|
|
|
Although the copier industry has gone through radical changes in recent years, one unfortunate constant well known to buyers has remained: Acquiring digital copiers is a time-consuming and often frustrating process. The reason for the continued existence of this situation is hype, and it is served to buyers in many flavors: Well over a billion dollars combined is spent each year by the industry on advertising. Many dealers employ six-figure management-level employees who know nothing about equipment, but whose sole existence is to "schmooze" customers in any way possible. Lobbyists at both the state and federal levels are routinely hired to protect the best interests of the manufacturers. Machines are given to, and test reports bought from, otherwise insignificant companies that must publish positive-sounding reports to stay in business. Dealer sales training classes teach a "divide and conquer" strategy to ensure "account penetration." The single best example of how powerful the industry is in deceiving customers is state or "consortium" contract pricing. Copier salespeople publicly tout these schedules as offering the best pricing available, yet privately acknowledge that in fact they simply offer a starting point for negotiations. How is it that pricing is so high under state and consortium contracts? The answer is that no data exists about the number of units installed and their associated volumes produced under these contracts. As a consequence, contracting officers have nothing to base pricing upon except the manufacturer's recommended monthly volumes, which are four-to-five times higher than real-world volumes, so what is touted to be one-cent per-copy pricing is in reality four or five cents per copy. Buyers need to also be aware that the companies or persons that create test reports, brochures, proposals, on-site surveys, TV/print ads and web sites to promote office products are paid or employed by the manufacturers and/or their dealers, NOT YOU. But, you may ask, what is wrong with drawing upon the combined knowledge of experienced local sales representatives? Number one, local salespeople are not aware of the copier programs that have been established in other parts of the country. Secondly, salespeople are focused on selling equipment and technology. Did you ever hear a salesperson from one company recommend to go with equipment from another company? The bottom line: Salespeople are unskilled at, and are not compensated for, helping you create a long-term technology implementation plan that maximizes your organization's buying power. That's where Pro Buyers comes in. We have a proven copier consulting program that will create greater overall efficiencies for any organization guaranteed. And, since all of our revenue comes from office equipment BUYERS, we are advocates only for YOU. No other copier consulting company can make this claim. Our well-rounded expert staff, complete with extensive copier sales and purchasing experience, helps you to cut through the digital copier industry hype and achieve powerful bottom-line results. We have executive-level contacts at the headquarters locations of all printer and copier manufacturers. This enables us to get insider industry news to you fast and first-hand, unfiltered by regional and local marketing reps. True, independent advice from a company unafraid to speak the truth on behalf of the consumer. Only from Pro Buyers! |
Click here to go back to our Home Page
Send e mail to Webmaster@ProBuyersLLC.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|