enx magazine

Having the right people, products, and prices has been the backbone of the success of Frontier Imaging since its beginning in 1999. Over the past eight years, owner and president Boon Leo and his staff have increased the products Frontier offers.

Leo, as his friends and customers refer to him, believes, “Our goal has always been to differentiate ourselves from the other sellers of office equipment supplies and parts. Our newest innovation is our e-commerce Website, www.frontierimaging.com, which provides one-stop purchasing for all your imaging needs. The password-protected shopping pages provide our customers with instant access to our products, prices, and order status. You can also browse through the list of over 10,000 new OEM and compatible parts and supplies for most major brands and models of copiers and fax machines.”

Frontier Imaging is proud to offer Elite, its own brand of premium compatible parts and supplies. Elite products offer significant savings of 30 percent compared to OEM products. Elite offers America’s best warranty for a full 12 months. Frontier now carries a wide assortment of Elite drums, fuser rollers, cleaning rollers/webs, bearings, feed tires, pick-off fingers, and copier and fax supplies.

“We’re always trying to make our customer’s business life easier and more profitable. We have an extensive, up-to-date cross reference index that allows our sales reps to suggest an alternate, less expensive OEM product that will meet your needs. Very often Savin toner, developer, and drums are compatible with Ricoh products. Many drums and developers work in several different makes and models.” Leo explains.

Often, the knowledge shared by the Frontier rep allows you the luxury of winning a large bid by offering an alternative product at a much higher percentage of profit. Experienced purchasing agents are usually very receptive to buying another OEM product to fulfill the requirements of a Request For Quote. Frontier’s sales reps have the ability to listen to your questions and provide a solution, not just an answer.

Listening to the needs of its customers is essential. When a customer asks, “Do you have any Canon GPR1 toner?” Rather than telling him “No,” your Frontier rep goes the extra step of checking the reorder status. “We have 500 units due in on Friday. I can arrange a priority turnaround and ship your needed toner out the same day. I can do a blind drop ship, directly to your customer and actually save you money by eliminating the double shipping cost.”

The experienced sales personnel at Frontier understand your business. They provide the total package of being professional, knowledgeable, creative thinkers and are able to obtain hard to find items. They understand that those who buy from them usually shop around for the lowest-priced seller. Responding politely to price requests is part of their job. “I’m always happy to provide current pricing,” states a Frontier sales rep. “I know if they don’t call, they won’t buy. We always welcome callers inquiring about needed products. Whether you require one item or one thousand master cases, Frontier wants to be your vendor of choice.”

The Frontier goal is to provide information and products, or more simply put, “One call does it all.” It’s OK if you call Frontier first or last. Just call and give them the opportunity to earn your business. Very often a customer will call requesting prices on five to 10 items. As they place the order for all the items, the customer tells the Frontier rep, “You’re saving me so much on six of the products, for convenience, I’m buying everything from you, even though your prices are a little high on a couple of the items. Knowing I’ll have everything here tomorrow with just one freight charge and one invoice is worth a great deal.”

“When a customer calls requesting a product we do not have, our buyers are alerted,” Leo continues. “We always try to find new sources for fresh OEM and quality Elite compatibles. Our goal is to always be abreast of the ever-changing needs of the industry. In the beginning, Frontier specialized in only OEM products. As the quality and use of compatibles has increased, Frontier now offers many categories of Elite compatible products. As new equipment is released, we strive to stock the products that your customers are requesting.”

Balancing the need to have products for new equipment and continuing to stock products for older models requires constant vigilance. Frontier understands the dynamic nature of the industry. Its employees are experts in importing and exporting. Leo has an extensive import, export background that dates back to his work in Singapore. He maintains buying and selling contacts all over the world. He and the other purchasing agents at Frontier feel at home working with their customers who both buy and sell in Asia, Europe, and North and South America. Understanding the logistical needs of fast, economical shipping is vital in keeping the final price of the item to a minimum. Frontier’s staff is very knowledgeable dealing in international currencies, time zones, cultural differences, and global marketing conditions. They speak English, Spanish, and several dialects of Chinese.

Leo explains, “Currently we have several classifications of customers. We supply OEM products to general imaging dealers and wholesalers [of every size]. We wholesale in and out of North America. With the downward value of the U.S. dollar, we are extremely competitive in wholesaling American made products to international buyers. We can offer each group individualized pricing that allows optimum profit margins for all concerned.”

Leo feels the wholesale market for imaging supplies is enormous. The increasing use of color by end users has significantly increased the amount of toner and ink vendors sell. The higher price of color supplies has created smarter end users who no longer choose to buy directly from the OEM. This has created a new, more profitable distribution market for color supplies. Each time an end user calls for color products, the reseller has the opportunity to offer other products and services the end user may need.

Frontier instantly provides your dealership access to its $3 million dollar product inventory. These products can be sent directly to the wholesaler or can be blind drop shipped to your customer today. You can use its e-commerce Website or talk to a sales rep via phone. In either case, Frontier provides a wide range of knowledge, same-day shipping, and instant confirmation of product availability.

Leo is very sensitive to overlapping markets. Frontier will never knowingly be in competition with one of your customers. Personalized service and acute knowledge of other wholesale companies enables Frontier to strive to never undercut one of its own wholesale customers.

When talking to the staff members, you can hear this same pride and responsibility to their guardianship of the business. Leo emphatically states, “I do not ever want to disappoint a customer. I will not accept a purchase order number unless I know I can provide the promised product. My customer’s purchase order instantly becomes my responsibility. It is a matter of honor and trust.”

OEM products remain Frontier’s main product lines to include Brother, Canon, Copystar, Gestetner, Hewlett Packard, Konica Minolta, Kyocera Mita, Lanier, Lexmark, Muratec, Okidata, Panasonic, Ricoh, Risograph, Samsung, Savin, Sharp, Toshiba, and Xerox. Frontier wholesales toner, developer, drums, and rollers for these major manufacturers. Those products account for about 90 percent of all the company sells—with no surprises, a known product at a sensational price, shipped the same day on all orders received by 3:30 p.m. Pacific time. The company has the flexibility of shipping UPS or any other freight company the purchaser requests.

Frontier offers terms with an approved credit application. The use of Master Card, Visa, or American Express enables same-day shipping for new customers. COD shipping is also available. Local Southern California buyers are welcome to use its Will Call department, which is structured for fast product turnaround. You can call ahead to preorder your products or just arrive and place your order at the Will Call desk.

Leo believes there’s enough business for everyone to prosper. Honesty and integrity is an important component of ongoing success. The company has grown by offering knowledgeable sales reps, immediate product availability, competitive pricing, and personalized customer relationships. It appreciates the people and businesses that have chosen Frontier to be their wholesaler of choice.

Frontier has worked diligently over the past decade to be your number one choice for all your OEM, compatible, and Elite copier and fax supplies and parts. Visit its new e-commerce Website or give its knowledgeable reps a call. Frontier Imaging is your import and export specialists. Start increasing your profit margins by partnering with Frontier Imaging today.

by Ronelle Ingram

Contact Info

Frontier Imaging

825 West Walnut Ave.

Compton CA 90020

phone: 888/530-8811 or 310/898 -2688 • fax: 310/898-2788

Website: www.frontierimaging.com

E-mail: sales@frontierimaging.com

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