Peter : On Rad's Radar?
Peter
| Peter Radizeski of RAD-INFO, Inc. talking telecom, Cloud, VoIP, CLEC, and The Channel.

October 2009

You are browsing the archive for October 2009.

A Profitable Bundle

October 30, 2009

This PowerPoint presentation represents the outline of what my panel was going to discuss at Broadsoft Connections. We were going to make 3 points about Marketing a Profitable UC Bundle: 

  1. Does Bundling Work;
  2. How do you sell it;
  3. What makes a successful bundle

Does Bundling Work? It depends. Are you using a Bundle for Customer Retention or Customer Acquisition?



Microcorp Announces Commission Insurance

October 30, 2009

Atlanta based Telecom Master Agency announced at their Annual One-on-One event that they would be providing Commission Insurance. The details are coming (Brad Miehl said in November), but it looks like Evergreen may get a new look. Is this more Master Agency 2.0 innovation? Looking out for the agent more than ever.

The User Experience

October 26, 2009

At Broadsoft Connections this morning, Michael Tessler spoke about it being all about apps and the Customer Experience. (Has he been reading my slides?)

One reason IP Telephony grew (according to Dell'Oro) 7% to $737M in 2Q09 is because IPT lowers the cost of the capital expenditure (CAPEX) and it also lowers the cost of maintenance and support.  

As an industry we have to move away from talking cost savings to a discussion about value to the customer experience. Efficiency, Productivity, Privacy and Security will be key topics coupled with TCO and ROI studies.

The User Experience must be about usefulness, ease of use, reliable and enjoyable. (Something that most folks would not associate with telcos.)

You need to take the technology out of the way of the user.







A Collision is Coming

October 26, 2009

Another point Nicholas Carr made was that IT and telecom are colliding. A new landscape is coming. 

My thoughts immediately went to GV. Who will be replaced by Google Voice?
  • Who is the commodity?  
  • Who will add Value to the User Experience?
People will pay for easy and reliable. (Not all of them will, but more than enough will.


Cloud Computing Keynote Thoughts

October 26, 2009

Nicholas Carr, author of The Big Switch, was the keynote this morning. He spoke about Computing becoming a Utility. Cloud computing is all about computing becoming a utility to be delivered like electricity -- and how this will change the shape of business.

My thoughts on "The Cloud":

Is Information Technology (or computer architecture) too challenging and or too much overhead for many businesses? 

Cloud computing and Virtualization are just new names for Managed Servers and Hosting and Managed Services.

When data shows that businesses are using cloud services, the term is so general (much like the term UC, unified communications), that it includes data storage/backup, managed email, web conferencing and hosting. (think about that the next time you see the data).

Moore's law has outpaced Grove's Law, Carr showed.









Off to the Phoenician

October 26, 2009

 


I am at the Broadsoft Connections event with 775 other folks piled into the Phoenician. Gorgeous hotel set at the foot of the mountains in Phoenix. Staff is nice and the suite is sweet.

I'm speaking tomorrow on a panel with Bell Canada, RoutIT, and KPN.


Another VoIP Patent

October 23, 2009

Equinix Buying S&D

October 22, 2009

Steve Smith, CEO of Equinix, is excited because he just bought Switch and Data. From a letter he sent:

"Today, we announced our intention to acquire Switch and Data in a transaction valued at approximately $689 million of equity value which will further extend our leadership position in North America. The transaction will allow us to serve you as the most comprehensive data center services provider for your global online business needs. </ br> The transaction will include 34 data centers in 22 markets located in the United States and Canada and will extend the company's presence to 16 new markets across North America, including Atlanta, Denver, Miami, Seattle, and Toronto. The acquisition will add more than one million gross square feet of data center capacity, bringing Equinix's total global footprint to 79 data centers in 34 markets and more than six million square feet of capacity across the North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific markets."

