Letter on the Third — October 2018
Dear Datamax Family,
I can’t believe it. It’s already October.
It seems every time I look up, the year is going by even faster. The leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping and the seasons are changing. Change is all around us at Datamax.
The industry is constantly changing. When we look at copiers, we’re more into solutions and workflow vs. “do you want black and white or color?” In IT, we’re looking at managing networks and asking “is it strategic to you as a customer?” And that might change depending on which organization you’re talking to. Different people look at things completely differently, and we need to understand and acknowledge that.
Customer needs and expectations change. Years ago, my brother-in-law was selling club memberships at a local fitness gym and spa. When he asked what I thought, I asked to see his presentation. He was showing people EVERYTHING: the pool, the workout rooms, and everything else the club offered. I told him, “Before you do that, you need to find out what’s important to that customer.” Sometimes we think what’s important to us is important to them. As he started keying in on individual customer needs, he started selling a lot more memberships. The point is this: Our customers' needs change, and we should always be on top of what their expectations are right now.
Our individual roles may change. Change affects all of us in different ways. Sometimes it’s exciting. Sometimes it takes us out of our comfort zone. Sometimes, people look at it and ask “what’s in it for me?” rather than recognizing what it does for the overall company. Change is inevitable. But after it occurs, we can say to ourselves down the road, “look at everything we accomplished.”
I’m ecstatic about the launch of our new Managed Compliance Services Program in Arkansas. Through our partnership with Konica Minolta’s All Covered IT Division, this initiative gives healthcare organizations a road map for securing their confidential patient information, and make changes for the better in the way they approach cybersecurity. It also gives us a whole new arena for providing expertise to these healthcare organizations, which are often uncertain of how to approach it internally. Irving Berlin once said, “The toughest thing about success is that you’ve got to keep being a success.” This program is a new avenue for doing just that.
Finally, I hope you’ll join me in congratulating Kenny Prince in his new role as Sales Manager for our East Texas locations. We always look to hire from within whenever possible. After Rick Fedell retired last month, we saw a great opportunity for all parties involved with Kenny leading our sales operations in Tyler, Longview and Lufkin. We are looking forward to great things from Kenny and his team.
Change is all around us. But rest assured that it will be productive and it will only make us continuously better as an organization. After all, the Best is Yet to Be.
Your Raving Fan,
