{"id":54726,"date":"2023-04-13T14:28:43","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T21:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=54726"},"modified":"2023-04-13T14:34:04","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T21:34:04","slug":"a-tearful-farewell-to-copystar-dealer-resellers-weigh-in-on-the-brands-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/uncategorized\/2023\/04\/a-tearful-farewell-to-copystar-dealer-resellers-weigh-in-on-the-brands-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tearful Farewell to Copystar? Dealer Resellers Weigh in on the Brand\u2019s Retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Last week, Kyocera Document Solutions America announced it was retiring its Copystar brand. It had long been a sales division, offering Kyocera-manufactured devices under the Copystar flag. It will sail off into the sunset on June 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During last year\u2019s Kyocera REIMAGINE dealer event in San Antonio, Kyocera President and CEO Oscar S\u00e1nchez and a panel of the OEM\u2019s executives didn\u2019t exactly issue a vote of confidence for Copystar\u2019s future. Last week\u2019s reveal was just another step in the manufacturer\u2019s ongoing strategy first outlined in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the dealer\u2019s point of view, the Copystar demise did not elicit a somber candle-lighting sendoff. We checked in with some Copystar resellers to get their impression on what the move will mean for reselling exclusively under the Kyocera flag. The fact is, most of the dealers we surveyed welcomed the move, including some of the biggest Copystar resellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Joe Blatchford, Image 2000<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chief among the top-performing Copystar dealers is Image 2000 of Valencia, California, a 20-plus-year partner. During that time, CEO Joe Blatchford trained his reps in explaining the so-called differences between Kyocera and Copystar, using the analogy of General Motors owning the GMC and Chevrolet automotive makes (which had models that, for a time, were largely indiscernible).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other than converting contracts to Kyocera, Blatchford is largely unfazed by the move. He does feel it will benefit smaller dealers who have long been pigeonholed as second-tier resellers who could not qualify as Kyocera dealers. Blatchford notes they will now be able to enjoy the benefits of a dealer council, which Copystar did not have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe result should be better equality for all Kyocera dealers regardless of whether you are Kyocera or Copystar,\u201d he added. \u201cI think it is the right move and it comes at the right time. There is no reason anymore to have two brands. I would imagine the economy of scale will much greater with one line.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Chelsey Bode, PKT<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pearson-Kelly Technology (PKT) has been a Copystar dealer since 2007. CEO Chelsey Bode feels the decision was a long time coming, and it won\u2019t have any impact on her firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt does streamline some of their processes,\u201d Bode said. \u201cBoth Kyocera and Copystar have had the same support people in our market, so it\u2019s been weird to me that they have had different brands but managed the two with the same pre-sales and post-sales support people. Sure, I get that they wanted to gain more market share by having two brands, but I\u2019m not sure they went about it the best way when compared to other manufacturers with a similar strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bode pointed out that while some dealers depend on the strength of brand alignment, PKT doesn\u2019t use OEM logos on its website, business cards or marketing materials. PKT promotes people first, company second and product last, she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s PKT\u2019s job to select the best partners to address clients\u2019 pain points and ultimately get them to their desired outcomes,\u201d she said. \u201cIf a brand becomes stale or the partnership becomes weak, we realign our focus to find a better partner.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jim George, Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jim George, president of Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises in Cincinnati, commended the move, which he thought was a wise decision that will enable Kyocera to lower its marketing outlay. \u201cKyocera has a more valuable and recognizable name in the industry than Copystar,\u201d he said. \u201cAll in all, I applaud the move as I have with other manufacturers that have done the same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Chip Miceli, Pulse Technology<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One dealer in the \u201cmuch ado about nothing\u201d camp is Chip Miceli, CEO of Pulse Technology in Schaumburg, Illinois. Aside from more dealers offering the Kyocera brand, he doesn\u2019t envision it materially impacting business. In fact, despite the fact that Pulse has been a Copystar dealer for 15 years, the move will be completely opaque to end-users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe funny thing is, we sell mostly the A4, which does not have the Copystar name on it,\u201d Miceli noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If any dealer has the right to be just a little sentimental, it\u2019s Blatchford. After all, during the past 10 years, Image 2000\u2019s Copystar sales exceeded those of the number two through ten resellers combined, he noted. Copystar employees always treated Blatchford\u2019s dealership like royalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least Image 2000\u2019s sales reps don\u2019t have to break out the GM analogies anymore. Regardless, Blatchford will be content with switching over to the Kyocera name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were the big fish in a small pond,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a really nice ride!