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Measuring Progress

Use your pipeline to evaluate

your MPS programby Ed CarrollStrategy DevelopmentBy now, I hope your business isengaged in offering managed print services and youhave closed a few opportunities. But how do youreally know if MPS is going to be a significant part ofyour business? How do you measure your progress?

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CONTENTS

2010 Software Buyer’s Guide

Helping you select the

right vendor partnersCompiled by Brent HoskinsOffice Technology MagazineAlthough there are many inde-pendent software vendors (ISVs)whose products enhance the use ofMFPs, dealers are often advised to select and marketonly a few of these products. To help dealers betterunderstand the capabilities of the various softwareproducts now available, Office Technology invited ven-dors to submit brief overviews of their products.Perhaps it is time to further enhance your product offer-ings or use a new software product in your business.

Volume 17 � No. 4

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S

D E P A R T M E N T S

6

8

30

Executive Director’s Page

BTA President’s Message

Advertiser Index

Business Technology Association� BTA Highlights26

M P S S T R A T E G I E S

Your Employee, Your Risk

Due diligence is crucial

in the hiring processBy Wayne OutlawOutlaw Group Inc.You have just been told there hasbeen an incident at a customer’s location and itappears it was caused by an employee you hired a cou-ple of months ago. Your first questions may be: “Whatcould have happened?” and “How will this affect mycompany?” Even if you carry what is considered ampleinsurance, this could be a disaster. Workplace violenceis not new and it is becoming more prevalent every dayin dramatic situations such as the biology professorwho shot several fellow employees in February.

‘Stage Three’ MPS

What makes you different

from competitors?by Darrell AmyDealer Marketing SystemsBy now, just about every competi-tor in your market is talking about managed printservices. So, what makes you different? If your com-petitive advantage centers around a predictablepitch, you are in trouble.

22

10

28

29

‘We Speak Image’

Canon EXPO 2010 held

in New York Cityby Brent HoskinsOffice Technology MagazineWith the goal of showcasing its fullproduct lineup in real-word settings and scenarios,Canon U.S.A. recently hosted Canon EXPO 2010, draw-ing several thousand attendees, including authorizedCanon dealers and current and prospective corporatecustomers. The event was held Sept. 1-3 at the Jacob K.Javits Convention Center in New York City. On the showfloor, Canon featured its many office solutions in thesetting of a ficticious company, “to showcase how Canontechnology can be used in any type of company.”

20

C O U R T S & C A P I T O L SBusiness Fraud

Be mindful of your

company financesby Robert C. GoldbergBTA General CounselWhen economic conditions are bad,employees become desperate to make ends meet andoften find the solution at their place of employment.Fraud and embezzlement are, and should be, a signifi-cant concern of small businesses.

27

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Executive Director/BTAEditor/Office Technology

Brent Hoskinsbrent@bta.org

(816) 303-4040

Associate EditorElizabeth Marvel

elizabeth@bta.org(816) 303-4060

Contributing WritersDarrell Amy, Dealer Marketing Systems

www.dealermarketingsystems.com

Ed Carroll, Strategy Developmentwww.strategydevelopment.org

Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel Business Technology Association

Wayne Outlaw, Outlaw Group Inc.www.outlawgroup.com

Business Technology Association12411 Wornall Road

Kansas City, MO 64145(816) 941-3100

www.bta.org

Member Services: (800) 505-2821BTA Legal Hotline: (800) 869-6688

Valerie BrisenoMembership & Marketing Manager

valerie@bta.org

Mary HopkinsDatabase Administrator

mary@bta.org

Teresa LeerarBookkeeper

teresa@bta.org

Brian SmithMembership Sales Representative

brian@bta.org

©2010 by the Business Technology Association. All RightsReserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by anymeans without the written permission of the publisher. Everyeffort is made to ensure the accuracy of published material.However, the publisher assumes no liability for errors in articlesnor are opinions expressed necessarily those of the publisher.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PAGE

On Sept. 23 in

White Plains, N.Y.,

BTA hosted its

second Data Cleansing

Summit to further ad-

dress the issue of the risks

associated with confiden-

tial information being left

on copier/MFP hard drives. The issue came to

the national spotlight on April 19 when an

investigative report was aired by the CBS

Evening News. The immediate response was

end-user concern.

BTA quickly scheduled the first Data

Cleansing Summit, which was held June 18 in

Orlando, Fla. At that meeting, representatives

from manufacturing companies, leasing

companies, distributors and suppliers, as well

as dealers, gathered to address the topic to

decide how the industry could best respond

to end-user concerns. The meeting was facili-

tated by BTA General Counsel Bob Goldberg.

The June 18 meeting resulted in agree-

ment on four action steps: (1) Develop an

end-user educational pamphlet regarding

how they can best address data and image

retention on copier/MFPs, etc.; (2) Coordi-

nate education efforts with the Federal

Trade Commission (FTC); (3) Work with

Congress regarding industry efforts to

educate end users on the issue; and (4)

Monitor, testify and submit comments on

any proposed legislation.

At the Sept. 23 meeting, Bob reported that

only two newly introduced state bills are

pending — one in New York, the other in

New Jersey. However, it appears that in both

cases the bills are stalled in committee. No

hearings have been scheduled. BTA did

notify the appropriate legislators in both

states that the association is prepared to

testify on behalf of the industry, if requested.

During the recent meeting, Bob also

noted that the media attention on the topic

of data security on copier/MFP hard drives

essentially disappeared over the summer.

As he put it: “At this point, the volcano is

dormant.” However, he said, the industry

must move forward to educate end users,

since the problem still exists. In addition,

the FTC has embraced the efforts of BTA

and the industry and is supportive of a draft

pamphlet that the association has devel-

oped to educate end users.

That draft pamphlet was reviewed by the

attendees at the meeting. Several changes

were made based on their input. Ultimately,

the pamphlet will be made available to

dealers, manufacturers and suppliers in the

form of a PDF to print and share with end

users. The FTC will be distributing the pam-

phlet as well. It will not be copyrighted by

BTA, to facilitate its unencumbered distri-

bution. BTA will notify its members, and the

industry at large, when the finalized pam-

phlet is available for distribution.

In addition to members of the BTA Board

of Directors, the meeting was attended by

representatives of the following companies:

CopEx Inc., ECi Software Solutions, GE

Capital, GreatAmerica Leasing Corp., IKON

Office Solutions/Ricoh Americas Corp.,

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A.,

Kyocera Mita America Inc., Lexmark Inter-

national Inc., MARS International, Muratec

America Inc., Samsung Electronics Amer-

ica, Sharp Imaging and Information Com-

pany of America, Toshiba America Business

Solutions Inc., U.S. Bancorp Office Equip-

ment Finance Services and Wells Fargo

Financial Leasing. �

— Brent Hoskins

BTA Data CleansingSummit Held Sept. 23

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BTA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The Business Tech-

nology Associa-

tion has come a

long way in recent years.

Anyone who attended

the Sept. 23-24 BTA East

Grand Slam 2010 event

at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel

in White Plains, N.Y., can attest to that

reality. They were among the many who at-

tended some outstanding education ses-

sions, learned about the products and serv-

ices of 23 exhibiting sponsors, and had a

great time networking with their fellow

office technology dealers.

Actually, this is the third year the BTA

East district has hosted an event in this

venue. In September 2008, the inaugural

event drew a total attendance of approxi-

mately 65 individuals. In 2009, the number

increased to about 115. This year, the event

had a total attendance of 150. Clearly, BTA

East’s Grand Slam has become embraced by

dealers as an annual “must-attend” industry

event. Michael Steinhoff, president of

Rhyme Business Products, Portage, Wis.,

confirmed this viewpoint in his response to

a follow-up attendee survey: “We plan to be

back for the fourth time next year.”

