Sales is more than just a numbers game...

Save on print with imaging? Sure, but where’s the capital to buy it?

This morning I stumbled upon a Press Release from InfoTrends titled, "InfoTrends Study Examines Prime Vertical Markets for Office Solutions and Managed Print Services". Having spent a great deal of time around this market – in a print service bureau, as a software vendor, and making it all work in hardware components for both print and imaging – my interest was piqued by some of the material in the release.

What first caught my eye was,  'Randy Dazo, a Director at InfoTrends, commented, “While significant growth is occurring within these markets, increased market education could add an additional boost. Vendors have much to gain by making known the cost savings that can be realized by implementing the right combination of solutions and services.”'

As a former ‘vendor’ in one form or another, that is what vendors have been doing ("making known the cost savings") for years. But, in talking to many small to medium businesses these days, they tell me that it's a lack of money (capital) that holds them back; they would like to adopt the solutions, but getting the capital to do it is hard. As an aside, last week I witnessed a local loan officer making in-person cold calls talking to local business owners about SBA loans – what a refreshing way to start my morning.

Under the Economic Stimulus Act, the banks are supposed to be lending and the Government is offering some tax breaks, along with new incentives from the SBA. However, in our work with small to medium businesses, I do not see much of it taking hold. In fact, in many ways, it is just the opposite; when it comes to capital expenditures, companies are in retreat.

I guess if you were a vendor, paying $3,995.00 for a 100-page report of “over 500 qualified respondents”, may be helpful to build your case around "making known the cost savings". The abstract I looked at included only a table of contents, so I can’t attest to the report’s value. It is interesting to note that the report contains information related to those “who had already invested in document assessment/managed print services”.

What about those companies and organizations that would like to have made the investment (in better economic times), but did not. That’s the call to today’s vendor; how can I save money without a significant cash outlay? Or, as Clara Peller used to say (in a burger commercial), “Where’s The Beef?”

p.s. If you are company looking for this type of solution or cost savings, there’s a good chance your vendor(s) has an excellent comprehensive study, customer or market survey, and/or a white paper or two of information to help you make an educated decision in your purchase.

Innovation: Forget about a Homer Hanky, ask for a PeopleTowels this Holiday Season

You have probably seen it; a fan in the baseball stands waving their Homer Hanky. The Homer Hanky enjoyed a comeback this year, as the Minnesota Twins began the playoffs against the New York Yankees.

When the Business Wire News summary came across my desk the other day, I was curious about the Press Release titled, “Great Green Stocking Stuffer Under $10: PeopleTowels.com Offers a Free Gift With Purchase for Holiday Shoppers”. What the heck is a “PeopleTowels” and how does it claim to be “Green”? More so, what’s up with the “Free Gift”?

First, the answer to the Free Gift promotion. “PeopleTowels (www.peopletowels.com) is offering a free gift of one (1) reusable personal hand towel with purchase of two (2) or more PeopleTowels; limit of one (1) gift per order. Customers receive one (1) PeopleTowels’ Beach Breeze free, an $8 value. Offer good while supplies last and expires at midnight on December 31, 2009.”

Next, what is a PeopleTowels? “PeopleTowels is the next small lifestyle change everyone can make to have a big impact on the environment. PeopleTowels are meant to be used at work, or when you are out and about instead of the paper towels found in public restrooms. “

Then, the “Green” angle to the product. “Each person who switches from using paper towels to PeopleTowels will save a 1/4 of a tree, reduce landfill waste by 23 pounds and conserve 250 gallons of water in just one year.”

Lastly, what are they? “PeopleTowels have hang-tags for easy attachment to a purse, backpack or briefcase. They are small (9 x 9 inches) and specially made of light-weight, fast-drying 100% Certified Organic, Fair Trade Cotton printed with eco-friendly dyes.”

Got the picture? Sounds a little like a golf towel and Homer Hanky all-in-one. Okay, they are more than that, but I needed something to make the comparison. For those of you struggling with some simple and meaningful gifts, they are reasonably priced ,“At $8.00 for 1, $21 for 3, and $35 for 5, PeopleTowels are priced under $10 each and below the $20-60 range that Americans will spend on gifts for friends, coworkers, babysitters, teachers and clergy this year, according to the National Retail Federation.”

And my favorite part is what I call the ‘give-back factor’  “Plus, one percent of PeopleTowels’ sales go toward preserving the Earth through the 1% for the Planet program.“

My hat is off to them on this one. Good marketing campaign, a clever Holiday promotion, practical product, helps the “Go Green” movement, and puts some money back into saving the planet.

p.s. I can’t resist adding the infomercial (music, please) pitch, “But, wait, there’s more!”; they even have a contest with cash prizes, “Get ready for the PeopleTowels’ Design Contest”.

