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“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, or bending the rules that they find hard to get around with other wholesalers—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.

Contact:

Pi Data Supplies

Toll-free 1-877-532-0555

www.pidatasupplies.com

By Jamie Hamilton— in addition to writing business profiles in ENX, Jamie writes and designs ads, brochures, catalogs, newsletters, and manuals for companies in the imaging industry. She can be contacted at: Tel/ Fax 502-896-1051 or e-mail her at: jamiewriter@hotmail.com.

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