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

channel

Agents Versus Brokerages

April 1, 2014

I often hear from carriers how Agents don't add value. I'm never sure what value the carriers are talking about. Agents are a sales force for you. We sell your stuff.

Would You Hire That Way?

March 11, 2014

Lately, watching service providers (vendors, carriers, cloud providers - heretofore referred to as SPs) go to channel has been like watching either a reality tv show or a car crash. The way SPs approach the channel looks unplanned.

MessageBroadcast was in and out of the channel in less than a year. I don't know how you think you will get traction and sales that fast from zero.

Telx Says They Love the Channel

March 5, 2014

Allen Harmsen, Director of Product Marketing at TELX, spoke with me about the channel strategy at TELX. To clear up the rumors from last week, Harmsen and Mary Fahey explained that Telx was actually still very channel-centric and that no agents had been cut from the program.

At a sales kick-off meeting in Jacksonville in January, the sales team was told that the channel was going to be leaning less on direct sales personnel and more on the channel people, including two newly added channel managers (in the Northwest and NYC). The five channel managers would be responsible for channel sales, not the direct reps, who would focus on Enterprise sales for the 20 data centers in 13 markets as Telx launches its nationwide marketing campaign.

Are Certifications Becoming Common?

March 4, 2014

AT&T: Transform from Agent to Provider

March 3, 2014

AT&T has a new channel program that isn't really a channel program so much that it is a wholesale program. (I wrote about it when I first heard about it back in September.) The Emerging Markets Program requires that the channel partner have a NOC and billing system.

What a few AT&T partners couldn't figure out is how the channel partner can sell VoIP, transport and Internet Access without a CLEC license. Well, in many states those services can be sold without a CLEC license.

Channel Disruptions in February 2014

February 27, 2014

So as I understand it (I will confirm with Telx next week), Telx has revised its channel program. So Telx has over 300 agents of which maybe 100-120 have sold a deal. Those other approximately 200 are being given their walking papers. The top 25 partners will be business as usual.

The Channel is Shrinking

February 20, 2014

According to a study reported by Channelomics, "A new report by the Kauffman Foundation, a non-profit economic think tank, finds the number of U.S. technology companies five years or younger has fallen precipitously compared to the peak level in 2001."

One reason cited is consolidation. No kidding.

Channel Sales is Like Dating

February 14, 2014

As exhibitors get ready for the CP Expo in Vegas this week, they need to remember that selling through the channel is like dating.

And the first date is everything. That first date is the first order that the channel partner places. He trusted you enough to make the sale.

If I Was Starting as an Agent Today

February 14, 2014

Yesterday the TCA launched "The Voice of the Agent" Webinar Series to provide advice for channel partners by agents. It was good content from the panelists - Michael Bremmer of TelecomQuotes.com; Evan Gillman of TransitBroker.com in NYC; and Jeff Sumner of Corporate Technologies Group. TCA board member, Nick Enger of ATC moderated the panel. [BTW, these are free to members and are archived on the TCA website.

ITEXPO Update

January 30, 2014

In Miami Beach, at ITEXPO, Dr. Satwant Kaur's keynote this morning centered on how technology, especially nanotech, is transforming healthcare. Robotics, sperm and magnets combine to improve conception. I wonder what that procedure is like (and how much it costs).

Nextiva hired Ira Feuerstein to run its channel.

Featured Events