What You Know: Experience and Credibility Go a Long Way Toward Production Print Success

In the world of production print, what the client cares most about can greatly outweigh speeds, feeds and even the manufacturer lines adorning a dealer’s portfolio. That can vary based on the customer, be it a commercial printer, in-plant shop, central reprographics department (CRD), print-for-pay, healthcare, government or other segments.

This month’s State of the Industry report on production print delves into the question of what clients value most and the talking points that are driving account representative conversations with them. The potential value propositions can demonstrate a complete understanding about what’s foremost on the minds of customers and prospects. Any dealer can carry a popular line or even represent multiple OEMs. But knowing the pain points and the questions confronting the motley assortment of business verticals will go a long way toward closing in a process that can be protracted and, at times, tedious.

We spoke to a stellar lineup of production dealers to learn more about the factors that led to them enjoying success in the arena long referred to as “heavy iron.” With AI wielding influence on manufacturer offerings, aging technicians depleting staffs and the continued inkjet evolution, the talk track continues to take different forms.

Productive and Profitable

Versatility can be a significant key for a dealer that offers production print hardware. Take Les Olson IT for example. The Salt Lake City-based dealership represents Sharp, Ricoh and HP—a portfolio that serves the customer gamut from light-production environments to high-volume commercial printing shops, notes owner Troy Olson. In addition to the tailored solutions, Les Olson IT benefits from building long-term partnerships with their clients, who are seeking vendors who understand their business and can keep the machines running.

Some of the keys to the dealer’s value proposition include experienced, certified production specialists who are well-versed in workflows, applications and business goals and are backed by certified production techs and responsive local support. Being certified/accredited in Fiery, Onyx and G7 adds credibility.

“We’re also focused on delivering complete solutions. Today’s conversations include workflow automation, finishing, color management, software integration and production optimization—not just the press itself,” Olson said. “Our goal is to help customers become more productive and profitable.”

Automation has become one of the biggest discussion points because every manual touchpoint represents time and cost.

– Troy Olson, Les Olson IT

He notes client conversations lean more toward business transformation as opposed to hardware specs. It’s not that print quality and productivity are waning topics; the conversation has widened to address labor challenges, automation, workflow efficiency and return on investments. The universal need continues to be accomplishing more with fewer people without sacrificing quality, in addition to meeting increasingly demanding turnaround expectations.

“Automation has become one of the biggest discussion points because every manual touchpoint represents time and cost,” Olson remarked. “AI is beginning to influence production workflows through smarter job preparation, predictive service and workflow optimization. Inkjet technology continues to evolve and has become an attractive option for many applications where productivity and operating costs are critical.

“The discussion today is much more strategic than it was even five years ago. We’re very fortunate to have a strong team and great partners to help support these discovery conversations.”

Outcomes Focus

One of the most oft-repeated mistakes committed in the industry, in the eyes of Debra Dellaposta, president and CEO of Doing Better Business, is fixating on equipment and costs when the attention really belongs on business outcomes. Customers generally aren’t trying to buy another production printer but rather solve an issue.

“[The client] may need to reduce labor, speed up turnaround times, improve document security, automate workflows or eliminate bottlenecks,” she explained. “Picking the correct equipment is simply one piece of that solution.”

The Altoona, Pennsylvania-based dealer represents Canon, Ricoh, Sharp, KIP, Duplo, Fiery, Formax and GBC—a rather robust array of general and specialized machines (geared toward wide-format, finishing, workflow automation, document management and managed services). Its prime customers are commercial printers, in-plant operations, higher education, healthcare, government agencies, manufacturers, corporate production departments and architecture and engineering firms.

We use many of the same technologies we recommend, which gives our specialists firsthand experience with production workflows, finishing, scheduling, color consistency, operator efficiency and day-to-day operational challenges.

– Debra Dellaposta, Doing Better Business

Dellaposta believes clients value the fact that Doing Better Business is supporting them for the long haul. Long-term relationships are foundational to the dealer, and many of its clients also partner with them for their managed IT services, document management, workflow automation and managed print needs. That, she said, is tougher to duplicate than a hardware lineup.

Another feather in the dealer’s hat is its in-house production print shop. “We use many of the same technologies we recommend, which gives our specialists firsthand experience with production workflows, finishing, scheduling, color consistency, operator efficiency and day-to-day operational challenges,” Dellaposta said. “That practical experience creates a different conversation with customers because we’re speaking from experience, not just specifications.”