Grand Slam 2010 began during the after-

noon of Thursday, Sept. 23, with a dealer

and manufacturer panel discussion, moder-

ated by Frank Cannata of Marketing Re-

search Consultants Inc. The panel featured

some heavy-hitters, including three manu-

facturer presidents — Mike Pietrunti of

Kyocera Mita America Inc., Jim D’Emidio of

Muratec America Inc. and Ed McLaughlin of

Sharp Imaging and Information Company of

America. The dealer panelists were equally

di stingui sh ed industr y leaders: Rick

Bastinelli of Centric Business Systems Inc.,

Owings Mills, Md.; Jerry Blaine of LDI Color

ToolBox, New York, N.Y.; Andrew Ritschel,

Electronic Office Systems Inc., Fairfield, N.J.;

and Larry Weiss of Atlantic Tomorrow’s

Office, New York, N.Y.

Focused primarily on managed print

services, it was apparent that the attendees

found the panel discussion to be of great

interest. In fact, including the Q&A session

at the conclusion, the discussion lasted

about 30 minutes longer than scheduled.

Following the discussion, attendees

enjoyed the Welcoming Reception, net-

working with others and visiting the tables of

exhibiting sponsors. The setup was particu-

larly convenient, with the exhibit tables in

the same ballroom as the panel discussion.

The learning opportunities continued

throughout the day on Friday, Sept. 24, with

four education sessions, along with addi-

tional time on the schedule to visit with the

exhibitors. The education lineup featured

well-received sessions by four excellent pre-

senters: Bob Goldberg, BTA general counsel;

Tom Callinan, founding principal of Strat-

egy Development; Sally Brause, director of

human resources consulting at GreatAmer-

ica Leasing Corp.; and Byron Aulick, presi-

dent of DataVault Inc.

Grand Slam 2010 concluded with an

evening in the largest suite in Yankee

Stadium to see the Boston Red Sox take on

the New York Yankees. This unforgettable

evening was made possible through co-spon-

sors EDA and GreatAmerica Leasing Corp.

Does this sound like a missed opportu-

nity? Then plan to attend BTA East’s Grand

Slam 2011, or any of BTA’ s other district

events. Watch for details at www.bta.org. �

— Rock Janecek

®

2010-2011 Board of Directors

PresidentRock Janecek

Burtronics Business Systems Inc.216 S. Arrowhead Ave.

San Bernardino, CA 92408rjanecek@burtronics.com

President-ElectTom Ouellette

Budget Document Technology251 Goddard Road

Lewiston, ME 04240touellette@bdtme.com

Vice PresidentTerence Chapman

Business Electronics Corp.219 Oxmoor Circle

Birmingham, AL 35209tchapman@businesselectronics.com

BTA EastTodd J. Fitzsimons

Network Imaging LLC122 Spring St.

Southington, CT 06489tjfitzsimons@networkimaging.biz

BTA Mid-AmericaRon Hulett

U.S. Business Systems Inc.3221 Southview Drive

Elkhart, IN 46514ron.hulett@usbus.com

BTA SoutheastMike Upchurch

Business Machines Inc.3121-C Glen Royal Road

Raleigh, NC 27617mike@bmi4u.com

BTA WestGreg Gray

Burtronics Business Systems Inc.216 S. Arrowhead Ave.

San Bernardino, CA 92408ggray@burtronics.com

Ex-Officio/ImmediatePast President

Bill JamesWJS Enterprises Inc.

3315 Ridgelake DriveMetairie, LA 70002

bjames@wjsenterprises.com

Ex-Officio/General CounselRobert C. Goldberg

Schoenberg Finkel Newman & Rosenberg LLC222 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 2100

Chicago, IL 60606robert.goldberg@sfnr.com

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BTA East’s Grand Slam 2010 Delivers

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10 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

Compiled by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

2010 Software Buyer’s GuideHelping you select the right vendor partners

Although there are many inde-

pendent software vendors

(ISVs) whose products further

enhance the use of MFPs, dealers are

often advised to select and market only

a few of these products. Many recom-

mend that the dealer should strive to

ensure his (or her) dealership becomes

the leading, preferred source for certain

software products that best serve the

needs of customers.

To help dealers better understand

the capabilities of the various software

products now available, Office Tech-

nology invited a number of vendors to submit brief overviews

of their products. Most offer software for the end-user’s use.

Some offer software for use within the dealership. Perhaps it

is time to further enhance your product offerings or use a new

software product to improve your internal processes.

Business Process ImprovementFabSoft www.fabsoft.com

FabSoft’s Reform streamlines workflow by automating

the output, capture and distribution of documents. Reform

will capture scanned images, print streams or user data

from any operating system, application or device. Reform

enhances the captured information and intelligently distrib-

utes it to printers, faxes, e-mail and archive systems.

Capture/Forms RecognitionArtsyl Technologies www.artsyltech.com

Artsyl Technologies develops a full range of document

capture software that reduces the cost of processing forms

as well as the storage, search and retrieval of documents for

customer service and regulatory compliance. Artsyl’s

product line includes: SimpleCapture, a semi-automatic

data capture product with a self-

learning capabi l ity that does not

require templates to set up; docAlpha,

a fully-automated distributed data

capture, extraction, classification and

processing solution; and ClaimAction,

a package for medical claims. All Artsyl

products integrate with a wide range of

scanners, MFPs and fax servers.

Cost RecoverynQueue Billback www.nqbillback.com

nQueue Billback provides software-

based information accountability, expense management

and cost recovery solutions to more than 30 percent of the

250 largest law firms in the United States and five of the top

10 globally. The company automates the collection of data

related to any business expense to improve decision making

and maximize cost recovery.

Dealership ManagementDigital Gateway www.digitalgateway.com

Since 1995, Digital Gateway has helped more than 1,000

companies drive their business operations successfully with

its innovative e-automate dealership management software.

Digital Gateway puts printer and copier dealers first, in order

to be responsive to their needs for years to come. Dealerships

are experiencing even more need to focus on managed print

to secure their businesses and e-automate assists dealers to

automate each step of securing and keeping pages under

contract. E-automate gives visibility to the industry, connec-

tivity to key integrations and the seamless automation

needed to secure the business and future of its customers. No

other solution will better equip office equipment dealerships

to successfully capitalize on managed print services.

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SINCE 2007

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ECi Software Solutions www.ecisolutions.com

For more than 25 years, ECi has specialized in dealership

management software solutions that fuel the efficiency and

profitability of office equipment dealerships. Whether your

dealership is managing toner usage, tracking meter clicks or

wanting to operate a profitable service department, ECi has

the right solution for you. Fifty of OfficeDEALER magazine’s

Elite Dealers use ECi software.

Document Capture & ImagingOmtool Ltd. www.omtool.com

Omtool Ltd. is a provider of document capture and han-

dling solutions that simplify the integration of paper and

electronic documents into enterprise information manage-

ment systems. Its flagship product, AccuRoute®, streamlines

the capture, conversion and communication of paper and

electronic documents, enabling fast, secure and simulta-

neous distribution to multiple destinations, in multiple

formats. Available at any network-enabled scanning device

or from a user’s desktop computer, AccuRoute provides

faster, more efficient workflows, while reducing cost, com-

plexity and risk.

