Candidly Canon
On assignment, here in Midtown New York, I am soon to join Canon as they open their Canon EXPO 2010 New York for a sneak peek behind the curtain of some of reportedly, big news surrounding imaging. Canon appears to have spared no expense, and I know many in the dealer community are excited as well; [...]
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The Secrets to Successful Change: Avoid Being Part of the 70 Percent Who Fail
According to recent studies (Keller & Aiken, The Inconvenient Truth About Change, 2008), 70 percent of major changes within organizations still fail. The Gallup Organization goes on to say, “In average organizations, the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is 1.5:1. In world-class organizations, the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is near [...]
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Enablers, Resistors, and Obstacles: What Stands In the Way of Your MPS Success?
The fax machine was simply novel by itself, but was more valuable as a pair. As more and more fax machines became available, they not only became infinitely more valuable as a communication method but allowed the fax to become a ubiquitous standard. To this day, it still has itself wrapped around the psyche of [...]
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Who Sets the Standard? Let Your Voice Be Heard!
Are you tired of the industry chatter, trade shows with so-called educational tracks, cloudy definitions, and murky best practices? Then let your voice be heard. Stand up, e-mail in, leave a message, or just yell it out. Don’t just sit idly by and grumble about things happening that you can be a part of.
The managed [...]
Feel the Rhythm: Your Customers Need to Hear You!
I’m a big fan of music, and would just about listen to music all day and night if I could. There is something therapeutic about music, and a good song exists for just about every situation. I think it is because it evokes such raw emotion – and depending upon the mood you are in, [...]
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GreatAmerica Hosting Free Webinar on Managed Network Services
GreatAmerica announced today it will host a free webinar on Building a Complete Managed Network Services Program for office equipment and telecommunications dealers on August 24th, 2010 at 1pm CST. The one-hour webinar, presented by industry expert Mitch Morgan, is considered the first step in building a complete MNS program.
Mitch will present:
The four phases of [...]
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Getting Under the Hood: How Do You Handle Local Devices?
I notice that many things seem to travel in cycles. A few of my well-placed, trusted sources are once again talking about the frontier of local device capture. For years, I’ve heard just about everyone offer the advice, “Forget about the locals.”
Sure, it’s easier to have everything on the network and create a more homogenous [...]
Be the First.
Today was my daughter’s first day of school. It was a great joy to be able to drive her there, walk her in to her classroom, and help her find her seat. She was as independent as ever, giving me a peck as we wished each other a good day. Perhaps you’ve had a similar [...]
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Sunrise or Sunset: What Do You See?
As I sit here in traffic on the I-64 West, my new Android-enabled Droid X offers a plethora of tools to keep me in the know. Google Maps, Twitter, Dolphin HD browser, Verizon Wireless 3G speed, and the list just keeps going. Everyone else sports such options, but after an hour of no progress what [...]
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3 More Things They Are Watching: Observations After CompTIA Breakaway – Day 2
On day two of the CompTIA Breakaway 2010 conference, more insights just keep pouring in. Yesterday, I outlined five things you should keep your eye on, and here are three more:
Managed service providers (MSPs) get services-led selling cycles: MSPs get the concept of why services-led selling works, that it generates a steady revenue source and [...]
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5 Things They Are Watching: Observations After CompTIA Breakaway – Day 1
Day one of the CompTIA Breakaway 2010 is in the bag. Participation is interesting and talking with CompTIA staff, it seems there was some 1300 registered attendees this year. The classes had mixed reviews, but the networking and business opportunities seem to be living up to all the hype. However, there are some clear trends [...]
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Learn, Connect, Succeed at CompTIA Breakaway 2010
Learn, connect and succeed. Isn’t that what’ it’s about?
At the CompTIA Breakaway conference this year, it will be an interesting line-up. Managed print services has made its way to the forefront of discussion, to stand beside topics such as selling services in education and healthcare verticals and cyber-security. It will be interesting to see what [...]
