OEM Importer Allows Resellers Shot at High Points Earned
“We
don’t want to replace your existing supplier,”
says Pi Data Supplies founder and president, Ben Maggid.
“We want to supplement them. We’re not looking
to get all your business—we’re looking to
get a portion that’s going to be worthwhile to you.”
This is because Pi Data Supplies is different than most
wholesalers. They import product, and that means they
have a lot to work with as far as price is concerned.
“We aren’t forced to carry a full range of
products like some of our competitors— we can choose
what we want to carry,” Maggid says. “Our
objective is to save customers money.” With a full
line of brands— like HP, Lexmark, Canon, Minolta-
QMS, Konica Minolta, Panasonic, Sony, Quantum, IBM, Ricoh,
Toshiba, Xerox, Epson, Brother, Kyocera, Iomega, Samsung,
Sharp, Textronix, and many others—Pi Data Supplies
does it all, so to speak. Focusing on the central and
western regions of the United States as well as Florida
(Eastern resellers may want to wait until the Midwestern
branch opens in 2007), Pi Data Supplies is interested
in developing long-lasting relationships. Maggid, who
is a 16-year industry veteran, stresses that this is the
most important aspect of business. “The way we operate
is very relationship-oriented,” he says. “We
are interested in long-term relationships with our resellers.
We are interested in becoming a profit center for them,
and becoming a partner that will work with them.”
“We’re a small aggressive company made up
of individuals who have all been in the industry for a
long time,” he adds, “and are interested in
developing long-term relations with people. Whether it’s
on pricing, holding stock for them, importing products
hard to get here, and we give our customers certain advantages
over our competitors, such as minimum orders or rigid
pricing structures based on OEM set pricing - we are flexible.
What we offer is a relationship that we are interested
in maintaining at any price, as long as it is mutual.”
Pi Products
With
relationships as their vehicle, Pi Data Supplies looks
forward to servicing customers with a full line of imaging
supplies. Pi Data Supplies carries inkjets, toner, ribbons,
drums, optical media and data storage media such as CDs,
DVDs and data cartridges. They cover all your fax, copier,
printer, and data storage supplies needs. Pi gets product
in large quantities, because importers have to deal in
volume so the shipment is cost-effective. So, when they
have a product in stock, it may be at a price that’s
hard to beat and deep in quantity.
Also, make requests—Pi Data Supplies can source
the product you need locally or internationally as well.
“Over the years, I’ve developed a wide network
of worldwide contacts that I have maintained, upgraded,
and utilized throughout my career,” Maggid says.
“We also have a very strong international network.
That’s our advantage. We’re able to bring
product in or even source locally for less than our competition.
If we don’t have something in stock, we’ll
go out and find it.” But Pi’s import style
is what gives them the edge on points. “What distinguishes
us, first of all, is our pricing,” Maggid says.
“Resellers come to depend on us to save money. Because,
if we have a product, chances are it’s at a very
good price. We’re not here to replace their current
vendor—we are going to be about 20% of their business.”
Customer Quick Note: Blind
drop ships are available at Pi Data Supplies. All orders
made before 4:30 p.m. PST go out the same day; Pi Data
Supplies has two locations, one in Miami and one in Gardena,
Calif. There is no minimum order requirement at Pi, and
quantity price breaks are available. Also, look for Pi
Data Supplies to release a compatibles product line in
2007. Since opening here in the U.S. in 2004 (find out
more about their history below), Pi has been taking their
time to research manufacturers for quality compatible
products to incorporate into that line.
More than Customer Service—Make Yourself a Partner
Pi
Data Supplies has a different perspective when it comes
to customer service. They don’t want you to feel
like just another customer—they are looking to be
your silent partner. “We want to be their silent
profit center, their silent partner in raising their margins
and expanding their profitability,” Maggid says
of his customer base. The “silent” part probably
comes from Pi’s marketing strategy. They are not
interested in the “in-your-face” tactics that
some marketing departments are known for. “Mainly,
we go to tradeshows to promote business—we don’t
advertise in a lot of publications,” Maggid says.
“But, when you need us, we’ll be here.”
What’s more, Pi is a personable company—they
stand out against the large conglomerates. “In the
land of giants, it’s easy to make money between
the cracks,” Maggid says. “There used to be
a lot of creativity in this market, but there’s
not anymore. Everyone has gotten so big that it’s
almost like dealing with the same company, no matter whom
you call. They all have the same pricing, the same products,
the same restrictions and they are all hard to get a hold
of—you can’t get anyone on the phone. When
I started in this industry 16 years ago, the largest companies
were $100,000,000 companies. Now, that’s small.”
Pi’s knowledgeable staff has the years of experience
to be able to answer even the toughest industry questions.
For instance, Pi sales rep Steve Botonis has been in the
industry for 20 years, and Rodrigo Del Alcazar, Pi’s
Miami branch manager, has 12 years’ experience in
the industry. Professionalism and industry knowledge help
Pi Data Supplies in their quest to build significant relationships,
but it’s their availability that sets them apart
from large conglomerates and gives them the personal touch.
“We’re straightforward, honest, experienced
individuals,” Maggid says of his seasoned staff.
“When you call here you get a person, not a machine—so
you don’t have to press a lot of buttons. And when
you get someone, they will know about the business—they
want the business. We don’t just have order-takers
here.”
An International History with U.S. Beginnings
Pi
Data Supplies has an international history and an intricate
web of international contacts, which has made them a prime
candidate for importing and exporting. Some 75% of the
Miami branch’s business is export, but with Maggid’s
international connections, they aren’t even trying.
