Ricoh has been delivering innovative workplace technologies for more than 85 years, and what started out with print has evolved into a broad portfolio of digital solutions for today’s workplaces. Learn how Ricoh Canada helps businesses change how they work with everything from collaboration software and process automation to IT security and support in this interview with Andrew Graham, Vice President Virtual Sales, Ricoh Canada.
Andrew Graham is the Vice President of Virtual Sales for Ricoh Canada Inc. He oversees the go-to-market strategy for the small and medium-sized business sector across Canada and leads a national team of sales and support professionals who specialize in integrated solutions that best meet the needs of their customers. With more than 35 years of experience in the business technology industry, Andrew has held senior-level roles in regional and branch management, as well as specialized sales positions to support both public and private sector clients.
What was the motivation for Ricoh to turn to an all-virtual sales team, was it something that was always in the strategic plan for the organization and how did the pandemic play a role in it?
It was really a combination of everything. Being a technology company, we are always evolving and transforming our business to be more aligned to our customer needs and to deliver the most impactful experiences for the market. So, while we had been nurturing the idea of a virtual sales team prior to the pandemic, Covid really just expedited our plans.
With most of our customers working remotely, we knew it was essential to change how we communicated, engaged, and supported them – since their needs had also changed overnight.
What have been some of the challenges that you’ve faced in leading an all-virtual sales team and how have you managed to overcome those?
That’s a great question and something I think a lot of businesses are still faced with. The challenges were two-fold in that we were building a brand-new business unit that required us to rethink everything we knew about communication and collaboration both internally between employees and externally with customers and prospects.
So first, externally, it was about understanding the concept of virtual sales – because traditional selling concepts and skillsets haven’t changed. What has changed though is how we engage our customers and prospects, and how we find and nurture new business opportunities. From the get-go, I knew we had the technology to connect with people. We were already familiar with Teams, and most people had used Zoom, and of course phone calls. But it was clear that moving to virtual sales was about so much more than just how to get in touch with, and talk to, potential customers through video chat.
It was about using these technologies to an even greater degree than we had before and in more, creative ways than we had before. And it forced us, like many other companies, to rethink the knowledge and training our sales team needed to do so. So, I would say the biggest challenge was to develop the right training program to address two key areas:
- How to create and deliver memorable sales presentations and product demos using a combination of solutions like Microsoft Teams, Interactive Whiteboards andintegrated software like Reactiv Suite.
- How to look for and nurture new sales opportunities across an entirely virtual landscape
Secondly, we had to look inwards. Because one of the most important aspects of any virtual, dispersed, or hybrid team is maintaining engagement and a feeling of belonging. We’re managing a team that’s national, working from home, so it was a priority for us to be intentional about relationship-building, team culture, and of course motivation. Over time this has evolved, but at the beginning, there were daily meetings and virtual coffee breaks between leaders and their team to touch base and ensure the wellbeing of our employees. We’ve since adopted 1:1 coaching tools, implemented a cadence for updates between the leadership and employees, and have focused heavily on running internal programs to keep that motivation high.
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How has technology played a role to allow such a team to exist in the first place and how have customers felt about the shift?
The transition that we’ve had to go through is one that our customers have had to go through as well. So, we’re not unique in how we are approaching our own customers because they themselves have made the shift as well or are currently in the process of doing so. In fact, many of our customers have turned to us as an example of how they can better use technology in their business.
They’re seeing how we’ve been able to maintain business continuity and adapt to the new demands and challenges of a remote and hybrid workplace – of which there are many like collaboration, security, and the ability to even connect to the network to share information. Much of those challenges have actually opened up new business opportunities for Ricoh and even challenged us to think outside the box and build solutions that better address these issues for small business owners in particular (like OneSolution: a new subscription-based print solution).
What have been the most popular small business technology/digitization solutions so far and why?
The big focus for small businesses has really been about keeping sales operational and having the ability to collaborate and share information between teams easily, securely, and without limits.
This meant a lot of our small and medium-sized customers quickly looked at moving away from the traditional wet-ink signatures on sales contracts and agreements and came to us for an eSignature solution. It helped them address the immediate and long-term needs of running their business and also helped them deliver better overall customer experiences.
The second most popular small business solution has been content or document management software. This gave them the freedom and flexibility that comes with digital documents, digital workflows, and more automation of everyday business processes. Where small teams were once tethered to paper, filing cabinets, and manual ways of sharing information with one another, they could now do so securely from anywhere and without the physical limitations of being at the office or workplace.
In terms of digital solutions, where do you believe there is the most value for small business owners to invest in?
First and foremost, my recommendation to any small business is to really understand the requirements of your customers. Start with a technology investment that can help you deliver added value, better interactions, and an overall more seamless customer experience. You’ll find that in doing so, you’ll still end up solving for, and improving, many of your backend need like invoicing or collaboration.
Secondly, technology investments are now more accessible than ever before for small businesses, so look for cloud-based solutions and subscription-based services. You’ll benefit from getting as much of, or as little of, something as you need, better security, and ultimately a more accommodating cost structure.
On a final note, what advice do you have for others leading, managing, or even thinking about the future of an all-virtual, remote, or hybrid team?
Well, I can say this –it’s not as easy as just flipping a switch and suddenly you have a virtual team because everyone is dispersed or remote. It takes a lot of work to be intentional about the decision to go virtual, particularly for a sales team. It’s a fundamental change in how you train, develop and coach your employees, in being prepared to support customers, and even in redefining your value proposition. In our case, our relationships with customers look different now, we’re no longer in a physical environment and that can impact the experience one has with us. So, from a virtual sales team perspective, it’s important to focus on what makes your engagement memorable and valuable to a prospect.
From a technology perspective, it’s about enabling your employees with the tools they need but also the right IT support, whether that’s from a vendor or someone in-house because issues will come up both small and large. And lastly, don’t forget the importance of relationship-building within the team.
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