01732 759725 48 Q&A we have noticed an increased uptake from the private sector as well, as business leaders scramble to get their operating costs down. We find ourselves in a time where, putting your prices up will undoubtedly result in a decrease in sales, so you must look at where you can reduce your overheads to increase profitability – hence why most clients are so value focussed. In addition, we have been selling DocuWare (which is a Ricoh product) into some of our customers, as this product works well in various situations and departments and can help lead to more valued customer/ supplier relationships and not just box shifting. However there is still a good need to sell tin initially. Q: If you could change one aspect of your job, what would it be and why? A: As Sales Director for Netbox Digital, the main aspect of my job that I would change if given the opportunity, is that I would like to be able to spend more time in the planning phases of new projects before we launch them, encouraging our existing clients to feedback into what we are looking at doing next and even having some ‘pilot schemes’ on the go, so that we are more customer-centric in the offers we take to market. Q: How do you spend your week – time on phone, face to face meetings with customers etc.? A: My weeks are completely varied. I spend my time in internal meetings with the salesforce, the service team, the finance teams, along with the company MD and service director. In addition, I will still see an average of five to six clients per week face to face and then another one or two over Teams - whether that is for account reviews or looking at upgrading solutions. The rest of my time is taken up looking for new business opportunities and ways to drive the business forward. Q: What would make your job easier? A: The only answer I can think of is a crystal ball! As this job can be equally rewarding as it can be frustrating… have worked with and supported Ricoh, Epson and Develop. Sharp was the first OEM that we took on when the business started out, and their high quality products, competitive pricing and ability to keep up to date with technical requirements has secured their business with us. However, we began a very fruitful relationship with Lexmark back in 2013, and they were an immediate hit with our clients in the A4 ranges. Over time their offering in the A3 market space has meant that we are now able to offer a competitive range of business machines that are uniform in terms of spec, pricing and manufacturer support. Q: What are your customers most interested in currently? A: Customers remain as they always have, most interested in value for money, not always pounds and pence, but most definitely in value. Whether that is added value through ancillary systems that complement their MFD fleet, through our personalised and tailored service packages or offering ‘more for less’ in our approach to all deals. Q: How have you changed/are you changing business operations to exploit new opportunities? A: In business, if you are not moving forward, you are in fact moving backwards, as everyone else is moving. Four years ago we started Netbox Managed IT Services, as a way to plan our way through the future of office machines and the uncertainty of print in general. We can offer a full range of print and MSP/IT services wrapped into one agreement at a competitive cost which has enabled us to exploit new opportunities and grow both sides of the business. Q: When selling MFPs, what are the most popular software solutions you provide and why? A: Our most popular software solution that is sold alongside our MFPs is PaperCut and Follow-Me Printing. Where this product was predominantly utilised in school and education environments, Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing channel businesses today? A: The biggest challenges facing channel businesses today are a mixture of legacy challenges such as competing with internet pricing, and a highly saturated market, but with the inclusion of customer upgrade paths. Previously, it was a given that our clients would upgrade technology every three to four years, however with OEMs starting to guarantee their products for up to seven years this has cast doubt over the natural upgrade point. Q: Which OEMs do you partner with and why? A: We currently partner with Lexmark and Sharp. But over the last 18 years, we View from the channel Gareth Brown, Sales Director, Netbox Digital Ltd & Netbox Managed IT Ltd Gareth Brown
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