How to Buy A Copier (multifunctional)

Buying or Leasing a copier can be troubling at times. Using a few of these tips may be able to guide you through the nine different manufacturers and countless salespeople. After 27 years of selling copiers I think I've got a pretty good handle on how to buy or lease them.

1. (Critical) Know your current monthly volume if you already have a copier, if you have never had one before and you are just starting out consult other people in your business and get an idea of what their volume is. Copiers are built for speed and endurance, usually the lower the speed, the lower the monthly volume.

2. (Critical) What are you going to make copies of monochrome or color originals, and what size (maximum 11x17 ledger, 8.5 x 14 legal and 8.5 x11 letter) are the originals that you need to copy? If you plan to make color copies then you'll need a copier that can copy in color.

3. (Critical) Do you need finishing capabilities? Copiers can now staple sets (be careful here some copiers can only staple up to 50 pages), copy two sided originals, make booklets, 2 and three hole punch, GBC punching and even Z fold 11x17.

4. (Critical) Speed, the faster the copier, the less time you have to spend there, an average office that produces 10,000 pages a month usually will buy or lease a machine that has a speed of 35 or 45 pages per minute.

5. Research the Manufacturer, alot of information can now be found on the Internet, pick out two or three manufacturers (call them in for an appointment, you can get a good look at how the company operates by the professionalism of the rep) and take a look at their products, most manufacturers will have page that allows you to compare or select models based on your volume or needs.

6. Copiers can now Print, Scan and Fax from the Network, these are awesome features and can save allot of money or paper when these features are used correctly. Most new copiers can now receive incoming faxes and forward to a email address, thus eliminating paper and consumable costs. Also getting an All in One can save hundreds of dollars on maintenance agreements and you only have to stock one brand of toner.

7. Ask questions from the representatives! Ask how long they have been working with the current company, alot of reps comes and go, you want to do business with the professional who knows his or her equipment inside and out. Ask for references and then call the references to double check their experience with either the Rep or the Dealership.

8. The thought of a cheap price is long forgotten after poor service! Yeah, you can call in nine reps and have them all give pricing, and then take the lowest price, however don't expect good service from the rep or the company, there's a reason why the are the lowest. Most copier sales people will bend over backwards for their accounts when they need help. Understand that they need to make a living also and have families to support.

9. Do not put service and supplies or a maintenance agreement into a lease! You will then be paying interest on this, negotiate outside of the lease for either a monthly, quarterly or yearly billing if you want a maintenance agreement.

10. Try and select the shortest term lease that will meet your financial budget, copiers are always changing with new features and lower operating costs. Try for a 36 month or 48 month lease.

11. Lease or Buy, leasing will cost more because of interest on the lease however monthly payments are easier to make rather then spending $10,000 or $20,000 for a copier. If you have money and do not like payments, by all means buy the system.

12. What type of lease? There are three different types of leases FMV (Fair Market Value), 10% and $1.00 out. I you are the type of company that's going to beat the tar out of a copy machine then you should opt for an FMV lease for 36 or 48 months. With FMV you have four options at the end of the term. (A.) Give the machine back and just pay the fright back to the leasing company. (B.) Trade the system in for a new one. (C.) You don't want a new system and you don't want to return, depending on the contract you can renew the lease (check your contract and read the small print) (D.) Buy the equipment for FMV, you never want this, the equipment is outdated and the technology old and you'll end up paying too much for a machine that will probably be worthless! 10% and $1.00 purchase options means that the purchase is fixed at the end of the term if you like to buy, traditionally 10% and $1.00 have higher interest rates than FMV.

I go on and on, however if you need too ask more questions, pleas log onto Copier Questions and I would be than happy to answer them for you! Hope this Helps!!!

Who Should I Buy from an Authorized Dealer or Direct Branch?

Hmmmmm, should I choose Column A or Column B?

Many years ago you could only buy Copiers from Authorized Dealers. An Authorized Dealer is a privately owned company that is local to your geographic area. A Direct Branch is owned by the manufacturer and may or may not be local to your geographic area.
For many years the debate has raged who should I buy from. Too me it plain and simple, you should buy from the company that has the best support, the best people, the company that offers more than one manufacturers solutions and the company that change on a dime when your needs change.

Typically you should ask some key questions from your sales person or your service person.
Ask the sales person how long they have worked with their current company. A sales person who has less than 2 years experience may not have the resources nor the knowledge to meet your needs.

1. Ask about the the tenure of their service personnel and if you will see the same service technician. Having an experienced service person and the same person servicing the machine is important to quality work and troubleshooting. A company that send inexperienced service reps and multiple reps to the same machine is mot what you want. Too many chefs can spoil the soup and is true with copiers.

2 Ask how long they have been in business. A couple of years may not be what you are looking for, today's machines are highly evolved from yesterdays, go with a company that has a proven track record.

3. Ask if they carry multiple solutions from different manufacturers. No one manufacturer can be everything to everyone. Authorized Dealers will have multiple solutions from multiple manufacturers. While direct branches will only sell their solutions.

4. Ask them how long it takes for a service rep to be on-site and then ask for some references. Doing the research before hand will save you time.

5. Get a copy of the sales contract and service contract to review before you sign, a wishy washy document that was created in a word document is NOT THE CONTRACT! The contract will have many clauses to protect the Direct Branch and allow them to charge you extra for supplies, fuel surcharges and more!

6. Do you really want to buy from someone who offers the lowest price? Ask yourself, what are you sacrificing when you buy solely on the lowest price? Will it be the service, the training, or the support years down the road.

Typically, Independent Authorized Dealers have longevity with their customers, sales people, service staff and technicians. Typically, Direct Branches have the higher turnover with sales people, service staff, technicians and clients.

Now some of you who know me may say that I work for a Dealer and he doesn't know the other side. That's true, I have only worked for a Dealer and never a Direct Branch. My problem is that with 27 years in the business I don't know one rep who has more than 6 years with a Direct Branch while on the other hand I know 40 or more with Dealers who have over ten years with the same Dealer (they must be doing something right). Plus, why is it, that I will get new service accounts from the Direct Branch and I don't lose any to them.

The end result is most Direct Branches (mind you there are a few excellent Direct Branches out there) are out there to capture market share for the manufacturer. They have a high turnover of sales people and support people. Since they have NO "Value" to sell, they typically sell on price. What is "Value"? It could be a number of items, the value of support after the sale, the value of competent support staff to conduct on-site training, the value of troubleshooting a problem and finding a solution. The value of providing the right solution at the right time.
Some of you may be located where there is not a choice between an established Dealer or a Direct Branch, just follow that you should buy from a company that has the best support, the best people and the company that can offer more than one manufacturers and a company that can change on a dime when your needs change.

We all want a good price, however a cheap price is long forgotten after poor service!

Copier Questions for End Users!

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