Five Things You Need to Do Before You Buy a Copier
Five Things You Need to Do BeforeYou Buy a Copier
The average copier lasts five years formost businesses and if you invested in a quality brand-name product, you mighteven enjoy eight years of stellar performance. During my seven years in thefield working as a copier rep, I often met with customers that wanted a newcopier as soon as the machine had a hiccup. In an effort to save you money aswell as headaches, here are my tips on how to buy a copier. First, you need todo the following before your first appointment with a copier rep:
1. Make sure you actually need a newmachine instead of a mere repair job. Schedule a service call and ask thetechnician to provide you with a written estimate on what it would cost to fixthe copier. Hopefully, you've established a good rapport with your technicianin the years he has serviced your account. Ask him point blank what he would doif he were you - fix the machine or buy a new one. Technicians are a greatsource for unbiased information precisely because they are not salespeople andoften understand the new product line better than the sales force that areactually selling the product.
2. Once you have confirmed that you are inthe market for a new system, do your homework BEFORE you call a copier rep toset an initial appointment. You need to know the industry lingo. In today'smarket, a customer does not buy a copier - they buy a multifunctional copysystem that copies, prints, and scans. You need to decide if you only requireblack and white imaging or color imaging, as well. Conduct an internalassessment to determine your company's requirements in each of these areas. Donot overlook the possibility of adding color imaging to your new system. Costshave fallen dramatically on color imaging and studies show that writtencommunication with two or three colors on the page is much more effective. Youmight find that you can expect many more capabilities for far less money thanyou spent on your last round of copier acquisition.
3. If you leased your last copier, call theleasing company and request a buyout letter. Ask specifically for the followinginformation to be provided to you verbally and in written form: a) leaseexpiration date, b) buyout to own amount, c) buyout to return figure, and d)directions regarding potential return of machine. Be advised that the copiercompany you bought the system from might be entirely different from the leasingcompany that provided you with the financing for the purchase. Don't besurprised if the leasing company takes their sweet time in providing you withthis information. This is why it is a good idea to prepare ahead of time andhave the information available before you meet with the copier rep.
4. Promise yourself that you will get atleast three proposals from different vendors before you make a decisionregarding your new acquisition. I promise that it is well worth your time tomeet with three copier reps because you will stimulate a price war between thecompanies and this is how you get the best value for your money. Besides, asyou well know, it is a wise business practice to always take a look at thecompetition.
5. Find out which companies sell copiersdirectly in your market. A copier manufacturer distributes their products byselling through their own sales team or by selling the product to a dealer andthen the dealer markets to the business consumer. Admittedly, I'm biased infavor of buying directly from the manufacturer because my experience was in sellingdirectly to the customer. I can't tell you how often ABC Copy System Inc. wasselling Company X's product and then three years later they were no longerselling Company X, but, were now selling Company T. This structure does notcreate a cohesive service team with years of experience on one product line.
Buy a Copier Machinehttp://printerneeds.co.nz/