Document ManagementABBYY www.abbyyusa.com

ABBYY is a provider of document recognition, data

capture and language software. Its products include the

FineReader line of OCR applications, FlexiCapture line of

data capture solutions, Lingvo dictionary software and

development tools. The company licenses and OEMs its

solutions to industry leaders including Canon, EMC/

Captiva, Epson, Fujitsu, Fuji Xerox, Hewlett-Packard,

Microsoft, Panasonic, Samsung Electronics, Toshiba, Xerox

and more.

Cabinet NG www.cabinetng.com

Cabinet NG (CNG) provides document management and

workflow software to a variety of industries. Its document

management software moves manual, paper-based processes

into efficient electronic workflows across the small enter-

prise. As a result, businesses can increase productivity, reduce

paper, save money and meet compliance requirements.

ColumbiaSoft www.documentlocator.com

ColumbiaSoft is a provider of enterprise document man-

agement solutions that are deeply integrated with Microsoft

Windows and Office applications. Users can capture,

manage and share electronic and paper documents, e-mail

and faxes to improve efficiency and collaboration, and

reduce risk by meeting higher standards of compliance and

business continuity.

Computhink www.computhink.com

Located in Chicago, Computhink Inc. provides document

management/content management solutions for secure

information sharing and compliance, targeting small and

medium-sized organizations. Computhink offers high

margins for sales of ViewWise®, the document management

solution that streamlines business processes, improves cus-

tomer service, reduces costs and ensures compliance.

docSTAR www.docstar.com

Since 1996, docSTAR has been a recognized leader of doc-

ument management solutions. Eclipse by docSTAR is full-

featured online document management software that

leverages MFP sales, delivers a competitive advantage and

builds an impressive recurring revenue engine. docSTAR is

highly customizable, integrated document management

that provides immediate cost savings while delivering ease

of use, fast implementation, safety and security. docSTAR’s

comprehensive partner success plan helps resellers quickly

add document management to their existing offerings.

DocuLex www.doculex.com

Incorporated in 1996, Winter Haven, Fla.-based DocuLex

creates non-proprietary enterprise content management

software. Through an extensive worldwide reseller channel,

the company offers network-enabled document capture and

image processing software for use with MFPs, production

scanners, facsimile and wide-format units. DocuLex also

provides browser-based document and content manage-

ment programs for collaboration, e-mail archiving and com-

pliance, knowledge management, workflow and records

retention, offered as Archive Studio. Archive Studio is easy-

to-use, productive electronic document management soft-

ware for any business environment seeking secure instant

document access.

DocuWare www.docuware.com

DocuWare’s integrated document management solutions

— extremely robust products for any size organization (ISO

9001 Certified and FDA Compliant) — help to improve cus-

tomer service, increase productivity while controlling costs

and increase cash f low by automating daily business

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Cover Story Oct 10:Cover Story Oct 10 10/4/10 2:40 PM Page 11

Contact FMAudit today.

FMAudit ad Mar 10:Layout 1 2/5/10 8:54 AM Page 1

processes through electronically managing and sharing doc-

uments, regardless of their format or source. At headquar-

ters, across town or around the globe, instant access to

information is easy and secure via the Web. DocuWare,

available in 15 languages, is known for easy installation,

integration, administration and usage, and an exceptionally

low total cost of ownership.

Kofax www.kofax.com

Kofax is a leading provider of document-driven business

process automation solutions that streamline the flow of

information throughout an organization by managing the

capture, transformation and exchange of information in

paper, fax and electronic formats. These solutions provide a

rapid return on investment to customers in financial serv-

ices, government, business process outsourcing, health care,

supply chain and other markets.

InfoDynamics www.infodynamics.com

InfoDynamics is the creator of Intact SMART, an enter-

prise-class content management system. Since 1996, the

software has been developed to be intelligent, powerful, user

friendly and right-sized for any business. Intact SMART has

the ability to support all of your organization’s archival and

collaboration requirements. It has advanced features for

text, bar code and zonal recognition. Intact SMART is

designed to integrate with your core business applications

including productivity (e.g., MS Office), accounting (e.g.,

QuickBooks, MS Dynamics and Sage) and several others.

Searching, retrieving, versioning and editing documents is

now at your fingertips. InfoDynamics’ powerful audit trail

and robust security meet the latest compliance regulations.

Notable Solutions Inc. www.nsiautostore.com

NSi is a leading provider of content capture and business

automation solutions. Its flagship product, AutoStore, is a

server-based application that captures and securely delivers

paper and electronic documents into business applications.

With AutoStore and its 500-plus supported MFPs, business

is done faster, with less effort and less paper.

Sagemcom www.sagem-interstar.com

Sagemcom is the global leader in advanced fax server

solutions for IP networks. Its scalable and survivable

XMediusFAX™ T.38 Fax over IP (FoIP) solutions leverage IP

telephony and UC systems to enhance productivity, collab-

oration and ROI by integrating fax on the desktops of

enterprise and service provider sites worldwide.

Square 9 Softworks www.square-9.com

Square 9 Softworks is a leading developer of innovative,

business-centric software solutions distributed by the office

equipment industry, including the SmartSearch Document

Management Suite. Dedicated to making document man-

agement available to organizations of all sizes, Square 9

Softworks designs solutions built on open architecture and

cutting-edge technologies that drive efficiency and produc-

tivity across all business applications. Through decades of

experience with document management technologies in

business enterprises of all sizes, Square 9 Softworks has

acquired a thorough understanding of document-driven

business processes. Intensely reseller-focused and highly

responsive, Square 9 delivers an unparalleled dealer

program for launching, marketing and expanding any docu-

ment management initiative. With solutions that are afford-

able, powerful and easy to use and support, Square 9 helps

dealers to win more of the document management opportu-

nities they compete in.

Westbrook Technologies Inc. www.westbrooktech.com

Westbrook Technologies has been developing document

management software since 1991. With more than 13,600

users worldwide, its Fortis™ and browser-based FortisBlue™

provide automated workflow and life-cycle management for

paper and electronic documents — from capture, indexing

and archiving to retrieval with fully searchable documents,

data and images.

Enterprise Content Management (ECM)A2iA www.a2ia.com

A2iA is the leading developer of tools for automatic docu-

ment classification and handwritten data extraction. Its

advanced Intelligent Word Recognition and document clas-

sification technologies allow users to process documents

automatically despite their structure or contents. A2iA’s pro-

prietary classification, OCR, ICR and IWR technologies have

been reducing data-entry costs and improving business

process automation for nearly 20 years.

Bull Valley Software www.bullvalleysoftware.com

Scalable for organizations of any size, DocumentLOK from

Bull Valley Software combines secure document and content

management, compliance management and business

process management in one application, and integrates with

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virtually any Windows or Web-based application to

provide immediate, single-click access to documents and

electronic content from within an organization’s primary

business application(s).

emFAST Inc. www.emfast.com

emFAST Inc.’s FACSys® fax/messaging suite of products

includes easy-to-install appliances, combined fax and

document management server solutions and enterprise-

class fax messaging software. FACSys® fully integrates into

areas requiring communication capabilities including MFPs,

business process workflows, major ECM and resource plan-

ning systems. Users can even use any FACSys client —

whether it is on a FACSys-enabled MFP, mobile phone or

application — to directly route content to the cloud content

management provider, Box.net.

KnowledgeLake Inc. www.knowledgelake.com

KnowledgeLake Inc. develops document imaging, docu-

ment capture and workflow products and solutions for

Microsoft SharePoint. KnowledgeLake extends the enter-

prise content management capabilities of SharePoint,

enabling businesses to reduce mailing costs, streamline

operations and achieve regulatory compliance using

familiar Microsoft products that most businesses already

own and use.

