When Minolta South Africa topped the colour copier-printer market with a 35.5% market share in colour copier placements in SA in the 12 months to end 2001, SA became one of a few countries in the world where Minolta boasted a number one ranking in colour copier market share.
This position was achieved as a result of a 193% increase in Minolta colour copier sales, in comparison to the industry`s 41% increase in total colour copier sales.
Colour division product manager, Marianna Gdanis, says research results reveal that the demand for faster and more sophisticated colour copiers is growing, and attributes Minolta`s success to the implementation of a strategy, which she was recently invited to share at the Minolta Asia/Middle East conference in Japan.
"In 1997, Minolta South Africa recognised the growth opportunities in the colour market. We realised we were not the first to market, we did not have the largest range of product, and we did not necessarily have the best products on offer - so we decided to position ourselves as 'different`," says Gdanis.
To Minolta South Africa, "different" meant offering customers a unique purchasing experience. Where customers typically dealt with four different vendors for the hardware, software, technical support and consumables components of their solution, Minolta offered all these elements under one roof.
"Before we could become the 'number one` company, we had to become the 'one number` company," says Gdanis. "One number meant one company to call for a total solution."
One of the key elements of Minolta`s vision was to have the right human resources in place to deliver on the "one number" promise. Gdanis was appointed as the product manager of colour products, along with specialists in technical support and software support and training the sales team to sell this equipment.
Gdanis says the first colour copiers were aimed at copy shops and the high graphics environment. "Selling this highly specialised technology prepared us for selling machines geared towards the corporate market - as they were a lot easier to sell, easier to install and easier to use," she says.
Minolta`s sales strategy focused on total cost of ownership and, by offering customers competitive hardware and cost per copy rates, a very low break-even point could be achieved.
Gdanis says Minolta`s ongoing success is further attributed to a competitively priced product range, and top quality products that have received Editors Choice Awards and Bertl Five Star ratings. "This continues to be backed up with a focused colour division at Minolta South Africa, with a highly qualified software support division and a dedicated colour technical division," she says.
Share
