September 2010

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What to Ask Your Prospective VoIP Provider

September 29, 2010

If you are a VAR or telecom agent about to pick out a strategic partner to be the VoIP Provider that you work with, here are some things to ask the execs.

Are you a CLEC? It isn't a requirement to be a CLEC to deliver VoIP. However, if not, E-911 and porting will be done by a third-party.

Posted in CLEC, PBX, VAR, agents, channel, commissions, disaster recovery, mpls, sip trunking, smb, unified communications, voip

Tagged: agents, channel partners, clec, disaster recovery, hosted pbx, itsp, mpls, qos, sip, sip trunk, VAR, voip : Related Tags: phone numbers, numbers, provider, business, phone, questions

The Channel and IP Comm

September 29, 2010

I presented on a webinar for the Technology Channel Association today titled How to SELLECOM Hosted PBX. We had a good turn out and many questions (which I appreciate).

One question was why I would suggest that the agent NOT ask for the bill. When selling IP Communications, it isn't about cost savings.

Posted in PBX, TCA, VAR, agents, broadsoft, channel, sales and selling, telecommunications, unified communications, voip

Tagged: agents, hosted pbx, sellecom, selling, TCA, unified messaging, VAR, voip : Related Tags: broadsoft based, hosted, channel, agents, review, premise

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Just finished recording a webinar for COMDEX-Virtual on Mobility + The Cloud = Convergence in Telecom. Khali Henderson, Editor-in-Chief of Phone+ magazine was on the panel with me. I shared this article her because it was relevant. Now I want to share it with you along with my thoughts.

Posted in FCC, Internet, apps, cellular, cloud computing, saas, spectrum, wireless

Tagged: apple, apps, att, cellular, cloud computing, FCC, google, iphone, saas, vzw : Related Tags: gassée points, iphone device, louis gassée, carriers, iphone, sales

Americans Agree the Internet is Working

September 23, 2010

"Hart Research Associates conducted a national survey finding that opposition to government Internet regulation remains high with more than 75 percent of respondents agreeing that the Internet is currently working well and over 55 percent stating that the federal government should not regulate the Internet at all." From Broadband for America.

A couple of things:

Sample size: 800 voters. Not much of a cross-section of "225M registered voters.

Posted in FCC, Internet, broadband, cellular

Tagged: broadband, FCC, Internet, net neutrality : Related Tags: internet working, regulate internet, internet, regulation, regulate, access

So We Have These Mergers

September 22, 2010

So we have all these mergers taking place, then I'm reading Consulting magazine to find a book review about John Hagel's The Power of Pull. We are in an era of declining ROA from Big Business, so they have to keep buying assets to stave it off.

"to support that proposition we muster a set of evidence around performance trends over long periods of time for all public companies in the United States. In particular, we show that return on assets (ROA) for all public companies in the U.S. has eroded in a very substantial and sustained rate since 1965.

Posted in economy, mergers

Tagged: economy, mergers : Related Tags: public companies, marketing, hagel

TCA Announces Certification at Channel Chief Summit

September 20, 2010

At the Channel Partners Expo in DC this week, the Technology Channel Association (TCA), a nonprofit trade group for the indirect sales channel, held its second Channel Chief Summit. This member only event is a chance for the channel executives to mingle and discuss best practices and ways to grow the ocean that is The Channel. Topics discussed included the membership recruitment drive underway at the TCA; industry visibility opportunities for members; what role the Channel will have in cloud computing; and TCA's huge educational push.

Besides monthly peer led webinars, TCA will be launching a Certified Telecommunications Professional (CTP) program designed for telecom agents.

Posted in TCA, agents, channel

Tagged: agents, certification, channel partners, TCA : Related Tags: chief summit, channel chief, certification program, cloud computing, channel, certification

A Few Days of News

September 20, 2010

The FCC has written a protectic order for Inter-Carrier Compensation finally! "Developing a Unified Inter-Carrier Compensation Regime, establishing just and reasonable rates, Connect America, high-cost universal Service Support and the National broadband Plan for Our Future. Adopted a Protective Order in this proceeding." (Dkt No. 10-90 01-92 05-337 07-135 09-51) Just means that you can provide data redacted for privacy. But it does mean that the FCC is moving forward.