Laserfiche www.laserfiche.com

Laserfiche® creates enterprise content management solu-

tions that help organizations run smarter. Since 1987, more

than 28,000 organizations worldwide — including govern-

ment agencies and Fortune 1,000 companies — have used

Laserfiche software to streamline documents, records and

business process management. Laserfiche provides central

control over information infrastructure, including stan-

dards, security and auditing, while offering flexibility to

business units. Laserfiche is built upon Microsoft technolo-

gies to simplify system administration. It supports Microsoft

SQL and Oracle platforms and features a seamless integra-

tion with Microsoft Office applications and a two-way inte-

gration with SharePoint.

Open Text www.opentext.com

Open Text, a preeminent enterprise content management

software solutions company, helps organizations manage

and gain true value from their business content. Open Text’s

latest release, ECM Suite 2010, integrates all the tools com-

panies need to take control of their content, monetize the

content they create and drive efficiencies through opti-

mized content-based processes.

M2M/M2P Enterprise ManagementMWA Intelligence Inc. www.mwaintel.com

MWA Intelligence Inc. (MWAi) delivers enterprise-class

and leading-edge M2M (machine-to-machine) and M2P

(machine-to-people) solutions. The enterprise-class solu-

tion is designed to manage a f leet of imaging devices

whether they are networked, locally connected or uncon-

nected. The MWAi solution automates meter collection,

consumables and service alerts. MWAi also offers an inte-

grated pre-sale MPS tool for easy auditing of end-user net-

works. MWAi literally connects the people who service and

sell the assets with the actual machines and ERP systems.

Solutions include: Intelligent Service Management, Intelli-

gent Managed Print Services, IntelliDashboard and Intelli-

gent Device Management.

Print ManagementEquitrac www.equitrac.com

Equitrac print management and cost-recovery software

enables companies to minimize printing expenses, increase

document security and maximize efficiency from every

printer, copier or multifunction device, while eliminating

waste and boosting their bottom lines. The software’s moni-

toring, measurement, tracking and reporting capabilities

give organizations the information they need to understand

their true output expense and make informed print-man-

agement decisions.

FMAudit www.fmaudit.com

FMAudit provides software technology to enable dealers

to profitably compete in MPS. Today, FMAudit helps more

than 1,500 dealers worldwide manage more than 3.5 million

devices monthly. FMAudit’s software is easy to deploy and

maintain, collects MIB data from both networked and local

devices, integrates with e-automate, OMD and La Crosse for

automated meter billing, and provides consumable level

alert monitoring, service-alert filtering, complete TCO

analysis and green reporting.

Pharos Systems www.pharos.com

Pharos Blueprint Enterprise is a solution for managing

print and copy that enables companies to save money,

reduce waste and easily secure devices and documents. It

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Marlin ad Oct 10:Layout 1 9/7/10 3:02 PM Page 1

incorporates discovery, tracking and accounting technology

that provides a complete picture of print/copy across the

enterprise down to the user level. Blueprint is integrated

with more than 160 multifunction printers from leading

equipment manufacturers.

Print Audit www.printaudit.com

Print Audit develops print management solutions that

enable office equipment dealerships to sell more hardware

and increase their post-sales revenue. Last year, Print Audit

redirected half a billion pages from high-cost printers to

low-cost MFPs and, to date, the company has helped dealer-

ships sell more than $450 million in additional hardware.

PrintFleet www.printfleet.com

PrintFleet’s print management software solutions range

from simple rapid assessment to advanced, independently

hosted print management, offering data collection, data

integrity and back-end support. PrintFleet software is avail-

able in five languages, has been used in more than 20 coun-

tries and is coupled with award-winning sales, technical and

marketing support programs.

Print Tracker www.printtracker.net

Print Tracker is a low-impact, highly secure print man-

agement solution that quickly captures information from

both networked and locally connected imaging devices.

Print Tracker is easily deployed, often in under three

minutes, and includes management tools such as Service

and Meter Viewers, a fully customizable TCO Estimator and

will integrate with most ERP accounting software.

Technesis www.technesis.com

Technesis Print Control System is a single solution deliv-

ering three value propositions: automated print assess-

ments, rules-based messaging promoting efficient printing,

and cost accounting for MFPs and plotters. Technesis has

API/embedded solutions for Xerox, Ricoh, HP, Canon, KIP

and Océ output devices.

Sales & Marketing AutomationStructuredWeb www.structuredweb.com

StructuredWeb provides a suite of Web-based sales and

marketing automation solutions delivered on-demand.

These solutions help businesses and distribution channels

to reduce costs, improve conversions and close more deals.

You can choose from a suite of solutions that include

website content management, online product catalogs, e-

commerce, CRM, sales enablement, search-engine mar-

keting, e-mail, advertising, demand generation and direct

marketing programs.

Sales ManagementCompass Sales Solutions www.compasscontact.net

Compass Sales Solutions offers advanced sales-force

automation, solution selling and fleet management plan-

ning software, along with in-depth consultative services pro-

vided by industry-recognized experts. Designed from a sales

perspective, Compass merges the abilities to manage your

prospect database, complete detailed TCO analysis, price

service contracts, generate thorough, professional proposals

and automate sales paperwork, all at the touch of a button.

Compass also offers complete integration with your ERP/

billing system and Outlook.

Falcon Technology Solutions www.efalcontech.com

Falcon Technology markets Soaring Sales, a server-based

sales management software designed specifically for the

office equipment industry. The program integrates with

popular industry-specific business software such as OMD, e-

automate and La Crosse. Secure remote access via smart-

phones is standard. With more than 7,000 end users, Soaring

Sales is a leading sales-force automation program in the

copier industry.

SalesChain www.saleschain.com

SalesChain is a provider of sales management software

for office equipment dealerships. Its sales dispatch workflow

automation programs help dealerships to increase customer

retention, improve leased asset upgrade ratios and cus-

tomer base growth by targeting competitor displacement.

SalesChain is the preferred partner for Digital Gateway and

ECi OMD and La Crosse. Its industry experience and dedica-

tion to customer support and sales-rep training delivers fun-

damental value for dealerships across the country, including

premier dealerships like Gordon Flesch, Northern Business

(Massachusetts) and Blue Technologies (Ohio).

Service ManagementMiracle Service www.miracleservice.com

Optimize your service operation and meter contracts

with Miracle Service complete dealership management soft-

ware. Whether it is taking service calls, scheduling techni-

cians, managing meter contracts and supplies inventory,

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optimizing preventative maintenance or communicating

with your technicians and sales team in the field, Miracle

Service can make your business more productive, cost-effi-

cient and profitable. Easy to use and affordable, Miracle

Service has helped thousands of dealerships in more than

45 countries optimize their field services and gain a com-

petitive edge.

Supplies Distribution/e-commerceRed Cheetah www.redcheetah.com

Red Cheetah is a full e-commerce solution and a complete

wholesaler-enabled ordering system designed exclusively for

the office products and technology consumables industry.

Red Cheetah’s Savanna Suite combines the sleek e-commerce

of Outpost with the robust backend functionality of Home

Range to bring dealerships a powerful, easy-to-use system.

Variable Data PrintingMeadows Publishing Solutions www.meadowsps.com

Meadows is the developer of DesignMerge Pro, a suite of

software modules for Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress that

provides sophisticated variable data printing and data pub-

lishing features. The software works within the application for

ease of use and is compatible with most popular VDP output

formats. Used by professionals worldwide, it simplifies mar-

keting personalization for both the novice and expert.

