{"id":37964,"date":"2020-01-02T10:58:27","date_gmt":"2020-01-02T18:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=37964"},"modified":"2020-01-02T11:01:32","modified_gmt":"2020-01-02T19:01:32","slug":"adieu-to-2019-final-thoughts-on-dealer-challenges-as-new-year-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/feature-articles\/2020\/01\/adieu-to-2019-final-thoughts-on-dealer-challenges-as-new-year-begins\/","title":{"rendered":"Adieu to 2019: Final Thoughts on Dealer Challenges as New Year Begins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Call us sappy or sentimental, as while the calendar has\nturned the page, we wanted to squeeze in a handful of final thoughts as to what\nour Elite Dealers view as their primary challenges. After all, it may be a New\nYear, but our problems travel well and have a way of ignoring the calendar, the\nclock and anything else, for that matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides, January is a long month, and we\u2019ll have plenty of\ntime to provide insight into the New Year, along with trends and predictions.\nFor now, we\u2019ll spend a little more time vacuuming up the tree needles and\ncollecting the empty bottles from the kitchen island. Enjoy these final\ninsights on the issues that confront your fellow dealers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Customer poaching is certainly nothing new, and even as\ndealers evolve their offerings, the penchant for a little gamesmanship will\nprobably always be with us. Take Electronic Office Systems of Fairfield, New\nJersey, which has 75 bona fide competitors in a hotly-contested New York metro\nmarket. Low-balling by competitors is a fact of business life. Fortunately,\nundercutting rarely (if ever) proves to be a viable, long-term strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver our last 36 years, we have seen many competitors\nselling at their cost or below their cost as a sales and marketing strategy,\u201d\nthe dealer reported. \u201cEvery two to three years, we provide our sales reps with\na list of the companies that have put themselves out of business being the low-cost\nprovider.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evolve to Accommodate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Those speculators who got into the property leasing and\nrenting market have enjoyed success in recent years, as businesses continue to\noutgrow their accommodations. For Docugraphics of Charleston, South Carolina, a\nlack of space has been a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are running out of warehouse and workspace to keep up with the volume and are planning to find new digs to lay the groundwork for further growth,\u201d the dealer related.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The challenges brought on by growth have caused Access\nSystems of Waukee, Iowa, to evolve its executive leadership structure. CEO\nShane Sloan is refocusing his efforts from day-to-day operations to concentrate\non the firm\u2019s strategies toward achieving its goal of $100 million in sales. A\npair of vice presidents, Jay Agard and Jon Joynt, have been promoted. Agard is\nnow president of operations while Joynt took over as president of sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTogether, they will work to improve processes and lead\nAccess Systems to the next level,\u201d the dealer noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managed IT Path<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Few would contest that opportunities exist in the managed IT\nspace, as dealers grapple with the question of building out a platform, buying\ninto an existing IT provider or selling programs offered by a number of\nthird-party specialists. Having success in the space, however, has not been a\ncakewalk for many who have tried and failed. We have two examples of dealers\nthat are looking at the managed IT proposition through different lenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are entering new markets like managed IT services as we\ndiversify our revenues,\u201d Benchmark Business Solutions of Lubbock, Texas,\nreported. \u201cThis must be done carefully and strategically. We are mindful to\npartner with brands we feel are at taking the lead with industry technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Having the proper resources, particularly human talent, is\none of the keys in the estimation of CPI Technologies of Springfield, Missouri.\n\u201cContinuing to hire the bright minds that can help lead us into the future is\nsomething every dealer must be focused on every day,\u201d the dealer reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, there are lessons to be learned for all dealers as\nthe venture into new (or, for them, different) technologies. Southwest Copy\nSystems of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is well-versed on the subject of copiers\nand printers, and invests much time into learning and implementing new\nofferings. The dealer has heard tales of many competitors jumping in feet first\nwithout having a firm grounding on the fundamentals\u2014a business faux pas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have very strict vetting of our offerings and make sure\nthat any of the products or service offerings we bring to our clients have been\nfully tested. We have the highest level of training in place before they are\nsold,\u201d the dealer reported. \u201cThis is very important. If you bring on new\nproducts before you are proficient and an expert on the solution or offering\nyou bring to a client, it can affect the other core offerings you have to\noffer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marketing Sourcing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Developing a consistent and effective marketing strategy has\nbeen a critical quest for CopyLady of Fort Meyers, Florida. Since President and\nCEO Cynthia Duff has been a member of the local Rotary Club for the past 20\nyears, the dealer sought perspective from the organization in finding its point\nperson. It proved to be a fortuitous move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe found a quality team member to hire as the company’s marketing\ndirector with the right marketing and public relations skills, temperament and\npersonality to fit the company’s culture of \u2018service above self,\u2019\u201d CopyLady\nreported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises of Cincinnati notes\nthe ongoing drive to the bottom for cost-per-copy rates, which it notes can dip\nas low as .003 on black-and-white copies and .03 for color on competitive\ndeals. It\u2019s a scenario that is as unsustainable as it is unprofitable.