BlueStar Nation

Sensor-Driven Analytics w/FastSensor's Kalon Welch

“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:

Elo Return to Work Solutions

Zebra Intelligent Cabinets

Selling Payments to SMB w/NAB's Chris Lenz

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:

Elo Interactive QSR Solutions

Zebra Media Supplies

Retail Hardware Trends w/BlueFletch's Brett Cooper

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?

 

 

BlueFletch Blog Post

 

 

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

Elo POS Solutions

Zebra EC50/EC55

How to Create Customer Demand w/James Korte

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:

Elo M50 Touch Computer

Zebra Fixed RFID Readers

POS Trends for This Year & Beyond w/Star Micronics' Brianna Moriarty

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

TEC Bytes #2: Revenge of the Watercooler

Dean & John are back to breaking down some interesting items happening in the news and the worlds of tech, science and business.

• What’s affecting some birds in the Midwest and Southern US?
• The SolarWinds hackers are at it again!
• What trends are reshaping work in 2021?
• Why is Google delaying privacy updates to Chrome?
• What is polywork?
• Finally, we’ll explore how one person can literally wreck a major sporting event for a photo op.

 

#VARValue - What can VARs take away from some of these stories?

 

#TEConnecting with us:

Dean - The UFO Report and Hubble Telescope in "safe mode"

John - The Ford F-150 Lightning

 

What stories would you like us to discuss?

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

 

Sponsored by:

Elo POS Solutions

Zebra Healthcare Solutions

Smart Technology for Senior/Long-Term Care w/Leading Age’s Dr. Majd Alwan

As another generation of seniors begins transitioning into long-term care, assisted living, nursing homes and other facilities, the technological infrastructure in place for the industry is in dire need of upgrades. This week, Dr. Majd Alwan, Executive Director of CAST at Leading Age, joins us to explore where we are currently and what’s going to change as our elderly population becomes increasingly tech savvy. We all know what went wrong in senior living during the pandemic, but how did technology help some things go right? How are Boomers affecting the demand for updated tech? How does Leading Age help drive the conversation, advocate for change, and provide resources to VARs and TSCs that want to help?

 

#VARValue - Tell us about the resources that CAST offers VARs & ISVs to help them move their customers forward. 

• Technology Selection Tools
• CAST Case Studies
• Strategic IT Planning Tools
• Cybersecurity Resources

 

TEConnecting with us:

Majd - Wearable devices, service robots & exoskeletons

Dean - PDK infinitely recyclable plastics

John - How to do laundry in space

 

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

 

Sponsored by:

Elo Edge Connect

Zebra Patient Identity Management

Food Safety Technology w/Zebra's Ashley Barey

Food safety is topical for restaurants, grocers and, of course, customers. From foodborne illnesses to food allergies, hyperlocal sourcing, and FDA guidelines, there is a lot for businesses sell, prepare or deliver food to keep and mind and be vigilant about. This week, Zebra’s Ashley Barey joins us to discuss how we can utilize technology to combat some of these issues and where opportunities may lie for resellers. What does the FDA have planned that we should be talking about now? How did the pandemic impact the discussion? What are some key technologies for storage, traceability and delivery? What about food waste? It’s the episode that you should sniff to make sure it’s still fresh.

 

#VARValue - Where do you start with positioning food safety technology? Who is the typical audience for this?

 

TEConnecting with us:

Ashley - Trackable pill technology

Dean - The perfect number of working hours

John - Nikola's self-driving truck that wasn't

 

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

 

Sponsored by:

Zebra Electronic Temperature Sensors

B2B Trends for This Year & Beyond

Business to business selling, like everything else, has changed dramatically over the past year and a half, but as we return to some sense of normalcy, what does that mean for the rest of 2021 and beyond? We’re diving into some trends and behavior shifts coming out of the pandemic as technology weaknesses were exposed. How much are budgets being cut? What’s the new balance between customer interactions via digital channels and face-to-face? How much of a factor is user experience? What do younger generations expect as they take control of businesses? It’s the episode that knows you probably aren’t looking at us while you listen.

#VARValue - Which of these trends are actionable today?

TEConnecting with us:

Dean - Morpheus unhackable CPU

John - Criminals busted by FBI created messaging app

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

Sponsored by:

Elo DICOM Medical Monitors

Zebra's "What Can You See?" Campaign

Navigating the Government Buying Season w/Jeff Smith

It’s buying season! Well, at least it is if you are a government reseller. This week, we brought back Jeff Smith to help us prepare. We dig into the Biden administration’s Infrastructure/American Jobs Plan to figure out where there may be opportunities that impact our channel in the years to come. Then, we talk about what to expect as the federal government moves into their Q4 and SLED winds down their year. What should VARs be doing right now? What’s next on the to-do list? Finally, we ask Jeff to identify any technologies or solutions that we should be focusing on this year.

#VARValue - How does BlueStar and Zebra help gov’t VARs during the buying season?

TEConnecting with us:

Jeff - IT modernization

Dean - Space junk

John - Amazon Sidewalk

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

Sponsored by:

Zebra ZD Series Printers (https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/manufacturers/manufacturer-microsites/zebra/zd421zd621.html)