Objectif Lune www.objectiflune.com

Objectif Lune creates software solutions to help organiza-

tions develop, maintain and renew their businesses by maxi-

mizing the value of their documents. Driven by a passion for

creativity and innovation, Objectif Lune’s state-of-the-art

solutions help create new business by adding the power of

personalization to promotional documents. These solutions

increase revenues gained from existing customer bases by

simplifying and optimizing the creation, production and

delivery of high-quality targeted business documents.

MiscellaneousRochester Software Associates www.rocsoft.com

Rochester Software Associates (RSA) provides transform,

output management and Web-to-print software solutions

that support digital production print workflows. Recognized

as the number one transform solution provider for produc-

tion printers, RSA’s WebCRD™ is also a leading Web-to-print

software provider for in-plants. And now, make-ready job

ticket conversion is available via QDirect™.

Solimar Systems Inc. www.solimarsystems.com

Founded in 1991, Solimar Systems Inc. is a leading

developer of enterprise output management solutions for

digital document creation, production and distribution

environments. Installed in thousands of sites around the

world, including more than 70 percent of the Fortune 100,

Solimar solutions satisfy a wide range of customer require-

ments by combining integrated connectivity, data-stream

transforms, print optimizations, document re-engi-

neering/repurposing and sophisticated print queue man-

agement with secure Web-based document presentment,

distribution and tracking. �Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology

Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine.

He can be reached at brent@bta.org.

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by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

‘We Speak Image’Canon EXPO 2010 held in New York City

With the goal of showcasing its full product lineup

in real-world settings and scenarios, Canon

U.S.A. recently host ed Canon E XP O 2010,

drawing several thousand attendees, including authorized

Canon dealers and both current and prospective corporate

customers. The event was held Sept. 1-3 at the Jacob K.

Javits Convention Center in New York City.

“Canon’s theme for this year’s EXPO is ‘We Speak Image,’”

said Sam Yoshida, vice president and general manager of

Canon U.S.A.’s Imaging Systems Group (ISG), during a press

conference held in conjunction with the EXPO. “Our theme

is a tribute to our heritage as one of the world’s foremost

imaging companies. It is also a promise for the delivery of a

unique future.”

On the expansive show floor, Canon featured its many

office solutions in the setting of Advanced Image Apparel, a

fictitious company, “to showcase how Canon technology can

be used in any type of company,” said Yoshida. “This unique

approach ensures that customers will experience the appli-

cations of our offerings in real-world environments, giving

them a clear understanding of how Canon can improve their

workflows and businesses.”

Yoshida pointed to the company’s strides in recent years,

as well as the changing nature of the industry since 2005, the

last time Canon hosted the EXPO. “The market was very dif-

ferent then; many areas of differentiated opportunities

existed,” he said. “Today, however, we now see a marketplace

that is highly mature and fiercely competitive with less busi-

ness to write, which is driving pricing and margin pressures

in both hardware and software. The market also dictates

that service and solutions delivery capability is a necessary

recipe for success.”

In a one-on-one interview with Office Technology maga-

zine, through a translator, Masaki Nakaoka, chief executive

of Office Imaging Products Operations for Canon Inc. in

Japan, cited the changing nature of the market as well,

Clockwise from top: the grand entrance to Canon EXPO 2010;

Masaki Nakaoka, chief executive of Office Imaging Products

Operations, Canon Inc.; Sam Yoshida, vice president and

general manager of Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A.; an

attendee visits with a Canon representative; the EXPO.

Canon Oct 10:Canon Oct 10 10/4/10 2:42 PM Page 10

noting the value of demonstrating

Canon products in th e f ict it ious

company setting. In the past, he said,

Canon would have simply lined up its

products on the EXPO show floor. “We

have taken a very different approach

this year,” he said. “In today’s world, it is

more about the software and the solu-

tions. Certainly, Canon has a broad

range of hardware from the bottom to

the top, but now we have software solutions and have

formed alliances with various companies. So, we have

evolved into a general solutions provider. We want the

dealers to understand that and to work with us to develop

these new opportunities.”

Nakaoka also praised Canon’s independent dealer

channel. “The U.S. dealers are very powerful and very enthu-

siastic,” he said. “They seem to be extremely interested in

our technology and our product strategy. We think they are

great. I am not just saying this to flatter them. I think the

U.S. dealers will drive the copier business going forward.”

The dealer channel has made recent

strides as a source of Canon product dis-

tribution, said Yoshida in the press con-

ference. “Our efforts to add new dealer

distribution have paid off,” he said, refer-

ring to the first half of the company’s

current fiscal year. “We saw a strong 10

percent growth in our independent

[dealer] channel.”

During the EXPO, Canon announced

several new ISG products, including: imageRUNNER

ADVANCE C2030/C2020 color MFP models, designed for

remote office locations, small businesses and networked

environments; imageCLASS MF9380Cdn and MF9220Cdn

color laser printers and MF4570dn and D420 monochrome

printers; and imagePRESS C7010VP, C6010VP

and C6010 digital presses. �Brent Hoskins, executive director of the

Business Technology Association, is editor of

Office Technology magazine.

He can be reached at brent@bta.org.

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w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0 | 21

“The U.S. dealers arevery powerful and very enthusiastic ... I think the U.S. dealers will drive the copier businessgoing forward.”

Canon Oct 10:Canon Oct 10 10/4/10 2:59 PM Page 11

by: Wayne Outlaw, Outlaw Group Inc.

Your Employee, Your RiskDue diligence is crucial in the hiring process

You have just been told there has

been an incident at a customer’s

location and it appears it was caused

by an employee you hired a couple of

months ago. Your first questions may be:

“What could have happened?” and “How

will this affect my company?” Even if you

carry what is considered ample insurance,

this could be a disaster.

Workplace violence is not new and it is

becoming more prevalent every day in dramatic situations

such as the biology professor in Huntsville, Ala., who shot

several fellow employees in February of this year. Had a thor-

ough background check been done, and had the pattern of

behavior that would indicate she posed a danger to

employees and others been identified, the victims might be

alive today. While the fact that the professor previously shot

her brother may not have been easily available since she was

not charged, there were plenty of other indications of her

danger to others.

In 2002, she was charged with assault and battery and dis-

orderly conduct and received probation with the order to

take anger management classes. Apparently, her odd

behavior had been noted by students and communicated to

the staff before the February incident. Effective reference

checks and a thorough criminal background check could

have identified her potentially dangerous behavior.

If you think this is an isolated case and will not happen in

your company, think again. More than two million Ameri-

cans are physically assaulted each year and one in four

workers is harassed, threatened or assaulted on the job.

According to a recent study performed by a leading human

resources publication, more than 16,000 threats are made in

the workplace every workday and 13 people die because of

workplace violence each week.

The office technology industry has a unique and pervasive

risk, as dealerships have employees who go

into other workplaces. When you hire

someone, you do not think a tragedy like

this will strike your company; however, it is

becoming more common.

Instinctively, we know we have liability

for our employees’ actions. We are all too

familiar with errors made when quoting

prices and the liability of those driving

company vehicles. What many do not know

is the legal doctrine of “respondeat superior,” which states

that in many circumstances, an employer is responsible for

the actions of his (or her) employees performed within the

course of their employment. This doctrine is also called the

“Master-Servant Rule” and is recognized in the common law

and in civil jurisdiction as the principles of negligent hiring,

negligent supervision, negligent retention and negligent

entrustment of employees. On a broader scope, respondeat

superior is based on the concept of vicarious liability. Yes,

the company, you as a principal and even the manager who

makes the hiring decision, may be responsible for the acts of

employees in situations you may not be aware of.

What can negligent hiring cost your company? An award

of $500,000 is common and the highest award has been

$26.5 million. This level of liability can end a company.

