Volume # 25 July 2008
Message from:

I
would like to take this
opportunity to say thank you to
those members who attended our
National Meeting in Miami and
who continue to support our
Vendor Partners and the entire
VIP Program.
This year, Vision would like
to adopt a new plan to grow and
strengthen Vision from within.
In order to accomplish this, we
all must support the Vision
concept and our Vendor Partners.
By doing this, it will eliminate
us from having to seek new
membership in areas that are
lacking in sales growth and
support.
After reviewing the first
half year sales summary by
member, we must talk about
commitment, which is paramount
for the continued success and
growth of Vision Imaging
Partners and to your dealership.
Many of our Vendors who have
helped in supporting our program
over the past 11 years; state
that the non - committed dealers
are benefiting by of our
program, but are not loyal to
it. This hurts us all, as
vendors lose interest in the VIP
program and then move on.
Many of our contracts have
committed volumes and your
support is needed to achieve
them. In addition, we at Vision
lose negotiating power and lost
rebates, which help support our
National meeting, RSNA meeting,
year-end rebate program,
promotional rebate program, and
our corporate overhead.
The above affects everyone
supporting the VIP concept. With
your help and your commitment to
the Vision Program we can make
Vision Imaging Partners the
leading organization for the
future. You can make the
difference.
Let’s continue to make Vision
a strong organization committed
to you, our valuable member.
Your continued cooperation and
support in this matter is
greatly appreciated.
To you, your families, and
your staff, have a safe and
happy summer season.
Remember
When Placing Orders
Think VISION First!

Vision Imaging Partners 2008
National Meeting
The 2008 Vision Imaging
Partners National Meeting in
Miami Florida began with the
opening cocktail reception on
Thursday May 15, 2008. The
exhibit hall and meeting took
place on Friday and concluded on
Saturday at 3:00pm.
We had 37 exhibitors
showcasing their products,
educational speakers roundtable
discussions, great door prizes
and a Golf Tournament at Doral
Country Club. This meeting
overall was a great success with
a total in combined attendance
of 200+.
Vision
University was held on Thursday
morning. After a huge success
last year, we continued it this
year as well. We had 4 mini
training classes on:
1. Taking
the Mystery out of Planning and
Implementing PACS
2.How to
sell Bone Density to the Private
practice market
3.Digital Technology for the
Veterinary Marketplace
4. How I Learned to Embrace the
Digital Transformation and Make
Money
Those who attended the
University all stated that they
learned a lot and were happy
that they participated.
A Special thank you goes out
to the Vendors that helped
sponsor our event: Del Medical,
ECi, H.R. Simon & Company,
Medlink Imaging, Pyromet Silver
Refiners, RSTI, Simon DR,
Techno-Aide, Ti-Ba Enterprises
and United Marketing Group.
Also, we want to thank the Round
Table Discussion Facilitators :
Tim Carrigan, Walter Carrigan,
Glenn Richardson and Don Tucker.
The 2007 Awards were
presented at the end of the
meeting. The following awards
were given:
Top Sales Producer 2007:
Bullit International
Wolverine X-ray
Diagnostic Imaging
Dealer Compliance Award 2007:
Wolverine X-ray
MBI X-Ray
Radiation Services of Indiana
Most Improved Dealer 2007:
Central Alabama X-Ray
Excel X-Ray
Radiographic Technologies, Inc
Most dealer supported Vendor
Award 2007:
United Marketing Group
(UMG)
Honor your Representative
Award Winner 2007:
Jon Vermeulen,
FINANCIALCORP Equipment
Leasing-Financing
A new Award was presented
this year the "H. Robert
Simon Award of Excellence".
This award was given to William
Murray - Century Medical Systems
for his dedicated service and
support of Vision Imaging
Partners.
There were a total of 42 Door
Prizes given out from $1000 -
$50 Cash, gift cards, ipods, DVD
players, GPS’s, Digital Phot
Frames and bars of silver Thank
you to those vendors that
donated the above.
The Top Cash Prizes were won
by:
$1000.00 Cash
Archie Warren- Silver Lining
X-Ray
$750.00 Cash
Vivian Carrigan - Wolverine
X-Ray
$500.00 Cash
Tom Kinder - Amis Systems
Stan Lal - Stans Radiographic
Service
A Special thank you goes out
to all the Vendors and Members
who made our National Meeting a
memorable one.
Hope to see all of you again
next year at the 2009 National
Meeting.
RSNA 2008
This year the Vision Imaging
Partners RSNA Breakfast Meeting
will be on Monday December 1,
2008 at the Hyatt Regency
McCormick Place from 7:30 AM -
9:30 AM
New this year, Vision Imaging
Partners along with our Vendors
Sponsors will be hosting a
cocktail reception on Monday
evening December 1, 2008 at the
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place
from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM This
reception is open to Vendor
Sponsors and Dealer Members
Only.
More information will be
provided as we get closer to the
RSNA.
3rd
Qtr. 2008 Promotion

