Print.ITReseller
01732759725
32
q&a
Q:
You set upManagedTechnology
with former colleagueDarryl
Chappell. Howdoes running your
own company compare toworking
for someone else?
A:
It’s challenging at times andmuch
harder to switch off at weekends! But
overall, it’s great. Darryl and I share
boundless enthusiasm for the business and
have a joint vision for growth, but we are
also fully aware that thismust be done
with careful consideration and planning.
We firmly believe that a company’s
reputation is absolutely paramount to its
long-term success and that everyone in
the business has a part to play.As owner/
managers,we are fully in control of
shaping the business and its direction and
leading the peoplewhoworkwith us to
ensure that we deliver every time.
Q:
What defines you as a company,
in terms of your ethos and vision?
A:
People are ourmost important asset
andwe ensure that everybody in the
company fully understands that we’ve set
the bar high and that theymust act with
complete and utter integrity at all times.
Relationships are built on trust which
must always be earned; the damage that
a tarnished reputation can cause to a
business, especiallywithin our particular
sector, can be devastating, both internally
and externally.This iswhywe place so
much emphasis on ensuring our strong
ethics aremaintained at all times.Thiswill
remain front and centre aswe continue to
develop and grow.
Wemust be doing something right,
asmany of our new businesswins are
through referrals from our existing
customers!
Setting thebar high
PrintITReseller
talks toDominicO’Connor,Director at
ManagedTechnology, about the company’s ethos and
vision for growth
positive impact on a business. If we can
identify, and subsequently prove to a client,
how our solutionwill dramatically improve
their workflow or significantly reduce their
existing costs, the quest of the evermore
competitive print sector becomes less of a
concern to us.
Therewill always be occasionswhen this
approachmight be unsuitable, for example
if the client is simply looking to replace
an oldMFP and knows exactlywhat they
want, very often because they have already
been advised by their incumbent supplier.
Theywill often obtain like-for-like quotes,
whichwill naturally drive downmargins for
all.We find that in this situationwemust
differentiate ourselves by demonstrating
our expert knowledge of the product and
ensure that wemake the customer fully
aware of other value-add solutions and
services thatManagedTechnology can
bring to the table, albeit further down
the line.Talking to potential clients about
longer-term strategies and ideas and
demonstrating a genuine interest in the
future development of their business helps
sets us apart from otherswho focus solely
on today’s sale. If we get this bit right, the
client understands that althoughwemay
not always provide the cheapest proposal,
they are entering into a partnership that will
add value to their business in the future.
Q:
Where next for you?Howdo you
see the business evolving?
A:
We are looking to achieve a further
growth of 70% in FY15:we’ve invested
heavily in infrastructure and have built a
solid foundation to support this progress.
We are currently looking at other
territories in Southern England and hope
to open another office towards the end
of the year, or the early part of 2015.As a
companywewill continue towork hard as
we look to become the partner of choice
for tomorrow.
Businesses
are looking
topartner
with suppliers
who can
demonstrate
that they
offer the best
value...
Q:
Which technology providers have
youpartneredwith andwhy did you
choose them?
A:
Toshiba andKyocera.We believe that
these twomanufacturers provide our
clientswith a true end-to-end portfolio of
solutions and products that are suitable for
today’s demandingmarketplace.
We recognise that our customers
wish to explore solutions that will have a
positive impact on their business practices
andworkflow,more than simply procuring
hardware. BothToshiba andKyocera
have proven their understanding of our
customers’ requirements by constantly
investing in and developing innovative,
value-add solutions such as e-Bridge and
TeachingAssistant to name just two.
Byworking very closelywith our
partnerswe are able to gain an excellent
understanding of these new technologies
and ensure that their benefits are clearly
communicated to clients.The fantastic
support we have received from our
partners has played a key role in our
successful growth andwill continue to do
so in the future.
Q:
The printmarket keeps getting
more competitive. How are you
balancing the need towin new
business andmaintainmargins?
A:
Businesses are looking to partner with
supplierswho can demonstrate that they
offer the best value and this ‘value’ is often
judged on how the proposed solutionwill
improve their businesses performance.
We believe our role is to consult and
advise, pointing out how new technologies,
often software-based, can have a direct