“We aren’t focusing on exporting,” he
says. “We are focusing on the dealer base here in
the U.S. As an importer, sometimes we’re forced
to take large quantities; it has to be worth bringing
it in. We’ll bring in more than a month’s
stock, so we need to have the outlets to move large volumes
of product quickly.” While his product is coming
from all over, Pi Data Supplies originally began as an
offshoot of a company that Maggid founded 10 years ago
called MCS International LTD. An OEM wholesaler much like
Pi, MCS ships from its logistics center in Netherlands.
Pi was originally going to be a branch of the European
MCS, but Maggid decided that it should be an independent
operation. Even with all these international dealings,
Maggid started his career in the industry here in the
U.S. He worked for Techno Inc., working his way from sales
rep to VP of the company. Starting there in 1989, he learned
as much as he could about the industry. Then, he left
in ’93, starting MCS three years later. While he
is still a major shareholder and the original founder
of MCS, Maggid is now concentrating mainly on his newer
project, Pi Data Supplies. Pi was founded at the beginning
of 2004 with some of Maggid’s well-developed contacts
from over the years. They opened up the export-mainly
facility in Miami at the beginning of 2005. In 2006, look
for Pi Data Supplies to sign on with several manufacturers
as an authorized wholesaler in the U.S. In 2007, they
hope to open up a midwestern facility and add compatible
cartridges to their product line.
News
“We
don’t want to replace your existing supplier,”
says Pi Data Supplies founder and president, Ben Maggid.
“We want to supplement them. We’re not looking
to get all your business—we’re looking to
get a portion that’s going to be worthwhile to you.”
This is because Pi Data Supplies is different than most
wholesalers. They import product, and that means they
have a lot to work with as far as price is concerned.
“We aren’t forced to carry a full range of
products like some of our competitors— we can choose
what we want to carry,” Maggid says. “Our
objective is to save customers money.” With a full
line of brands— like HP, Lexmark, Canon, Minolta-
QMS, Konica Minolta, Panasonic, Sony, Quantum, IBM, Ricoh,
Toshiba, Xerox, Epson, Brother, Kyocera, Iomega, Samsung,
Sharp, Textronix, and many others—Pi Data Supplies
does it all, so to speak. Focusing on the central and
western regions of the United States as well as Florida
(Eastern resellers may want to wait until the Midwestern
branch opens in 2007), Pi Data Supplies is interested
in developing long-lasting relationships. Maggid, who
is a 16-year industry veteran, stresses that this is the
most important aspect of business. “The way we operate
is very relationship-oriented,” he says. “We
are interested in long-term relationships with our resellers.
We are interested in becoming a profit center for them,
and becoming a partner that will work with them.”
With
relationships as their vehicle, Pi Data Supplies looks
forward to servicing customers with a full line of imaging
supplies. Pi Data Supplies carries inkjets, toner, ribbons,
drums, optical media and data storage media such as CDs,
DVDs and data cartridges. They cover all your fax, copier,
printer, and data storage supplies needs. Pi gets product
in large quantities, because importers have to deal in
volume so the shipment is cost-effective. So, when they
have a product in stock, it may be at a price that’s
hard to beat and deep in quantity. 
Pi
Data Supplies has a different perspective when it comes
to customer service. They don’t want you to feel
like just another customer—they are looking to be
your silent partner. “We want to be their silent
profit center, their silent partner in raising their margins
and expanding their profitability,” Maggid says
of his customer base. The “silent” part probably
comes from Pi’s marketing strategy. They are not
interested in the “in-your-face” tactics that
some marketing departments are known for. “Mainly,
we go to tradeshows to promote business—we don’t
advertise in a lot of publications,” Maggid says.
“But, when you need us, we’ll be here.”
What’s more, Pi is a personable company—they
stand out against the large conglomerates. “In the
land of giants, it’s easy to make money between
the cracks,” Maggid says. “There used to be
a lot of creativity in this market, but there’s
not anymore. Everyone has gotten so big that it’s
almost like dealing with the same company, no matter whom
you call. They all have the same pricing, the same products,
the same restrictions and they are all hard to get a hold
of—you can’t get anyone on the phone. When
I started in this industry 16 years ago, the largest companies
were $100,000,000 companies. Now, that’s small.”
Pi
Data Supplies has an international history and an intricate
web of international contacts, which has made them a prime
candidate for importing and exporting. Some 75% of the
Miami branch’s business is export, but with Maggid’s
international connections, they aren’t even trying.
“We aren’t focusing on exporting,” he
says. “We are focusing on the dealer base here in
the U.S. As an importer, sometimes we’re forced
to take large quantities; it has to be worth bringing
it in. We’ll bring in more than a month’s
stock, so we need to have the outlets to move large volumes
of product quickly.” While his product is coming
from all over, Pi Data Supplies originally began as an
offshoot of a company that Maggid founded 10 years ago
called MCS International LTD. An OEM wholesaler much like
Pi, MCS ships from its logistics center in Netherlands.
Pi was originally going to be a branch of the European
MCS, but Maggid decided that it should be an independent
operation. Even with all these international dealings,
Maggid started his career in the industry here in the
U.S. He worked for Techno Inc., working his way from sales
rep to VP of the company. Starting there in 1989, he learned
as much as he could about the industry. Then, he left
in ’93, starting MCS three years later. While he
is still a major shareholder and the original founder
of MCS, Maggid is now concentrating mainly on his newer
project, Pi Data Supplies. Pi was founded at the beginning
of 2004 with some of Maggid’s well-developed contacts
from over the years. They opened up the export-mainly
facility in Miami at the beginning of 2005. In 2006, look
for Pi Data Supplies to sign on with several manufacturers
as an authorized wholesaler in the U.S. In 2007, they
hope to open up a midwestern facility and add compatible
cartridges to their product line.