On Rad's Radar? - conferencing Archives

Polycom Gets Some Cash

2012-05-11T17:22:31Z

So Polycom announced that they will "divest its enterprise wireless voice solutions business to an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. for gross proceeds of approximately $110 million in cash." I was confused by this until I realized it is a sliver of their business and represents DECT and Wi-Fi handsets only.

Polycom is in the process of remaking themselves from a hardware IP Phone company to a video conferencing solution provider. This was a way to get some cash and start selling off pieces of the business that don't fit that focus.

Yet Another Video Conf Start-up

2012-03-23T18:01:15Z

Garrett Smith from VoIP Supply wrote, "This service isn't all that new or different from the half dozen or so that already exists. There's either going to be a lot of M&A in video communications OR a lot of companies not making it." Garrett was referring to this TechCrunch article, Blue Jeans CEO Looks To Beat His Two-Time Acquirer Cisco With Low-Cost Video Conferencing. Krish Ramakrishnan says, "It's only a $700 million market." Yet he received $23.5 million in funding already. Why?

When you look at what Skype (and of course all the copycats) have done to the international long distance market, you have to wonder how the video conferencing market survives. I say that because it is rare that I ever participate in a video conference. In the last year there have been three video calls - one on Skype and two on G+ Hangout.

The low cost folks like Skype, Google, Vidyo, Apple's Facetime, even Webex is going to dilute that market. As more employees work remotely and mobile, some video chat will increase, but not likely through Cisco, Lifesize, or Avaya gear. More likely through the low-cost consumer services that make it easy for people to use.

In my experience, G+ Hangout was much easier to use than Skype or Webex due to no software download needed. Any gmail account or Gchat account means I can invite you and lets go. How does it get easier than that, Krish?

What a Crazy Monday

2012-03-19T18:02:05Z

So Zayo is buying AboveNet for $2.2B.

Avaya bought RADVision for $230M. Conferencing is making a lot of noise. As David Byrd points out, "It is clear that video conferencing is growing in importance in the market.... is the market big enough to support them and others attempting to stake out market share. Vidyo, ooVoo, Skype, Polycom, ShoreTel and others are all battling it out to deliver video conferencing either as a desktop offering or major telepresence in conference rooms." Byrd forgot Google, who has made video chat with G+ Hangouts stupid easy. Easier than Skype, since there isn't any software to download.

AT&T quietly settles the iPhone data cap case. Quietly because they don't want a rash of these lawsuits, even if it only costs $900 to settle. Will there be a rush to the small claims courts?

This headline killed it this morning: "Bernstein Downgrades Sprint, Notes Bankruptcy Risk". It being Sprint's stock, which dropped. Is Sprint in risk of BK? Not in the near term (2012 or 2013). Maybe in 2014 if it has to pay Apple for unused iPhones. See Bernstein thinks that the iPhone 5 which will utilize the 4G network will hurt Sprint who doesn't yet have a nationwide 4G network. Why not? Sprint just opted out of the LightSquared deal that the federal government all but kaboshed. Clearwire can't get it's act together. (Even with a deal with NetZero for free 4G data!) Bernstein stated that Sprint didn't have spectrum for 4G, which isn't true, since Clearwire has Sprint's spectrum combined with others to have a big chunk in most markets. Also, with roaming agreements in place, Sprint can use AT&T or other 4G carriers, although that will be costly. Sprint has a Brand isuue. Not to mention an under-utilized fiber network. BTW, CNET has a story about the 4G spectrum issues.

LightSquared has chosen to yell at the FCC and demand replacement spectrum. LightSquared said that the FCC action violates its constitutional property rights. What a bunch of BS!! The DOD said you can't use the spectrum. Period. You don't OWN the spectrum. You have a license to USE the spectrum - as it was deemed in said license. The LightSquared spectrum was licensed for satellite usage, not terrestrial broadband usage. "LightSquared's spectrum holdings (between 1525MHz and 1660.5 MHz) are close to the GPS satellite signals," reported ARS. And even more about the challenge that LightSquared faces from the Laws of Physics. LightSquared has offered to swap spectrum with the Dept. of Defense.. Corporate welfare clowns annoy me.

Creditors Want Zenith Infotech to Liquidate

An Interview with StartMeeting

2012-03-19T17:40:38Z

I had a long talk with Greg Plum, new VP of Channel Development at start-up, SmartMeeting.com at ITEXPO East. He agreed to a short interview.

What's the special sauce for StartMeeting?

StartMeeting incorporates components of web conferencing that have become familiar and trusted, while introducing some new features, including fully integrated toll, toll-free, and HD VoIP audio options, custom greeting and on-hold music, and a fully customizable meeting wall for meeting hosts, all at price points well below the industry.