Consolidation. Probably a good time for it in this space with all the buzz around Cloud, Virtualization, and the need for secure, reliable, redundant data centers.

PBX Box Pushing

October 21, 2009

All the talk about Hosted VoIP being on the rise, blah, blah, blah. Meanwhile, Paetec is on LinkedIn "hiring PBX (Telephone Equipment) Sales Reps for our Raleigh, Nashville, Memphis Offices." For the Allworx product line, I would imagine.

KeaneTel, a Master Agency, is advertising Training on ShoreTel IP PBX Sales. "This is the first of four Training Webinars on ShoreTel by KeaneTel."

Microcorp Agent of the Year

October 15, 2009

FTC Blogger Guidelines

October 14, 2009

Recently the FTC decided that there should be more transparency in blogging (and other new media platforms). So as a blogger I have to spell out my relationship with anyone I write about. 

I started as a BellSouth agent in 1999. My disdain for AT&T comes from having to deal with their poor attitude towards agents -- and paying proper commissions. So when I am beating on their head, it's because they are, in my opinion, horrible to deal with as  company and as an agent.

VoIP Providers in the Channel

October 14, 2009

Bandwidth.com just disbanded their agent channel. Other VoIP providers have done that as well.  And I hear some complaints about the cable company indirect channel programs.

The problem isn't the Agent Channel. The problem is the Channel Program design. 

You have to design a program that will work, folks.  You have to train your agents on the benefits, how it works, how it will be implemented, and how to sell it. You have to have a USP or marketing message that the salesperson can grasp and re-use. 

You can blame the agents, but most times companies don't spell out who the target prospect is and how that prospect will benefit.





Top Trends for Agents

October 11, 2009

I'm in Atlanta speaking at the Microcorp One-on-One event about Trends in 2010. The three trends that I see for agents are the following: Applications, Quality of Service (QOS), and Mobile Broadband (MBB). But they are kind of inter-dependent. Ubiquious broadband leads to innovative uses and applications.

How to Optimize a WAN

October 9, 2009

My buddy, Derek Thompson, just started at Fishnet Security. Besides peddling Bluecoat and SonicWall Managed Services, he is also selling WAN Optimization. While I have heard of this, I had no idea what it was or how it worked. So Derek invited me to sit down with Doug Kruger of Riverbed.

Personal Branding for Agents

October 5, 2009

I'm in Atlanta at the Microcorp event to moderate a round table for agents centered around sales and marketing. The title is Personal Branding. How do you promote your personal brand? 

When selling replacement commodity items, your brand may not be that important. However, when using the Consultative Sales approach or looking for the sweet spot in the role of Trusted Advisor, it is about your knowledge, skills, and reputation.

One on One with Agents

October 5, 2009

Master Agency Microcorp is holding its One-on-One Event for its agents in Atlanta next week. I will be moderating a session on Trends for 2010 & Beyond, where we will discuss the next series of services that Agents can create revenue streams from. 

You've heard the noise about Conferencing coming from the likes of Premiere and Inter-Call. With the Green movement and the economic realities of cutting down travel expenditures, video and web conferencing are selling. It's just a software application that can be sold as a service - (notice I mentioned app and SAAS there?). It creates a revenue stream for an Agent by cross-selling to your existing client base.

You can also offer Hosted Microsoft Exchange email and the Office Suite software.



The iPhone Reputation Dilemma

October 5, 2009

Over at CNN, there's an article about the iPhone hurting AT&T's brand.

While a recent survey by the consulting firm CFI Group found that iPhone users are the most loyal smartphone users, with 90 percent saying they'd recommend the device to a friend, half of all iPhone owners surveyed said they would like to jump ship to another provider if given the chance.

The sarcastic part of me is that AT&T already has a reputation problem from the way they do business. The Say No First Attitude is more like the insurance industry than the telecom field. Everyone from Agents to Customers feel the pinch from AT&T.

COMPTEL Updates FISPA

October 2, 2009

Featured Events