Posted in FCC, mergers, mpls

Tagged: FCC, inter-carrier compensation, master agency, merger, sutus : Related Tags: carrier compensation, inter carrier

Knology Buys Sunflower

September 20, 2010

It's an MSO acquisition. Knology is a cable operator in 12 markets, including a section of Pinellas County, Florida. Knology announced it is pay $160M to acquire Sunflower Broadband, a Lawrence Kansas ISP infamous for bandwidth caps.

From MultiChannel, "Knology has about 600,000 residential voice, video and data subscribers in Florida, South Dakota, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. Sunflower will add about 51,000 homes passed and around 105,000 revenue generating units in Lawrence, Eudora and Douglas counties in Kansas."

At the same time, Knology is trying to re-finance $770M in debt, according to Business Week.

Posted in broadband, cableco, mergers

Tagged: broadband, cableco, merger : Related Tags: knology, sunflower

VZ Bumps Commissions Again

September 13, 2010

Verizon is no longer paying commissions on new or renewal POTS as of 9/1/10. This includes Mass-Market and Mid-Tier Customers. Other changes include: discontinuing commissions for Renewals for any Mass-Market customers (20 employees or less) and a decrease in commissions of 57% for Mid-Tier Customers.

Resellers of VZ services like Granite, TNCI, MetTel, and Ernest will continue to sell and compensate POTS lines.

I have to say though, if POTS is your bread-and-butter, you are looking at the end of that bread line.

Posted in agents, commissions, telco, wireline

Tagged: agents, commissions, landline, vz, wireline : Related Tags: commissions, customers

Paetec acquiring Cavalier

September 13, 2010

PAETEC announced that it is merging with Cavalier Telephone this morning. The transaction is worth about $796M if I read between the lines correctly - $336M in debt and $460M in financing. So PAETEC gets about $800M in additional revenue for $796M.

CavTel will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of PAETEC.

Posted in CLEC, economy, fiber, mergers

Tagged: clec, fiber, merger, paetec : Related Tags: acquiring cavalier, getting bigger, paetec acquiring, paetec, cavtel, acquiring

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Sprint FMC Integration Service

September 13, 2010

According to the press release today, Sprint just annoounced Wholesale Mobile Integration. Not true. Last October at Broadsoft Connections, Sprint was talking about MVNO options like this. At the Channel Partners Expo in Vegas in february, I tracked down the Sprint Product Manager for this offering.

Posted in PBX, broadsoft, cellular, mpls, wireless, wireline

Tagged: broadsoft, FMC, mpls, mvno, sprint : Related Tags: broadsoft based, integration service, wireless integration, sprint, broadsoft, lightyear

CEO Moment

September 13, 2010

Football season started this weekend. The General Manager's job of an NFL team is to build a winning team. Let's assume that the team has a developing quarterback and a good running back. The GM's job during the draft and trade is to get the best blocking line that he can.

Posted in agents, organizations, sales and selling, voip

Tagged: agents, net-head, sales, selling, voip : Related Tags: needs, sales

The Channel Loses a Champion

September 9, 2010

Just learned that Craig Schlagbaum is leaving Level3. Craig has been a champion of the Indirect Channel since he arrived at Level3 in 2004. As a Vendor member of the Technology Channel Association, Craig has been a thought leader helping us to shape our initiatives at the TCA.

Craig helped steer partners from Progress Telecom, Looking Glass Networks, WilTel, Broadwing, Telcove and ICG through the Level3 acquisition nightmare. For that, I will always have a high respect for him. I wish him luck in his next adventure.

Posted in TCA, channel

Tagged: channel partners, level3, TCA : Related Tags: craig, level, channel

More Trade Show Tips

September 8, 2010

Here are some more links to some helpful tips for your trade show schedule.

