It was not that long ago that we were all thinking convergence was the way of the future or better yet, the push to make our MFP devices the default printer of the company. Today, our customers are demanding more of a service centered approach other then our typical product focus one.  In order to answer this call many dealerships have taken a significant focus and investment in offering Managed Print Services (MPS). While MPS is nothing new to our Industry, I often wonder why some deals are succeeding and others fail.  Over the recent years I have seen that the most successful dealerships in the MPS arena start with some simple but effective key methods. These include:

Key # 1:  Ask the Right Questions
Regardless of your position in your company; IT, sales, service, owner, you start by asking the right questions. Starting with the prospecting and initial contacts made, help yourself align with your potential client’s objectives and goals that will lay a foundation for success from the onset of the MPS project. Three key questions that I have found to be extremely informative are:

1. What is your print management strategy?
Simple but very effective in getting an initial appointment.

2. What is your biggest initiative? Give them examples.
Three core focuses are: saving money, consolidating devices, or going green.

3. What is your ideal program?
Three examples would be:  Less desktop devices, less use of paper, paper output control.

Key # 2:  Align Your Objectives
Remember that the overall objective during the initial meeting is to gain the customer’s project approval and to make sure that your goals align with the potential clients. In efforts to help aid in this process here are some key items to help you achieve your MPS success:

Key implementation items:

1. Get sign-off on non-disclosure.

2. Get their current supply pricing - don’t start the process until you receive their pricing.

3. Identify location and contacts.

4. Set proposed walk through date (set this date after your pricing due date).

5. Second meeting appointment (this meeting should be right after your walk through).

Key # 3:  Create a Communication Strategy with Customers
A great way to increase communication, create accountability, and creditability during your MPS project is use of project management software. Inform the customer that you will be using project management software. This will allow you to keep the project on track. By using project management software your client will now see this as a true project now just another sales pitch. 

Other key communication items:

1. Have your client email all end-users to give them an understanding and awareness of this key project.

2. Determine who will be your client’s project leader.

3. Getting floor plans and charts upfront will help you better understand the business environment both as a physical and political landscape.

Key # 4:  Invest in the tools but don’t forget your walking shoes.
If your company is going to take on MPS as a key focus I would highly recommend getting some type of enterprise auditing or data collection utilities; this is an essential part of becoming a real player in this market. However, the mistake being commonly made is forgetting to do a walkthrough of all facilities. It is essential that you as the project leader do a walk though. Touch every device! This will allow for you to better understand the business environment and to ensure you capture all devices.

During the walkthrough be sure to:

1. Take pictures of current equipment and supplies – We have all heard the phrase a picture says a thousand words, thus why pass up an opportunity to show your clients key issues of their current work environment.

2. Ask questions of the end user – What a better way to gain insight and feedback that you can take to upper management.

Key # 5:  Get IT/MIS involved!
The overall goal of any successful MPS project should be to take over the client’s CURRENT printer fleet and not to REPLACE them, thus I cannot stress this enough to get IT/MIS involved in your project. Managed print services are of huge value to an IT department. The trouble some have with this is, most companies are doing it incorrectly and simply trying to sell more printers! Thus, IT Departments are tending to shy away from outside vendors coming in and tasking over their fleet. However, my experience has been that once we, as the MPS lead, builds creditability with the IT/MIS department, they become a critical ally and asset to push the MPS deal through to the finish line.

Some keys to remember when talking to IT/MIS:

1. As a rule of thumb, use the word utility instead of software when describing some of your company’s offerings and monitoring tools. Software needs to be loaded, trained on, and may cause network issues in an IT’s mind. Software means work to IT personnel, while the word utility means help. Just a simple, but effective play on words.

2. Stress ease of integration. Keep things simple, the same, and similar in order to appease IT. Focus first on taking over their existing fleet, not by trying to replace them.

Eric Stavola is IT Director, Professional Services for a California-based dealership. He is a former network solutions manager for Kyocera Mita, and consults nationwide. Eric holds a Masters Degree in Information Systems & holds the following certifications: MCSE,MCSA, N+,CDIA+. At 619.379-3009.

Remember that the overall objective during the initial meeting is to gain the

customer’s project approval and to make sure that your goals align with the potential clients. In efforts to help aid in this process here are some key items to help you achieve your MPS success:

Key implementation items:

1. Get sign-off on non-disclosure.

2. Get their current supply pricing - don’t start the process until you receive their pricing.

3. Identify location and contacts.

4. Set proposed walk through date (set this date after your pricing due date).

5. Second meeting appointment (this meeting should be right after your walk through).

Key # 3:  Create a Communication Strategy with Customers

A great way to increase communication, create accountability, and creditability during your MPS project is use of project management software. Inform the customer that you will be using project management software. This will allow you to keep the project on track. By using project management software your client will now see this as a true project now just another sales pitch. 

Other key communication items:

1. Have your client email all end-users to give them an understanding and awareness of this key project.

2. Determine who will be your client’s project leader.

3. Getting floor plans and charts upfront will help you better understand the business environment both as a physical and political landscape.

Key # 4:  Invest in the tools but don’t forget your walking shoes.

If your company is going to take on MPS as a key focus I would highly recommend getting some type of enterprise auditing or data collection utilities; this is an essential part of becoming a real player in this market. However, the mistake being commonly made is forgetting to do a walkthrough of all facilities. It is essential that you as the project leader

do a walk though. Touch every device! This will allow for you to better understand the

business environment and to ensure you capture all devices.

During the walkthrough be sure to:

1. Take pictures of current equipment and supplies – We have all heard the phrase

a picture says a thousand words, thus why pass up an opportunity to show

your clients key issues of their current work environment.

2. Ask questions of the end user – What a better way to gain insight and feedback

that you can take to upper management.

Key # 5:  Get IT/MIS involved!

The overall goal of any successful MPS project should be to take over the client’s CURRENT printer fleet and not to REPLACE them, thus I cannot stress this enough to get IT/MIS involved in your project. Managed print services are of huge value to an IT department. The trouble some have with this is, most companies are doing it incorrectly and simply trying to sell more printers! Thus, IT Departments are tending to shy away from outside vendors coming in and tasking over their fleet. However, my experience has been that once we, as the MPS lead, builds creditability with the IT/MIS department, they become a critical ally and asset to push the MPS deal through to the finish line.

Some keys to remember when talking to IT/MIS:  

1. As a rule of thumb, use the word utility instead of software when describing some of your company’s offerings and monitoring tools. Software needs to be loaded, trained on, and may cause network issues in an IT’s mind. Software means work to IT personnel, while the word utility means help. Just a simple, but effective play on words.

2. Stress ease of integration. Keep things simple, the same, and similar in order to appease IT. Focus first on taking over their existing fleet, not by trying to replace them.

Eric Stavola is IT Director, Professional Services for a California-based dealership. He is a former network solutions manager for Kyocera Mita, and consults nationwide. Eric holds a Masters Degree in Information Systems & holds the following certifications: MCSE,MCSA, N+,CDIA+. At 619.379-3009.