The Color of Success?

The Color of Success?

If the word ‘success’ were a color, what color would it be?

Marketing traditionally leans on red to evoke passion and appetite, blue to speak of trust or white to evoke a feeling of simplicity and cleanliness. However, green might be be one of the top answers for success as it symbolizes money (at least in the US).

Working for and with, as well as being a customer of,  channel providers, the universal measures of success are certainly financial.

Think about one of the first questions we ask someone we’ve just met, “What do you do?” They almost always respond with their occupation — their job title — as opposed to what they do for their respective customer.

While this, “What do you do?” question is almost always top of mind, one of the next questions asked is, “How much are your annual sales (or revenues)?” It’s a measuring stick of success. So at the risk of being too simplistic, in this case the color of success is absolutely ‘green’, with a slogan famously coined in the movie Jerry Maguire, ”Show me the money!”

What’s on Your Mind?

But what’s the question we hear most from channel providers? “How can I be wildly successful at MPS (and stay solvent — and sane doing it)?”

You’ll begin seeing a consistent theme sprinkled throughout our channel-focused programs — success.

With everyone on information overload — especially in MPS these days — many might begin to consider they have this puzzle just about figured out. But not you… you are smarter than that. There is still something missing, and it’s like a splinter under your skin — driving you crazy until you finally remove it.

What’s really missing is not some hidden secret piece of information… but how to put all the pieces together in a roadmap… an action plan. You know this, but what does this look like? Is it a blueprint, a recipe book or some arcane manual stored away under lock and key?

What does a leading market research firm have any business telling you, a successful dealer or reseller, about success?

If the saying goes, “Those who can’t — teach.” then most of you ‘doing MPS’ — living in the trenches day-in and day-out — might be inclined to say that we can certainly write a good report and present a mean PowerPoint on how others have executed an MPS offering. But in that same breath would say, “Show me your results, show me that you’ve bled like I have.”

Well, if you really feel that those who teach are all theory and no teeth, then why not hire and partner with those who are all bite?

What Can You Sink Your Teeth into This Year?

That’s what we’ve done, and it started with little ole’ me. But to those who are still skeptical that one man can help me, it doesn’t stop there. Exciting things are happening in the channel, and that’s where the action is!

• This year, Photizo will be bringing you a monthly series centered around you, the channel provider.
• In January, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sally Brause, Director of HR Consulting at GreatAmerica Leasing, about their thorough and intensive benchmarking survey of the MPS Specialist, callled Staffing for Success.
• Save the date, February 8. In our next MPS Success Hour we’re on track to interview Doug Johnson, Sr. Vice President at Supplies Network, on the topic of The Secrets to MPS Success in Your Service and Operations Group.
• … and we’ll have more exciting news to come — all focused on your success? Talk about showin’ me the money…

Now, if you missed the January webinar and would like to receive a link to the recording as well as the presentation, or if you are interested in the upcoming MPS Success Hour, just leave your comments below and we’ll be sure to get those over to you.

Ken Stewart offers observations from the field of managed print services in his weekly column on MPS Insights every Wednesday. As a senior consultant with the Photizo Group, he comes from and works directly with channel providers in the managed services space, developing educational tools and resources to promote lasting business transformation.

Ken Stewart’s website, ChangeForge, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology in an information-centric world. Get the latest industry news, and follow ChangeForge on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

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