Civil cases have arisen where individuals have been

harmed and think the employer did not do its due diligence

to avoid hiring employees who represented a potential

danger to those they came in contact with. Those in the

industry have to be especially concerned with negligent

hiring and negligent entrustment.

Even if there is not a lawsuit filed, there could be other

problems. Service technicians and delivery personnel are

often sent to schools and nursing homes. Many states pro-

hibit sex offenders from being close to these facilities. These

organizations have sign-in procedures that enable them to

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Outlaw Oct 10:Outlaw Oct 10 10/4/10 11:38 AM Page 10

easily run the names of your employees

against the registered sex offender list. It

would be better to have known before

and not hired an individual than to have

this embarrassing problem.

So, what is your responsibility with

negligent hiring? Employers have an

obligation to protect their employees

and third parties from the “foreseeable”

acts of an employee. Employers can be

held liable for facts that are known or, very importantly,

should have been known regarding an employee’s character

or job-related experience. It is usually what should have

been known, but was not, that is the issue.

Negligent hiring is based on the principle that employers

have an obligation to protect their employees and clients

from injury caused by other employees. Negligent hiring can

occur when a company fails to do its due diligence by not

contacting an employee’s former employers to check refer-

ences or by not conducting a thorough criminal background

check prior to hiring an individual.

The employer is presumed not to

have b een n egligent for hir ing an

employee if appropriate due diligence

was done to ensure the person did not

pose a potential threat. So, what is your

due diligence? You want to be sure that

you have a complete and accurate

employment application and you have

to perform a thorough reference check

of previous employers. But, many times,

that is not enough.

According to a survey we conducted with BTA members,

only 41 percent of respondents said they conducted criminal

background checks. Seventeen percent said they “some-

times” conducted background checks. One of the essential

steps to reducing risk is that the employer, or a qualified

employment background screening company, conducts a

background check on the prospective employee. The

employer must ensure this check does not reveal any infor-

mation that reasonably demonstrates the unsuitability of the

prospective employee for the specific work to be performed

One of the essentialsteps to reducing risk isthat the employer, or aqualified employmentbackground screeningcompany, conducts abackground check ...

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Do you crunch the numbers, or do the numbers crunch you?

To register for ProFinance or get more information onpricing and quantity discounts, visitwww.bta.org/ProFinance or call BTA at (800) 843-5059.

2010 workshop date & location:Nov. 10-11, 2010 Las Vegas, Nev.

ProFinance is designed for owners and executive-level staff who make the critical business decisions that impact your company’s success. Some OEMsreimburse for ProFinance tuition through advertising co-op or professional development funds. Check with your OEM.

The BTA ProFinance course will teach you how to set thestrategy, track critical performance measures and man-

age your assets according to a proven business modeldesigned to improve the profitability of your company.

Instructors John Hanson and John Hey of Strategic BusinessAssociates take a holistic approach to the redirection of yourbusiness — from sales rep compensation and projecting

service revenues to inventory management and an actionplan for implementation — with the short-term goal ofachieving a minimum of 14% operating income. You canachieve these results by monitoring 24 key benchmarks andmaking strategic shifts as discussed in the program.

Start planning for improved profitability today! Send all ofyour strategic decision makers to ProFinance — it’s aninvestment in your company that will help you relieve theend-of-the-month crunch.

Outlaw Oct 10:Outlaw Oct 10 10/4/10 2:43 PM Page 11

or for employment in general . It is

important that employers perform their

due diligence by conducting background

checks on every employee hired, regard-

less of the size of their workforce or even

if they think they “know” the individual.

Many people do not conduct back-

ground checks on people they know.

However, employment processes need

to be consistent. Some do not conduct

checks on part-time or lower-level employees, but the lia-

bility is the same. Many employers are less stringent

throughout the hiring process, creating greater potential for

liability. No employer is immune from a lawsuit resulting

from negligent hiring practices.

While we may live in an era of instant gratification, when it

comes to providing a criminal background history, “quick”

does not always equal “thorough.” Most of the “instant” compa-

nies, especially those on the Internet, merely search a national

database. While that may sound impressive, it is not. Due to

the fact that there are no federal laws dictating how often a

county or state must upload current information, these so-

called “nationwide searches” are merely searching a database

that has a lot of holes. These searches may be allowed without

proper approval of the applicant and may leave important

areas unchecked. A thorough search verifies the individual’s

name (all names used, including nicknames and maiden

names) and date of birth to ensure all possible matches are

considered. It even checks the individual against the National

Sex Offender Registry, any state or local registry and the Ter-

rorist Watch List. This information gives you the full picture of

the person you are considering employing and giving access to

other employees and customers.

An Internet search will provide links to thousands of com-

panies willing to perform your criminal background checks,

but not all companies are created equal. One of the most

important factors in selecting a company is to ensure that

the company you select adheres to the Federal Fair Credit

Reporting Act (FCRA). Part of this adherence includes a

requirement of written permission from your candidate for a

release of information, specifically a criminal background

check. In addition to the FCRA guidelines, it is important

that you, or the company you retain to do the check, knows

and follows any additional state and local regulations.

If conviction information is used in the hiring process, the

employer has specific obligations. First, the company must

verify the applicant is the person who has committed the act.

Once this is determined, the employer

must consider the nature and gravity of

his offense(s). Other factors to consider

are the amount of time that has passed

since the arrest or conviction, and the

type of position being sought. For

example, there are different require-

ments for a position that is closely super-

vised without access to merchandise or

cash compared to a position where the

individual has little supervision, a high level of interaction

with others, including customers and, possibly, easy access

to cash. In summary, if in doubt about whether a situation

could be considered a problem, contact your legal counsel.

Negligent entrustment applies especially to situations

where an employee is using a company vehicle or is being

compensated for the use of his vehicle and is in pursuit of the

company’s business. The employer has the obligation to

ensure that employees operating vehicles for the company will

be safe. Typically, most companies check an individual’s motor

vehicle history to verify he has a history of safe operation. This

is not enough to protect the company. Even if the individual

has his own insurance and is simply receiving a car allowance,

it is prudent to check his driving record. Unless you have an

easy, accurate way of being notified when offenses occur, it is

necessary to recheck driving records periodically. Most com-

panies recheck on an annual or semiannual basis.

Reducing your risk involves doing your due diligence

before you hire someone and exercising effective manage-

ment and prudent judgment afterward. It means you should

take smart actions, including doing a thorough examination

of the candidate through interviews, pre-employment

assessments, checking references and, most importantly, by

conducting a thorough criminal background check. �Wayne Outlaw is president of the Outlaw Group Inc. The

organization provides innovative staffing service and sales

productivity systems for office technology companies. Outlaw is

the author of the book, “Smart Staffing: How To Hire, Reward

And Keep Top Employees To Grow Your Company.” If you would

like a copy of the “Conducting Background Checks” white paper,

e-mail tamara@outlawgroup.com. It provides the details you

need to determine what checks are needed,

how to understand the information you will

receive and how to ensure you are lawfully

doing these checks. Outlaw can be reached at

(800) 347-9361 or wayne@outlawgroup.com.

Visit www.outlawgroup.com.

Reducing your riskinvolves doing your duediligence before youhire someone and exercising effectivemanagement and prudent judgement ...

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Outlaw Oct 10:Outlaw Oct 10 10/4/10 11:38 AM Page 12

Announcing the two newest options in the FACSys® family of products

FACSys® DM Powered by Intact SMART™

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FACSys® DM is the latest evolution of our popular FACSys® appliance product line.

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FACSys® CONNECTOR FOR Box.net

The FACSys® Connector for Box.netutilizes Box.net’s cloud content management solution to receive fax messages, allowing users to send documents directly to their Box folders from any FACSys client or connector - including our extensive family of MFP connectors.

