{"id":51456,"date":"2022-09-22T12:23:43","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T19:23:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=51456"},"modified":"2022-09-22T12:37:27","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T19:37:27","slug":"pot-sweeteners-adding-value-to-a-deal-brings-contracts-across-the-finish-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/feature-articles\/2022\/09\/pot-sweeteners-adding-value-to-a-deal-brings-contracts-across-the-finish-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Pot Sweeteners: Adding Value to a Deal Brings Contracts Across the Finish Line"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The request for proposal (RFP) is music to the ears of any dealer. Unlike its cost-conscious brother, the request for quote (RFQ), it\u2019s not a down-and-dirty search for the bottom line. The RFP is a blank slate of sorts, mainly because it is a client\/prospect’s cry for help. Assistance is needed, and oftentimes, the customer doesn\u2019t know what it doesn\u2019t know\u2026or what it needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where you, the swashbuckling day-saver, pounce on the scene, ready to ask those wide-ranging questions that drill down to the pain points. Tools are fantastic, and you\u2019re there to discern exactly what tools are needed for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this week\u2019s State of the Industry report on contractual success, we offer a look at some of the pot sweeteners that truly add value above and beyond the initial engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Dawn Abbuhl, Repeat Business Systems<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On the subject of tools, Dawn Abbuhl\u2014president of Repeat Business Systems in Albany, New York\u2014is a big proponent of Ricoh\u2019s Streamline NX fleet management program, which she believes has been an essential piece for customers. Whether the conversation centers on security, usage, efficiency, or reducing paper, many roads ultimately lead to electronic workflow. Being able to perform approvals and accounts payable online can lead to more extensive conversations\u2026and opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we have meetings with potential new accounts, we\u2019ll ask how they\u2019re handling electronic workflow,\u201d she said. \u201cOftentimes, they\u2019re not; they haven\u2019t done anything in that regard. Then we\u2019ll ask how they\u2019re managing their fleets, doing patches, updates\/firmware updates. That\u2019s when you find out they have to go to every single machine, and it\u2019s been causing certain problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re the first vendor to bring those problems to someone\u2019s attention\u2014which we typically are\u2014your credibility is really high. It\u2019s a good feeling to know you\u2019re really helping them and providing an important solution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Team Mobilization<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Rich Brandenburg, DME<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The clearest path toward bolstering the overall value of an agreement has its roots in bringing customers in for a facility tour and meeting key members of the dealer\u2019s service, logistics, admin and IT teams, according to Rich Brandenburg, senior vice president of sales for Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises (DME) of Cincinnati. It can help underscore the overall value beyond the numbers on a page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have found software is critical in these solutions. However, it\u2019s the ability to show the customers how well you support the solution,\u201d Brandenburg said. \u201cA majority of these opportunities have something in place but there is never anyone showing them how to use it after it is installed and in place. That\u2019s where we come in and the customer immediately awards us trusted advisor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
John-Austin Shepard, Nauticon Office Solutions<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For Nauticon Office Solutions of Gaithersburg, Maryland, the ability to increase its average deal size by nearly 25% during the pandemic period has been a significant boon for the dealer. Leading the charge have been offerings such as PaperCut and eGoldfax, according to John-Austin Shepard, vice president of sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny supplementary product that can help a client become more streamlined, secure and mobile has been a huge value-add in our talk tracks,\u201d Shepard noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The request for proposal (RFP) is music to the ears of any dealer. Unlike its cost-conscious brother, the request for quote (RFQ), it\u2019s not a down-and-dirty search for the bottom line. The RFP is a blank slate of sorts, mainly because it is a client\/prospect’s cry for help. Assistance is needed, and oftentimes, the customer doesn\u2019t know what it doesn\u2019t know\u2026or what it needs. That\u2019s where you, the swashbuckling day-saver, pounce on the scene, ready to ask those wide-ranging questions that drill down to the pain points. Tools are fantastic, and you\u2019re there to discern exactly what tools are needed for the job. In this week\u2019s State of the Industry report on contractual success, we offer a look at some of the pot sweeteners that truly add value above and beyond the initial engagement. On the subject of tools, Dawn Abbuhl\u2014president of Repeat Business Systems in Albany, New York\u2014is a big proponent of Ricoh\u2019s Streamline NX fleet management program, which she believes has been an essential piece for customers. Whether the conversation centers on security, usage, efficiency, or reducing paper, many roads ultimately lead to electronic workflow. Being able to perform approvals and accounts payable online can lead to more extensive conversations\u2026and opportunities. \u201cWhen we have meetings with potential new accounts, we\u2019ll ask how they\u2019re handling electronic workflow,\u201d she said. \u201cOftentimes, they\u2019re not; they haven\u2019t done anything in that regard. Then we\u2019ll ask how they\u2019re managing their fleets, doing patches, updates\/firmware updates. That\u2019s when you find out they have to go to every single machine, and it\u2019s been causing certain problems. \u201cWhen you\u2019re the first vendor to bring those problems to someone\u2019s attention\u2014which we typically are\u2014your credibility is really high. It\u2019s a good feeling to know you\u2019re really helping them and providing an important solution.\u201d Team Mobilization The clearest path toward bolstering the overall value of an agreement has its roots in bringing customers in for a facility tour and meeting key members of the dealer\u2019s service, logistics, admin and IT teams, according to Rich Brandenburg, senior vice president of sales for Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises (DME) of Cincinnati. It can help underscore the overall value beyond the numbers on a page. \u201cWe have found software is critical in these solutions. However, it\u2019s the ability to show the customers how well you support the solution,\u201d Brandenburg said. \u201cA majority of these opportunities have something in place but there is never anyone showing them how to use it after it is installed and in place. That\u2019s where we come in and the customer immediately awards us trusted advisor.\u201d For Nauticon Office Solutions of Gaithersburg, Maryland, the ability to increase its average deal size by nearly 25% during the pandemic period has been a significant boon for the dealer. Leading the charge have been offerings such as PaperCut and eGoldfax, according to John-Austin Shepard, vice president of sales. \u201cAny supplementary product that can help a client become more streamlined, secure and mobile has been a huge value-add in our talk tracks,\u201d Shepard noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":51457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1650,82,87,1638],"tags":[3221],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51456"}],"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=51456"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51458,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51456\/revisions\/51458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}