Are you a copier tech who started his or her own business?

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Are you a copier tech who started his or her own business?

My car is in rough shape. My trailer is in rough shape. I dress well no Polo shirts, not to impress but to look professional and as a sign of respect when I'm in someone's office. Frankly I don't give a dam about the rest. For me it's about the end result. I'll sell them a good machine for a good price and I keep it running. I had one former customer who was flashy. Drove an S class Mercedes. I sold him 5 copiers. I was the best decision he made as far as saving his company money. He talked a good line on how he was going to expand the company. He opened an office in a different state and wanted to fly me there to do a service call on a machine I did not sell him . I politely declined. He eventually got the boot for wasting the companies money. I still work on those copiers minus him and his cronies.

Let me ask you an honest question and be 100% totally honest with me. When you see someone for the first time have you ever judged them right away based on their appearance?

I do it all the time. If a person is dressed like a bum, I assume the person is a bum. If a person is dressed like a doctor, I assume he's a doctor. Stay with me, I'm gonna attempt to make a point.


Let's say you're trying to sell a color copier for $10,000 on a 60-month lease. And lets say that you're competing with another company and they want to do a side-by-side demo for one week. You pull up in an old trunk with a trailer and the other company pulls up in a nice delivery truck.

Do you think it's gonna make any difference in the customer's eyes? Think about it.

This company is gonna be potentially tied to you for 5 years...the length of the lease. But by looking at your vehicle, the customer wonders if you'll still be in business a month from now. Keep in mind that they they just met you a few days ago. They know nothing about you or your company.


Food for thought.

[adecanmin]

Re: Are you a copier tech who started his or her own business?

Let me ask you an honest question and be 100% totally honest with me. When you see someone for the first time have you ever judged them right away based on their appearance?

I do it all the time. If a person is dressed like a bum, I assume the person is a bum. If a person is dressed like a doctor, I assume he's a doctor. Stay with me, I'm gonna attempt to make a point.


Let's say you're trying to sell a color copier for $10,000 on a 60-month lease. And lets say that you're competing with another company and they want to do a side-by-side demo for one week. You pull up in an old trunk with a trailer and the other company pulls up in a nice delivery truck.

Do you think it's gonna make any difference in the customer's eyes? Think about it.

This company is gonna be potentially tied to you for 5 years...the length of the lease. But by looking at your vehicle, the customer wonders if you'll still be in business a month from now. Keep in mind that they they just met you a few days ago. They know nothing about you or your company.


Food for thought.

Good points. I guess I deal with a different client base. Working in a smaller town most people around here dress very casually. Usually the only people who dress up are lawyers and copier salesman. I sell used stuff so a $10,000 dollar copier is not something I deal with.

[wpcadet]

Re: Are you a copier tech who started his or her own business?

Started in 1986. Was an engineer at Savin. When they failed I found employment very easily as a service manager at a Ricoh dealership... they switched to Sharp soon after I started. Worked there for 8 months, realized the owner was a dope, and decided I could do a much better job. Started with used and lower end Sharp models from wholesalers. Eventually I was approached by Sharp to become a dealer. Grew that to a 2 million a year supplier in less than 2 years. We grew our IT side to be able to fully support our products. Recently acquired a large Canon dealership. Have been offered buyouts multiple times, almost did it once... decided I enjoyed this enough to want to stay with it. We have a different approach in that we consider all of the acquisitions, Covid, direct sale corporations as our gain. No one responds to customers needs like we do. We have negotiated very strong pricing from our manufacturers. We know our stuff. Integrity is key... always go above and beyond. I would like to groom the right person with strong tech and stronger interpersonal skills to take the reins...it has been an interesting minefield along the way but I have enjoyed the challenge and the successes.

[Layla]

Re: Are you a copier tech who started his or her own business?

From the moment I work at worktime, I stopped judging people by their appearance, as often a modestly dressed person can be very successful and wealthy.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Are you a copier tech who started his or her own business?

Good points. I guess I deal with a different client base. Working in a smaller town most people around here dress very casually. Usually the only people who dress up are lawyers and copier salesman. I sell used stuff so a $10,000 dollar copier is not something I deal with.

.. almost all copier quotes are delivered via email including $30,000.00 quotes with multiple devices. On site copier demo's are extinct. It is hard enough to get a customer to come into your place of business for a demo.

As long as you make a good effort to look presentable and knowledgeable when onsite, customers could care less what your delivery vehicle looks like, if they even see it at all.

They might first check your website and ask for a few references. They might want to know how long you have been in business for and how many service technicians you have.

If you are presenting a used or refurbished copier, it is all about the price so not much else matters other than reliable service.