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We have an extensive collection of MFP connectors including:

25OT1010:21OT0810 9/30/10 11:08 AM Page 26

BTA HIGHLIGHTS

BTA would like to welcome the following new mem-bers to the association:Dealer MembersAccent Imaging, Raleigh, NCAllTech Business Solutions, Kenilworth, NJCobb Technologies, Richmond, VADatarite, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, CanadaDigital Business Solutions, Ft. Smith, ARK-O-P-I, Jefferson City, MOOffice Equipment Center, Plantsville, CTOffice Value Inc., Dunn, NCUnited Office Solutions, New York, NY

Service Associate MembersCrawford Thomas - Business Solutions

Recruitment, Lake Mary, FL

For full contact information of thesenew members, visit www.bta.org.

2010 BTA Benchmarking SeriesBTA has released the 2010 Benchmarking

Series reports. The results are based on dataprovided to BTA in 2010 by current andformer members. The Finance Report com-pares key income statements and balancesheet indicators of dealerships to the recom-mended benchmarks as taught in ProFinance.The Compensation Report provides detailedsalary information on a wide variety of posi-tions, from the executive level to administra-tion level. The Service Report tabulates andcompares median industry performance bysize of business and geographical area.Available to all members, the 2010Benchmarking Series reports can be found atwww.bta.org/2010BenchmarkingSeries.

For more information on BTA member benefits,visit www.bta.org.

For the benefit of its dealer members, eachmonth BTA features two of its Vendor or ServiceAssociate members in this space.

BTA VendorAssociate memberDigital Gateway is themaker of e-automatebusiness management

software, which helps dealerships manageeverything from accounting to service dispatch.The company was founded in 1995 by JimPhillips and a group of systems integrators.More than a decade later, e-automate hasbecome the fastest growing dealer manage-ment software in the office equipment industryand is making a dramatic difference in the wayindependent dealers conduct business.

www.digitalgateway.com

BTA Service Associatemember BEI Services hasbeen helping companiesreduce costs and improveprofitability for 15 years.BEI Services offers pro-gressive-thinking com-

panies a concrete program of performancebenchmarking and technician compensationprograms. BEI provides the only accurate andverifiable database of machine performancestatistics in the world. BEI is totally inde-pendent and it reports the performance ofeach unit based on the service call activity ofcopier dealers around the world.

www.beiservices.com

A full list of BTA Vendor and Service Associate members can be found online at www.bta.org.

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Highlights Oct 10:Highlights Oct 10 10/4/10 9:04 AM Page 25

When business is good and profits are strong, business

owners’ good moods often cause them to relax their

vigilance to the bottom line. When economic condi-

tions are bad, employees become desperate to make ends meet

and often find the solution at their place of employment. Either

way, fraud and embezzlement are, and should be, a significant

concern of small businesses. A recent call to the BTA Legal

Hotline reminded me it was time to alert you again.

A long-time and trusted employee of the dealer had used

the company credit card to purchase more than $50,000 in

merchandise for herself and her family. The employee had

convinced the owner that by purchasing many company items

with a credit card, he could reap the benefits of points and

bonuses at no additional cost. In addition, the credit card had

extended payment options. The owner found the plan bril-

liant. He tracked the points and used them to reward himself,

his employees and his customers. What the owner failed to

closely monitor were the charges being incurred.

Thirty-one percent of all business fraud in the United States

is carried out in companies with fewer than 100 employees. Due

to the smaller revenue of these businesses, the impact is even

greater. Often, an internal embezzlement or fraud can be the

difference between profit and loss. Small businesses are easy

targets, as they often have fewer financial controls in place. The

BTA member allowed his controller to both open and pay the

bills. There was no one looking to see what purchases were

being made. Had a credit card statement not come in while the

employee was on vacation, the fraud could be continuing today.

There are several steps you can take to protect yourself.

First, it is important to divide tasks among employees and

change their responsibilities periodically. This may require the

employment of an additional individual, but the cost may be

far less than the cost of fraud. One person should open the

mail, one should review the accounts payable and another

should actually pay the accounts. As an owner, limit those who

may sign checks and require backup with every check request.

Review the backup prior to signing the check. Complacency

and routine are your worst enemy.

Bring in an outside accountant at least once a year to

review your financial records. Insist on everyone using his (or

her) vacation time. Dishonest individuals do not wish to take

time off, as their fraud may be discovered while they are gone.

Watch for sudden changes in an employee’s lifestyle. Embez-

zlers tend to quickly spend money they have taken.

As you may have noticed in recent news regarding an Apple

Computer employee, kickbacks should be a concern as well.

The supplier receives the order, your employee receives a kick-

back and you pay extra and are deprived of a competitive

transaction. Watch for close relationships between your

employees and vendors.

As an owner, be sure you open company bank statements.

The balances are not always as important as the actual check

images. See if the payee or amounts have been altered since you

signed them. Check receipts for deposits of both federal and

state taxes. Since the government does not contact you within 30

days of your failure to pay, this fraud can go undetected for an

extended period. The fact that the funds were stolen does not

relieve you of the obligation to pay the taxes. Add-on penalties

and interest are even more expensive.

Business fraud is growing. Be mindful of your

business and, most importantly, your finances. �Robert C. Goldberg is general counsel

for the Business Technology Association.

He can be reached at robert.goldberg@sfnr.com.

by: Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel for the Business Technology Association

COURTS & CAPITOLS

Business FraudBe mindful of your company finances

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Goldberg Oct 10:Goldberg oct 10 10/4/10 9:08 AM Page 26

By now, just about every competitor in your

market is talking about managed print

services (MPS). So, what makes you

different? If your competitive advantage cen-

ters around a predictable pitch (“We provide

better customer service than our competitors.”),

you are in trouble.

How can you differentiate yourself from the com-

petition? And, once you have an MPS client, how can

you drive additional sales in the account? The Photizo

Group refers to “Stage Three” MPS engagements as solu-

tions sales that take into account the customer’s busi-

ness processes. In Stages One and Two, the focus is on

devices. In Stage One, the goal is to control the fleet. In

Stage Two, the goal is to optimize the fleet. With the first two

stages complete, the next opportunity is to optimize workflow.

Stage Three involves assessing the client’s business processes

and applying technology to streamline the flow of information

through these processes. Stage Three engagements take the

focus off of software and put it on workflow management.

You may be saying, “That sounds good, but we are nowhere

near being able to deliver comprehensive document solutions.”

That may be true. However, you can take steps to begin to posi-

tion yourself as an expert in Stage Three while you develop

competency. In reality, while you may use Stage Three to differ-

entiate yourself in the sales process, it will be some time before

you actually engage in Stage Three implementations.

Here are four ways you can leverage Stage Three solutions

to differentiate your company from other MPS providers:

� Position yourself for success — The first step is to make

sure you are seen as a credible source of Stage Three solutions.

Your Web- and print-based marketing materials should clearly

articulate your offerings and credibility in this area.

An important place to start is with your website. Make sure

that your site contains information on the solutions you

provide. And when we talk about solutions, we are not talking

about software partners. We are talking about what you can do

to help a client improve its workflow.

The same message should be present in your sales collateral

and marketing materials. You can start talking about workflow in

your MPS presentation to tee the ball up for future discussions.

� Enhance your account review process — Once you

take a client’s fleet under management in Stage One, the

goal is to optimize its fleet in quarterly/semi-annual

reviews in Stage Two. However, once you have opti-

mized the company’s fleet and replaced or consoli-

dated old devices with new MFPs, the question

becomes, “What now?” Stage Three offers you

the opportunity to continue the quarterly

review process by moving the focus from the

flow of documents through the client’s output

devices to the flow of information through their busi-

ness processes.

