Ten Years+

For over ten years, the reprographics’s industry has tried to market and sell document management systems. For ten years, we've mumbled through presentations with promises to revolutionize the construction industry only to switch products a few years later. (I'll purposely not mention the names.)

Every three years we rally the troupes, gather for a "training session," role plays, re-brand and tell our people to go into the market and sell, sell, sell. "That last system sucked!" we say, "We've got a new system and it’s much better." Sound familiar?

But, the question has to be, why are we not meeting expectations on selling document management? I believe our problem is threefold.

First, we have to accept that living on technologies edge isn't always pretty. Most industries go through the awkwardness of the establishing a new product or service— especially new technology. Remember the internet? It didn't take off at first either, but once it did it exploded. Unfortunately, we're not the only the industry competing for the document management world. Software companies. Venture capitalists. Entrepreneurs. A variety of companies we are not used to competing with.

Second, we need to evaluate how our core competencies align with the required core competencies of marketing, selling, and producing document management systems. I believe we find many of our problems here. From what I've observed, we're sending untrained "print" sales reps to sell high end digital solutions. No offense to our "print" sales reps but they are not qualified to sell high end digital solutions— it’s out of their core competency. This is furthered by our production staffs who we try to make into indexers and high end consultants.

Third, I believe the positioning of “printers” offering AEC document management solutions is damaged beyond repair. For years we've sent unqualified and unmotivated sales reps into our clients, stammered through presentations, and then in the end asked for print orders. Again, this is not unusual for first responders. They often must re-brand, reposition, and realign to reestablish credibility within a market that's witnessed their growing pains.

Now is the time to face these obstacles and develop strategies for success.

RESOURCE: Ries and Trout's classic "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind" is a must read on the subject of positioning and re-branding.