Resources

Operational efficiency is important to office technology providers like you, and technology integrations can give you time back in your day while contributing to increased accuracy. Are you using all the integrations ECI e-automate^® and GreatAmerica have to offer to streamline the tasks involved in your billing, invoicing, and reconciliation processes? Robin Fonck, Director of Strategic Technology at GreatAmerica, and Shannon Edler, Training Specialist at ECI e-automate^®  hold a discussion around tips and best practices to make sure you're getting the most out of these integrations.

The importance of evolving into new technology offerings to meet the demands of your customers and bring in new revenue streams continues. Likewise, subscription models continue to dominate customers' buying behaviors causing sales organizations to reevaluate their strategies. Sales experts, Lee Rozeboom in our Connected Technology business unit and Nick Von Ahsen with our office technology group at GreatAmerica answer your burning questions in this Q&A formatted webinar on financing progressive technology to create a sustainable future for your business.

Gary Harouff, President and Founder of AIS, recalls how the right strategy helped them transform into a full-fledged technology advisor. 

Innovative solution providers need an innovative sales strategy. Make marketing and selling cutting-edge technology on a monthly payment simple with these exclusive resources. Visit our Tech Sales Hub for all the tools you need.

What are the opportunities and challenges of adding a VoIP offering to diversify your revenue stream? Why is now the time to consider adding it to your suite of products and services? Who is a good fit and what resources do you need for success? Ian Pugh answers all of your questions in this webinar.

The programs your financing sources build should create trust through clear, fair terms. Conduct an audit of the programs they create and the information they present on the lease using this handy checklist. 

Trust is a foundational component of long-term success and requires intention. Download this guide and let us know how we can help you keep your customers for a lifetime.

In this PDF, find resources to help you position and sell financing to your customers. It all comes down to understanding why a monthly payment is best for your customers. Check it out!

During challenging economic times, filling the funnel with prospects and then getting them to sign can also be challenging. But top performing MSPs are adding new customers as quickly as before the crisis, according to the Service Leadership Index^®.

It was 2-3 years ago that one of the GreatAmerica Senior Leaders read 'They Ask You Answer,' by Marcus Sheridan. This was pivotal, igniting us to move from a selling company to advisers and educators. Purchase this book on Amazon to learn more about the digital consumer and the zero moment of truth.

Have you lost a deal because a competitor priced you out? Has a project gotten whittled down because your client didn’t think they needed everything in the solution? If either of these apply, this blog is for you. While the goal of GreatAmerica's quoting integrations is to let the technology do the heavy lifting, in turn freeing up your team to focus on business-driving activity, there are steps you can take to simplify your proposal. 

We often hear customers say they had not considered financing an option simply because it was not offered. With project delays due to financial constraints, there are still solutions you can present to encourage customers to move forward with their IT projects, including proactively offering the monthly payment option.

Tune in to Lee Rozeboom, Senior Vice President of GreatAmerica Financial Services, and Paul Dippell, CEO of Service Leadership, Inc. for this compelling “how to” webcast and find out how to minimize your financial risk and maximize your profit performance during an economic downturn.

In this blog/video hybrid, learn where best-in-class MSPs spent their time in 2020, how both the top and bottom quartiles performed in 2020, and Paul's advice for safety and success in the upcoming year.

It is no secret that the price of financing varies among providers. And when you have a team that is incentivized by money, sometimes companies or individuals seek out the lowest rates available. In this blog, we want to provide insight into some of the unintended implications when you base your decision solely on who offers the lowest rate.

Through our integrations, you can easily add a monthly payment to any quote. You can even submit credit applications without leaving your platform. You can also push your managed services charges to us - all without leaving your platform.

In this 30-minute session, we provide insight into a three-faceted strategy to apply to any sale that involves a finance agreement. We discuss the top considerations you should be making to drive your tech refresh strategy, and provide tactical actions to take today.

