Moving to the C-suite
Solution selling. Document Solutions. Workflow Solutions. Value Add. These are all buzzwords the imaging industry has used for the last 15 years in an effort to drive sales of more copiers, printers and multifunction devices. None of these sales efforts have enabled the imaging industry to move out of the ‘box’ of being just printing and copying. Nothing has ‘earned’ the industry the right to a seat at the table of C-level issues.In all honesty, this industry has been so profitable we have failed to care.
Whether you were a reseller, dealer, OEM or another member of the imaging value chain, the incredible profitability of selling toner and ink has made it possible to continue business as usual for the last twenty years. Even the recent economic recession, which at least temporarily shifted the focus to services as hardware and supplies revenue fell, may not have been enough to shake the industry out of its myopic focus on pushing technology (printers or copiers) through a transactional selling process (outright purchases or cost-per-page contracts) in order to capture toner and ink profits.
But the world is changing. For the C-suite, it is no longer acceptable to simply acquire technology for competitive advantage. IBM Global Services showed the world a vision for truly applying technology to fundamentally improve how businesses run. IBM’s latest marketing communication program focuses on how they are bringing energy efficiency to cities. IBM demonstrates this through a new game (yes, an online game) called CityOne.
In the game your objective is to apply real process, infrastructure optimization and flexible technology architecture concepts to help a city solve its problems. IBM has taken its significant understanding of the C-suite to address the real need. How do you address the need for greater business efficiency by looking at the entire system and improving all of the interconnections, processes and interdependencies in order to drive improvement to the total system?
Using the city metaphor, IBM is clearly articulating their ability to move beyond a technology focus to a ‘systems’ focus–the foundation for driving business process improvement. This leads me back to the challenge facing the imaging industry today. While documents (electronic or paper) are the core of almost every business process, our industry is so focused on the technology surrounding documents we tend to miss the bigger picture.
This is the essence of moving to the fourth stage of managed print services. It involves moving into the realm of business process analysis and improvement. This is what the C-suite is looking for today. They are looking for a trusted advisor to help them move to the next level of efficiency and competitiveness.
Can your firm move to the fourth stage of managed print services? Does this mean you have to become an IBM Global Services? The answer to the first question is yes, your firm can do this. However, it is not a quick process. It will take time, energy and, most importantly, commitment. The answer to the second question is no. You do not have to be an IBM Global Services. Whether you are a manufacturer or a reseller, it is possible to bring your own unique perspective and skills to the table without having the breadth and scope of IBM. Of course, it does mean that you will probably need to partner with other firms. In most cases you cannot do it on your own.
The question is, can our industry move past the comfort of our existing highly profitable toner and ink business to a Stage 4 services business? Can we earn our seat at the C-table? I believe the answer is yes. What do you think?
(To hear more about this topic, attend the 2010 European MPS Conference in Barcelona, Spain on November 10-12th. Hear our keynote speaker, Peter Sheahan, leading author and consultant on business change speak on how change is affecting the C-suite. You can register at http://www.mpsconference.com).
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