Live Together, Die Alone
I think I've written enough blog posts now to make this confession: I'm a complete "Lost" addict. Yes, as in the now-concluded TV series. "Live together, die alone," is one of the show's mantras. It was first said early in the series by the hero, Jack, who understood that if they didn't stick together, they would likely get eaten by a polar bear, boar, or sentient cloud of smoke. It's a philosophy that can be applied to all areas of life, including business.
As an evolving industry, we all can, and should, learn from and lean on each other. Of course everyone needs to differentiate themselves—in the end, it's a competitive industry—but so much can be gained by sharing experiences, both the successes and failures, so that common mistakes can be avoided and proven strategies can be adopted. If we don't do this, it will be much more difficult for the industry to grow.
Part of what we're trying to do with The Imaging Channel Executive Summit is to cultivate an environment where people can openly share their experiences in managed services. Our sessions include two executive panels, "Crafting the Deal" and "A Division or Stand-Alone Business," where executives from experienced MPS companies will share their thoughts and stories. We will also be hosting a unique end-user panel, "End-User Perspective on Managed Print," where you will get the opportunity to hear the desires and concerns of MPS clients straight from the source. In addition to these sessions, there will be plenty of opportunities throughout the summit to network and swap stories.
Another lesson from "Lost" is the importance of planning and the danger of over-planning. It's good to build shelter, gather food, and commit to a way of life for the long haul. On the other hand, concocting an elaborate scheme to trick the island natives will likely get you kidnapped. In the real world, over-planning usually results in the opposite of drama—it results in nothing being done. But MPS is a complex undertaking, and it requires a significant amount of business planning, and continual adjustments to those plans, in order to be successful.
Mark Shelton, president of MPS Results, will be presenting the session "Business Planning for Managed Print Services" at the Executive Summit. As a prelude to this session, he has written an article on financial and business planning for MPS, which will be appearing in the fall issue of The Imaging Channel Magazine. In the article, he discusses MPS performance reporting, allocating overhead and expenses to MPS, the sales ramp-up period, profit expectations and more.
On that note, I encourage you to get a free subscription to The Imaging Channel Magazine, if you haven't already, and to register for The Imaging Channel Executive Summit.
I also encourage you to watch "Lost." If you're new to the series, I suggest you start with the first-season episode "Homecoming," in which the former-rock-star character, Charlie, attempts to clean up his life by accepting a job as a copier salesman, mere hours after attempting to quit his drug addiction. Withdrawal symptoms are on the rage, and all does not end well for the multifunction device.
I thought a Hollywood-inspired post was appropriate for a Hollywood-inspired week. Anyone else had enough of the Mark Hurd fiasco?
Posted on 08/18/2010