Why should agents and VARs choose to sell StartMeeting over other web conferencing options?

StartMeeting offers a simple, intuitive, and effective communications solution. Our aggressive pricing, starting at $19.95 per month for a 50 seat license, coupled with a reliable, fully-integrated, audio bridge, will get a prospect's attention. Our differences, including HD audio, social platform integration, and our customizable meeting wall, will make them loyal, long-term customers. Since ease of sale is paramount to the agent, our proprietary provisioning system affords the agent 80 pricing scenarios, paying commissions ranging from 25% to 35%, all via a promo code matrix. It doesn't get any easier than this.

Name one sales trigger for web conferencing.

When a prospect tells an agent they are using ANY web conferencing solution, the agent should recognize this as an opportunity to win this prospect as a customer and save them money by offering StartMeeting. This could also be used to get the attention of a seemingly impervious prospect. Agents can now show them something different... Disruptively different.

CALL TO ACTION: StartMeeting will be offering free demo accounts to agents and VAR's.

Some VoIP Moves

2012-03-12T21:33:04Z

Craig Walker, Grand Central's co-founder, is jumping back into the VoIP space, according to his tweet (and the TechCrunch article that had to follow said tweet).

"LogMeIn's free screen sharing and online meeting service, join.me, just added free internet VoIP conferencing to make quick, ad-hoc collaboration even easier from virtually anywhere in the world. The new, free VoIP service provides join.me's millions of users with high-quality Internet calling from their PCs, Macs, iPads, and iPhones. As result, join.me's millions of users can verbally and visually collaborate with up to 250 friends, colleagues, or customers at a moment's notice." [marketwatch] AH! More free! It's what the public craves.

Speaking of free, many of you are Skype users and like its video conferencing feature, but I think Google Hangout is better. Why? Have you ever had to walk someone through installing Skype? (Or Webex for that matter?) Googel Hangout is as easy as Google chat and can be done on the fly with video from G+. Hit me up: Peter Radizeski @ G+.

So I canceled my Webex account. Why? It only records in the webex format and, despite what the rep said on the phone, there isn't an app (that I have found) that can convert webex to mp3. To view the wrf format requires a download and install of a webex player. That doesn't work. So with G+ Hangout and FreeConference.com, I'm out.

Counterpath's Bria is everywhere. One of my clients now offers it: By downloading the CounterPath Bria app from the Android Market, you can set up a FreedomIQ softphone for work on the go. The only thing you'll need is a Wi-Fi or 3G connection. There is also an iOS app (of course).

UPDATE on some Video Conferencing

Greg Plum is launching the channel at StartMeeting.com. Good luck! Stay tuned for an interview with him this week.

VidTel has been getting plenty of noise from CRN, Andy and Larry. Why? VidTel is making it easier and cheaper to inter-mingle your video conferencing. Skype to Lifesize. "It means that Vidtel's service will work using consumer-grade video conferencing on Google Talk or Skype and high-end equipment from Polycom, LifeSize, Cisco and other video conferencing services. Since Vidtel's video conferencing rooms are based in the cloud, users can be up and running on group video calls in little time." There has been lots of noise about vieo conferencing for a while. Maybe this time it means that I do have to shower, shave and dress before getting to work, since I will be video chatting.

What Else Are You Going to Sell?

2012-03-04T23:44:40Z

TDM is running out of runway. Agents have already switched to selling Ethernet, MPLS and SIP Trunking. What else can they be selling?

Back-up, like Conferencing, is a cash cow that Agents just don't sell. From archiving email per federal regulations to backing up laptops, smartphones, databases, customer records, billing and more "in the Cloud", online backup service isn't much different from Google (see Chrome ad) or Apple iCloud. Access to everything you need through an authorized device attached to the Internet is the beauty to Cloud services, but backing up data is vital to business continuity. How long can a business run without billing records or a customer database? Not very long. Think how flummoxed you are when you lose your contacts in your smartphone. Imagine that contact list was your business. That's why backup is important (to your customers). VAR's are already selling different versions of online backup: their own; a white-label from Remote Backup, DriveHQ or LiveDrive; and a resell of Carbonite (who is hugging Agents right now) or Intronis (who loves the Channel) or Anxient or many others. There are some like SugarSync or Mozy that backup your smartphone and your laptop to the same account.

Managed Security - most of the CLEC's (XO, EarthLink, Netwolves, Integra, Cbeyond), the RBOCs and the ILEC's (Windstream and CenturyLink) offer some type of security offering, usually Managed Firewall, IDS (Intrusion Detection Service) and Network Monitoring. As more data moves to the web (Cloud), security will become even more significant, in the form of email and application security, encryption, event and log management, and mobile device management. For example, Reflexion provides hosted email security, archiving and encryption services exclusively through the channel.

