![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Phillips.jpg\")
Obviously, there are common denominators. A hard worker is\nmore likely to take the time to become more educated in her\/his line of work,\nand become more effective at communicating a dealer\u2019s value proposition. A\nreputation generally can only be lost once; hence, honesty is essential to\nmaintaining one\u2019s reputation, as well as that of the company. And when it comes\nto fun, it must be organic. If you don\u2019t enjoy what you do, clients will soon\nsee through any fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is where Phillips\u2019 sense of humor comes shining\nthrough. \u201cLet\u2019s face it; a lot of what we do on a daily basis isn\u2019t that\ninteresting to the average Joe,\u201d said Phillips, a 2019 ENX Magazine<\/em> Difference Maker. \u201cMy goal in every meeting with a\nclient is to figure out how to make the sales process more interesting and\nenjoyable for them. Humor and self-deprecation help a lot in accomplishing\nthis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though her father and uncle were in the process of\nopening AIS around the time Phillips was graduating college, a future in the\noffice technology business was not a fait accompli. However, she suffered from\nthe same debilitation as many college grads in that Phillips \u201chad no idea what\nI wanted to do when I grew up.\u201d Her dad, Mike, suggested she work at AIS as a\nreceptionist until she figured out what direction the next step in her career\npath would take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Father Knows Best<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While answering phones provided a solid learning experience,\nPhillips was more intrigued by other areas of the business. Mike Keating\nprovided more than a little inspiration in that regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI saw my dad in action with customers and his passion was\ncontagious,\u201d she said. \u201cI knew right away that this was what I wanted to do. Twenty\nyears later and the ever-changing technology and growth in this industry\ncontinues to fuel my passion and drive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, Phillips draws tremendous satisfaction from helping\nclients design and implement technology management strategies, and seeing the\nsalutary effect they have on the clients\u2019 daily business workflows. That she\ngets to work alongside not only her dad and brothers (Ryan and Mike) and a team\nof highly-skilled individuals at the top of their game makes the experience all\nthe more worthwhile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not surprisingly, Mike Keating provided the basis of\ninspiration for Phillips; a leader by example, a passionate visionary and\nsomeone who isn\u2019t afraid to get his hands dirty in order to deliver for his\nclients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy dad has taught me how to work hard, he showed me what\ndedication looked like and how to maintain dedication to both work and life by\nfinding the right balance,\u201d she said. \u201cHe taught me to respect my colleagues\nand that taking great care of employees will provide high employee retention\nthat will ultimately make for happier and more satisfied clients. My dad\ndoesn\u2019t let me get complacent; he continues to hold the bar high and\nexpectations only grow with time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Golden Rule<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Phillips is a firm believer in following the Golden Rule of\ntreating others the way you would want to be treated. As such, the janitor\nshould be regarded with the same level of respect as the CEO. She\u2019s added her\nown twist to the philosophy by not only addressing people the way she would\nlike to be addressed, but also thinking of others the way she would like to be\nthought of\u2026an example of doing the right thing even when no one is around, so\nto speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKeeping these things in mind makes me a better\ncommunicator,\u201d Phillips added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the biggest highlights in 2018 for Phillips was her\nteam\u2019s unlikely sale and install of the first worldwide Konica Minolta\nAccurioWide 160 wide-format printer. What made it unlikely was the combination\nof factors working against AIS\u2014a short sales cycle, competition, multiple\nmoving parts in the process\u2014but Phillips and AIS were up to the task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moving forward, Phillips would like to see AIS continue to\ngrow its industrial print influence in the Twin Cities market. The dealer has\nenjoyed great success in growing its production print group, coming off the\nlargest production placements in its market for Konica Minolta two years\nrunning. Facing much larger competitors, AIS knows it must compensate by\noffering greater knowledge on the products and solutions it offers, and hopes\nto parlay that to equal success on the industrial printing front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continuous Growth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n How can Phillips and AIS raise the bar? She quoted founding\nfather Ben Franklin, who said, \u201cWithout continual growth and progress, such\nwords as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.\u201d Following in\nBen\u2019s footsteps, AIS boasts a team of continuous learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe will not get complacent in what we do or where we think\nthe market is today,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to continue to look towards the future,\nand with collaboration from all areas of our company, our business partners and\nlistening to the needs of our clients, we know we will continue to be best\noffice technology partner in the Twin Cities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stephanie and Chad Phillips have been married for 14 years\nand are the parents of two daughters, Bailey and Ella. Bailey recently\ngraduated from the University of Minnesota and is embarking on a career in\nmarketing. Ella, 11, is a competitive dancer and softball player. Phillips, a\nformer college softball player, coaches her daughter\u2019s fastpitch team, and\nenjoys a round of golf when the weather permits. The Phillips family enjoys\npulling for Golden Gophers athletics, as well as the Vikings and