In this episode, Founder Frank G. Cannata continues chatting with Barry Simon, president of Datamax Arkansas. We reported in January that Simon would be retiring, and he offers more pre-departure advice to fellow dealer owners. Cannata sings the praises of joining a peer group, such as the Copier Dealers Association (CDA). Simon, a 40-year CDA member, says he learned something new at every meeting—and he has attended all of them! It’s all good information, he notes, adding that the sharing of financials can help fellow dealers make quicker decisions.
A warning from the open-minded Datamax leader
Both Barry and Frank share fond memories of entrepreneur Paul Shields (Copytronics). At first, people didn’t approve of Shields’ then-progressive idea of charging one cost per copy, where toner and everything is built into the service contract. Simon says, “That turned out to be the best thing we ever did.” He closes by stressing that dealers have to diversify their product and service offerings. Partner with your manufacturer(s) to grow your business, he urges, and “don’t cut too much.”