\n\n\u201cWith this type of pricing, it is very difficult\nto maintain service profit margins that are close to what industry models\nsuggest,\u201d the dealer noted. \u201cWe continue to look to alternative sources of\nrevenue, such as MPS and MNS, as ways to increase the bottom line.\u201d\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Call us sappy or sentimental, as while the calendar has turned the page, we wanted to squeeze in a handful of final thoughts as to what our Elite Dealers view as their primary challenges. After all, it may be a New Year, but our problems travel well and have a way of ignoring the calendar, the clock and anything else, for that matter. Besides, January is a long month, and we\u2019ll have plenty of time to provide insight into the New Year, along with trends and predictions. For now, we\u2019ll spend a little more time vacuuming up the tree needles and collecting the empty bottles from the kitchen island. Enjoy these final insights on the issues that confront your fellow dealers. Customer poaching is certainly nothing new, and even as dealers evolve their offerings, the penchant for a little gamesmanship will probably always be with us. Take Electronic Office Systems of Fairfield, New Jersey, which has 75 bona fide competitors in a hotly-contested New York metro market. Low-balling by competitors is a fact of business life. Fortunately, undercutting rarely (if ever) proves to be a viable, long-term strategy. \u201cOver our last 36 years, we have seen many competitors selling at their cost or below their cost as a sales and marketing strategy,\u201d the dealer reported. \u201cEvery two to three years, we provide our sales reps with a list of the companies that have put themselves out of business being the low-cost provider.\u201d Evolve to Accommodate Those speculators who got into the property leasing and renting market have enjoyed success in recent years, as businesses continue to outgrow their accommodations. For Docugraphics of Charleston, South Carolina, a lack of space has been a challenge. \u201cWe are running out of warehouse and workspace to keep up with the volume and are planning to find new digs to lay the groundwork for further growth,\u201d the dealer related. The challenges brought on by growth have caused Access Systems of Waukee, Iowa, to evolve its executive leadership structure. CEO Shane Sloan is refocusing his efforts from day-to-day operations to concentrate on the firm\u2019s strategies toward achieving its goal of $100 million in sales. A pair of vice presidents, Jay Agard and Jon Joynt, have been promoted. Agard is now president of operations while Joynt took over as president of sales. \u201cTogether, they will work to improve processes and lead Access Systems to the next level,\u201d the dealer noted. Managed IT Path Few would contest that opportunities exist in the managed IT space, as dealers grapple with the question of building out a platform, buying into an existing IT provider or selling programs offered by a number of third-party specialists. Having success in the space, however, has not been a cakewalk for many who have tried and failed. We have two examples of dealers that are looking at the managed IT proposition through different lenses. \u201cWe are entering new markets like managed IT services as we diversify our revenues,\u201d Benchmark Business Solutions of Lubbock, Texas, reported. \u201cThis must be done carefully and strategically. We are mindful to partner with brands we feel are at taking the lead with industry technology.\u201d Having the proper resources, particularly human talent, is one of the keys in the estimation of CPI Technologies of Springfield, Missouri. \u201cContinuing to hire the bright minds that can help lead us into the future is something every dealer must be focused on every day,\u201d the dealer reported. Indeed, there are lessons to be learned for all dealers as the venture into new (or, for them, different) technologies. Southwest Copy Systems of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is well-versed on the subject of copiers and printers, and invests much time into learning and implementing new offerings. The dealer has heard tales of many competitors jumping in feet first without having a firm grounding on the fundamentals\u2014a business faux pas. \u201cWe have very strict vetting of our offerings and make sure that any of the products or service offerings we bring to our clients have been fully tested. We have the highest level of training in place before they are sold,\u201d the dealer reported. \u201cThis is very important. If you bring on new products before you are proficient and an expert on the solution or offering you bring to a client, it can affect the other core offerings you have to offer.\u201d Marketing Sourcing Developing a consistent and effective marketing strategy has been a critical quest for CopyLady of Fort Meyers, Florida. Since President and CEO Cynthia Duff has been a member of the local Rotary Club for the past 20 years, the dealer sought perspective from the organization in finding its point person. It proved to be a fortuitous move. \u201cWe found a quality team member to hire as the company’s marketing director with the right marketing and public relations skills, temperament and personality to fit the company’s culture of \u2018service above self,\u2019\u201d CopyLady reported. Lastly, Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises of Cincinnati notes the ongoing drive to the bottom for cost-per-copy rates, which it notes can dip as low as .003 on black-and-white copies and .03 for color on competitive deals. It\u2019s a scenario that is as unsustainable as it is unprofitable. \u201cWith this type of pricing, it is very difficult to maintain service profit margins that are close to what industry models suggest,\u201d the dealer noted. \u201cWe continue to look to alternative sources of revenue, such as MPS and MNS, as ways to increase the bottom line.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":37969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1650,82,87,1638],"tags":[3216,3303,3768,3392,3769,3221,484,3541],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37964"}],"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=37964"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37971,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37964\/revisions\/37971"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}