You Shall Seek Out New Adventures
Transitions are always a challenge and the prospect of the new adventure stirs the blood while the uncertainty of the unknown can be daunting. The last week has been a whirlwind of change. I really appreciate your patience as I made this exciting transition over the past few days into my new role of senior consultant [...]
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More or Less: Soft Skills Versus Software Skills
I hear it all of the time: “I need someone with technical chops that can talk to people.” However, when reading between the lines you will also hear, “… but I don’t want to pay that much for him or her.” The question, then, becomes, “Do you need someone with more soft skills or more [...]
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The Band Aid Solution
I’ve been accused of making things too complex sometimes. I know that surprises a lot of you, so try and hold your emotions in check, please. But something Malcolm Gladwell said in his book, The Tipping Point, really struck home:
“The Band Aid solution is actually the best kind of solution because it involves solving a [...]
Do All Signs Lead to MPS Tipping Point?
Look around and what do you see? Signs of economic malaise, signs of a recovering economy, or more indications this roller coaster ride is just getting going?
As I talk with restaurant owners and managers around my area, the pace of business seems to have remained steady, but people aren’t buying as much filet and [...]
Smartphone Evolution: Teacher or Tyrant?
I’ve been an avid smartphone user before they were really that smart. Something about the concept of having all of the information you could possess in the palm of your hand (or both hands back then). That was just a short 8 or 9 years ago, and the market continues to evolve and grow – ultimately [...]
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Slow Down to Speed Up: The 4 Tenets of Productivty
Are you a busy professional, stay at home parent or really anyone that lives in today’s information-centric, have-it-now society?
Life doesn’t slow down. You know the feeling, right? You are trying to get those last deals signed for month-end, support calls have exploded or everyone seems to need your attention the most when you are facing [...]
SharePoint 2010 is Wildfire at Work: Maximizing the SharePoint-Sprawl
Microsoft’s juggernaut, SharePoint 2010, continues to spread in organizations like wildfire – at epidemic proportions. A recent AIIM study indicated that less than 50% of SharePoint deployments considered a business case and only half even required financial justification. In essence, “We know we need it, we aren’t totally sure for what, and we don’t really care if [...]
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Are You Feeling It? CompTIA Study Finds Economic Optimism
Are you feelin’ it? There is something in the air, isn’t there?
According to a recent CompTIA study, the CompTIA IT Industry Business Confidence Index, 60 percent of over 300 US Information Technology companies to exceed revenues in Q3 and Q4. That’s great, but what’s really key is that these IT execs are expressing ‘optimism’ when [...]
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Canon Unveils the Future of Imaging at Canon Expo 2010 New York
Xerox To Launch Ad Campaign Focusing On Business Process Services
Sales Training that is Effective Sales Training
DocuLynx Acquires Anacomp’s docHarbor Online & Document Management Divisions
Canon U.S.A. Announces Oce Wide Format Printing Systems as a New Dealer for Award-Winning Large Format Printers
Datamax-O’Neil Offers Extended Warranty Service [...]
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Printer and Display Trends Don’t Bode Well for Dell
HP Seeking Sales Out Data From 5,000 SMB Partners
Stratix Systems Named Among Nation’s Best in Imaging Solutions Industry
Compact imageRUNNER ADVANCE C2030/C2020 Models Expand Award-Winning ADVANCE MFP Lineup to Meet the Needs of Today’s Competitive Business Environments
MPS Insights to Host Exclusive Live Webcast of the 2010 [...]
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Lexmark’s Laser Printers And Cartridge Pricing And Sales Could Crimp Stock Gains
Van Dyk Business Systems Partners With Westbrook Technologies to Help Customers Cut Costs With Document Management Software
Dell Releases New Monochrome Laser Printer
Xerox Blogs: Can you run lightweight paper on your Continuous Feed Printer?
HP Expands ColorLok Paper Program; Study Finds Paper Standard Helps Laser Printers [...]