In a Vision Imaging Partners
exclusive, Techno-Aide will
provide a delicious pizza lunch
for the dealership staff that
has the highest combined sales
from July 1, 2008 through
September 30, 2008. A surprise
treat will be included!
Now is the time to get
acquainted with Techno-Aide.
800-251-2629
Computer Tip-

Are you having trouble with
spyware?
Wikipedia.com defines spyware
as computer software that is
installed surreptitiously on a
personal computer to intercept
or take partial control over the
user’s interaction with the
computer, without the user’s
informed consent.
Spyware serves many purposes.
None of those purposes benefit
you. It may collect usernames
and passwords for your online
accounts such as your online
banking. It may steal personal
data that you have stored on
your computer. It may install
software on your computer that
tells you that you have a virus
in the hopes of extorting money
from you in the form of a
purchase of "virus removal"
software that does nothing but
remove the spyware that is
telling you that you have a
virus. The most common form of
spyware that infects computers
is the type that causes popup
ads.
Most spyware is avoided by
following these simple tips:
·
Keep your
antivirus software up to date.
·Don’t
open attachments of click on
links in messages from
strangers.
·Download
software only from reputable
companies such as Adobe or
Microsoft. (those free
screensavers aren’t really free)
·Don’t
surf porn web sites.
·Don’t
use file sharing software such
as Kazaa, Limewire or eDonkey.
·Read
the license agreement of that
software you just downloaded. It
may state that you agree to
install spyware when you install
their software.
·Use
an alternative web browser such
as Firefox, Safari or Opera.
·Install
an anti-spyware software
package. Windows defender from
Microsoft is free.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx
Data Jugglers Computing, Inc.
877-DJC-Tech
Dealer Member Spotlight

Classic X-Ray is a dynamic
woman-owned business that
started more than 20 years ago.
Their philosophy is to provide
professional, personal, quality
service to meet customer’s needs
in all aspects of radiology
services. Classic X-Ray’s
service personnel are highly
trained to provide
state-of-the-art, factory
trained expertise to their
customers.
In keeping with emerging
technology, Classic X-Ray offers
cutting edge CR Systems
manufactured by today’s top name
brands such as AGFA, Alara,
iCRco, Konica, Fuji and Kodak.
Their progressive DR Systems are
manufactured by today’s top name
brands such as Del Medical and
Cannon. In addition, Classic
X-Ray provides site planning for
PACS software companies. They
also sell and service equipment
and systems required for PACS.
As part of their radiographic
equipment and accessories sales
and service, Classic X-Ray
provides emergency and
preventive maintenance services
for most all brands of
radiographic equipment as well
as radiographic film processors,
dry imagers, film loaders, laser
cameras, etc. Classic X-Ray is a
dealer for most major
manufacturers of radiographic
accessories including
radiographic film filing
materials, radiation protection
equipment, radiographic
department furniture and
fixtures, cassettes, screens,
grids, positioning aides, film
markers, labels, I.D. cards,
etc.
Classic X-Ray offers most all
major brands of radiographic
film processor chemistry, both
pre-mixed and boxed; providing
both major brand radiographic
film and private label film.
Classic X-Ray also offers a full
line of radiographic view boxes
both motorized and stationary
with full service support and an
exceptional preventive
maintenance program.
Classic X-Ray is a company
you can count on if you are
looking for personalized service
by a team of seasoned
consultants and service
engineers with decades of
experience within their fields.
Vendor Spotlight

"With JPI, quality is
still affordable"
JPI has been manufacturing
high quality imaging components,
accessories, and equipment for
over 28 years. We continue to
grow and expand our product
line. Our line includes:
processors, portables,
cassettes/screens, aprons, and
various x-ray accessories. All
of our products are designed
with service-ability and ease of
use in mind.
Thanks to the Vision Dealers,
whose feedback & suggestions we
greatly value, JPI has designed
the "Advance Step" Podiatry
System. You can now purchase
your podiatry x-ray directly
from JPI America instead of from
expensive podiatry supply
houses.
Vision Dealers will also
benefit from JPI’s outstanding
customer service, technical
support, and timely delivery.
Our account managers work
closely with the individual
dealers, while our well-trained
technical staff support all
products over the phone, and our
personable customer service team
make sure all orders are shipped
in a timely and accurate manner.
We look forward to working
closely with each and every
Vision Dealer. As a company, we
do not view our dealers just as
customers, but as partners.
Please review our product
specifications along with our
very competitive prices, and if
you have any questions, feel
free to contact your JPI sales
representative.
As the industry continues to
evolve, so does JPI. Keep an eye
out for future product launches.
Very Truly Yours,
The JPI America Team
Vendor
Announcements:

Pyromet has merged with The
Silver Recycling Company. As a
result we are now a publicly
traded company on the Toronto
Stock Exchange Venture (TS-V),
under the symbol TSR. Vision
Members will now have the
opportunity to invest in our
future success. This also
will allow us access to more
capital to expand our service,
and in the future expedite the
time it takes us to settle your
material. If you have any
questions, please feel free to
call Lon Rudnitsky (866) PYROMET
(797-6638) .

