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It is time to dip your toe in the water

You probably have read our articles on how it is now urgent for channel partners to find new revenue streams in 2018. In case you missed the series, you can find them at the following address.

 

One of the avenues that comes first to mind is to add IT services to Print services. Though it is not the only one, it is the first one that comes to mind as IT revenues tend to be 6 times bigger per employee desk than printing revenues per full time employee.

 

Quicker said than done; if it were so simple, everybody would have done it already. But now with the pressure on revenues and margins significantly mounting it may be time to dip your toe in the water.

 

To allay concerns about the costs and risks associated with starting a new business stream, let us first say that there are already well-documented examples of print channel partners successfully adding IT Services to their portfolios. Many of these are in N. America, but we are also now starting to see successes in Europe as well.

Secondly, what this tells us is that customer needs are changing and mid-size companies want to enjoy the benefits of Managed services on more fronts than just Print – ideally with one provider covering all IT-related services, including print. Of course, this can be a threat as well as an opportunity. Just as you may be considering adding IT services to your existing print offering, so IT VARs are eyeing print as an additional revenue stream which they could take control of. It may become a case of first mover/winner takes all.

 

We would also like to share with you a very good study from the well known research organisation Quocirca. Louella Fernandes, who may be familiar to you, recently posted an article ontheir Print 2025 site, on the subject Why print channel partners must shift gears and build IT expertise.  Louella recommends 5 elements that should be part of your value proposition. Take a read, it is worth your time.

 

In order to avoid the worrying aspect of up-front investment we have launched this year a new initiative called Channel Vitality, in which we use the experience and contacts gained working in the print industry all around the world to find top ranked companies who can partner with you, to give you access to new services. We work with leading international organisations which have a successful track record, helping the print channel in other countries to build new revenue streams and improve operating efficiencies. These are large reputable companies, leaders in their fields, selected not only for their industry leading products and services, but also for their ability to provide practical hands-on support, to help you introduce their services to grow revenue and margins.

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This article was written on 12 Apr 2018, and is filled under Point of View.

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