CSG spearheads Canon multi-channel sales drive

The move to contract the sales and service of Canon MFDs has proven its worth with increased sales in the first six months.

High-profile industry identity and former Fuji Xerox managing director, Phil Chambers, is executive chairman of the publicly listed print services and technology company, CSG, that is a key part of the new Canon go-to-market strategy. It is responsible for the sales and service of a substantial part of the installed base of Canon’s multi-function devices.

Under the management of Ken Kobayashi, Canon Australia managing director, (pictured on right with Craig Manson,director, Canon Business Imaging and Phil Chambers, executive chairman CSG)  the new alignment is part of an aggressive sales drive in the lucrative MFD office market. To facilitate the entry of the Darwin-based CSG, Kobayashi in April this year authorised the transferral of 10,500 units to CSG for a consideration of $31 million.

This created sufficient critical mass for CSG to build its sales and service arm. It started with 37 sales specialists and is now at 85 with most of the extra 50 transferring across from Canon. It has also increased the number of machines it is responsible for to 12,500, a growth rate of more than 20%.

The engagement with CSG is a major change for Canon, which has traditionally been a single channel company, selling it products directly to end-users. According to Craig Manson, director, Canon Business Imaging, the company has done a strategic rethink.

There are no immediate plans for CSG to enter the print production market on Canon’s behalf but it is on the agenda. With Chambers undoubted expertise in the sector it would be a logical expansion of activity.

According to Chambers there have been no discussions yet with Canon, but it is on the agenda for next year. Bedding down the sky rocketing growth in MFDs is a big enough challenge at present. He puts a lot of the initial success down to the calibre of the CSG sales force.

“I think the CSG Sales Team is the best I have seen. Bear in mind that the deal with Canon was only done five months ago at a time when we had no salespeople, no support staff and no technicians. We had to build a completely new multi-million dollar business from a zero base. We had to find new premises in each capital city, a new national customer support centre, as well as recruiting a complete sales and service organisation,” said Chambers.

“Now we have a complete national physical infrastructure in place as well as a sales team of 77 specialists and 85 technicians. In my 40-year experience in the industry, the quality of the sales force we have recruited in Sydney is second to none. Even making allowances for the inevitable teething problems faced by any start up business, the productivity of the sales force and the morale of the whole team are quite extraordinary."