BrandVia is proud to be a
vendor of the Visions Imaging
Group!
If you didn’t know, BrandVia
is a full-service promotional
marketing agency that provides a
wide array of promotional
merchandise, consumer premiums,
sales incentives, and other
marketing solutions that
companies require to promote
their image, achieve marketing
objectives, and build strong
brand awareness. We offer
marketing solutions custom
designed to enhance the power of
your image or brand. BrandVia
has partnered with a broad range
of organizations; including
Fortune 1000 companies to
develop customized promotional
strategies and solutions that
deliver measurable results. From
branded merchandise, web stores,
product launches, tradeshow
booth drivers, global sourcing,
program collateral, fulfillment
and distribution, packaging,
design and creative services, we
offer a full range of marketing
solutions designed to enhance
the power of your image and
brand.
Jennifer Euler: 408.955.1733
Jennifer@brandvia.com

Vision Private Label Cassette
Program Takes Off
As part of the recently
negotiated multiyear pact with
Medlink Imaging, Vision members
now have their own
cassettes/screens. Members can
now promote their affiliation
with Vision Imaging partners and
differentiate themselves from
other competitors by requesting
this new offering exclusively
for Vision members through
Medlink Imaging.
The Vision Private Labeled
cassette is the same high
quality aluminum cassettes sold
by Medlink to the general dealer
channel with one key difference:
BETTER PRICING. Please ask for
them by name when placing an
order with Medlink and look for
the separate communication from
Medlink with stock codes and
available sizes.
As Paul Helschein would say
"a win… win… win… for all.

Please contact your Medlink
representative for more
information at 800-456-7800

AFP Imaging Announces ViewAll™
Vet
AFP Imaging
Corporation is now featuring
ViewAll™ Vet, a new, proprietary
software for its Digi-VetTekŪ
CADR and Digi-VetŪ Equine DR
digital radiography systems.
ViewAll™ Vet streamlines digital
radiography
by enabling users to acquire and
view veterinary digital imaging
data all in one step. ViewAll™
Vet enables multiple users
within the practice to access
Digit-VetTek CADR or Digi-Vet
Equine DR images, as well as
referring veterinary practices
or remote telemedicine services.
ViewAll™ Vet
has an easy-to-learn, veterinary
specific interface that includes
a comprehensive breed list for
dogs, cats and horses. ViewAll™
Vet utilizes the DICOM 3.0
standard for image formatting.
The integrated patient image
database allows the veterinarian
or technician to easily access
existing patient files or create
new files. Among its other
features, ViewAll™ Vet’s STAT
Patient feature means fast and
easy emergency image capture.
ViewAll™ Vet
comes with free support,
networking and upgrades during
the warranty lifetime of the
product. ViewAll™ Vet is the
latest advancement from AFP
Imaging, which has been
providing superior diagnostic
imaging systems to the
veterinary, medical and dental
community for nearly 30 years.
AFP Imaging
offers a wide variety of analog
and digital radiology systems
for veterinary whole-body,
veterinary and human dental
applications, as well as CBCT
technology for human dental,
medical film processors, ENT
applications (NewTom). AFP’s 30
years of experience in research,
product development,
manufacturing and distribution
of medical, dental and
veterinary imaging solutions
distinguishes us from the rest.
AFP Imaging Corporation, a
publicly traded company, is the
parent company of, DENT-X dental
products, EVA product lines and
owner of QR srl.

Total Imaging
Solutions | Veterinary | Dental
| Medical | NewTom Cone Beam
AFP Imaging
800-592-6666
www.afpimaging.com