Are your customers stalling due to financial restraints? Let's help them move forward. This flyer serves as a tool to remind prospects and customers of just how simple it can be to budget for their next IT project by highlighting the many flexible options available to them.

Leasing and financing are a newer concept in the technology space, creating a little bit of mystery around the topic. This blog serves as a thorough guide to both understanding and calculating a monthly payment option.

With the help of your sales and marketing teams, there’s an opportunity to take your understanding of your customer to the next level, but you have to be willing to change the way you think about how these two functions should interact.

As you change the conversation from price or print to business continuity and network security, it's important to read up on the print-from-home issue. What are the trends? What are the risks? And what are the solutions? Jump start your team's learning and read our white paper, 'Calling Out the Blind Spots in a Work-From-Home World'.

This white paper explores how billing and invoicing can help technology providers like you rise above the noise and differentiate from the competition. A flexible billing model can help maintain your bottom line, build revenue, improve the customer experience, and accommodate new service offerings. We will outline how you can tailor your invoices to the needs of your customers by using tools and technology to implement a winning billing model.

The way you invoice for the products and services you sell can be a differentiator, but not without leveraging the right tools and resources. Download our 'Billing and Invoicing Checklist' for a quick way to "audit" your current invoicing go-to-market.

Start a conversation with your customers and prospects around print security using this toolkit. Inside you get access to a flyer, whitepaper, video, a social media post and  email copy.

Without the right technology integrations in place, billing and invoicing can be a long, tedious process, often with manual steps required to ensure accuracy. Errors will throw off your processes, causing delays and frustration – for both you and your customers. Kim Louden and Tawnya Stone demonstrate how the right integrations can offer efficiency gains while giving you a competitive advantage.

Connecting with customers and prospects has become even more challenging in this increasingly digital world. Video offers an effective alternative to in-person meetings or phone calls. Stefan Christensen of GreatAmerica has been consistently using video in his sales process for more than 5 years. In this webinar, he demonstrates how he uses video email to communicate with his customers and what he does to increase open and response rates. He also shares video best practices that help him close more sales in less time - all while building more trust and credibility.

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Learn how Micheal Pickreign, owner of Tech42, transformed his business to promote happier technicians and higher satisfaction levels among their customer base through bundling their hardware with managed services. 

This webinar explores the many ways technology integrations can help you improve efficiency, accuracy, and overall customer experience within your processes.  Integrations can also free up your time and allow your team to focus on the areas of your business that really move the needle

As a provider of office technology solutions, it’s important you are able to bill for your equipment, services and supplies in a way that protects your margins, but also keeps the needs of your customer in mind.  Join us for this webinar overview of the billing options and best practices we see dealers implementing as they administer MPS contracts.

Join us for this Dealer Panel, where you'll hear from some of the industry's most influential Office Technology Dealers on how they use a bundled approach to help them maintain margins, maximize cash flow, and build strong relationships with their customers. 

Even before COVID-19, using video to sell had been increasing greatly. And though COVID-19 certainly accelerated the need for an alternate sales approach, video would have only continued to become more prevalent, pandemic or not. Today, virtual selling is no longer a nice alternative option - but our only option - as many of us are working from home with no other means to stay connected.

There’s nothing quite like a pandemic to force you to look at your business and fine tune your go-to-market approach, including your product mix. From my view, there is a lot of opportunity for the Office Technology Dealer.

Video can help you maintain communication and accountability with your teams and provide a way to better collaborate when there is the constraint of physical distance. Learn how to use 1:1 videos to enhance and personalize communication with your internal teams, your customers/prospects, and industry peers.

Back in 2008, just after the economy had crashed, now world renowned author Marcus Sheridan realized if his business, River Pools and Spas, was going to survive, he needed to get his arms around this whole “internet thing.” His story has a happy ending, resulting in his business thriving and Marcus writing a book about his experience and new sales philosophy, They Ask, You Answer. Learn how he did it, and how you can too.

In this video and blog, we address several common questions received around financing in hopes of providing clarity and empowerment for you to get started. Let’s dive in.

