When Does It Make Sense To Introduce A Managed Print Services Solution To My Customer?

Actually, the sooner you begin crafting and communicating your message, the better. The market is shifting and you need to be proactive and positioned. Managed Print Services is what you should be discussing with your customers and the direction you should be taking your business. It can be the greatest differentiator between you and your competitors, and will help to solidify your customer base - long term.

Managed Print Services gives you greater efficiencies and abilities to manage your cost per print (whether your selling a CPP model or not), solidify and grow your current business relationships and opportunities, and improve your margins. Remember, at the end of the day, you have to understand your internal cost of managing a document; your own per page cost of toner, parts, and labor, at the least. Until you understand your costs, you can’t measure improved processes. You must have a baseline to quantify the impact of your changes? When does it make sense to sell a Managed Print Services Solution? It always makes sense; today – right now!

It’s the direction of the market and you need to be prepared to lead the way. Managed Print Services is customer driven; it’s not a “one size fits all” solution. It must be designed with flexibility and can range from “strategic” to “more strategic.” Just be sure you’re talking to your customers first about the most strategic approaches to managed print and all you have to offer; and then….listen. Hear what they want and how you can engage. Just make sure that you’re not blind‐sided by an unexpected competitor. Remember that everyone’s customer is someone else’s prospect. Get as strategic with your customer as you can, while you can.

Managed Print Services is the kind of strategic discussion you can have, and should be having with the most senior executives within your client base. And if you’re worried about offending some individual in your account because you chose to extend communication to someone higher up in the organization, someone responsible for strategy, business process improvement, cost avoidance and cost savings - don’t be. Keep in mind that your competitor will eventually have a strategic discussion with that senior executive, if you don’t first. Don’t find yourself saying “but I can do that too”; it’ll likely be too late. Be proactive in your sales approach and do it now! Let the C-level executives know that you have a Managed Print Solution before they even know they need one. Educate them and define your solution, before someone else does.

Keep in mind that you should always have your customer’s best interest at heart. Keep in mind that without risk there is often no gain. Keep in mind that new relationships can lead to new business, more promising profits, and more interesting challenges and opportunities. Now, may not be the time for a full blown Managed Print Solution engagement for all of your customers, but it’s certainly the time to get more strategic with them; to make them aware of the additional value you can bring; your capabilities. Leverage your MPS software provider and the flexibility of their system to get as strategic as you need to; as your customer is ready to. Meet your customer where they are and work with them. Then, you’ll be in a must better position to grow your relationship to one that is more strategic, and in the process, you’ll transition your business.