With so many dealers in the channel, it is important to distinguish yourself in a crowded field. Getting your client’s network is great — but it is just the first step. What comes next? Once you have secured that contract, how can you keep it? Add-ons and solutions are a great way to position yourself as a trusted advisor and keep the relationship solid.
With fierce competition within the industry, knowing your customers’ priorities is critical, whether it’s the culture of their environment and workers, the compliance laws they are subject to based on their specific verticals, or their need to improve workflow. Add-ons are available that go beyond selling the MFP and allow partners to grow and add to their revenue streams.
You’re not just selling a printer or scanner; you’re selling flexibility. You’re selling security solutions and education solutions. You’re aiding your clients in their company’s digital transformation, improving their workflow and helping them avoid noncompliance fines.
As workplace needs evolve, it is essential to change with the workforce. Some customers may be intimidated by the idea of adding solutions. They may think they are too expensive, hard to implement, or difficult to use. They may fear that something new will disrupt their workflow, rather than simplify it. Once you have convinced your clients that you have their specific needs in mind, you can build enough trust to prove to them that new solutions will improve, rather than hinder, their business.
What are some of the add-ons and solutions you can offer these customers? The possibilities are endless. It’s just a matter of what your client base looks like. Get to know them, their workers and their unique needs, and you can find some great opportunities.
App integration. As baby boomers and even some Gen X workers retire, the newest generations of workers are taking over, and this younger generation tends to demand flexibility and convenience in different ways. All generations want to make labor-intensive, time-consuming tasks easier, but the younger generations, raised on click-and-swipe, mobile technology and apps seek solutions that cater to the most current ways of working.
They will appreciate being able to quickly and easily connect to other business platforms and programs like Salesforce, QuickBooks Online and Concur, supporting customer relationship management, accounting and invoicing — all with a quick swipe.
Audio has become an increasingly popular method of content consumption with workers who are multitasking or working on the go. These clients will appreciate the Audio Documents App, which allows users to transform their hardcopy content into an audio file, eliminating the need to print piles of paper or searching for files to download to read during a train ride or at home.
Security is likely to be a major concern for nearly every client you speak with. Some channel partners may take a one-size-fits-all approach when selling security solutions. But security can and should also be personalized to fit the needs of your customer.
Since hardly a day goes by without news of a security breach, and fees and penalties for violating government security regulations can be damaging, clients want to know that you value their security. Different regulations apply to different verticals, so there are numerous opportunities in these markets.
Your healthcare clients, for example, can benefit from Xerox’s Healthcare Multifunction Printer Solution and its secure “share patient information” capabilities. Education clients have their own set of individual needs — 23 percent of education faculty and staff in the U.S. cited “course material compilation” as among the most inefficient processes in an IDC survey. Neither teachers nor students want to drag home a briefcase or backpack full of crumpled papers every day.
With a Xerox Blackboard Learn account, hard copy documents can be digitized and stored, and teachers and students can upload and share handouts, completed assignments and other hard copy documents when and where they need them. Users can log into their Blackboard Learn account right at their MFP.
Every customer will have their own set of priorities, compliance regulations and office culture. Ask questions to find out what is important to your individual client, and what their specific set of needs are. By taking care to understand their needs, and what they’re passionate about, you can establish a relationship that will ensure your clients you have their best interests at heart. And that will do more than sell you their business — it will help you keep it.
To learn more about becoming a Xerox channel partner, contact your Xerox account manager, or review the Xerox Global Partner Program and apply to become a Xerox channel partner today, to find out how Xerox can help grow your business.
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Ready to become a Xerox Channel Partner? Contact your Xerox account manager or review the Xerox Global Partner Program and apply to become a Xerox channel partner today to find out how we will help grow your business.Join our Xerox Channel Partners LinkedIn Community
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