Phil Boatman, Konica Minolta’s new VP, dealer sales, South, discusses what drew him to the company and his passion for the independent dealer channel.
After 16 years with Lexmark International, Phil Boatman joined Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. as vice president, dealer sales, South, on September 14, 2020.
During his career at Lexmark, Boatman served in numerous roles, starting in 2004 as senior worldwide product marketing manager, with responsibility for Lexmark’s A3 product portfolio. He directed the launch of Lexmark’s copier dealer program in 2007, leading the business development team as director for North America. Prior to Lexmark, Boatman spent nearly seven years at Xerox Corporation, beginning as a color product specialist before moving into sales management.
The Cannata Report had an opportunity to speak with Boatman four days after he started his new position to learn more about his role at Konica Minolta which will keep him front and center with dealers.
CR: Tell us about this new job. Is it different or the same as what you were doing in your previous position?
Boatman: Working with dealers is my passion. You know that. I absolutely love building relationships and figuring out how to become part of the dealers’ growth strategy. It’s what I’ve done for years in various capacities. So, that similarity carries over. As vice president, dealer sales, South, I’ll have a team of dealer business managers and specialists calling on dealers to go with our All Covered suite of product offerings and everything else that we have to offer the dealers. From that perspective, managing the region is going to be a little different than what I’ve done in the past, but in a lot of respects, similar.
CR: Will you be interacting with some of the same dealers you were in your prior job?
Boatman: I expect there to be some crossover, and that’s always nice when you have pre-established relationships. There’s going to be a lot of new relationships as well. I’m looking forward to that because there’s always an opportunity to start afresh with dealers that you haven’t met before and find out what makes them tick. There are a lot of reasons to get excited about that because the dealers have a lot to navigate these days.
CR: Whom do you report to?
Boatman: Laura Blackmer [Konica Minolta’s senior vice president, dealer sales]. Another reason why this was an excellent opportunity for me is because I’ve gotten to know Laura over the years. Having worked with her in the past, I’m very comfortable with her and appreciate her leadership, as well as the other leadership here. That was a big piece of what drew me to Konica Minolta. I’ve known Sam Errigo [Konica Minolta’s executive vice president of sales and business development) and of course, I’ve known Rick Taylor through the different industry events that I’ve been to over the years.
CR: Other than the people, what else makes Konica Minolta an appealing company to work for?
Boatman: It’s no secret, KM is one of the few companies that is well positioned to help dealers grow into the future. Whether it’s digital transformation or IoT, or anything else that is on everybody’s mind today in the imaging industry. With the All Covered piece, it’s going to give dealers a bonafide path to diversify their revenue streams, considering what we’re all experiencing now, the decline in page volumes. Dealers just had their plans accelerated by some incremental measure and have to look for other ways to build revenue streams. The All Covered piece certainly gives them a lot of options with CRM solutions, ERP solutions, security solutions, and a host of other things in that portfolio.
CR: Speaking of the Konica Minolta portfolio, how familiar were you with it prior to Monday?
Boatman: There’s parts of the portfolio that I was very familiar with. Because of my background going way back—16 years—and having a love for product marketing, I’ve always kept an eye on KM’s product portfolio. I’ve always been impressed with what they’ve had to offer. It is arguably the strongest product portfolio in the market, bar none. And what they’re doing on the production end is exciting. They have some products that are best-in-class. The opportunity will be to help dealers find opportunities to sell the services that those products offer.
CR: How have you spent your first week on the job?
Boatman: It’s been a whirlwind of energy. A lot of phone calls getting to know the team and getting to know my peers around the country, in the different regions, and understanding where we have opportunity and where we can continue to grow. It’s been nonstop, to say the least, but it is absolutely fueling me every day to just soak it all in.
CR: Looking back at how you’ve been interacting with dealers during the pandemic, what’s been the biggest challenge and how have their needs changed during this time?
Boatman: The pandemic has created road barriers and speed bumps, and things that no dealer could have seen in a crystal ball. The biggest challenge has been the need for flexibility. Dealers everywhere need flexibility from their manufacturers. And every manufacturer in the industry has done what they’re capable of doing to really assist dealers during this time. Konica Minolta is no different. We’ve been working diligently to understand individual dealer needs, whether it’s related to product or understanding for a specific period their needs for this quarter or last quarter, and how can we be flexible to help them do just-in-time purchase and delivery. A lot of it is just constant communication and being willing to listen and be flexible. And like I said, that goes for every manufacturer out there.
CR: Talking about growth and future opportunities, and again, you’ve only been there four days, what expectations do you have for your team and then, from your dealers, particularly in this current environment?
Boatman: Konica Minolta has done very well the past few months with the dealers. I don’t think it’s going to be any different than that heading into the balance of this calendar year, where we’re set up for a strong finish. The dealers are showing their resilience. My expectation of growth is probably no different than my peers in the company. That is, let’s help the dealers make connections with their customers because the pipeline is growing and we’re seeing evidence from dealers of all sizes. Our mid-market dealers are showing growth. Everywhere that I’ve seen in the South region, and for that matter, the rest of the country, the dealers seem to be excited about what the prospects look like as we head into the balance of 2020. I expect to see growth, albeit it’ll be moderate comparatively. I believe in the dealers. I believe in their entrepreneurial spirit. And I believe in their willingness to think outside the box and work through tough times.
CR: On a personal note, our readers may not know that you are an avid runner. Are you still running?
Boatman: It’s funny you asked. At the end of my run Saturday, I looked at the app on my phone and I hit 10,000 miles. I have run 10,000 miles over the last 12 years. I could have run to California and back three times. It’s personal time. I get up early in the morning before the kids are up and can think about the day and all kinds of stuff. It’s cathartic, and it helps me eat what I want, and you know I love to eat!
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