It was only about five years ago that talk tracks were dominated by speeds and costs per page. The tone has evolved to encompass labor shortages, the potential for AI automation, the possibility of integrating production with the client’s document management system and the path to securing it all.

“AI is already changing the conversation,” she noted. “AI isn’t going to replace production print, but it will replace many of the manual processes surrounding production print. It’s becoming part of a much larger digital transformation strategy rather than operating as a standalone print department.”

Service Sells

Down in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Systel Business Equipment is on the hunt for partnership scenarios with prospects. The company will never be the low-cost provider; it eschews price competition and prefers to sit out quote battles, notes Ray Bullins, vice president of sales. While many client sets are experts in the production print process, entering data on a configurator doesn’t guarantee their needs will be adequately addressed. This is where the partnership dynamic has the chance to shine.

Service is one of the top selling points for Systel, which leans heavily on predictive maintenance. The dealer delivers on its guaranteed four-hour response time, fortified by a large tech base, and boasts a trio of level-two experts on staff for installations and training. This plays well with Systel’s in-plant shop clientele.

“An in-plant dissatisfied with its vendor can appreciate the value of someone who understands workflow and how to solve those issues,” he said. “Those who appreciate G7 certification and Fiery experts will see us as a good fit. Once we get those customers, we never lose them. We’re content to sit out the price battles.”

Those who appreciate G7 certification and Fiery experts will see us as a good fit. Once we get those customers, we never lose them. We’re content to sit out the price battles.

– Ray Bullins, Systel Business Equipment

Bullins believes Systel’s secret sauce begins with knowledge and trust. The expertise, service superiority, strong foundation of partners and zeroing in on client needs with tailored solutions resonates with that client set. If that doesn’t sufficiently woo in-plants, seeing Systel’s customer print experience center—loaded with presses, wide-format devices, cutters, creasers and other production hardware—provides a backup for clients when their job schedules get overwhelmed. The beauty in being able to tap Systel for various print projects is more economical for clients that might not be able to justify purchasing a certain machine when it’s only sparingly needed.

It’s about pliability and versatility as a vendor—being the single source. “When you deal with in-plants, the worst thing you can say to them is ‘no, we don’t do that,’ because once you do that, they’ll start going down the street to use UPS,” Bullins said. “We have great experiences with our customers. That allows us to ask, ‘why not have your phone systems with us, or managed IT, document management, production print, or use our print shop?’ We want customers to look for us to handle every facet of their operations.”

One of the top talk tracks continues to be how in-plant shops can automate the printing process. Bullins feels that “sometimes the art of printing gets in the way of the automation of printing” as the production process gets bogged down by the desire to find just the right color. Systel is currently working with a shop where the CEO is frustrated by the lack of automation, compounded by operator-intensive processes. AI will play a greater role in fostering automation, but certain shops refuse to budge when it comes to artistic standards.

“You just have to understand your customers,” he added. “If you talk to them about their vision and tell them that you can automate their process, take 20 steps out of it and reduce waste, and they say no, that’s probably not the right customer for automation.”

Inkjet Inroads

Another dealer that regards production print as a primary offering is Advanced Imaging Solutions (AIS) of Minnetonka, Minnesota. Primarily a Sharp and Konica Minolta shop, AIS took on the Kyocera inkjet line recently. Despite a few early hiccups unrelated to the device, the Kyocera offering has paid dividends. The dealer performed a cost analysis for a ballot company that had been farming out jobs. With the Kyocera machine being able to provide variable data printing, the client was able to keep it in house, cut their costs by one-third and eliminate a tedious process, notes Stephanie Keating Phillips, director of production print and solutions.

AIS has a wide-ranging production clientele profile that includes school districts, commercial shops, print-for-pays, CRDs and niche businesses. The sales process is in stark contrast to the world of office MFPs and break-fix service. MFP reps can sell production gear, buffered by a comprehensive support team that “takes it across the goal line,” a group that includes Phillips, a production tech and a front-end analyst. AIS has earned enough credibility over the past 15 years, having built a stellar team of experts while amassing an impressive performance record.

