Ever wonder what the largest applications are for solutions sales within the imaging channel today? While attending Lexmark’s recent dealer meeting in Lexington, KY, I sat in on a breakout session focused on “Lexmark Solution Strategies” where that question was answered. The audience of about 40 dealers was surveyed on the topic, and admittedly that may not be a large sampling, it still provides a snapshot of what the folks running office and imaging technology dealerships are finding among their customer base. Dealers were asked to make one selection from a list of five. The results should give you an opportunity to shift your focus on some of these areas you may be overlooking or they may validate something you already know.
- Embedded OCR – 43%
- Configurable Capture & Routing – 22%
- Print Release & Document Accounting – 22%
- Independent Specialty Capture Package – 5%
- Perceptive content (Document Management) – 5%
Another question that was answered was “What is your biggest challenge in generating significant solutions software and services revenue?” Here’s what the group in my breakout session said.
- Lack of general solutions selling and training skills – 67%
- Lack of understanding of how (Lexmark solutions) maps to customer’s business applications – 19%
- Lack of marketing and sales collateral – 10%
- Solutions portfolio not aligned with SMB customer requirements – 5%