You, like many dealers, are seeking to add to, reduce, or change your product and services offerings as a result of changing customer needs brought on by the pandemic. Wil Meggers moderates this webinar featuring a panel of office technology providers who will share what they are learning about the IT opportunity that exists in the market today.  

You, like many dealers, are seeking to add to, reduce or change your product and services offerings as a result of changing customer needs brought on by the pandemic. This webinar will share what GreatAmerica is seeing as top opportunities dealers are considering, from Managed Services, Security, A/V, software and beyond.  

Our Organizational Development and Security experts discussed best practices related to strategic planning and continuity planning during this webinar Q&A; two critical strategies that can accelerate the success of your business.

Picture this scenario: your customer has been enjoying their new equipment for the last six months. The IT manager gave you a call and said they’ve hired three new people, and they would be thrilled if the cost for the new users could be integrated into the current monthly invoice. What uncertainties are running through your head at this point?

Business continuity is extremely important to your customers. Various emergency situations can threaten a company’s ability to serve its customers. Thankfully, today’s technology has improved to the point where businesses can run with minor disruption if disaster or displacement strikes. Technology that can facilitate remote work should play a major role in your Business Continuity Plan (BCP).

There are three main reasons Technology Solution Providers (like MSPs and cloud communications companies) choose to work with GreatAmerica.

• The people at GreatAmerica help the culture of caring thrive;
• We are a family-owned company and that leads to accessibility and flexibility; and
• GreatAmerica embeds themselves in the industries they serve.

The two most popular ways to go about equipment financing are through a lease or a loan. While they’re often thought of as the same, the differences between a lease and a loan may surprise you and your customers. These differences include the terms of the agreement, variable and non-variable interest rates, and advanced payments.

If you have team members who are or will be working from home, we wanted to share some recommendations and best practices that we ourselves, as well as our clientele, have found helpful to enhancing engagement, productivity, communication, and overall job satisfaction of newly remote employees.

The office imaging space has always been bustling with conferences, tradeshows, and dealer meetings; events we all rely on heavily to maintain our presence, make connections, and share best practices. Without these opportunities to gather, connect, and collaborate, how can you stay immersed in the industry we all love so dearly?

Almost every business needs technology to operate and turn a profit. That’s no secret. The real questions are: How do those businesses acquire the equipment and technology they need in order to operate? What types of businesses lease or finance equipment as opposed to paying with their own cash? Why do they choose to finance?

Simplify your customers invoice and your administrative process by bundling your invoices.

When you’ve put in countless hours of navigating your customer’s complex needs and finding the technology solution that will suit them best, the last thing you have time for is a credit approval process with any surprises. In this post, explore seven commonly asked questions we receive regarding our approval process.

A common question MSPs and Solution Providers that are looking to work with GreatAmerica ask is: “My customer is looking for credit, so why does GreatAmerica need to approve my business?” Find out here.

Alan Fredricks, Vice President/Treasurer of All Makes Office Equipment Co. has seen a positive impact on his operations after incorporating bundling and integrations into his strategy.

There are many similarities and differences between Hardware as a Rental, Hardware as a Service, and traditional leasing. We break it all down in this blog.

How much does financing cost, and what can my customers expect for fees during the life of their lease or finance agreement? This article breaks it all down.

Not sure what happens at the end of a lease, or another finance agreeement? Read this article for a full breakdown.

We put together a packaged marketing toolkit with all the things you need to begin selling your customized Hardware as a Rental® program.

FASB recently issued updated guidance delaying the effective date of the new lease accounting standard for private companies. Read on.

As Office Equipment Dealers evolve their businesses from hardware sales to full MPS offerings, bundling should certainly play a role. Bundling offers more control and better protection of your customer base. Learn more about why you should be incorporating bundling into your MPS strategy.

This webcast recording gives you practical, actionable look at the single most effective way to create lasting change in your organization - proper sales incentive compensation.

