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TEConnect is the podcast that tackles the news, trends, and technologies impacting the specialty IT reseller channel, software companies, and hardware manufacturers. Hosted by John Martin & Dean Reverman. Tell us what YOU want to hear about: teconnect@bluestarinc.com
Episodes
Thursday Sep 23, 2021
Thursday Sep 23, 2021
It’s a world of color, so why do we still have to look at so many black & white labels? We’re joined by Epson’s Andy Scherz to explain why color labeling is beneficial for all businesses looking to communicate clearly, grab attention, create brand recognition, and more! We’ll explore which industries really benefit, dispel some myths and objections, and provide some tips to help you convince customers it’s time to make the switch.
#VARValue – How can VARs partner with Epson to sell color print solutions?
TEConnecting with us:
Andy - The pervasiveness of video
Dean - Tech Workers Secretly Working Multiple Jobs from Home
John - Autonomous Work Pod
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Sponsored by:
Epson T88VII Receipt Printer
Thursday Sep 16, 2021
Thursday Sep 16, 2021
Everyone wants to see their company grow, but are they ready to do so at scale? This week, author, “Growth Geek,” and founder of Lolly.co Daniel Cooper joins us from across the pond to explain the difference between traditional growth and rapid scaling. What is “normalization deviance”? What can go wrong when companies try to scale without being ready? What are some of the simple systems we can structure to start the process? What does the new world of remote work mean for hiring the best possible team to expand your business?
#VARValue – For VARs that think they’re ready to scale, what are one or two things you think they can do right now?
Learn more about Daniel's company and his upcoming book, Upgrade, at Lolly.co
TEConnecting with us:
Daniel - SwitchBot
Dean - How we spent our time in 2020 (or did we?)
John - Why delivery drones are struggling to take off
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Sponsored by:
Elo Cannabis POS
Zebra Service Contracts eBook
Thursday Sep 09, 2021
Thursday Sep 09, 2021
This week, we kick off with a nearly 30 year old music reference before diving into the world of Edge Computing with Advantech’s Charlie Wu. He helps us understand how it differs from cloud computing, what resources are needed to compute on the edge, and some practical examples of industries or situations where mission-critical, near instant computing is necessary and vital.
#VARValue - How does Advantech help businesses get started with edge computing?
TEConnecting with us:
Charlie - AI, facial recognition & autonomous vehicles
Dean - Geneticists using Excel
John - Cultivated/cultured meat
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Sponsored by:
Advantech AIM-75S Industrial-Grade Tablet
Thursday Sep 02, 2021
Thursday Sep 02, 2021
We have pretty high expectations for our travel, dining, and entertainment, even before the pandemic. Customers crave experiences that feel unique or catered to them. This week, we’re doing some future thinking with Epson’s Joshua Stanphill & David Vander Dussen. First, where are the priorities for the next 6 months to a year? What technologies do we expect to take off over the next decade and how? What about recreational events like sports, concerts, etc…? It’s the episode that doesn’t want to spend too much time on its feet!
#VARValue – What should VARs be investing in or working on with their hospitality customers to “future-proof” that business?
TEConnecting with us:
Josh - Digitally enabled saltwater reef tank
David - Microfulfillment
Dean - NASA Recruiting for Simulated Mars Mission
John - Disney's Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser "resort"
Sponsored by:
Thursday Aug 26, 2021
Thursday Aug 26, 2021
Asset management feels like a relatively simplistic concept, but treating it as such results in assets that are lost, damaged, outdated or unsafe. This week, we’re joined by Shrikant Nistane from Crave InfoTech, who takes a smarter approach to the topic and how it dramatically impacts business functionality. What’s the difference between asset and inventory management? What is the asset management “maturity curve”? What do most enterprises get wrong? We’ll also explore some industries that you might not think of that can benefit from better asset management.
#VARValue – How can VARs refresh their asset management conversations for customers that think they’re doing fine?
TEConnecting with us:
Shrikant - Self-driving vehicles and blockchain
Dean - Cruise driverless shuttles
John - Are we investing too much in skills that will soon be obsolete?