Designers and engineers; field service, first?

For those of us who enjoy – sometimes it is more like, tolerate – doing our own repairs, we are often left wondering, “Did the person who designed (or engineered) this thing, ever have to work on one?” Regular readers and subscribers have read some Posts of my own experience in this regard. I am sure you have your own share of stories and related scars or injuries.

In preparation to work on a mystery oil leak, on one of our cars (1996 Jeep Cherokee), I chose to cruise the Web looking for the experience of others, and a few clues at to what it might be. I was confident of the area of the leak; it was the source that was hiding. The usual suspects were quickly ruled out, and the amount was quite small; a dime-size spot would appear from time to time on the driveway – with 156,000 miles, that’s not much.

I finally narrowed it down to a couple of culprits; one was the oil pressure sensor/sending unit, and the other would be the oil filter adapter. Looking closer, everything was pointing to the O-ring(s) on the oil filter adapter. Even though I have had three Jeeps – two of which are still in service – I have never run into this before. The Wrangler never gave me any trouble, nor has this surfaced on the Grand Cherokee.

It turns out that the problem is not that uncommon. Thanks to a good write-up, I could get the steps down in my mind as to the tools, parts, and repair sequence. All you have to do is pull the bolt that holds the adapter, replace the O-rings, and you are good to go. Well, sort of.

The ideal time to do this would be the next oil change; you have to pull the oil filter before you can remove the adapter. Since I changed the oil not too long ago, I would just pull the filter and replace it with a new one – the new, clean and clear oil also made it harder to see the source of the leak. The bolt takes a T60 Torx bit – think large, and you probably don’t have it in your Torx set – along with two of the three O-rings. I bought the O-rings (as a set) at the dealer for under $8, and a T60 Torx bit with a socket driver for about the same amount of money. Low cost of parts, high burden of labor.

Here’s where the fun begins. The adapter is mounted so that the oil filter hangs horizontal; during an oil change I fill the cavity around the frame and fixtures with newspaper in hopes of keeping oil in one place, or if the filter drops out of my hands. A very tight space it is. So much so, to get at the bolt, there is no room for the T60 bit that is usually mounted into a socket driver – it’s too long to fit between the frame and the bolt. This is where I joined the chorus of those who say something like, “I think the people that design (or engineer) this stuff should do repairs in the field for about a year, first.”

I have read some creative solutions to the problem. The most common seems to be to knock out the bit from the socket driver with a punch, then use the bit with something else to turn it (e.g., wrench, Vise-Grip, etc.). Since the spec apparently calls for 75 ft. lbs. of torque, it won’t budge easily, and should be a bear to get it tight again. The spec is about the same for lug nuts – get the drift? I planned on some Loctite® Blue during the reassembly, too.

I am going to leave you hanging for a bit on this one. I have decided to be sure this was the place of the leak by doing a thorough cleaning,  then run it a few more miles. I am left shaking my head about the design and uttering the phrase, “Did the person who designed (or engineered) this thing, ever have to work on one?”

When you think retail, quality racks can make or break a sale

Many of us who are now in the profession of Sales, ‘cut our teeth’ by starting out somewhere in a Retail business. For me, it was Women’s and Children’s clothing (independent retail store). One thing that needed attention was restocking the shelves and the various display racks. I recall when we remodeled the store, we met with the architect to select new displays for clothing and accessories. It was not much different from selecting appliances in a kitchen remodel.

As time went on, and I changed jobs, racks and displays popped up in a variety of places. We needed revolving racks for trade show displays for easy access and the presentation of collateral and brochures. Coming into the hotel at night, I would see racks stocked with regional tourism or event information. As a manufacturer, when working with distributors and wholesalers, we often provided racks for them to display our product, or marketing materials.

As I look at today’s market and economic climate, I got to thinking about this niche industry of manufacturing displays and racks. The manufacturing side is suffering the same pressure as any other manufacturer located in the United States. Also, there is the wide range of materials and designs available for the same application, i.e., why choose wire racks over acrylic/plastic ones?

When the announcement was made on Monday that Blockbuster would be closing more stores (“Blockbuster more than doubles planned store closures to nearly 1,000”), I began to think about all those racks that would be re-sold, or discarded. Looking at how thin my local newspaper is – not to mention the giant leap in price at the newsstand ‘rack’ – I have to believe the number of racks built for newspapers and magazines is on the decline. How about the declining numbers of independent, local bookstores –the movie “You’ve Got Mail” quickly comes to mind. Enter the momentum of the digital book and e-readers for the classroom, or reading for leisure with a handheld device or Smartphone – I still like ink on my hands.

