Diversification Allows Dealers to Cast their Lines in Unchartered Waters

Diversifying your product portfolio carries with it certain opportunities. The obvious one is the ability to offer it to your current client roster. Two, depending on the product, it can open the doors to a whole new subset of clients who may or may not have a need for MFPs. At that point, as the late, great Yogi Berra might’ve observed, “The limitations are limitless.”

Dry, folksy humor aside, client consideration is certainly the alpha and omega of the decision to diversify. The ability to sell within your client list is imperative; you need that low-hanging fruit to act as a launching pad as you delve into foreign vertical territory. After that, you can brazenly call on anyone and go where no dealer has gone before.

As we launch into this month’s State of the Industry report on diversification, we asked our dealer panel to reveal whether their new products allowed them to penetrate new verticals or latch onto buyer personas that were previously out of reach. Did these offerings change the types of conversations reps were having with existing clients as well?

Traditionally, the talk track reps for Pulse Technology of Schaumburg, Illinois, centered on document workflows, printing costs and IT infrastructure. With the introduction of technology from Pudu Robotics, the account execs are engaged in broader discussions about automation, workforce challenges, operational efficiency and business transformation.

Vince Miceli, company vice president, notes the tech has introduced the dealer to decision-makers traditionally outside their business realm, including facilities directors, operations managers, environmental services leaders and plant managers.

“The addition of robotics has elevated our role from technology provider to strategic advisor,” he said. “Clients now look to us for solutions that impact their entire operation, not just their office environment.”

Delving into the world of security cameras an access systems didn’t quite mean Automated Business Technologies found an entirely new business segment. The Centennial, Colorado-based dealer has long been vertical-agnostic. What it did, noted CEO Mike Piche, is open conversations with clients that weren’t disposed to rely on the dealer’s core imaging business.

“Our reps our now approaching prospects with a more consultative approach to sales,” he noted.  “[The conversation became] essentially, ‘We want to help you implement technology solutions that enhance your business effectiveness.  Where do you have pain?  And let’s talk about how we can alleviate some of that.’”

 Entering the world of conference room technology has allowed Green Office Partner to expand into conversations and buyer personas that the dealership wouldn’t have “reached as naturally in the past,” notes Gerard Iannuzzelli, director of strategic services and solutions. Ordinarily, the natural discourse saw dealer execs huddle with client IT leaders on the subject of print, document workflow and managed services. Now, operations leaders, facilities teams, HR, executive leadership, and anyone responsible for employee experience, hybrid work and collaboration are possible targets for conference technology.

“It also changed the nature of the conversations our reps were having with existing clients,” Iannuzzelli pointed out. “Instead of only talking about devices, support, or cost savings, we were able to talk about how their teams actually work together. We started asking questions like ‘Are remote employees able to participate equally? Are meetings starting on time? Is the room easy for everyone to use? Does the technology support the way your company wants to collaborate?’ “

The upshot was a conversational shift from products to business outcomes. Beyond managing technology, Green Office Partner found itself enabling clients to create improved meeting experiences, improve productivity and support a more flexible workplace.

“For us, that opened the door to deeper relationships with existing clients and introduced us to new decision-makers who care about workplace strategy, collaboration, and the overall employee experience,” Iannuzzelli added.

While the addition of barcoding products didn’t necessarily open new doors for Dove Technologies, it did enable the dealer to become a more serious player in the manufacturing and distribution industries, according to CEO Rogers Coxe. It’s a solid ancillary to offer, regardless of whether a prospect is in the market for an MFP.

“If a customer is happy with its print vendor, they may be having trouble with their label printers,” he said. “There’s definitely a demand for service organizations to come in and help customers with this side of their technology needs.”