� Get educated — To make this happen, you need to

develop a plan to expose your MPS reps to document solu-

tions selling. Once MPS sales reps have mastered fleet assess-

ments and optimization, the next development step is to teach

them how to conduct business process assessments.

At this point, the temptation will be to send them to soft-

ware vendor training. While they need to have an under-

standing of your key document management software

partners, the core skills they need are analyzing business

processes and finding problems. In training solutions sales

specialists over the past seven years, I have learned this is the

most overlooked skill that can deliver the biggest results.

� Develop a plan — All of this requires a solid strategic

plan. Your company cannot become an expert in Stage Three

engagements overnight. However, a good plan executed over

the course of two years could set your company in a solid posi-

tion for future success. At that point, Stage Three engagements

could become a key part of your sales strategy and a solid con-

tributor to your bottom line.

Start now by asking yourself the question: “What makes us

different from other MPS competitors?” Then, start updating

your marketing to position yourself for future success. �Darrell Amy is president of Dealer Marketing Systems,

which provides websites, newsletters and

search engine optimization services to office

technology dealers. He can be reached at

damy@dealermarketingsystems.com or

(214) 224-0050, ext. 101.

Visit www.dealermarketingsystems.com.

‘Stage Three’ MPSWhat makes you different from competitors?

by: Darrell Amy, Dealer Marketing Systems

MPS STRATEGIES

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Amy Oct 10:Amy Oct 10 10/4/10 9:16 AM Page 26

By now, I hope your business is engaged in

offering managed print services (MPS)

and you have closed a few opportunities.

Or, if you have had a program for a few years, I

hope you are well on your way to adding signifi-

cant aftermarket revenue to your organization.

If you are focused on a program that will

drive significant revenues and profits for your

organization, you have hired resources dedi-

cated to this effort. You have provided the

training for them and they are on their way to

driving new opportunities for your business.

They are getting appointments with your

current customers or new prospects to talk

about MPS, resulting in assessments and some

signed contracts. All of this activity is encour-

aging and gives you confidence that your MPS

program is poised to become a significant part

of your business now and into the future. But

how do you really know if this is the case? How do you measure

your progress?

Progress in any program can be measured in a number of

different ways. You can look at the number of assets under

contract and see that the numbers are growing. You can look

at the recurring revenue and measure the growth month over

month. You can also look at your profit margins and measure

the healthiness of the margins you are realizing. Or, you can

look at the number of assessments you are performing and see

the growth in assessments (although this might not be the

best approach to measure progress). Any one of these areas

could point to a program that is growing, increasing its pene-

tration in the markets you serve and becoming a significant

contributor to your overall results.

The problem with looking at the results you enjoyed is you

are reviewing the past and there is no assurance that this

progress is sustainable. Many of you may have seen the IBM

commercial on television about the IBM user studying traffic

patterns at a busy intersection. He explains that while it is

important to know what the traffic patterns are, he asks if

traffic patterns are a good basis for evaluating whether it is

safe to cross the street. He goes on to say that companies that

make decisions based on historical

results are not equipped to compete

effectively in today’s markets. We need

information relevant to the immediate

situation. We need instantaneous re-

sults. IBM is working on ways to capture

this information for businesses to effec-

tively compete in its markets.

Unfortunately, I am not writing to tell

you that I have an MPS solution that IBM

is working on that will give you a clear

understanding of the progress and

outlook for your program . But I do

believe there is a more effective way to

m easure th e sustainabi l ity of your

program than just reviewing the results.

A thorough review of your pipeline (i.e.,

the number of opportunities and the

phase of each opportunity in the sales

cycle), is a much more effective way.

Experience has shown that MPS has a longer sales cycle

than the traditional equipment sale. If you follow Strategy

Development’s recommended approach, you are focused on a

service contract with a fleet size of 30 or more printers. With

this approach under normal conditions, it will take 60 to 90

days to close an MPS opportunity. This is from the point when

you first engage with the customer until the proposal has been

approved for implementation. The process is long because of

the number of steps involved and the importance of building a

business case. If you are only looking at past results to

measure your progress, you could be looking at data that is

not relevant to the sustainability of your program. In fact,

looking at this data may give you a false sense of security and

will not prepare you for the challenges you may face ahead.

Measuring and tracking your pipeline is a very effective tool

to track the sustainability of your program. When looking at

your pipeline, you need a method for determining the validity

of the information contained in the pipeline. You first need to

know that there are enough opportunities that assure, within

reason, the likelihood of closing one agreement per month per

specialist. With a targeted market of 30-plus printers, this

Measuring ProgressUse your pipeline to evaluate your MPS program

by: Ed Carroll, Strategy Development

MPS STRATEGIES

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Carroll Oct 10:Carroll Oct 10 10/4/10 2:46 PM Page 26

means there should be enough opportuni-

ties identified to close at least one $1,500

monthly contract per specialist. Since not

all opportunities close, how many oppor-

tunities are needed to close one per

month? The answer lies in what stage of

the sales cycle the opportunities are in.

If you are looking at the next 30 days,

you should have at least two proposals to

present or scheduled to be presented in

the next two weeks to have a good chance to close one in this

period. This is because there is a 50 percent fallout between

proposal and acceptance.

Looking at the 90-day window, you should have at least 12

opportunities identified that are in the assessment, strategy or

proposal phases. This means the specialist can identify at least

12 opportunities where the assessment is in progress, the

strategy review is scheduled or the proposal meeting has been

arranged. Why 12? I have already mentioned the fallout

between proposal and signed agreements is 50 percent. In

addition, there will be additional fallout of 50 percent between

the assessment and proposal stages. If you conduct four quali-

fied assessments, only two will result in proposals. And, as

stated above, only one will result in a signed agreement. Four

assessments produce one signed agreement, and if the sales

cycle is 60 to 90 days, then you need three times the number of

assessments identified in the next 90 days to have a reasonable

chance to close one contract in each of the next three months.

Finally, if you are looking at the pipeline continuing to build

beyond the 90-day period, then the number

of first appointments (value propositions)

comes into play. If you are looking beyond

90 days, you need to have at least eight

appointments set for each 30-day period

beyond this term. So, for the fourth month

out, you would look to see at least eight

appointments set for the next 30 days. The

reason for this is the same as above —

fallout. Like from assessment to proposal

and proposal to contract, there is a 50 percent fallout. There-

fore, eight appointments produce four assessments, which

produce two proposals, which result in one signed contract.

Measuring your pipeline is a very effective way to evaluate

the progress of your program. It gives you insight as to the

activity level, the opportunities identified and, most impor-

tantly, the sustainability of the results you have enjoyed to this

point with your MPS program. �Ed Carroll is a principal at Strategy Development, an advanced

management consulting firm engaged in sales leadership,

managed print services, operational efficiency, service

productivity and business planning. Clients include equipment

manufacturers and dealerships (large and small) focused on

equipment and service in the document and

imaging industry throughout North America.

Carroll can be reached at

(703) 722-2973 or

carroll@strategydevelopment.org.

Visit www.strategydevelopment.org.

30 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

Like from assessment to proposal and proposal to contract,there is a 50 percentfallout. Therefore, eight appointments ... resultin one signed contract.

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Carroll Oct 10:Carroll Oct 10 10/4/10 2:46 PM Page 27

Moving revenue around made my service department look more profi table, but it had no impact on my bottom line: I need a consulting fi rm that understands my entire business!

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