With all these market forces, if you were in the display and rack business as a manufacturer, I am betting you wish there was a “Cash for Clunkers” program for racks of all kinds. Some of the display racks I see in stores or outdoors would definitely qualify and not require a means to disable them; they are nearly DOA already.

Although the above may seem bleak, there is one manufacturer I know, with over 30 years in the industry, which is far from tossing in the towel. R WIREworks, Inc, based out of Elmira, NY, offers a wide range of wire racks and displays, where “most items proudly carry a Made in the USA label “. When you look through the selection of categories and individual racks, it reminds me of one of my favorite phrases I used during my time with Unisource; “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it.”

Selection is not always enough in their industry. Product innovation and quality are equally important to survive. They use high quality materials and pay attention to creative designs. Knowing the construction and wholesale lumber & building material dealer industries well, I could appreciate their venture into Roofing Displays. Not only do they design and manufacture these displays, but they assist their customer with layout and installation needs, too. They are taking a full-service approach to a product that can easily be seen as nothing more than a commodity in a catalogue.

Small businesses like R WIREworks are under a great deal of pressure from many directions. Pricing in the business of racks and displays is very competitive, and the cost to manufacture is not going down. To survive, manufacturers will need to not only serve their existing markets well, but also look for new markets with innovative, high-quality products. Recognizing that supplying retailers is a partnership, quality racks can make or break a sale.

How about a SES light for the household clothes dryer?

There is not much to an electric household clothes dryer when you open it up. A control panel, a motor for the (tumbler) drum and the exhaust fan as an all-in-one, a drive belt, a heating element, and a vent to send the warm, moist air out of the house; there’s a lint filter/trap, too.

If something breaks along the way, or gets clogged up, there’s a good chance you’ll know about it. If the drive belt slips or breaks, there’s no tumbling going on. If the motor burns out, not much will happen. If the controls and circuit have a glitch, you’ll probably find something amiss in operation. But, one part might not be so obvious; in the case of the heating element, you could be running at half power and not know it. It’s one part that is completely out of view, blocked by the drum.

That was my surprise this past week. Working on a clothes dryer that’s used by others, I was cleaning out the interior with a vacuum. Months of drying towels and clothes, filled with sand from their beach excursions, makes for an annual event for me. It never ceases to amaze me as to how much build-up I find; like a hourglass, the sand drops to the bottom of the fan area, and with the moisture in the air, hardens up into a mound. BTW - don’t forget to inspect/clean out the lint in the exhaust duct, and check the vent ‘stack’ and outdoor cover (i.e., look for debris, bird’s nests, etc.). And, pull the power cord before doing any work on a dryer or other electric appliance.

During the reassembly process – I had pulled the front panel and top of the unit to expose the interior – I dropped the magnetic screwdriver tip down the inside wall and into the cavity below the drum. It wasn’t just one tip; the top had come loose off the screwdriver, and three tips when trickling down the panel. I was able to reach in and grab one, but the other two were more stubborn. A magnetic wand pulled one out, but the other one was nowhere to be seen.

After a couple more failed attempts at locating the wayward tip, I decided to pull the drum. On this Hotpoint unit (made by GE), the newer style makes it easy. But it helps if you have an extra pair of hands to hold the side panels slightly apart – pull two screws to release the sides a bit from the frame - as you pull the drum forward, and out. Looking around the general area, I still couldn’t find the tip. I had to pull the motor and fan assembly and found it underneath the motor frame.

I seized the opportunity to clean more thoroughly with the vacuum. As I looked up at the heating element, I noticed one of the element wire strands was hanging loose (nichrome wire heating element similar to what you would find in toasters or hair dryers – it’s no wonder it uses so much electricity to dry clothes). It had snapped at the edge of the ceramic tube of the first turn around the element dish; it wasn’t obvious at first, just looked out of place as it sat ajar of the strand resting on the ceramic tube.

There are temperature sensors in various places within the dryer to prevent high temperature build-up, and when triggered, they will shut the dryer down. But, I didn’t see anything that would indicate the element was out of service. I suppose you would notice it from clothes not getting dry on a particular cycle or setting, or taking longer than normal to dry. Or, if in my case, the wire was touching the heating element dish or metal, it would short the circuit and blow the breaker.

But, wouldn’t it be nice if it worked like the SES (Service Engine Soon) light on your car? If something was amiss, the little light would go on and tell you the element is in need of service.