Don’t Leave Money on the
Table!
Could you use an order for
$5000? How about $10,000 or even
$20,000? Let’s face it, nobody
is going to retire by selling a
$20 set of markers, but a set of
markers is still a necessary
product. Your customer needs it;
we supply it; you sell it.
Techno-Aide now offers you an
entirely new opportunity that
could give you 1,000% higher
revenue than a $20 set of
markers.
We realize that most of your
current sales focus is on
capital equipment which includes
a suite of products for
diagnostic imaging and PACS.
However, the sometimes forgotten
complement to this equipment is
ergonomic furniture. There are
two facts you should be aware of
regarding ergonomic furniture:
your customer IS going to
purchase it and, in most cases,
it won’t be from you.
Our research has shown that
most ergonomic furniture
products purchased, for example,
for use in the PACS suite, were
sold through a "business
furniture distributor" or
directly from a furniture
manufacturer. However, YOU DO
NOT NEED TO LET THIS HAPPEN!
No PACS system should be
quoted without making an
allowance for the reading room.
This is your ideal opportunity
for additional revenue. Even if
furniture is not part of your
primary quote, always include it
as an addendum or optional
feature. If you don’t, you’re
just leaving good money on the
table for someone else’s pocket.
We also realize that you may
not have time to learn all the
ins-and-outs of ergonomic
furniture. That’s where
Techno-Aide can help. Just give
us a call or drop us an email (davidm@techno-aide.com).
We’ll put together a specialized
quote for you and put it right
into your hands. NOW that’s
money off the table and into
YOUR POCKET!
David McCall
7117 Centennial Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37209
p: 615-350-7030
f: 615-350-7879


Are you puzzled by all the
different features and prices of
PACS? IMCO Technologies is here
to help you solve the mystery.
Compare:
IMCO-PACS Pieces of the Puzzle
1) Includes up to
6 modality connections
2) Standard
multi-monitor capabilities
3) Provides 12
months of software support
4) Competitively
priced
To help your summer sizzle,
IMCO Technologies has a
promotion just for you. Call Dee
and ask for your $500 coupon
towards each IMCO-PACS or
IMCO-PACS Lite system ordered
through Labor Day.
For more Dee-tails contact
Dee at 262 523-4445
ddowske@imco-tech.com
Greg at 954 805-6624
gwhelan@imco-tech.com
Happy Selling
IMCO Technologies Pewaukee,
WI

A Simple
Solution — A Simple Sell
Your customers are busy — and
securing their time to talk to
them about going digital is a
challenge. Most doctors view the
process of going digital as
difficult and time-consuming.
Assure them the partnership
between you and SimonDR will
ensure a smooth transition to
digital.
First:
Use the free Cost
Calculator to determine ROI at
www.simondr.com.
Then Ask:
Do the images
demonstrated to you meet your
expectations?
If something goes wrong, will a
service technician be on-site
when needed?
Can you upgrade your existing
equipment? This option, where
possible, may save you around
$20,000.
Is the software easy to use?
Who do you call for help and how
much does the support cost?
What is the response time and
what are support hours?
Then Know:
SimonDR has high-quality
images.
SimonDR sells only through local
service companies so support
will be there when needed.
SimonDR can upgrade many
existing x-ray machines.
SimonDR sells X-Ray equipment by
Quantum Medical and Del Medical,
the two most respected names in
x-ray equipment.

597 Winthrop Street
Taunton, MA 02780
For over 20 years Huestis
Medical has been providing
quality imaging products at
affordable prices. Therefore, we
are pleased to announce we have
expanded this same commitment to
quality to our new parts
division- Best Medical Parts.
In December 2007 Imaging
Parts Inc. was purchased and
became Best Medical Parts. We
have a wide variety of parts for
all major OEM supported units
including, but not limited to:
GE, Philips, Toshiba, and
Shimadzu.
Go ahead and give us a call.
We look forward to being your
BEST source for parts.
Best Medical Parts- 866-603-1883
Huestis Medical- 800-333-6070

As we end our fiscal year at
Del Medical, we want to thank
each of the Vision Imaging
Partners for your business! We
are excited about our growing
relationship and look forward to
a prosperous year for this
entire group!
As a reminder, the
Introductory Special for the
VetVision DRds with Simon DR and
the CPI generator ends on July
25, 2008. All systems shipping
prior to this date will also get
the additional incentive given
at the National Sales Meeting,
as shown below.
·Aggressive
Pricing - $49,000 dealer
net
·Any
Table Top – No additional
charge
·Free
Shipping – Lower 48
States
·$1,000
dealer rebate - No limit
· $500
"Next System" Certificate
- To be used on other
than the first 50 VetVision
units
·National
Sales Meeting Incentive -
$1,000
Orders must be booked and
shipped before July 25, 2008

"With JPI, quality is
still affordable"
We realize that it is
difficult for independent
dealers to compete against
podiatry supply houses for
podiatry x-ray sales, that’s why
we have developed this new
high-quality fully functional
and extremely competitive system
for thousands of dollars less.
JPI Advance-Step
Podiatry System

Includes:
·
Orthoposer platform.
· 90kV
/ 15mA x-ray.
·
Weight-balanced x-ray
positioning arm
o 90
degrees vertical to horizontal
o 8" front
to back
·
Vertical cassette holder for
10x12 and 8x10 cassettes.
·
Half-cassette exposure blocker
for 10x12 cassettes.
"You can now purchase your
podiatry x-ray directly from JPI
America instead of from
expensive podiatry supply houses."
Call Your JPI Sales
Representative Today:
1-888-JPI-2001
Visit us on the Web at:
www.JPIAMERICA.com