How much could you sell your business for today? How much will it be worth in 5 or 10 years? Are you looking for ways to incrementally build the value of your company?

New to Financing with GreatAmerica? We've streamlined our process to make financing simple for you!

GreatAmerica partnered with Service Leadership for this years' "Future of Managed Services" survey, and the results are in! Get unmatched insight only the Service Leadership Index® can provide.

Do you want to sell AVaaS but aren't sure where to start? Watch the video recording with GreatAmerica and Corporate Sales Coaches for this actionable webinar.

You are running lead generation activities but aren’t getting the results you expected. Now you want a plan for 2019 that will change your course and drive consistent leads. There are 5 strategies you must implement to get more results.

Join Service Leadership CEO, Paul Dippell and GreatAmerica as we examine how top performing Managed Service Providers are driving Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) growth in new and existing accounts.

Did you know that in the US, 62 cents of every dollar spent on equipment is financed and that 72% of all companies finance equipment? That's nearly three quarters of all your customers financing their equipment purchases. But why?

Watch this 30 minute webinar recording for tips on when to start talking about an upgrade and how to position it.

It's possible to get 80% or more of your MSP clients to refresh their technology in your recommended time frame. How do we know? Our presenter, Ian Pugh, did it as sales leader at a UC company.

GreatAmerica partnered with Service Leadership for this years' "Future of Managed Services" survey, and the results are in! Get unmatched insight only the Service Leadership Index® can provide.

Join Service Leadership CEO, Paul Dippell and GreatAmerica as we present exclusive findings of the recent S-LI "Future of Best-in-Class Managed Services" survey.

Webinar to help MSPs capture more sales and help customers with a security first offering.

The complete Hardware as a rental checklist guide to getting onboarded with HaaR

Compensation in a Recurring Revenue World: How to Comp and Set Quotas for Business of Tomorrow

Survey Finds 87% of MSPs Lost Clients Due to Lack of Security Offerings

We asked 528 IT buyers how they view technology in their business and how they are paying for it.

If you are like most business professionals, you are short on time. We get it, so we have built in time savers into our financing process to give you back more of what you value most!

3 Ways to Make Your Quote Instantly More Appealing

Ask these 12 Questions to Differentiate Your Sale and Position Financing. Most technology buyers say they want to pay cash to Solution Providers, but they don't know alternative avenues.

Be prepared for your customer's financing objections with smart responses.

The key to selling a monthly payment option is being able to address your customer's questions and objections with great responses. During this webcast, we'll address the top objections our partners get to a financing option and how to respond.

Learn how NAC benefits from HaaR

Hiring in the tech industry: How to track and retain top talent.

Start Selling HaaR Today With This Toolkit. We put together a packaged marketing toolkit with all the things you need to begin selling your customized Hardware as a Rental® program.

If your business is built on selling product-based solutions, then you probably already feel the shift. Customers and their expectations have evolved. This eBook will help you adapt your business model to meet these new needs.

Overcoming new challenges. A Case Study on the effects of an As-A-Service Model. With customers shifting away from owning hardware, something had to change.

AV AMP Onboarding Checklist: Everything you need to know on how to get started

We asked 528 tech buyers about how they view technology in their business and how they pay for it.

The As-A-Service model is as pervasive as the cloud, and for good reason. It has proven to have tremendous impact on close rate, margins and recurring revenue. However,companies offering a traditional As-A-Service model can take a big hit to their cash flows. There is another option, with Hardware as a Rental®, or HaaR®.

Discover the pros and cons of the most common variations to a traditional As-A-Service offering

By asking the following impactful, needs-based questions you will differentiate yourself, eliminate competitors and put yourself in a position to sell more long-term contracts.

We've created the AV AMP (Audio Visual as a Monthly Payment) marketing toolkit full of marketing materials so you can get started with your Audio Visual as a Service (AVaaS) offering.

Everything-as-a-Service or Cloud? Both concepts are getting a lot of hype in the IT Channel, but they aren't your only options.