Twins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Honesty. Hard work. Education. Fun. Individually, these aspects can provide the foundation to excelling in the office technology space. When taken in unison, these somewhat disparate elements provide a roadmap to success for Stephanie Keating Phillips, the director of solutions for Advanced Imaging Solutions (AIS) of Minnetonka, Minnesota. Obviously, there are common denominators. A hard worker is more likely to take the time to become more educated in her\/his line of work, and become more effective at communicating a dealer\u2019s value proposition. A reputation generally can only be lost once; hence, honesty is essential to maintaining one\u2019s reputation, as well as that of the company. And when it comes to fun, it must be organic. If you don\u2019t enjoy what you do, clients will soon see through any fa\u00e7ade. This is where Phillips\u2019 sense of humor comes shining through. \u201cLet\u2019s face it; a lot of what we do on a daily basis isn\u2019t that interesting to the average Joe,\u201d said Phillips, a 2019 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. \u201cMy goal in every meeting with a client is to figure out how to make the sales process more interesting and enjoyable for them. Humor and self-deprecation help a lot in accomplishing this.\u201d Even though her father and uncle were in the process of opening AIS around the time Phillips was graduating college, a future in the office technology business was not a fait accompli. However, she suffered from the same debilitation as many college grads in that Phillips \u201chad no idea what I wanted to do when I grew up.\u201d Her dad, Mike, suggested she work at AIS as a receptionist until she figured out what direction the next step in her career path would take. Father Knows Best While answering phones provided a solid learning experience, Phillips was more intrigued by other areas of the business. Mike Keating provided more than a little inspiration in that regard. \u201cI saw my dad in action with customers and his passion was contagious,\u201d she said. \u201cI knew right away that this was what I wanted to do. Twenty years later and the ever-changing technology and growth in this industry continues to fuel my passion and drive.\u201d Today, Phillips draws tremendous satisfaction from helping clients design and implement technology management strategies, and seeing the salutary effect they have on the clients\u2019 daily business workflows. That she gets to work alongside not only her dad and brothers (Ryan and Mike) and a team of highly-skilled individuals at the top of their game makes the experience all the more worthwhile. Not surprisingly, Mike Keating provided the basis of inspiration for Phillips; a leader by example, a passionate visionary and someone who isn\u2019t afraid to get his hands dirty in order to deliver for his clients. \u201cMy dad has taught me how to work hard, he showed me what dedication looked like and how to maintain dedication to both work and life by finding the right balance,\u201d she said. \u201cHe taught me to respect my colleagues and that taking great care of employees will provide high employee retention that will ultimately make for happier and more satisfied clients. My dad doesn\u2019t let me get complacent; he continues to hold the bar high and expectations only grow with time.\u201d The Golden Rule Phillips is a firm believer in following the Golden Rule of treating others the way you would want to be treated. As such, the janitor should be regarded with the same level of respect as the CEO. She\u2019s added her own twist to the philosophy by not only addressing people the way she would like to be addressed, but also thinking of others the way she would like to be thought of\u2026an example of doing the right thing even when no one is around, so to speak. \u201cKeeping these things in mind makes me a better communicator,\u201d Phillips added. One of the biggest highlights in 2018 for Phillips was her team\u2019s unlikely sale and install of the first worldwide Konica Minolta AccurioWide 160 wide-format printer. What made it unlikely was the combination of factors working against AIS\u2014a short sales cycle, competition, multiple moving parts in the process\u2014but Phillips and AIS were up to the task. Moving forward, Phillips would like to see AIS continue to grow its industrial print influence in the Twin Cities market. The dealer has enjoyed great success in growing its production print group, coming off the largest production placements in its market for Konica Minolta two years running. Facing much larger competitors, AIS knows it must compensate by offering greater knowledge on the products and solutions it offers, and hopes to parlay that to equal success on the industrial printing front. Continuous Growth How can Phillips and AIS raise the bar? She quoted founding father Ben Franklin, who said, \u201cWithout continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.\u201d Following in Ben\u2019s footsteps, AIS boasts a team of continuous learners. \u201cWe will not get complacent in what we do or where we think the market is today,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to continue to look towards the future, and with collaboration from all areas of our company, our business partners and listening to the needs of our clients, we know we will continue to be best office technology partner in the Twin Cities.\u201d Stephanie and Chad Phillips have been married for 14 years and are the parents of two daughters, Bailey and Ella. Bailey recently graduated from the University of Minnesota and is embarking on a career in marketing. Ella, 11, is a competitive dancer and softball player. Phillips, a former college softball player, coaches her daughter\u2019s fastpitch team, and enjoys a round of golf when the weather permits. The Phillips family enjoys pulling for Golden Gophers athletics, as well as the Vikings and Twins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":34116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3626,80,1650,82,1638],"tags":[3629,98,3628],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34354"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34354"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34358,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34354\/revisions\/34358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/2019-Difference-Makers-emblem-1-286x300-286x300.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n