The Path From Prospect to Closed Sales Runs Through a Configurator. So Why Won’t a New Configurator Increase Sales?
Office printing is on the back nine of its industry cycle. Still, it doesn’t seem to have slowed the pace of new product introductions or the complexity surrounding customizing hardware to meet customer needs. We accept that this complexity is part of the process until you try to bring on a new sales rep and explain to them how to configure an A3 MFP from scratch. That’s when you realize this is complicated, and you think, “there has to be a better way!”
Good news. There is.
It is easy to make a mistake in configuration.
Starting with a “base model” and then adding components that seemingly fit, only to find out later that the floor stand, the fax unit, and finisher don’t fit together. Or even forgetting to add a feature or service your customer needs causes issues throughout the workflow.
If a customer has already signed a contract, and the finance partner has agreed to credit terms, then you need to start over again. New configuration. New contract. New approval. New purchase order from your OEM partner. Going back to a customer after a “deal” has been signed deflates some of the goodwill you built in the sales process.
Oh, did I mention that you need to ensure you’ve used the correct prices and contract, the correct rate factor, and the proper customer details? Most resellers have checks and balances throughout the organization to safeguard against errors. When those safeguards rely on employee experience, experience that walks out the door every night, and eventually retires…that is the kind of stuff owners think about when they lay awake at night.
A new configurator won’t solve the issue.
The industry is 50 years old. If it was simply a configuration issue, it would have been solved. It’s a process issue. It’s too complicated! It involves too many options, with too many people responsible for too many details that can mess up a good deal. Too many moving parts.
As you bring on new employees, and your business evolves into managed services, it should be more apparent that a new configurator, one that is grounded in print, probably won’t evolve with your business.
B2BToolbox has reimagined device configuration.
Together with GreatAmerica Financial Services we’ve developed an end-to-end Digital Finance Portal (DFP) that not only configures, it manages the approvals and contract creation process. It has been vetted and is the basis for Impact Networking’s portal. It is live and working today.
