Letter on the Third — January 2020
Dear Datamax Family,
When I think about the word value, I think about the great Walter Payton.
I’ll never forget attending Bears games growing up in Chicago. They weren’t the best team at the time. But they had this running back, Payton, and it was amazing … he never gave up. He gained the most yards of any running back at the time, even though he didn’t have a great team surrounding him. But teammates watched him. They took note of how tirelessly he worked, how hard he fought, and eventually that carried over to the entire Bears organization. When they did win the Superbowl in 1985, the entire team had grasped onto the idea … it takes everybody.
You can’t do it without service, without sales, without billing, operations, or leasing. Every job is important. Every role contributes to on-the-field success.
We kick off 2020 sharing our theme of “Value up!” Being of real value must be an ingrained part of our company identity. After all, value supersedes price and fully embodies our technology recommendations and solutions. On a more individual level, “Value Up!” should include employees asking themselves regularly: “What benefit can I be to those working alongside me?” “What more can I contribute?” “Have I given this customer a reason to choose us over competitors?”
It takes everyone involved to truly “Value Up!”
Being of value, of course, surrounds many areas of our organization. When I first sat down with Greg Walker about acquiring East Texas Copy Systems, the conversation didn’t center around price. Rather, it was “how are you going to take care of my employees? My customers? i.e., what value does Datamax bring to the table?” Value is the investment of our people to educate themselves. It’s being a Microsoft Gold Partner, ATSP and Pro-Tech trained, holding the highest classification with Laserfiche, and being named “Best Places to Work in Arkansas.” All these things encompass our great culture and our overall value add.
But “Value Up!” isn’t just a list of attributes. It’s a mindset. It’s each one of you looking in the mirror and saying, “Is this really me? Am I doing it right?” It is taking the initiative to prepare, sustaining the commitment to compete, and owning the passion to create even more raving fans.
Walter Payton once said, “When you're good at something, you'll tell everyone. When you're great at something, they'll tell you.” Value Up! doesn’t mean us telling customers we’re the best value. It means digging in deep, uncovering real customer needs and then delivering solutions and support that maximize their return on technology investment.
When we deliver value, our job on the field with customers will speak for itself. They’ll tell us about their Raving Fan experiences. And, just as the case with the Bears, it takes everybody to truly “Value Up!” in 2020. The Best is Yet to Be.
Your Raving Fan,