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Sponsored by:
Thursday Aug 19, 2021
Thursday Aug 19, 2021
“Customer journey”—the practice of understanding how someone reaches a buying decision—is a popular topic in sales, but what about literally mapping someone’s physical journey in spaces like conference halls, showrooms, retail stores or even within a workplace? This episode, we’re talking to the innovative co-owner and EVP of FastSensor, Kalon Welch. They use sensors to gather anonymous signals from mobile devices to understand how people move within a space and provide actionable data. How does this differ from beaconing or other monitoring systems? How did they pivot to provide real benefit during the pandemic? How do sensors help prove ROI for events? What does it mean for growing retail trends? It’s the episode that includes an “Inception pirouette!”
#VARValue – What should VARs be asking or looking for to suggest sensor-driven analytics as a solution?
TEConnecting with us:
Kalon - "True" AI
Dean - Northrup to build homes in moon orbit
John - Scary smart AI toys
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Sponsored by:
Zebra Intelligent Cabinets
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
While debit and credit cards have been popular for some time, cash still had a big piece of the pie as well. Now, “non-cash” payments like in-app, online, mobile wallets and other electronic options are adding convenience and changing the way consumers think about how they pay for something. Chris Lenz from North American Bancard joins us to weigh in on the topic and help us push that conversation forward with SMB retailers. How has the discussion changed during his time in the industry? What did we learn during the pandemic as businesses were forced to accept other payment types? Why is this change not just for big box national chains? Finally, we’ll address some myths, concerns and misconceptions about new payment types.
#VARValue – How does NAB help VARs sell new payment types to SMB customers?
TEConnecting with us:
Chris - Biometrics & smart contact lenses
Dean - Amazon wants to monitor our sleep
John - PostDates - Get Your Stuff Back
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Sponsored by:
Thursday Aug 05, 2021
Thursday Aug 05, 2021
We all know that retail went through dramatic and unexpected change in the last couple years. Concepts like BOPIS, curbside pickup, delivery, omnichannel, and more leapt to the forefront to keep businesses afloat and push the industry into the future that consumers wanted all along. We’ve talked a lot about the software angle to make these innovations happen, but what about the hardware? BlueFletch’s Brett Cooper joins us to explain why enterprise mobile devices are the only way to go to enable these trends. Why not consumer devices? How do we emphasize the “rugged” aspect of purpose-built devices? Why is Android the preferred OS? It’s the episode where John spends his time texting with T9 under the table.
#VARValue – How do the latest rugged devices help VARs partner with leading software providers?
TEConnecting with us:
Brett - Apple Macbooks w/M1 chip
Dean - Legend of Zelda sells for $870K
John - Botrista Robotic beverage maker
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Sponsored by
Thursday Jul 29, 2021
Thursday Jul 29, 2021
James Korte, BlueStar’s Digital Marketing Manager, returns for part 2 of his deep dive into B2B marketing and selling based on the book The Challenger Customer. Last time we helped you understand how B2B buying groups work. This time, we’re going to tackle how to find and create demand for your products, solutions or services. It’s not as simple as having brand recognition, the biggest selection or the best pricing. How do we find the true pain points of customers? What is the Mental Model and how do we convince customers that their status quo needs to change? What is Spark/Interest/Confront?
#VARValue - What are some key takeaways and a practical example from this discussion?
Revisit part 1 of our discussion
TEConnecting with us:
James - Alyce marketing "gift" platform
Dean - Pavement "sunscreen"
John - Are aliens tuning in during their Earth Transit Zone?
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Sponsored by:
Thursday Jul 22, 2021
Thursday Jul 22, 2021
We’re midway through the second year of unexpected challenges and innovation for retail and hospitality. Even as restrictions are lifted and some normalcy returns, customer expectations for where and how they purchase have changed forever. This week, Star Micronics’ Partner Development Manager (and fellow podcaster!) Brianna Moriarty joins us to dive into five POS trends to expect for the rest of the year. Is online ordering going to slow down? Are consumers still concerned about health & safety? What are end users expecting when adopting and integrating new technology? Finally, what’s next for self-service kiosks?
#VARValue - What should resellers be talking about with their POS customers to capitalize on these trends?
Referenced Article: https://www.starmicronics.com/blog/pos-trends/
Check out Brianna's Rising Stars Podcast
TEConnecting with us:
Brianna - BOPIS
Dean - CRISPR Gene Editing
John - Solar & wind power are cheaper than coal
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Sponsored by:
Star Micronics' Antimicrobial covers