I am going to look into a stringer kit – replace only the element wires, not the whole heating element assembly; for now, the dryer is in pieces on the floor. No worries; it’s refreshing to use an old-fashion clothesline/wooden clotheshorse and the ‘go green’ of solar and wind power to dry the clothes.

Forget about the solution – look at the root cause, first

When I wrote about the Prediction Market Industry, I was quite taken with the notion of what constitutes ‘transparency’. Stumbling upon the definition that transparency (this came from a doctor) is “…being clear about what we know and don't know.” has left a lasting effect on my thinking, especially around sales forecasting.

Early in my career, my career mentor challenged me with the maxim, “Define the problem and the solution will present itself.” What Mike was trying to get me to do was to look for the ‘root cause’; what contributed to this problem in the first place. Of late, I find people are spending a great deal of time putting forth solutions without regard for what caused the problem. Often the solutions become a Band-Aid and offer a short-term fix, or less.

This is not reserved as a business observation, only. I see it carry over to many facets of the work and life balance we all face. What I have been looking for is the ‘why’. I believe some of it may be related to the rapid-fire communication we wallow in day and night. From social media to an overabundance of communication tools and devices, we rarely get a break to just stare out the window and take a break – think about the momentum to ban text messaging while driving.

I caught a feature article on Ken Burns (“famed Americana documentary filmmaker”) in Fortune magazine that noted how much he enjoyed driving and taking-in the scenery; it was good for idea generation, reflection, and thought. I share his desire to avoid the trials and tribulations of air travel. Not only have I rediscovered the joy of driving, I now appreciate Webinars as a more effective tool than many a business trip by plane.

When thinking of problem solving, where do you think we miss the mark? Is it along the lines of my premise that we fail to pursue the root cause? Or, is it bigger than that? What can we do to become better problem solvers in the future?

Two guys, a plan, and a better way to Go Green in building

The first time I saw Brent Francese, he was playing drums behind a clear acrylic drum screen and sound shielding system. I would have another opportunity to view his work when I saw a poster he designed for a benefit concert, which was prominently displayed across opposing, overhead screens. Curious about his background, I discovered he is also an accomplished architect.

This past week, I seized the opportunity to get to know Brent better. We spoke briefly in the hallway about the current trend of “Go Green” in building, both residential and commercial. I explained that although I was very upbeat at the possibilities, and reflected on a few of my favorites, I questioned the ability of this taking hold without some level of cost advantage. Everything I have looked into to this point seems to not have a payback, other than the positive impact from treating our environment with care and respect.

What began as a quizzical conversation (from me), soon developed into a high level of curiosity and interest in a new way of thinking. Brent talked about more than just the product side of this movement; he introduced the notion of “…creating low carbon, smart living environments for everyone.”

Brent described how the architectural industry is a driving force in green building, much of which is in the product side. This occurs most through the products specified by the architect, and the incorporation of “greener” design concepts. Some of the more prominent areas are “plywood sheets, countertops, sinks, toilets, rain catchment, wind, (etc.)”. This in turn is being driven by consumer demand, i.e., the public at large is asking for it.

Here is where I think Brent, and his collaborating partner, Tony Lineberry, has ventured into new space – pardon the pun – called “Clean Living”. They define it as, “Clean Living is about creating residential homes with a smart, small and sustainable mindset. Simply, our mission is create homes that will not only help our environment, but give back to it.”

They are putting it into practice with “a simple house set on a 4' module which is the basic dimension of a piece of plywood (4'x8') and has a basic set dimension of conventional lumber to reduce waste.” This level of greener living, or Clean Living as they call it, makes for “ a very small footprint which will keep it low impact on the earth.”

What Brent showed me was that I was focused on the ‘big’ systems (solar, wind, water, etc.); although they incorporate those in their design, they begin with the notion that “basic architecture can start off with a base of being green just by how it’s sited on the land”, what Brent referred to as “passive”. The “active” side, which had been my primary interest, can include a package of products, treatment (finishes, paints, plaster, etc.), and other building materials or techniques.

I still believe that we will need to reach some level of cost savings, or at least a reasonable break-even, before this takes on greater momentum. But for now, I have a new idea of how Clean Living can help mitigate some of the cost obstacles presented by the ‘big systems’  that I have considered in the past.

More on Clean Living found here.

Whirlpool Ultimate Care II defeats Watts FloodSafe® technology

There are times when two innovations collide and somebody has to lose. Individually they may function well, and in many cases surpass other products. But, there are times when you have to pull the plug on one to save the other. Such was the case with a Whirlpool Ultimate Care II washing machine and the Watts FloodSafe® Auto-Shutoff Connector supply lines.