First up, HOW TO: 10 Tips on Presenting at Conferences. Let me summarize: PowerPoint is NOT to be read to the audience and remember the 10-20-30 Rule by Guy Kawasaki (video)!

There's a rather long slide show on slideshare called Steal This Presentation.

Posted in Marketing, expo, sales and selling

Tagged: expo, itexpo, sales, selling : Related Tags: protect laptop, slideshare called, solve customers, audience, slides, solve

Trade Show Follow Up

September 8, 2010

As we enter the fall telecom trade show season, here's a link to an excellent article about How to Turn Trade Show Leads Into Clients. Number # 1 is to actually Follow Up Creatively!!

For many salespeople, following up is more like, "So do you want to buy now?" When it should involve demonstrating value. How? Ask interesting questions. Send cards, e-vites, news clippings, joke-a-day-vm, etc. Stop being boring -- but better boring than not following up at all.

See you at ITEXPO -- ask me for more tips in LA!

Posted in expo, sales and selling

Tagged: itexpo, sales, sellecom, selling : Related Tags: trade

Net-Head Talking Coming Up

September 7, 2010

At ChannelVision Expo, I will be presenting Bell-Head versus Net-Head. I have been discussing that here and in Internet Telephony magazine since January 2009. I will be touching on that in a session titled Upselling SIP Trunking at CVX, where we talk about SIP Trunking just being a stepping stone to the water fall of IP Communications. (You know that buzz word: UC?)

So this is draft one of the talk slides:

There is certainly still money to be made selling POTS, DSL, T1, and cellular services - commodities all of them - but to make money in the future will need to understand and embrace IP - Metro Ethernet, Waves, Hosted PBX, SAAS, UC, and everything CLOUD.

Posted in Internet, PBX, agents, apps, cloud computing, sip trunking, training, unified communications, voip

Tagged: itexpo, net-head, sip trunk, UC, unified messaging, voip : Related Tags: trunking

The Era of Freelancers

September 7, 2010

Locally, I help organize BarCamp Tampa Bay, the UN-Conference for creatives, geeks, and techies. We gather for 2 days to share, engage, learn and network. We have had over 60 sessions both years. There will be more this year.

Posted in agents, broadband, economy, sales and selling, smb

Tagged: agents, barcamp, economy, smb : Related Tags: freelancer, freelancers, people, godin

We're Sorry

September 7, 2010

Over an hour to order 14 winback lines from Ma Bell through their Sales Expert system. I have seen this guy telling me sorry for the error more than I have seen the corporate logo this morning.

Drink your Kool-aid and use your systems once in a while to find out how bad they are!!!!

Posted in bellsouth agent, wireline

Tagged: agent, att, bellsouth, rant : Related Tags:

What's Up with the New MegaPath

September 7, 2010

MegaPath just completed its three-way merger with Covad and Speakeasy. I had some questions for the company and Rich Sabin, Director of Marketing, was nice enough of answer them.

1. Now that Speakeasy, Covad and MegaPath are one organization, how will this affect the Channel (Agents)?

The New MegaPath remains committed to serving our partners, and we are in the process of rolling out an exciting new Channel Partner Program later this year.

Posted in CLEC, Internet, agents, channel, mergers, mpls, security, smb, telecommunications, voip

Tagged: agents, channel partners, clec, megapath, mergers, mpls, voip : Related Tags: combination companies, advanced services, megapath, services, covad, partners

CTIA: 50 Facts About Wireless

September 2, 2010

It's kind of a misnomer because CTIA is about wireless but about Cellular. But here are 50 facts about wireless. I think to start with crying on the first one sets the proper tone for an Industry spokesgroup. "U.S. has the highest minutes of use (MOUs) per month per user and the lowest average revenue per minute of service of the 26 OECD countries tracked by Bank of America Merrill Lynch."

Posted in cellular, wireless

Tagged: cellular, wireless : Related Tags: facts wireless, wireless

On Rad's Radar?

September 2010