Of all the phrases I’ve heard and repeated in this thing we call the “copier industry,” one of the best is, “All copiers are the same.”
You probably don’t believe this, but to your prospects and customers, every single copier is precisely the same.
It gets worse: Nobody wants a copier.
Nobody woke up this morning excited to hear a sales pitch about scan resolutions, dots per inch, the latest supplies fulfillment program, or how your OEM was voted the “most green manufacturer in the galaxy.”
Nobody.
They didn’t walk into their office and say, “Man, I wish my copier had that new, friendly looking touch panel.”
Your prospects woke up already behind. A board meeting at 2. The office manager just found out the toner order got delayed. The construction estimator can’t get the wide-format to print in color again. And the controller is trying to process 200 invoices before lunch on a machine that’s on its third service call this quarter.
Nobody wants a copier.
They want relief; they want more time.
You and your team are in the time business
Yes, you sell office technology, but you’re not in the hardware business. You’re in the time business. You just happen to carry a machine that prints, scans, and copies.
But that machine, when positioned correctly, configured right, installed cleanly, supported reliably through your management programs, and set up the way people actually work—that machine gives people back minutes they’ve been losing for years.
Time not spent:
- Tracking down toner
- Fighting a confusing user interface to set up scan-to folder
- Waiting for someone to clear the jam – if ever
- Calling tech support for the fifth time this quarter
Those minutes add up. Quietly. Daily. And they hurt the business in ways the owner never sees on a spreadsheet or in the financials
You don’t sell gear. You sell a return to flow. You sell freedom from frustration. You sell time.
One customer had a quick, non-solicited comment about his office printer. He wasn’t raving about print speed or color quality. He was talking about how he doesn’t have to think about it.
The thing just works. Ink shows up. So does paper. He doesn’t go to the store. He doesn’t get stuck. It’s a frictionless print experience.
That’s what your prospects want.
Don’t make me think about it. Just let it happen.
New reps make this mistake
Here’s what some new reps do wrong:
They walk in with a pitch about speeds, feeds, and service response times. They lead with the brand. They bring up lease pricing before they’ve even heard what’s broken.
They sell a box.
That’s not selling. That’s listing.
You don’t win a deal by pointing out those big, crystal trophies your dealership won in 2022. You succeed by uncovering “time sucks” and positioning yourself as the one who can stop and plug the leaks of time.
Listen for pain points.
When you’re told, “We’re fine with what we’ve got,” don’t pivot to speeds and feeds. Ask them how often their people are waiting to print. Find out who’s in charge of ordering toner, how often it’s ordered, and how much time it takes to receive the toner.
Once again, it is all about asking the questions and getting to what matters most – saving time. When you ask the right questions, the problems show up. And when you solve a time leak, you’re no longer that some old copier rep. You’re the person who made their day easier.
Time is the sale
Here’s a line you should write down:
“I’m not here to sell you a copier. I’m here to give your team their time back.”
Try it. In the right moment, with the right tone, that line lands like a truth bomb. Most reps would never say something that direct, which is why you should.
This business doesn’t need more “trusted advisors.” It needs people who can diagnose operational drag and get rid of it. That’s what you do.
You can be the rep who walks in and says, “Let me show you where you’re losing time and how to get it back.”
That’s how you sell without being pushy. That’s how you win trust. That’s how you close without sounding like every other box pusher in the world.
Three ways to start selling time instead of boxes
You know you don’t want to sound like everyone else. Here are three ways to start selling time right now:
1. Map the frustration loop
In every office, there’s a pattern of printer frustration. Ask these three questions to uncover it:
- “Who gets the complaints when printing isn’t working?”
- “How often do people have to wait for someone else to fix something?”
- “What’s your toner ordering process right now?”
Use the answers to create a simple map of where time is leaking. Draw it out on the back of a napkin or one page value proposition. Then show how you’d plug those leaks.
2. Translate features into freedom
Don’t sell robust scanning. Sell not having to babysit the feeder.
Don’t sell toner yield. Sell not running out at 4 pm on a Friday.
Don’t sell mobile print. Sell being able to submit jobs between meetings.
Every technical feature you pitch must be translated into a freedom your buyer can feel.
3. Document the cost of lost time
This is good. Before you talk price, ask what an hour of their time is worth. Then ask how often they lose that hour due to print issues. Build that into your ROI story. Don’t lead with it; use it as the clincher when you show how your solution pays for itself.
You’re not selling a machine.
You’re selling a better Tuesday. A quicker Friday. A quieter Monday morning where the CFO doesn’t have to yell.
Greg Walters
is an entrepreneur and founder of the notorious destination site TheDeathOfTheCopier, where he comments on all things imaging, the rise of managed services and the advance of business technology. A prolific writer and frequent speaker, Greg shares his passionate, unique – and often provocative – view of technology and people, addressing the impact of digital on 21st century business. His 2014 book, Death Of The Copier, offers a controversial summary of the early days of Managed Print Services and the not-so-distant future of the hard copy industry. Reach out to Greg at greg@grwalters.com.