The Whirlpool Ultimate Care II is loaded with features, including enough wash cycle combinations to choose a new one for each day of the month. I’m not sure where we lost sight of just doing the laundry, but it seems the newer the machine, the more buttons there are to push and dials to set. This unit was a replacement for an older model machine we had from a prior move; that washing machine was quite basic, but held up well.

When I installed the Ultimate Care II, I reconnected the Watts FloodSafe® supply lines I had from the old machine. I have installed the FloodSafe® hoses in a number of applications, not just washing machines (“Available for faucets, toilets, ice makers, dishwashers and washing machines”). I like the peace of mind, when away from home, knowing that if a line were to let go, the FloodSafe® lines would shutdown and protect the area from flooding - “FloodSafe® connectors include a standard braided stainless steel flexible hose and a FloodSafe® shutoff device located on the inlet.”

I recommend the hoses to others and wrote about it early on in this blog. There was little question that I was a satisfied customer. However, I did face a couple of installations where I had to return to a standard supply line. I have had situations where apparently the incoming flow of water exceeded the factory preset flow rate and triggered the shutoff device in the FloodSafe® connector.

One of the downsides to the FloodSafe® connector is that if you cut the water supply flow for any reason, you have to “reset” the connector – or, like in my failed installs, the flow rate was too great and would trigger the device. To reset the line, you have to disconnect the FloodSafe® at the shutoff valve, which automatically resets the FloodSafe® device. You then have to reconnect it as if it was a new installation. It’s more of a nuisance, than a problem.

Where the innovation between the washer and hoses collided was something as simple as lint (from the clothes during the rinse, and spin cycles). In our old machine, we had a lint basket that sat atop the agitator. This newer Ultimate Care II had no visible lint filter. Over time, my wife became increasingly disappointed – okay, it was more than just disappointed – in the results of having to pick lint off the clothes.

HP Pavilion dv6 Artist Edition – Hooked on videos in the first 30 seconds

When the newsletter from HP arrived in today’s email, it only took a quick glance at the picture of the HP Pavilion dv6 Artist Edition 2 Notebook for me to want to click on the video link. I thought their marketing of the designer edition of the netbook to women was a slick concept; charge premium pricing for the cover design with no change in form factor or guts. This time they reeled me in to watch a series of five short videos.

What has my attention in this is the effectiveness of using a series of short, online videos to get your attention. The first video is 26 seconds of flashy artwork and only 3 seconds that show it is a notebook; there is no video time dedicated to “HP” (the company). Once again, it proves to me that you can capture someone’s interest in 30 seconds or less, and have them ask for more.

I went on to watch the other four related videos that covered – in music and film – the attributes of product innovation (the guts and form factor), software and hardware for artistic creativity, and high-impact mediums like pictures, music, and video. It sports a 16-inch diagonal widescreen display and demonstrates its ability to deliver high-definition entertainment for TV. It also has, what is becoming standard issue, an integrated webcam and microphone.

Even though the intended audience for this unit is the Academic crowd - from the classroom to the dorm - I think it has traction in many other settings or use.

Reader introduces us to chumby – yet another wake-up option

Having featured a couple of alarm clocks from Philips (the Wake-up Light Premium, and the clock radio that morphs into a digital picture frame), I was surprised by yet another clever way to wake-up in the morning. A couple of weeks ago I was introduced to the chumby.

chumby is described as “an Internet media player that delivers users' favorite parts of the Internet in a friendly, always-on, always-fresh format.” The possibilities seem endless when you look at the extensive list of widgets and always-on connection to content and information. chumby claims “Over 1,200 widgets in more than 30 categories, ranging from news and entertainment to videos, music, sports and more are available for free from high profile media partners such as CBS, MTV Networks,The New York Times, The Weather Channel Interactive and AOL's SHOUTcast.”

Moreover, for you clever technology development folks, you can submit your own widget ideas for chumby. Do you like to make clever little covers or accessories for devices? There is room for you, too, in the chumby community – they call it an “open-source effort for outerwear”.

Back to the alarm clock side of chumby. You have all the features of a traditional alarm clock. But the competitive advantage becomes the customization of content and how it is delivered. “With a chumby, wake up exactly when and how you'd like: to the adrenaline rush of rock music, The New York Times headlines, weather, sports, stock updates—any audio or visual content you choose.”

Rather than go on about all the possibilities, check it out for yourself. Visit chumby.com and take a tour.