PULSE MEDICAL INC
RADIATION CONCEPTS
FOR THE VET MARKET

STYLISH PROTECTION AT AN
ECONOMY PRICE
· Three
Apron Styles to Choose From
·
Aprons Available With Sewn on
Thyroid
· Complete
the Matching Set with a Pet
Positioner
·
Order a Hand Shield or Vinyl
Lead Glove
· Matching
Thyroid Shield
·
Different Lining Colors
· Matching Slit
Mitt
·
Attractive Fabric Choices-
including our Safari Line: Grey
Snake, Ostrich Burgundy, Ostrich
Beige, Cheetah, Metallic Tiger,
Zebra, White Snake, Panther and
Brown Snake
· Wide
Array of Binding Colors
· Regular
Lead, Lightweight, & Non Leaded

We also offer the following
products for the Vet Market:
· Film Bins · Lead Markers
and Signs
· Racks and Hangers ·
Illuminators
· Filling Systems · Developing
Tanks
· Wedges and Sand Bags · Lead
Glasses
· Safelights and Brite Lights
RCI/Pulse Medical will
continue to offer your name and
number embroidered on the bottom
of any aprons ordered through
the end of the year. The
response to this offer after the
last meeting was tremendous so
we will be happy to continue to
keep your name and number in
front of your customers. When
ordering aprons of any style
just let us know that you want
the Vision special which means
free embroidery on the bottom
outside of the apron
For Ordering Information
Contact Us at:
800-342-5973 OR
info@rcipulsemedical.com

In order to help our
customers be more competitive in
today’smarketplace, we have
lowered our list prices on our
most popular x-ray tubes. This
includes all radiographic tubes
in the 4 inch anode category,
including direct replacements
for popular Picker, GE, Eureka,
Varian, Comet and Machlett
models.
If you have not already
received a copy of
Dunlee’supdated price list
booklet and would like one,
please contactHeather Funk at
1-800-238-3780 or heather.funk@philips.com.
We hope these reduced list
prices for radiographic tubes
will allow you to be successful
in competing for business within
our industry. Please contact us
if we can answer any questions
for you.

Off-Site Disaster Recovery
Now Available from UMG Medical
Imaging
UMG has received several
requests from Vision Imaging
Partners for a high quality
image Disaster Recovery program
to can offer their customers. We
are happy to announce that we
now have a solution!
*Easy no fee set up
*Redundant and secure
*Fee based on number of studies,
not images
*Established disaster recovery
provider
As the Dealer, you receive a one
time payment up front based on
the net present value of the
agreement. For more
information on this program
please contact UMG at
800-261-9808.

What a fantastic time we had
at the National meeting in
Miami, thanks for allowing us to
participate. It’s always great
to see all of our Vision
partners in person and meet new
ones. We are pleased at the
flurry of activity we’ve seen
since the show, thank you for
your support. We were also
surprised to hear that some of
you weren’t aware that our core
business has now transitioned to
CR cassette repair/sales,
Imaging Plates, Grids, Grid
encasements, ect. If there is
ever a question as to our
capabilities, please don’t
hesitate to call. And yes, we
are still supporting those
analog users as well. New Vision
member pricing guides and
product line cards were
distributed at the show. If you
did not receive your copy or
need additional ones, please let
us know and we’ll forward a
supply.
With summer upon us, the sun
block and UV lotions are
everywhere. We thought it may be
worth mentioning the importance
of proper handling of the
cassettes. It’s actually pretty
simple, wear gloves or wash your
hands first! When shooting, the
Technicians often forget that
these lotions can adversely
affect the cassette, screen, and
potentially the image. We are
doing a number of thorough
cleanings and rescreening
cassettes as a result of this.
Good for us, but costly for your
hospital or clinic so a gentle
reminder may be appreciated.
Have a great summer and make
Rochester Cassette your one stop
X-ray shop!

