In the 1998 poker-driven film “Rounders,” Matt Damon’s character opines “Few players recall big pots they have won, strange as it seems, but every player can remember with remarkable accuracy the outstanding tough beats of his career.” Bad losses can definitely leave a mark, but we have to disagree somewhat with Mike McDermott’s philosophy. Our business takedowns all have DNA that is possible to replicate, if we pay close enough attention, and who doesn’t want muscle memory when it comes to profitable wins?
As we move forward with this month’s State of the Industry report on product diversification, we asked our dealer panel whether early customer wins provided any added insights into how they can best position the offering moving forward. We also wanted to know about the biggest surprises unearthed and the biggest misconceptions dealers have about a given product category. Life (and business) often doles out tough-to-swallow lessons, but every now and then, we can latch on to our successes and take them to greater heights.
Business Technologies
On the security cameras and access control systems front, one of the more enlightening revelations for Automated Business Technologies of Centennial, Colorado, has been the recognition that a pricing war with competitors isn’t necessary. Mike Piche, company CEO, points out that when you offer industry-leading products, discounting is hardly necessary.
“We won those early deals with respectable margins, and most importantly, succes in this category provides a lot of credibility with the customer that leads to quality follow-on business,” Piche remarked.
Green Office Partner
There’s also money to be made off clients post-sale. “I think dealers worry that the lack of an aftermarket component in this category will result in low-margin one-time hardware sales in which the investment in the category doesn’t justify the ROI,” he added.
Scaling with conference room technology has provided something of a revelation for Green Office Partner. The Chicago dealer learned that clients weren’t simply looking for another piece of hardware, states Gerard Iannuzzelli, director of strategic services and solutions. That made product positioning much more impactful.
“They were looking for a better way to meet, collaborate, and communicate,” he said. “Once we stopped leading with the equipment and started leading with the user experience, the conversations became much more meaningful.”
The fascinating aspect for Iannuzzelli was seeing that while many clients already had some flavor of conference room technology in place, they weren’t fully leveraging it. In some instances, employees were hesitant to utilize the room because it felt too complicated or inconsistent.
“That helped us understand that the real opportunity was not just selling technology,” he said. “It was helping clients simplify the experience, customize the room around how their teams work, and make the tools feel natural to use.”
Most importantly, while the hardware matters, it is only part of the solution, which Iannuzzelli feels some dealers don’t fully appreciate. “The real value comes from discovery, design, integration, training and support,” he said. “Dealers who treat it like a product sale may miss the bigger opportunity, which is to become a strategic partner in how clients build better meeting and collaboration experiences.”
Dove Technologies
Rogers Coxe, the top executive at Dove Technologies, believes barcode printers and related technology can actually serve dealers well as a core differentiating product. Whether its role is as a table-setter for sales reps or is simply viewed as a bolt-on offering when opportunities are identified, they certainly fill a desired purpose.
“How deep you want to go and are willing to go with it will determine whether it’s a primary or secondary offering, and you can be successful either way,” Coxe remarked. “One key point: I like it as a diversification to enter, simply because so many of the other popular options are essentially fishing holes with a lot of boots already in them. Barcoding definitely has not hit a saturation point.”
Pulse Technology
When it comes to robotics, demonstrations are an absolute must for success in this space, notes Vince Miceli, vice president of Pulse Technology in Schaumburg, Illinois. When clients see the robot operating in their own environment, “The technology moves from a concept to a practical business solution,” he noted.
Miceli was definitely surprised to see how quickly employees embraced the technology, especially given how the whole AI/robotics landscape has been a cause for concern as a potential job replacement. “Many organizations initially worry about employee resistance, but in reality, staff members often appreciate having repetitive or physically demanding tasks automated so they can focus on higher-value work,” he noted.
One of the biggest misconceptions from the dealer side is that robotics is merely another product to sell, when in reality, it’s a business outcome solution. “Success depends less on discussing features and more on understanding workflow challenges, labor constraints, and operational objectives,” Miceli said.
