Maybe not, but read this anyway because it’s got some tips that might help you in your purchase of – well – most anything.

When you buy a drill, you’re not really buying the drill . . . You’re investing in the benefits (the holes) that tool will provide you for years, right?

So . . . In my case, I think I want/need a new Printer and a new scanner.

I’ve bought a LOT of printers and scanners in the past, and had not bought a single one that I truly felt I had gotten my money’s worth until I found THIS one:

LaserJet Pro 400 M401dn Network-Ready Laser Printer which was SO worth it because all I wanted was a Black & White high speed document printer that could print on both sides (Duplex).

I did NOT want the “All in one” because I have learned through the years that those machines will print in color, scan, and fax, but they do none of those things particularly well and tend to be VERY expensive in a high volume setting. The ink was costing almost $100/ month.

My Laserjet Pro M401dn does EXACTLY what I want it to do. It prints from any computer I link to it wirelessly or wired and churns documents out all day every day with almost no malfunction whatsoever. The Toner cartridges are in the $150 range and print over 6,000 sides (lasting @ 2 months for me).

I am now shopping for ONE printer which does only one other thing well in High Volume . . . I want this one to print COLOR documents (for my agents in the office) at high speed and high volume without breaking the bank, so I decided to see if my M401dn might have a sibling that fits the bill?

Hewlett Packard M451DN Laserjet Enterprise 400 Color Printer

Isn’t she pretty?

YES! – Same specs for printing, and the color toner is @ $130 for a 2 month supply.

So . . . While shopping, I learned a few things when I noticed that there were 3 models of this printer that all looked the same but were differently priced. When I looked at the side-by-side comparisons, I couldn’t discern a difference in features, so I started reading reviews.

It turns that if you’re really wanting to buy a printer that does what YOU want it to do, it behooves you well to understand what those lower case letters trailing the model number mean.

d = Duplex

n = Network Connection

w = Wired Connection

dn = Duplex and Network

dw = Duplex and Wired

dnw = Duplex, Network, AND Wired

I also learned that if you’re wanting to do high definition color printing, these printers don’t come with enough memory, so you’ll have to buy an additional memory chip.

Next stop:

As I transition my office into a mostly paperless operation, I have a need for a High speed, High volume, and SMART scanner. Yep!

This scanner must be the BEST at scanning AND helping me organize my documents in my cloud.

I knew that “ScanSnap” is the leading edge software platform to accomplish what I want, so I started rooting around for ScanSnap machines and discovered what most of the experts claim to be THE leader in that realm.

Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Scanner

While I was reading reviews, I stumbled across an “Evernote Model” . . . I’m starting to play with Evernote and wondered if that might be worth exploring . . . until I saw one reviewer tell the uncomfortable truth that the Evernote Model would not work well in a non-evernote capacity . . . not for me, because I’m not fully invested in Evernote.

I’m tickled pink with my 3 choices . . . and there IS a moral to my long story.

If you want the BEST performance:

• you first must know what that means to YOU!
• You’ll find greater satisfaction from a specialized product that does ONE thing well
• Be willing to pay more for it on the front end . . . and then benefit later by lower cost of operation (more efficient with your time, energy, and money)
• take whatever time it takes to research the options
• Seek reviews from other people who have gone before you and learn the jargon so as to avoid buying an “n” when what you really want is a “w”

Are you a Professional?

Are you the BEST at what you do?

Are you highly specialized?

Are you able to articulate your benefits clearly to your prospects?

Are your current and prior clients offering reviews that validate your claims?

These are important questions which might very well be defining your success (or lack thereof)

which printer are you and how will we find you?

FOCUS your energy and talent and BE the upgrade you clients desire.

About Barry Owen

Residential Real Estate Principal Broker and Founder of Pareto Realty, LLC. Creating the quintessential real estate firm with emphasis on "Live, Work, & Play" balance . . . and a true Performance Oriented environment for Real Estate Professionals. Serving the Real estate needs of Home Buyers and Sellers in Middle Tennessee.