One Time Equipment Tax
Advantage for 2008 is $250,000
(There may be none for 2009)
Since 9/11/2001 the President
and Congress provided tax cuts
(incentives) to help stimulate
the economy. Before these
incentives, the one-time write
off for equipment purchases was
around $25,000, however over the
past few years the amount was
increased to $125,000. This
year, in order to help a sagging
economy, this amount was raised
to $250,000, however, with a new
President and Congress coming
into office in 2009, there is a
strong possibility that the
temporary tax cuts may not be
renewed, and the one-time tax
benefit for equipment purchases
may return to the original level
of $25,000.
What does this mean to the
Vision Dealers?
In order to help with sales
this year, the salespeople
should be sure to bring up the
higher, $250,000 tax benefit
this year. It may be useful to
also inform their
customers that they would
receive the best tax advantage
by completing their
equipment purchases this year
(remember, the customer would
need to take possession of the
equipment before the end of the
year).
How Equipment is written off
for tax advantages
There are 3 ways businesses
receive a tax write offs when
purchasing equipment (please
note only one can be used:
1) Buying- Businesses can
receive the
one-time credit of $250,000 no
matter how pay for the equipment
(whether they use their cash,
get a loan or use a $1.00 buyout
from a leasing company.
2) Depreciation- Several
businesses choose to write off
an equipment purchase with
depreciation. All equipment has
a
predetermined depreciable life,
although there are different
depreciation methods that may
benefit the business.
3) Leasing- Many
businesses choose leasing as a
more creative option to write
off their equipment. Leasing is
simply a closed end rental
(meaning that a time period has
been agreed to). At the end of
the lease term the business may
elect to buy the equipment for
the "fair market value" that
will be negotiated by the
parties involved. Many leasing
companies use a 10% buyout
because most privately owned
businesses want to know how much
they will pay for the equipment
at the end of the term. The
reason this can be done is
because the government doesn’t
research the value of all the
equipment being leased and the
10% buyout has because a
standard amount (please note
that a $1.00 buyout will never
qualify as a lease because the
$1.00 is a bargain and is not
even being close to what the
actual value of the equipment
might be at the end of the lease
term.
What advantages are there to
leasing?
The main advantage of leasing
is that the monthly lease
payment is considered an expense
in order to operate a business.
The shorter the lease term, the
better the tax advantage
compared to the depreciable life
of the equipment. In most cases,
the finance charges are slightly
higher with a lease, compared to
a bank loan, however when the
tax benefit of a lease is added
to the equation, an equipment
lease can match and in many
cases be lower than a bank loan.
Another advantage leasing
provides is another line of
credit. Many, established
business have a line of credit
with their bank, however this
credit line may be limited. It
may be advantageous to the
business to preserve this credit
line for emergencies and
unexpected unforeseen
circumstances, and leasing can
help. This philosophy really
comes into play in the case of a
new, start-up business where the
working capital is limited (one
of the main reasons business
don’t success is because of lack
of working capital).
The last advantage of leasing
is the simplicity, especially
with FINANCIALCORP. For most
applications under $200,000
FINANCIALCORP will only need a
fraction of what a bank
requires, and funding usually
happens faster and will be sent
directly to the Vision dealer.
This information has been
provided simply to help
understand what businesses
consider when making an
equipment purchase, and some of
these principles may help in
closing a sale. Most of the time
Vision dealers and their sales
representatives will provide a
monthly payment breakdown to be
included with the total
equipment cost, and then they
contact Jon Vermeulen at
FINANCIALCORP to assist with
their customer about which
payment option would be the best
for them to help them with the
customer’s equipment purchase.
If you have any questions
regarding this article, would
like to request a payment
calculator (an Excel
spreadsheet), or if you have a
current customer that you think
would benefit from discussing
leasing, please contact Jon
Vermeulen at FINANCIALCORP. He
can be reached at 800-770-8550
or at financialcorpleasing@gmail.com.

STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION
Improve your Financials and
Customer Satisfaction Through
Strategy
Implementation. (2nd of a 4 part
series)
Create your Mission and
Strategy to support your vision
and create positive financial
and customer benefits

