There are times I finish doing a podcast recording when I am left questioning the very fabric of what I think I know about everything in the channel. Episode #7 of Tigerpaw Radio is one of those times. I had the good fortune of interviewing Jay McBain, the Principal Analyst for Ecosystems, Channels, Partnerships &...
If you are providing voice, desktop management, A/V services or managed print, you may have noticed what we deliver for our customers and how we define what we do is changing. Once upon a time, it was enough to stay in your lane and offer the best service in your particular specialty areas. Those days are behind us as...
Tigerpaw just got back from Total Tech Summit in Forth Worth Texas and wanted to share some insights that may help you to decide on coming (or not) next year.
I started in the Imaging Channel working for a company that introduced automated meter and toner reads across multiple OEMs. When I signed up for that job “managed print” didn’t even exist. Every process relied on humans interacting with other humans. Needed a meter read? Send out a tech or have the office manager pull...
As a business development manager, one of the questions I get asked all the time is “How do I build a business development plan for my own business?” I get asked this question so often that I have finally decided to put some words down to help out as many folks as possible.
Everyone talks about CRMs. They’ve become part of the alphabet soup and daily lives of tech-minded business professionals. But whether you’re new to the concept, or just a little uncertain about what to look for in a good CRM, it can be difficult (read: intimidating) to make an informed decision that you feel good about.
We’ve seen the rise and fall of empires, dot-com booms and busts, tidal shifts in how business is done, a pile of cat videos, and more memes and stupid gifs than “Star Wars Kid” could shake that broom handle at. It’s so ubiquitous in our daily existence, it’s hard to remember a time before the Internet. So, let’s take a...
So you think you want to do a SWOT analysis? There are plenty of resources available about how to do a SWOT analysis, which can be a valuable tool for business growth. However, few so-called experts will tell you that preparing yourself in advance is a critical first step for getting the most out of the effort a SWOT...
Unless you’ve taken a vow of silence and been living in a cave for the last 18 months or so, you’ve likely heard a lot of people talking about business convergence.
If you are an office equipment dealer or managed print provider, you may have even noticed that in the last six months or so convergence is dominating the...
For those not familiar with CompTIA, it is, I believe, the world-leading industry association for those involved in different technology channels. They are made up of CompTIA staff as well as a plethora of volunteer members (including myself) that come together to make sense of the hard issues affecting our industries...