For many office equipment dealers (OEDs) today, traditional lines of business involving hardware, toner, and paper are dwindling. Part of the problem is that over time, office equipment has become part of a much larger and more complex network environment – and SMBs are looking for a partner who can provide one-stop shopping and support across that entire environment.
The good news for OEDs is that they’ve spent years nurturing relationships and developing large client bases – and today, they’re poised to move further into the network and take advantage of new business opportunities; particularly those that offer predictable recurring revenue, like managed IT services (also known as managed network services).
After all, The OED channel has a number of advantages that traditional managed service providers (MSPs) are disadvantaged by – including sales capacity, relationship building, and financial capital. With the right IT offering, OEDs can support long-term growth and achieve up to 60% margins on these new services.
Ed McLaughlin, President and CEO at Valderus (and a member of Continuum’s board of advisors), discussed this shift in a recent issue of Office Technology Magazine:
For decades, we had the luxury of riding the growth of the industry even if we were not performing at our best. Today, it is a “zero-sum” world and we must provide more services for new and existing accounts. While there is still opportunity in equipment sales, there is now a clear limit and dealers need to take their customer service to new levels in order to succeed. A successful office technology dealership cannot simply rely on copy and print sales alone. Moving toward a services business model that comprises strong MPS and 30 to 40 percent IT services should be the goal for long-term stability.
-Ed McLaughlin, President and CEO at Valderus
To showcase the managed IT services opportunity for today’s OE dealerships, we’ve published a new eBook: Opportunity Knocks: Why Office Equipment Dealers Should Open the Doorway to Managed IT Services.
The eBook contains further insight into how to begin integrating IT services into your portfolio, what’s needed from sales and training perspectives, what revenue opportunities exist, and more.
If you’re on the fence about establishing yourself as a managed IT services provider, or aren’t sure how to integrate IT services into your existing portfolio, Opportunity Knocks can help you get started on the right foot.