Could you
improve your organizations’
understanding of the strategy
and direction of your business?
Would you like to improve
profits and reduce costs while
delighting your customers? Would
you like to improve employee
morale and retention and involve
your employees in achieving
financial and customer
objectives? We have the
solution.
The first
article in this series described
how to create and live your
strategy map and balanced
scorecard. Next, there are
usually four stimulating aspects
of a strategy map that your
leadership teams need to ponder
and agree upon. These aspects
are financials, customers,
processes and people/automation.
In this second article, we will
discuss imperative questions to
ask both yourself and your
leadership teams about your
financials and customer value
proposition.
Typically,
most business units have a very
good understanding and tracking
of their financial perspective.
The question to be answered by
your leadership teams is "If we
succeed, how will we look to our
shareholders?" Usually, there
are two basic strategies within
the financial perspective.
First, how can we grow our
business? Here we ask our teams
(1) how can we develop new
sources of revenue from new
markets, new products or new
customers; and (2) how can we
increase customer value with
existing customers to expand the
relationship with our firm?
Second, how can we improve
productivity within our firm?
Here you should brainstorm how
to (1) improve cost structure
and lower direct costs of
products and services; (2)
reduce indirect costs and share
common resources with multiple
units; and (3) improve asset
utilization. In other words, how
can you most effectively reduce
the working and fixed capital
needed to support a level of
business by implementing greater
utilization and more careful
acquisition, or by disposing of
parts of the current and fixed
asset base?
During my
last ten years of leading
business units through strategic
planning sessions, the most
stimulating disagreement among
leadership teams has been
determining the client’s
customer value proposition.
While it is necessary to
implement all three customer
value strategies, success is
determined by your firm’s
ability to excel at one of those
strategies. It has been shown
trying to excel at all three
customer value strategies
results in failure of all three.
WOW! Yes failure! Therefore,
your leadership teams must
decide (1) which customer value
proposition strategy is most
important for your firm, and (2)
how your products and services
map support this customer value
proposition.
Let’s take a
look at the three customer value
proposition statements:
First is
"Operational Excellence". The
important product and service
attributes to this strategy are
price, quality, time and
functionality/selection. Your
processes and investments must
support these attributes. The
key to this value proposition is
quality in selected categories
with unbeatable prices. The
brand displayed to the customer
is "the smart shopper", which
places less importance on the
relationship. Examples of
companies using this value
proposition today are Wal-Mart
and McDonalds.
Second is
"Customer Intimacy". The
important attribute here is
building a relationship with the
customer consistent with the
brand image of "the trusted
Brand." In this model, personal
service must be tailored to
produce results and build
long-term relationships with the
customer. Hence, the two most
important attributes in this
customer proposition are service
and relationships. Determining
how to invest and build strong
processes around these two
attributes is essential. For
example, Lowe’s Lumber is
notorious with its customers for
building relationships through
outstanding service.
Third is
"Product Leadership". This
proposition offers unique
products and services that "push
the envelope" resulting in a
brand of "best innovative
product in the marketplace". The
target is to bring an excellent
selection of new products with
greater functionality to the
marketplace in less time.
Most firms are excellent at
creating goals for financial
perspectives, but customer value
propositions are typically
debated topics for leadership
teams. You must perform well on
all attributes of customer value
propositions, while focusing
investment and improvement
initiatives on attributes
important to both you and the
customer’s value propositions.
Even though it is sometimes
difficult, successful market
leaders routinely decline
purchasing and investing in
items not mapped to their
strategy.
Have you
determined the customer
proposition value statement for
your firm? Do all of your
leadership teams agree on your
customer value proposition? In
answering these questions, you
may be surprised to find your
leadership teams have different
views and opinions on the value
your firm offers to its
customers. A common vision and
customer value proposition among
leadership teams is essential to
your firm’s success.
In the next
newsletter, I will discuss how
to develop processes and your
people and automation strategies
that must map to your financial
and customer value proposition
attributes. You will then be
able to display your business
strategy on a single sheet of
paper which will easily
communicate and show your
alignment to all. ACHC and
Q4MedSource will be conducting a
one-day workshop at upcoming
trade shows on this topic to
improve both your skills and
your business in these areas.
Richard
Wetherell, Vice President of
Design of Q4MedSource, is an
educator and specialist in
strategic planning, balanced
scorecards, and improving
quality, market share and
customer satisfaction. He works
with businesses to develop,
deploy and align strategic plans
to achieve financial and
customer results. Q4MedSource
has offices in Cary, North
Carolina; Houston Texas; and
Orlando, Florida. Please call
Denise Lippy (713)204-7062 for
more information.
Online
Version Purchasing Manual:
If you require additional or you
need to remove a username and
passwords for your sales force
or Customer Service staff,
please contact us at
shari@visionpartners.org
or 856-424-8661.
Sales Enrichment Series
Selling a
Price Increase
By
TheSalesHunter
Even the most sales savvy
among us have been there:
fighting back the nerves that
materialize whenever we are
faced with telling a customer
about a price increase.
Talking about a price
increase never makes for an easy
conversation. When discussing a
price increase in a business to
business environment it’s
important to bear in mind that
our customer has probably had to
have the same discussion with
their own customers. A company
exists only as long as it earns
a profit and a company can only
earn a profit long-term if it
delivers a quality product or
service that is priced right.
This means the key to any price
increase conversations is to
emphasize that such an increase
will ensure product quality.
As you begin to prepare your
strategy for communicating a
price increase, ask yourself the
following questions:
1. Does the customer take
your product/service and add a
standard percentage increase in
price when selling to their
