There are no guarantees in business. Given the lack of certainties, most business owners try to position themselves to experience optimal outcomes. This takes on many forms: investing in people and equipment. Adding products or services that can be introduced to current clients and prospects. Relying on lean business principles. Aligning with like-minded businesses as either a partnership or an acquisition.
Cultivating successful outcomes is not easy, nor does it “sound” simple. We’ve come to expect the unexpected: a pandemic, staggering inflation, tariffs and political/social strife. And that’s just during the last five years. What will the next five hold? We don’t know what we don’t know, which isn’t very comforting. Thus, the best tack is to focus on those things within your control.
This week’s State of the Industry report on trends and predictions shifts over to what some of the top dealer executives feel are the most important variables that can help set the stage for successful outcomes.
James Loffler, Loffler Companies: Our focus will remain on driving customer success. We have built an incredible technology stack designed to help businesses thrive, yet only a small percentage of our clients are taking full advantage of everything we offer. That is our greatest opportunity in 2026: engaging more deeply with existing customers, showing them the value of our complete suite of solutions, and helping them achieve outcomes they did not think were possible.
Mike Lepper, Impact Networking: Invest in training and development. Equip your team with the skills needed to understand and implement new technologies, especially AI and cybersecurity solutions. Continuous learning will enable your staff to provide better service and stay ahead of the curve.
Josh Salkin, EDGE Business Systems: Invest in your people. Training (whether that be AI, negotiating, presentation skills, etc.). Sales resource (software, production, auxiliary products).
Larry Weiss, Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office: According to the Big Apple dealership executive…
- Increase focus on new business/new logos and selling additional services to existing businesses must be cultivated in 2026.
- The current model, where the sales rep is responsible for new business and managing the existing relationship, is broken and needs to be changed.
- The hunter/farmer model is one way to focus on new business and gaining additional wallet share of your existing clients.
- Developing separate teams with the respectable focuses in our priorities in 2026 and beyond.
Paul McKinney, Eakes Office Solutions: The CFO/COO of the Nebraska dealer noted…
- In managed print, you MUST take a bigger slice of a smaller pie. The managed print game is all about market share now.
- Diversify your business aggressively. Take steps to see what customers need today. These areas include technology services, water services, or other customer-driven areas of need.
- Stay at the forefront of the technology world. This would include products you provide to your customers, but also the technology that drives your business every day. Successful companies will learn to leverage AI to augment their human resources and will become leaner, effective operators because of it. All the while retaining the human element of business that separates independent dealers from all others. This will almost certainly separate winners from losers in the future.
Erik Crane, CPI Technologies: Analyzing which verticals are most profitable for your dealership and working hard at mining that industry for more business. The non-profit / bid verticals may be great for gaining top-line revenue, but put the effort into where the bottom-line dollars are coming from.
Rick Salcedo, KDI Office Technology: Success in 2026 comes from truly understanding how customers work—where they struggle, where they want to improve, and what results they expect. Equipping teams with the right training, data, and tools allows them to address those needs proactively. Strong partnerships with technology providers keep solutions innovative and reliable. A culture built around accountability and continuous improvement ensures we consistently deliver better outcomes year after year.
