In this series, “Dressed Up and Ready to Compete - What Do You Think?” we'll look at some "MPS" indicators and market directions so that we can address the questions... or at least be aware of what's taking place. Just more signs of the OEM movement to take managed Print Services to the street. Let's hope you're part of their solution!
"HP Introduces Powerful Enterprise Tools to Enhance Managed Print Services Delivery, Enable Mobile Printing and Improve Customer Communication" Read more...
"HP to predict how IT shops use print devices" Read more....
So the week before last, in Part IV of this series, “What Do You Think; How Will You Respond”, we continued our discussion about MPS, and switched our attention to HP and their latest announcement. Well guess what, we've got more movement.....surprised? Hey these guys are all positioning and MPS is the new print frontier.
So let’s recap the HP announcements of the last couple of weeks:
- FedEx Office announced it will use Canon and HP as sole-source providers in their respective printing categories and will deploy more than 12,000 new Canon and HP printing devices across more than 1,800 locations in the United States and Canada.
- HP’s alliance with Canon is yielding global results. Recent work together includes offering the latest devices from Canon’s imageRUNNER ADVANCE lineup as part of an HP MPS engagement.
- HP has expanded the HP Printing Payback Guarantee, an industry-first program designed to provide companies risk-free entry into HP MPS engagements, to Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
- HP continues to offer broad, flexible procurement options with HP MPS, based on agreed upon print policies with enterprise customers. Billing options include Level Pay, Base + Click, Cost Per Page and cost per page with no minimums.
- Flexible financing solutions and sale-leaseback services also are offered from HP Financial Services, the company’s leasing and life cycle asset management services subsidiary.
- HP will offer HP Access Control Printing Solutions through the channel as part of its strategy to enable reseller partners to be more competitive. Today’s offerings are an extension of the imaging and printing channel enhancements the company announced in September 2009.
Does anybody deny that the MPS space is red hot and the OEM's all have their gloves off? What a great opportunity to be in this market at this time. What a wonderful time to learn, understand, and be positioned to deliver on a strategic Managed Print Services Program. Do you think the OEM's are the only ones that can shape the market? Do you think that they are the only ones that should get to choose who will play? That's not how I see it. I think they are helping to create tremendous opportunity for the independents. Sure, the MPS space is changing, shaping up...whatever you want to call it. And yes, we all need to be aware and positioned to be part of the whole MPS movement; to compete and take advantage of all that's being communicated in the market.
Personally, I'm excited about all the new opportunity and I think you should be too. I'll say it again, and again....it’s a big market with plenty of room to play, if you’re dressed up and ready to compete. But don't wait to get invited to the game; take action. Get your company positioned; and don't try and do it alone. There is absolutely strength in numbers; this has always been the case and always will. While the OEM's are redefining their channels, redefine your message and become part of the global movement. Just please, do not allow yourself to get caught waiting around to see what's next.
HP, like Xerox, like Dell and the others have all come to play. The "channel" will be redefined and each will have aggressive divisions going direct. This is not going to make things easier for us Independents. But, guess what my friends, there is and has always been "Strength in Numbers", distributed reach and leveraged expansion? Remember, it’s the Power of the Independent: Local Dealers - National Solutions.
So what's the plan? We all dressed up and ready to compete? I’m just asking the questions.
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