Bay Reprographic
When the economy takes a turn for the worse, it usually means uncertainty for equipment dealers. For Doug Dimick, it's an opportunity. As General Manager at Redwood City, CA-based Bay Reprographic Supply, Dimick encourages his architecture and engineering clients to assess their status-quo practices when they start to feel the pinch of a slowing economy. We sat down with Doug to find out how Argos cost recovery plays a role in his company’s sales.
Bay Reprographic sells print and plot equipment from Océ, Canon and HP to design professionals, and Dimick is convinced that ownership makes good fiscal sense. “It’s a scary proposition for many customers, especially right now,” says Dimick, “at the same time, people are willing to hear us out, because our message is bit different than what they’re used to hearing.” It’s that foot in the door that Dimick uses to make his case, and cost recovery is a critical part of his plan. The Argos Cost Recovery System from Sepialine is Dimick’s solution of choice for helping his customers track, report and profit from their printers and plotters.
Customer Overview
- Customer: Bay Reprographic
- Headquarters: Redwood City, CA
- On the Web: www.bayrepro.com
“Even when times are tough—especially when times are tough—firms need to learn about cost recovery and maximize its potential...” —Doug Dimick, General Manager, Bay Reprographic
Equal parts economist and salesman, Dimick helps his customers understand the true cost of equipment ownership. “There’s a perception that plotters are these complex, expensive beasts,” says Dimick. “We dispel that myth by walking them through the numbers, step by step.” Dimick softens his customers’ wide-format sticker shock by breaking the problem down into pieces. The first step is financing: “Leasing a plotter over three years yields a monthly payment that’s manageable,” says Dimick. Factor in a service contract and the price of consumables, such as toner and paper, and Dimick can show his customers their true cost of ownership with surprising accuracy. “Tell me what kind of square footage you print every month, and I can show you a per-square-foot cost and a monthly lease payment.”
Next, Dimick shows his customers how to profit from their print and plot equipment. With an effective cost recovery strategy and armed with accurate cost figures, Dimick's clients use print tracking software to not only finance and maintain their printing systems, but to make money in the process. “Even when times are tough — especially when times are tough,” says Dimick, “firms need to learn about cost recovery and maximize its potential as quickly as possible.” For Dimick, the concept is often easy to sell: “Many of our customers are already using Sepialine,” he notes, “so they're already on board with the idea; they just need the facts so they can plug in the right numbers.” Dimick recommends Argos to his clients for its ease-of-use. “Time and again, my customers tell me how well it fits into their existing practice,” says Dimick, referring to the Argos workflow features that allow users to print unhindered, and then account for their printing afterwards. “Especially for customers who have used other print tracking products, Argos makes a lot of sense. As members of the Reprographic Services Association (RSA), a nationwide network of service bureaus and dealers, Bay Reprographic has access to the expertise and opinions of other industry veterans. There, too, Dimick's hunch is confirmed: “RSA members have a high opinion of Sepialine and its products.”
For Dimick to make a sale, the bottom line for his customers has to be a positive number, an improvement over their existing practices and easy for them to implement. “Cost recovery is the key,” says Dimick, “We can take care of everything else - installation, service, supplies. But the customer has to bill back and make a profit for it to make sense, and, in Dimick’s view, Argos is the most effective way to do that.
This customer story is based on information provided by Bay Reprographic Supply and illustrates how one organization uses Sepialine products. Many factors may have contributed to the results and benefits described. Sepialine does not guarantee comparable results elsewhere.