channel

Level3 Profits

February 16, 2009

L3 released 4Q08 numbers last week. Remember at Christmas, rumors swirled about a possible bankruptcy. Now it rings up a profit.

Level 3 Communications has recorded its first quarterly profit in six years for the fourth quarter of 2008.

Posted in agents, bandwidth, channel, economy, telecommunications

More Agents or Lift the Ones You Have?

February 11, 2009

If you are a carrier or a Master Agent, do you need more agents or do you need to give a lift to the ones you have?

There's a sales management theorem that when you use Pareto's Principle, you should spend you time with the Top 20% of your sales force not the bottom 20%. Why? Because the people bringing 80% of your sales are the ones you want to keep happy. Also, the more efficient and less bumpy you can make the sales process for them, the better for all the sales team, but especially the top dogs.

If you have a bunch of agents who signed up, what are you doing with them?

Posted in Marketing, agents, channel, conferences, sales and selling, sip trunking, telecommunications, voip

The Voice of Megapath is a Duet

February 6, 2009

It's a Party! SUTUS, Megapath and Polycom are hosting a seminar about their combined offering on Feb. 24 in San Jose. (Email me for an invite!)

What offering? Well, you know about Polycom's IP Phones, even the HD Voice models. SUTUS offers a piece of hardware that is an office-in-a-box, which is more than just an on-premise IP-PBX.

"The functionality includes wired and wireless networking, file server, email, VoIP PBX, auto attendant, voice mail, internet router, security and access to managed services.

Posted in agents, broadband, channel, sip trunking, telecommunications, voip

Sutus Delivers a Stimulus Plan of its own

January 28, 2009

Small Business wins as Sutus announces new lower pricing for 'Office in a box' technology

All-in-one Telephony and Data Communications vendor announces SOHO-grade pricing for award-winning Business Central device

January 27th, 2009, Vancouver, B.C. Sutus Inc., the company behind the Sutus Business Central™, a unique all-in-one device that combines all the Telephony, data and networking features required to run a modern-day office, today announced pricing that dramatically reduces the TCO (total cost of ownership) for small businesses.

Posted in PBX, agents, channel, technology, telecommunications, unified communications, wi-fi

VAR's Optimistic

January 28, 2009

"Nearly one-third of VARs (value added resellers like Cisco certified IT shops) are planning to grow their businesses in excess of 15 percent in 2009", according to CRN.

The most interesting quote was not about the importance of Managing Cash Flow or How Goal # 1 is Finding new busines, it was this quote:

"When we asked them to rank what is most critical, they said "finding new business." Note the word "finding" because these are not organizations waiting around for Microsoft or HP to send them sales leads. Growth-oriented VARs in a down economy go out and find new customers."

Good agencies have a Lead Generation system in place. But one thing Agents ask for from their vendors (carriers) is Lead Gen.

Posted in VAR, agents, channel, economy, sales and selling

Where is Dan Morford?

January 23, 2009

For those agents out there that attend ACC Business training at Channel Partners Expo over the years, you will notice that Dan Morford is missing this year. ACC Business let him go during their layoffs in December. The good news is that MicroCorp hired Dan Morford as Product Manager of their Insite Inventory software application. As product manager, Mr. Morford will be responsible for managing the pre-sales and post-sales support of the Insite application.

Posted in TEM, agents, channel

Top 5 Ways to Improve Agent Training

January 23, 2009

Agents are paddling like a duck in a pond to stay afloat. Always have been, but moreso now. Many companies are wondering how to get Agents to sell their services. (I get this daily). Here's some thoughts:

Agents spends all day just running their business and keeping customers happy.

Posted in VAR, agents, channel, sales and selling

Is Verizon Serious About the Channel?

January 14, 2009

In my opinion, NO. With all the information that you must provide them in order for the Verizon system to do "Segmentation", it is too cumbersome. Segmentation is the process through which they decide if the company is VZT, VZB, wholesale, carrier, etc.

If your customer is delivering a circuit to another business, the process goes up in smoke. It's resale.

Everything about dealing with Verizon is a PITA.

Posted in agents, channel

A Day of Collaboration

January 13, 2009

Tech Data and Fonality Inked a distro deal.The bloggers like VAR Guy made it sound like Tech Data was going into managed services under the whole UC umbrella. It's just one more set of SKU's for Tech Data's IP PBX category.

New Edge Networks announced Voice Connect as an extension of its MPLS service to deliver VoIP to end offices with QOS. "Voice Connect services include Hosted IP PBX, SIP Trunking and enterprise class features, with a variety of service options for locations requiring only a few voice lines to supporting the needs of large corporations."

Posted in PBX, VAR, channel, telecommunications, voip

Microcorp Insite is Insightful Now

December 8, 2008

December 8, 2008 - In its annual twelve day count down of hot telecom and data services that their members should watch in the next year, Telecom Association ("TA") choose MicroCorp's telecom inventory management tool "Insite" on the first day.

"In 2009, because of the economy, business owners and managers will focus on getting more out of the telecom and data services they already have", stated TA Founder Dan Baldwin.

MicroCorp's Insite is a contract and carrier agnostic telecom inventory management tool that helps telecom consultants, agents, and their business clients answer the obvious question, "What are the telecom and data services I already have?"

Posted in TEM, agents, channel, technology, telecommunications

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