The Windows 7 has the largest install base in the world, making it the perfect opportunity to start talking to transfer your clients to a Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) model so that they never have to worry about outdated equipment and software again.

Differentiating and staying competitive require a continual march of evolution in your business model. If you've ever attempted to make a change to your business model, and a few short months later it doesn't stick, you aren't alone.

As cloud continues to grow and IoT gains traction, businesses need more IT support, not less. Customers also expect their IT “to just work” with the support of a simple and complete MSP offering. In this two part series, Service Leadership CEO, Paul Dippell will join GreatAmerica to discuss what makes a next gen MSP and how they are packaging security, HaaS and hybrid cloud as critical pieces of their “complete and simple” offering.

Since adopting bundling, many dealers have experienced a variety of benefits. Hear from dealers who have found success through bundling and examine the impact it can have on several facets of their business.

Case Study: How The Common Sense Approach of HaaR® Helped NuWave Technology Partners Adopt to the Evolving Buyer.

Offering your customers a leasing or monthly payment option (over cash) helps your sales representatives sell office equipment, software and services.

How much Windows 7 Opportunity Sits Right Within Your Current Customer Base?

What Is Hardware as a Rental (HaaR)? Hardware as a Rental, or HaaR(R), combines the best attributes of Hardware as a Service (HaaS) and equipment financing.

Download this FREE checklist for collecting the right information from your customer so you can set up their invoice perfectly from day one of the contract!

Download Our FREE Portfolio Management Checklist to find out if you're utilizing all of the tools at your disposal in order to better manage your portfolio!

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued a new lease accounting standard (Topic 842). Find answers to common questions at our blog.

Wouldn't you like to spend less time on paperwork and more time face to face with your customers? SnappShot is your mobile app for quick and easy generation of sales quotes & credit apps!

Joe Terfler, GreatAmerica CFO explains how bundling can be used to grow the value of your business.

In today’s competitive landscape, there are distinct advantages to selling a bundled solution. Learn how your business can benefit from bundling by downloading this flyer.

Start Selling HaaR Today With This Toolkit! We put together a packaged marketing toolkit with all the things you need to begin selling your customized Hardware as a Rental® program.

Have you heard the big buzzword surrounding everything from industry publications to conferences…. Audio Visual as a Service?  It sounds cool and you’re thinking about jumping on the bandwagon, but you have a lot of questions.  How do you get started?  What does it involve?  How do you sell it? 

So what is the secret of Advantage Technologies that helped them grow to a $10 million MSP with 15% year over year growth over the past 3 years? Bryan says it is standardization, but Advantage Technologies didn't get there overnight. During the webcast, this MSP will share the steps he took in his business to accelerate growth and efficiency.

The Service Leadership Index® shows that MSPs in the top quartile of profitability are also the fastest-growing. This is contrary to the common – but mistaken – wisdom that to grow faster you must sacrifice profitability.

Time for some math: Nearly 40% of workstations run on Windows 7. 100% of Windows 7 machines will need to be upgraded. So be the one to update them... or will your competitors?

Learn more from the most comment Technology Financing FAQs.

The state of Unified Communications as a Service or UCaaS survey results

Gain insight into how switching to monthly payments impacted NuWave Technology Partners.

Lease vs Loan vs Cash: Find the best option for your customers

Whether your customers finance equipment through a lease or loan, each has its advantages.

Don't be left behind, put your business ahead of your competitors with the benefits of financing.

Virginia Business Systems Reaps Positive Results through the Entrepreneurial Operating System®

What’s the tangible value of an ECi and GreatAmerica technology integration for your office technology business? Xcel Office Solutions knows first hand how automating their meter collection and cash posting processes brings savings in both hard and soft dollars! Learn more!

Help Desk Cavalry Accelerates Growth Through Hardware as a Service Alternative.

Learn about how Bryan Currier, President and Founder of Advantage Technologies, attributes a lot of his company’s recent growth to mastering the art of standardization and offering HaaR® through GreatAmerica.