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, Kyocera Document Solutions America announced it was retiring its Copystar brand. It had long been a sales division, offering Kyocera-manufactured devices under the Copystar flag. It will sail off into the sunset on June 30. During last year\u2019s Kyocera REIMAGINE dealer event in San Antonio, Kyocera President and CEO Oscar S\u00e1nchez and a panel of the OEM\u2019s executives didn\u2019t exactly issue a vote of confidence for Copystar\u2019s future. Last week\u2019s reveal was just another step in the manufacturer\u2019s ongoing strategy first outlined in 2019. From the dealer\u2019s point of view, the Copystar demise did not elicit a somber candle-lighting sendoff. We checked in with some Copystar resellers to get their impression on what the move will mean for reselling exclusively under the Kyocera flag. The fact is, most of the dealers we surveyed welcomed the move, including some of the biggest Copystar resellers. Chief among the top-performing Copystar dealers is Image 2000 of Valencia, California, a 20-plus-year partner. During that time, CEO Joe Blatchford trained his reps in explaining the so-called differences between Kyocera and Copystar, using the analogy of General Motors owning the GMC and Chevrolet automotive makes (which had models that, for a time, were largely indiscernible). Other than converting contracts to Kyocera, Blatchford is largely unfazed by the move. He does feel it will benefit smaller dealers who have long been pigeonholed as second-tier resellers who could not qualify as Kyocera dealers. Blatchford notes they will now be able to enjoy the benefits of a dealer council, which Copystar did not have. \u201cThe result should be better equality for all Kyocera dealers regardless of whether you are Kyocera or Copystar,\u201d he added. \u201cI think it is the right move and it comes at the right time. There is no reason anymore to have two brands. I would imagine the economy of scale will much greater with one line.\u201d   Pearson-Kelly Technology (PKT) has been a Copystar dealer since 2007. CEO Chelsey Bode feels the decision was a long time coming, and it won\u2019t have any impact on her firm. \u201cIt does streamline some of their processes,\u201d Bode said. \u201cBoth Kyocera and Copystar have had the same support people in our market, so it\u2019s been weird to me that they have had different brands but managed the two with the same pre-sales and post-sales support people. Sure, I get that they wanted to gain more market share by having two brands, but I\u2019m not sure they went about it the best way when compared to other manufacturers with a similar strategy.\u201d Bode pointed out that while some dealers depend on the strength of brand alignment, PKT doesn\u2019t use OEM logos on its website, business cards or marketing materials. PKT promotes people first, company second and product last, she noted. \u201cIt\u2019s PKT\u2019s job to select the best partners to address clients\u2019 pain points and ultimately get them to their desired outcomes,\u201d she said. \u201cIf a brand becomes stale or the partnership becomes weak, we realign our focus to find a better partner.\u201d  Jim George, president of Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises in Cincinnati, commended the move, which he thought was a wise decision that will enable Kyocera to lower its marketing outlay. \u201cKyocera has a more valuable and recognizable name in the industry than Copystar,\u201d he said. \u201cAll in all, I applaud the move as I have with other manufacturers that have done the same.\u201d One dealer in the \u201cmuch ado about nothing\u201d camp is Chip Miceli, CEO of Pulse Technology in Schaumburg, Illinois. Aside from more dealers offering the Kyocera brand, he doesn\u2019t envision it materially impacting business. In fact, despite the fact that Pulse has been a Copystar dealer for 15 years, the move will be completely opaque to end-users. \u201cThe funny thing is, we sell mostly the A4, which does not have the Copystar name on it,\u201d Miceli noted. If any dealer has the right to be just a little sentimental, it\u2019s Blatchford. After all, during the past 10 years, Image 2000\u2019s Copystar sales exceeded those of the number two through ten resellers combined, he noted. Copystar employees always treated Blatchford\u2019s dealership like royalty. At least Image 2000\u2019s sales reps don\u2019t have to break out the GM analogies anymore. Regardless, Blatchford will be content with switching over to the Kyocera name. \u201cWe were the big fish in a small pond,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a really nice ride!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":54727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,1650,82,1638,1],"tags":[3654],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54726"}],"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\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54726"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54730,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54726\/revisions\/54730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}