customers?
If this is the case, you can
point out that your customer
will make more money by taking a
standard
percentage of a higher amount.
2. What percentage of the
customer’s business is your
product/service?
If the percentage is small,
point out that the amount of
increase is only a small
percentage of their total
business. If the percentage is
great, then you can emphasize
that the price increase is
necessary to maintain the level
of product quality necessary for
them to serve their customers.
3. Has the customer faced any
other price increases from other
vendors?
If so, try to identify what some
percentages of the other
increases have been. If your
price increase falls into the
low end, then you can point out
how your increase is
comparatively lower than many
others. If your increase is at
the high end, you can explain
how your increase is the only
one you expect to take; or you
may point out that you wouldn’t
be surprised to see others
coming back to take another
round of price increases.
4. How does the customer view
you and the products/services
you sell?
If you have a reputation and
record of quality, then you can
emphasize that the increase has
been carefully thought through
and that the increase is only
being taken to ensure continuing
quality. If you have a spotty
record with the customer, then
you should stress how the price
increase will allow you to begin
addressing some of the issues in
question by allowing you to
increase the overall quality of
service the customer has been
receiving. Naturally it is
important to make sure all
comments are backed with a
commitment to follow-through.
5. Will the customer raise an
issue with the price increase?
Be prepared to show
documentation of how your costs
have increased and how the same
increases your company is facing
are being dealt with by other
companies. (One example is the
increasing cost of oil, which
has forced any company that uses
petroleum in the manufacturing
or transportation of goods to
most likely increase prices.)
When having this discussion, be
sure to show empathy for the
customer, but remain firm in
what you’re saying. If the
customer senses any hesitation
on your part they will likely
try to exploit it in the form of
a price concession from you.
Also be prepared to share
steps that your company has
taken in an attempt to avoid a
price increase. This can include
ways you’ve already cut costs,
or how the price increase is the
only way to maintain the quality
and service the customer
expects. A final point to
emphasize is the time lag
between this price increase and
the previous increase. Having
information available concerning
the rate of inflation during
that specific time period may
also help diffuse the issue of
the price increase.
6. Why does the customer buy
from you anyway?
Knowing the real reason(s) the
customer buys from you will
allow you to reinforce these
points when talking about the
price increase. You should also
have ready at least two key
needs of the customer that your
product or service satisfies. Be
sure all of your strategic
information about the customer
is up to date before a price
increase is announced.
7. How much business is at
risk from the customer?
We can sometimes get carried
away thinking that if we raise
prices we’ll lose the customer,
even though this is rarely the
case. Think through what steps
the customer would have to take
to move to another vendor. Many
times the work involved in
moving is not worth the effort,
and thus the business is less at
risk than thought.
The following tips are the
best practices to employ when
executing a price increase:
1. Give the customer
lead-time.
Provide the customer with enough
notice of the lead-time to allow
them to make adjustments in
their information systems and to
exercise at least one more order
at the existing price.
2. Do not show favorites.
Pricing integrity is always
essential, but especially so
during a price change. Do not
treat particular customers more
favorably in pricing during an
increase. Different pricing
levels are fine as long as they
can be logically defended so
that a customer who is not
receiving the price break can
understand and accept the price
change.
3. Invoicing integrity.
Do not allow your customer to
find out about a price increase
from your invoice. Any changes
in pricing must come from the
account executive or a person of
high position in the company.
Information regarding a price
change should only appear on an
invoice after every person
involved at the customer has
been personally notified.
(Sufficient time should occur in
the price increase timeline to
allow at least one invoice to
contain a note of the pending
increase in price.)
4. Customer service
blunders.
Make sure each customer service
representative and anyone else
who comes in contact with the
customer is fully aware of when
the price increase is going to
be communicated. One of the most
significant possibilities for
customer difficulty during a
price increase is the
potentially confusing
information they hear from
different departments. Everyone
in customer service needs to be
fully briefed on the price
increase, the reasoning behind
it, and the logistics for
implementation. They should also
be provided with a FAQ guide to
ensure that when customers do
ask them about elements of the
pricing increase they are able
to share accurate information.
5. Believe in the price
increase.
In order to be paid what we’re
worth, we must charge what we’re
worth. Although this is not
something that can be explicitly
communicated to the customer,
this general sense is what sets
apart the best practice
companies and high-performing
sales professionals.
6. Open-phone/open-door
policy.
Any time a price increase is
taken, it is important for all
senior executives to be willing
to take a phone call from a
customer or to make phone calls
on key customers. For successful
consultative selling, nothing
sends a stronger signal to a
sales organization than seeing
their senior executives on the
front-line when dealing with a
price increase.
7. Monitor orders pre- and
post-price increase.
Make sure order patterns are
closely monitored for the sales
cycle leading up to the price
increase and the sales cycle
following the price increase. It
is important to catch quickly
any changes in ordering patterns
at the customer level due to any
price increase, and monitoring
this
information in total will not
allow you to see customer
changes fast enough. During the
1970s and 1980s, price increases
were common and expected. During
the past 10 years, however,
we’ve all grown used to lower
inflation and the overwhelming
impact of Wal-Mart’s philosophy
on pricing. Today price
increases are again growing more
common and acceptable so long as
they are well thought through
and not seen as a way to merely
increase profits. As an
inevitable part of business
today, we can’t let ourselves
avoid tackling price increases;
instead we should seek to use
them strategically to increase
our selling potential.
National Meeting Pictorial



































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