- Laser Connection is a national distributor of office supplies like toner and ink that secured a $60K annual contract through a lead on Ariba Discovery to provide supplies to 45 locations. - Through Ariba Discovery, they started building relationships with 15 large buying organizations and learned how to better market themselves to prospective buyers. - Using Ariba Discovery and attending the Ariba LIVE event, they gained valuable contacts, cut down on travel and acquisition costs, and received automated leads, helping them achieve a 20x return on investment within one year of using Ariba solutions.

1. Challenges Solutions Results
• Secured a $60K annual contract
from a medium-sizednew buyer to
provide toners to 45 locationsby
respondingto a lead on
Ariba Discovery
• Through Ariba Discovery, started
buildingnew relationshipswith
prospective customers from
15 large buying organizations
• Learned how to better showcase
themselveswith prospective
buyers during a profile
consultationoffered as part of
theirAdvantage Plussubscription
• Received many valuable contacts
through their booth activitiesat
Ariba LIVE and discovered how to
differentiatethemselvesfrom
the competition
• Cut down travel time and cost as
wellas labor expensesby makingit
very easy to reach potential
buyers without leaving the office
• Time-intensivenew customer
acquisitionprocess involving
list purchases, cold calls, and
local networkingevents
• Majorityof customersare
small accounts requiringlabor-
intensive offlineordering
• Had a hard time getting into
more lucrative large buying
organizationswith hundreds
of locationsand automated
onlineordering
• Difficultycompetingwith large
national retail chains with large
advertising budgets and high
brand awareness
• Toners are an often-
overlooked lineof products,
with most buyers purchasing
them bundledtogether with
other officesuppliesinsteadof
sourcingthem separately,
thereby foregoinghuge
potential savings
• Had participatedin a few reverse
auctionsand identified Ariba®
as the most user-friendlysite
with many opportunities
and a big number of large
national buying customers
• Started using the Ariba
Discovery™ service to easily
identifyleads, especially
from large nationwide
buying organizations
• Signed up for the Advantage Plus
Package to maximizevisibility
with new prospects and
unlimitedresponsesto postings
• Receivingabout 20 email
notificationsper month with
linksto new matchingleads
• Capitalizingon networking
activitiesand booth presence at
AribaLIVE to showcase company
to decision-makersat large
buying organizations
Profile
Laser Connection is a national distributor
of office equipment and supplies (toner,
ink and ribbons) for large multiple
location end users (grocery chains, dental
chains, etc). The firm has been in business
for over 15 years, concentrating on great
customer service, with an easy online
ordering experience for anyone who uses
its online web ordering system. With
XML, AS2,and LEVEL3 Data exchange for
P-Cards.
Ariba Solutions
 Ariba Discovery
 Ariba Network
Connecting With 15 Large Buyers,
Achieving 20x ROI in One Year
“ThroughAriba Discovery,we now haveaccessto potential buyers allover theworld.
And weget instantcredibilityjust by being on thenetwork.Buyerslook at us as a
potential partner– it’s notlike a cold call. They seeyou andinvite you to their
sourcingevent,and you’realreadypast thefirst hurdle.Thefact that you’regetting
invited to bids throughAriba Discoveryis key. Eventually,you’regoing toget
business.”Frank Gonzalez, LaserConnection
“Any supplier that isn’t on Ariba
Discovery is missing the boat.”
Frank Gonzalez, Laser Connection
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