Recently, an internationally known gas detector manufacturing and
installation company contacted General Data regarding their Epson TM-C3400. According to General Data’s Michelle
Donnellon, Director of Marketing, “initially the company was just looking for a
reputable media and service provider for their printer”. General Data brought in their local solutions
expert, Pennsylvania Territory Manager Paul Belschner, to assist.
According to Paul, “when I first spoke to the company, I learned they
had purchased the printer from an online retailer. They indicated that they wanted to move to
on-demand color labels to classify certain products using color during
manufacturing and final assembly packaging.
Adding color improved their work processes.”
Paul continues, “Although purchasing a printer online, this company
needed the other components of a solution; including labels, ink and most
importantly assurance of service. After
some discussions, they decided to purchase labels, ink, warranty service and 3
additional printers. I’m glad we could
provide everything that my now “NEW” customer needed to move to on-demand color
labels.”
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To begin
using an on-demand color label solution, resellers and/or end users may need to
take some or all of the following steps:
· * Design
or Redesign an existing process
· * Select
their software application
· * Determine
the most appropriate hardware
· * Design/Redesign
label formats (or at least test their label formats)
· * Test/Select
the label media
· * Measure
the new process
· * Establish
service or contingency processes
For some
companies, this process is simple and easy to do. For example, Bonanza Press used in-house
designers to create new labels that are printed on the production floor using
Adobe Reader. http://colorlabelsondemand.blogspot.com/2012/01/bonanza-press-www.html. This solution has enabled them to increase
sales.
But for most
companies, value added resellers must take the time to sell and deliver
the entire on-demand color label solution.
In my work with resellers, I’ve heard that this time requirement costs
them money. Sales representatives of
value added resellers may be used to selling “Zebra Printers”; adding very
little incremental value. This type of
high volume, low service sales pushes customers to purchase at discounted
prices.
To compete effectively, value added resellers like General Data need to
sell solutions, including service, media, ink and software; generating more
business. As Martin Grunstein opines in
the followings article, “You
don’t fight fire with fire, you fight fire with water. Don’t do what your
competitor does, do exactly the opposite! If he or she discounts the price, you
reinforce the value added services you provide to show that your offer has more
value.” http://www.martingrunstein.com.au/article13.html
Even better for resellers, on-demand color label solutions help end user
customers reduce labor/administration/inventory/labor costs, enable last second
design changes, improve processes and even increase sales.
Although
selling or implementing an on-demand color label solution takes time, the
payoff is good for both resellers and end users.
Guy Mikel
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