience, with intuitive, flexible tools and platforms that allow for 24\/7 productivity, as well as real-time analytics and customer-centric dashboards. After all, most have grown up with technology at their fingertips and they anticipate an immediate response or action, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s too much of a stretch to believe that as they transition into leadership roles, they\u2019ll expect technology to serve differently. So, demographics ARE important. Another aspect to consider is the \u201cfree app\u201d or \u201conly pay for what you use\u201d mentality. Those selling technology in the future, will have to consider these expectations more than ever. A model that delivers comprehensive technology as a service, whatever the need, is more attractive. I\u2019ve seen this trend growing in some markets; it\u2019s a competitive advantage for sure. Remember your advantage wins only as long as it\u2019s unique. It\u2019s not built on a financial agreement term for 36 or 60 months where the client is trapped into a contract. It\u2019s based on the ups and downs of business and as you grow, or God forbid shrink, your technology, requirements do also, and without a penalty. It\u2019s the value of CHANGE, not being trapped with the wrong technology and having to wait for a completed term to alter or correct your path. With this flexibility, it becomes a more attractive program, something that\u2019s easy to say yes to \u2013 something that is scalable and capable of growing with a business as requirements demand. As the business changes, so does the technology configuration and cost. Everything is designed to make your client successful and to match their need for performance, without a major rebuild or approval process. This can make clients very sticky as the possible constant change keeps you fully engaged with their senior management. So, it\u2019s a great idea, right? You have to really nail down your plan to make this a success. How are you going to pay your sales team on a no-commitment solution, that can shrink as well as grow? That is a big, BIG unknown and I\u2019ve yet to see a sales compensation plan that really satisfies its delivery. Can You Say Trouble? Imagine putting a large technology program in place with a client and then paying your sales rep the appropriate compensation. Six months later, the floor drops in that client\u2019s industry, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[237],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27427"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27427"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27431,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27427\/revisions\/27431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Depositphotos_106575956_original.jpg\")
<\/p>\n