(In this ongoing series, The Cannata Report’s Editor-in-Chief Scott Cullen checks in with a different dealer each week to find out what’s going on at their dealership, what’s hot, what’s not, and whatever else is on their mind.)
In this installment of “Dealer Check-in,” we touch base with Sam Stone, president of Stone’s Office Equipment, a Sharp and Lexmark dealer based in Richmond, VA. We ran into Sam at the Sharp dealer meeting in Las Vegas last week. Let’s hear what Sam thought of the meeting.
CR: What impressed you most at the Sharp dealer meeting?
Stone: Sharp continues to impress me with their forward-thinking of this industry. Many dealers wanted to see more copiers but I was impressed with the advances in software and apps available to us to bring to market. I also loved the stronger push on the display panels and boards.
CR: Were you expecting to hear anything you didn’t hear about?
Stone: I think Sharp covered everything well. They spoke of their success with the new releases and their award-winning series. They covered all of the accolades and then jumped straight into the new software available to us.
CR: Which breakout session was most important to you?
Stone: I only attended the ones that seemed valuable to me; I would say I liked the “Selling More with Sharp’s Advanced Series” (talking about the strengths of the products).”
CR: What message are you taking home from the meeting to share with your employees?
Stone: Buckle Up! It’s not about the MFP or speeds and feeds. We’ve seen the future and it looks different.
CR: What are your plans for the weekend?
Stone: Home for R&R.
