Konica Minolta Business Solutions, USA hosted members of its east and south communities of mid-market dealers in Sarasota, FL, this week to share some of its latest technologies and sales strategies. The event’s “High Velocity” theme represents the company’s growth mindset and desire to help its partners accelerate market share and improve profitability for itself and its dealers.

Laura Blackmer, president, Dealer Sales opened the event, welcoming the group in the General Session and thanking everyone for their ongoing and unwavering loyalty and support of the company. She talked about the new event format Konica Minolta is activating for 2024. “This is just the first in a series of roadshows, designed to give us the chance to have very different engagements through a more intimate setting,” said Blackmer. “We look forward to spending time with you and the invaluable one-on-one conversations we will have over the next couple days.”

The focused event allowed for a deeper dive into new technologies, opportunities and sales strategies across the office and production print space. Konica Minolta’s new solutions incorporate the cloud, AI and IoT data to drive digital transformation and diversification. Its product showcase allowed dealer partners to see first-hand how the company is integrating these technologies into its office product portfolio.

During his business update, Sam Errigo, president and CEO, stressed the company’s desire to continue business transformation by offering value-added services for its dealer partners. “Office technology is still a great business, but diversification is required to foster growth. It’s not enough to just sell hardware anymore; you need to bundle solutions and get more monthly recurring revenue business,” said Errigo. “There are huge opportunities out there for you to overtake your competitors. Work closely with us and allow us to help you grow your business. We are in this together.”

Michael Mathé, chief of operations and sales enablement, provided an update on Konica Minolta’s Rev’d Up Dealer Performance program, designed to future-proof dealerships by growing revenue and diversifying their businesses. The program rewards dealers for achievements, and results show a steady increase in dealers progressing to reach higher levels as they expand their offerings to include print production, industrial print and digital transformation (DX) solutions. Dealers enjoy more benefits as they progress, and quarterly rebates increase at higher levels.

Educational tracks during the dealer summit were specifically tailored for dealer principals, sales and service. Sessions provided guidance on the wealth of opportunities in verticals such as healthcare, education and the public sector, and delved into specific technology around cloud transition and document security. A live, virtual demonstration from the company’s Client Engagement Center in Ramsey, NJ, showcased the cutting-edge technology installed in Konica Minolta’s print production and industrial print products.