“We do things the right way the first time,” Phillips said. “We’re not always the low-cost leader because our techs have been in the production world for 20-plus years, and that consistency is valued by a majority of our clients. Minneapolis is a highly competitive market: there are four dealers that sell the same product lines and others who carry Canon and Xerox. You simply must fix things the right way the first time. Being upfront and honest with people allows you to gain more trust, and we’ve been fortunate enough to earn long-term clients.”

You simply must fix things the right way the first time. Being upfront and honest with people allows you to gain more trust, and we’ve been fortunate enough to earn long-term clients.

Stephanie Keating Phillips, AIS

AI has been a conversation catalyst, as clients have inquired about how AIS leverages it to provide quicker and better service. OEMs have been touting the baked-in AI to help dealer service techs respond quicker and better than they could by driving to the client’s site. Having AI bolster the educational process is especially important as the current crop of aging big-iron techs retire, giving way to the next generation.

“During every meeting I’ve been to in the last two years, AI has been a hot topic for the overall office,” Phillips said. “Talking specifically about production, what’s being built into the components of the devices so that it’s more automated and requires less maintenance, has dominated conversations.”

Inkjet is also a prime subject for high-volume clients seeking to turn over jobs quicker and more cost effectively. Transactional printers seek to pretty-up the jobs with a splash of color without actually needing four-color, high-end quality output.

Selling Points

One of the most production-oriented dealers is Digital Print Solutions (DPS), a Macedonia, Ohio-based firm that derives 90% of its revenue from commercial printing customers. It offers a variety of production solutions including toner products (Canon, Ricoh and Konica Minolta), inkjet systems (Screen, Konica Minolta and Canon), wide-format output devices (CET, EFI Vutek and Xante) and finishing/embellishment equipment (Konica Minolta, Duplo, Skandacor and Graphic Whizard).

Founded in 2009, DPS’ heavy concentration of production hardware has earned the dealership high marks for expertise, according to CEO Adam Silk. The company was able to add an extremely talented analyst early in DPS’ development, which was critical in setting the foundation. Another advantage Silk cites is the company’s distinction of being the only company worldwide to offer Screen, Konica Minolta and Canon inkjet equipment. DPS also packages its offerings to optimally yield savings for its commercial clients.

“In terms of flexibility, we can move from toner to inkjet and switch to different manufacturers mid-lease,” he added. “Commercial clients are more educated but very demanding. If you bring a better solution to the table, then the sales process can go faster.”

Commercial clients are more educated but very demanding. If you bring a better solution to the table, then the sales process can go faster.

– Adam Silk, Digital Print Solutions

It certainly helps to have extensive knowledge of the commercial world. A well-developed game plan yields important information—how the client prints envelopes, their outsourcing habits and the weaknesses of existing equipment—all of which can create a path toward success for sales reps.

The client conversations have changed markedly in recent years. “As presses and press operators age, the transition to inkjet is gaining speed,” Silk noted. “Our talk track is how we can cost justify an inkjet/toner package to maximize the benefit to the printer.”

Trusted Advisor

Leading with service has long been a calling card for Datamax. The dealer known for creating “raving fans” among its clients serves commercial shops, in-plants, CRDs and business verticals that include faith-based organizations. A full-line Canon and Konica Minolta dealer, it focuses on the 70–100 ppm space, favoring multi-engine solutions over faster, single presses.

According to Jeff Presnall, production print specialist for the Texas- and Arkansas-headquartered organization, Datamax boasts the top-performing service organization in its market, backed by tenured and skilled professionals focused on helping customers succeed. Its value proposition includes furnishing monthly metrics and sharing performance grades internally and with clients.

“From a sales perspective, industry knowledge and a focus on bringing value to every customer engagement, along with targeting customer success, are the main areas of focus,” Presnall said. “We strive to be a trusted advisor to our customers and prospects with the desired result of creating raving fans. We also partner with providers that are able to engage in areas outside our core product offerings.”

Customers are forced to be leaner each year, and we must help manage that along with an increasing number of low-quantity jobs, versions and data sets.

– Jeff Presnall, Datamax

Today’s client conversations are more data driven than ever, according to Presnall. It requires Datamax to view customer and prospect challenges through a more holistic lens. Rather than address speeds, feeds and media capabilities, the conversation leans more toward how to get jobs from customers/end-users to the presses and what can be done on the back end to increase efficiencies.

“Customers are forced to be leaner each year, and we must help manage that along with an increasing number of low-quantity jobs, versions and data sets,” Presnall remarked.