Finishing his speech, President Barry Simon smiles and says 'I'll end with this.'

It’s the close of the Datamax Arkansas Kick-Off Event, and Simon pulls a cap from behind the podium and slides it over his head. Emblazoned across the front: “The Best is Yet to Be.”

The phrase concedes that good things have happened, but that even better things are on the horizon. The foundation is set, but the construction is never complete. What was done yesterday matters little to what lies ahead.

In our industry, nothing could be closer to the truth. Below are all things we can focus on every day we head to the office, in an industry that’s literally changing right in front of us.

Barry Simon’s Four Things That Matter Most in 2019.

1. Culture

“We can never stop talking about culture. That will always be in my frame work. The content of the Little Blue Book is about being relevant to our employees and to our customers.

I like to make sure we introduce it to every new employee. I like to go over the book with them. That shows them the importance of culture and how they fit in…. Then, people walk away with the feeling that gosh, I’ve really made the right decision.”

2. Thought Leadership (Why ‘They Ask... We Answer’ Matters)

“At a CDA meeting recently, a person in the pool business spoke about how he makes sure to know the answers to any pool-related question. The thing is, he just sold liner pools. But by knowing the answers to all these pool-related questions, he becomes the expert.

As customers look to us, they have these questions, whether it’s cybersecurity, IT management, what’s new on the horizon on copiers, or anything we do. We should be able to answer those questions. If someone asks us… how much would a cybersecurity audit cost? We should be able to answer that.

As people start looking at us (as the experts), they see us as the value add.

3. Differentiators (Why the Question ‘Why Us?’ Matters)

“This comes down to, really, why do we think people should buy from us? What are our differentiators? If I’m out there in the field (sales or service), what’s going to make them want to buy from us vs. a competitor?

If we’re all doing the same thing, that’s not really good. Why you as a rep? Why should they buy from you? Answering that question gets it away from just being a price situation, vs a situation of best value.
And I might add, it’s the same thing as a company. Why should someone choose Datamax as a place to work?

We better know our story.

4. Solutions (Why ‘Beyond the Box’ Solutions Matter)

Not too terribly long ago, we were selling $2 million in fax machines. We started selling off-set equipment, mimeographs, which led to selling word processors and electronic typewriters. Most of that is gone now.

In 2019, we need to just not be selling boxes. We’ve got to be a solution provider. We’ve got to truly understand the workflow of our customers.

Copies are really coming down, they’re just not at the same pace. We better make up for that by providing solutions for our customers.

We’re not a good company that sells commodities. We’re a GREAT company that knows how to serve customers.”