Hosting and email services - everyone has a website or blog; everyone has email. Why shouldn't you be offering those services too? XO started out as Concentric Network, a hosting company. This was Cloud before it was called that. XO sells Hosted Exchange and website hosting. Megapath just rolled out the Microsoft suite. Intercall offers Live365. It isn't big dollars, but it is a place to get your feet wet in Cloud and apps.

Managed IT - remote monitoring of servers and desktops - is a VAR service powered by software like Autotask, Connectwise, Kaseya and GFI MAX. As businesses are essentially dependent upon computers and technology to do business, managed IT services become an option when skilled technical support staff are too expensive, churned or unavailable.

A step past, Managed IT is the remote desktop - aka Desktop-as-a-service (a term I dislike) and VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure). In 1999, Wyse terminals were going to replace desktops for efficiency. It didn't happen (except in the POS space.) Now we are trying it again. MSP's offer this service - with a big fat helping of bandwidth. There are big names in this space, including Citrix, VMware, and Microsoft. There are also a number of providers, like IIS Group, who provide VDI through the channel. Navisite, which TWC owns, just chose Desktone as its DaaS partner.

Next to DaaS is HaaS, or Hardware as a Service. Don't ask me how this is different or how it isn't just leasing. Ask Chartec.

There are issues with selling cloud services - like the service provider's (SP's) financial position; redundancy and resiliency of the SP's architecture; SP's ability to scale in terms of on-boarding new customers properly and scaling tech support for end users; the end users' experiences as cloud services will change some business environmental factors; and licensing issues.

That being said, Agents should be surveying their current customers about the needs outlined here. Why? To get a bigger share of the customer's wallet.

Another way to look at it is: the customer is going to shop these services like he shops T1's, broadband, and voice. He might as well pay you to shop them for him, like he does for the telecom stuff. Get in there!

If you liked this, you might like this blog post too:

What about selling Cloud

One addition, I interviewed VAR Dynamics (local boys from Tampa) at ITEXPO. VAR Dynamics is a private-label Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Cloud business apps provider selling exclusively through channels. Apps include Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft SharePoint, Zimbra, BlackBerry BES, email encryption, email archiving and more. There will be cross-over in what a provider sells. Just as VAR Dynamics sells the Microsoft software and email security, CLEC's that you are already familiar with - like XO and Cbeyond - offer a variety of services to sell deep into your customers.

Telecom Tidbits on Presidents Day

2012-02-20T19:22:10Z

On a LinkedIn group we are discussing SLA (service level agreements) and how they do not represent uptime. If you need uptime, you need redundancy. You need to build a resilient network. Netwolves has a solution called Bonded Broadband. "NetWolves consolidates the best carriers through their Bonded Broadband product by combining four circuits of diverse types from different carriers. It supports DSL, Cable, Fixed Wireless and VSAT (and even a T-1, etc.) simultaneously. It will to operate, though at lower speed, even when it loses one of the underlying circuits. It provides a level of high availability with diversity that is unique and valuable. Bonded Broadband always includes 1 static IP for the virtual circuit."

Conferencing is a different kind of sale. It's good that InterCall has added some scripting into their FAQ. By that I mean, by provided answers to questions that come up in sales meetings, like "The majority of our meetings are audio only, how can Unified Meeting add value to those meetings?" More companies should do that.

Aastra IP phones are not widely supported by Broadsoft based VoIP providers. Aastra gets a lift since Metaswitch based EarthLink selected 6700i SIP phones for EarthLink Complete™ (hosted VoIP service).

Analysts are raving about Rogers Communications in Canada launching One Number by utilizing Counterpath's Bria softphone. Now the customer has one number on any platform - PC, Mac, mobile, etc. Rogers mentions IMS, that long ago over-hyped architecture that was supposed to solve the telecom world's many problems, as the underlying network piece. The other is the Bria software, which presents an almost Google Voice like service. "Rogers, however, isn't simply re-branding the Bria Android and iPhone clients. It's doing something far more sophisticated. It's using the underlying Bria technology to power a web-based portal that can make and receive phone calls and send text messages to any Canadian number as well as video chat with other Rogers One Number users - all at no charge and with no penalty to a customer's voice minute or SMS caps," writes GigaOM. Jon Arnold has a good look at the service on his blog too, including a post about the beta launch.

AT&T partnered with VMware to launch AT&T's "Virtual Private Cloud". I have a blog coming up about telcos and Cloud. Watch for it this week.

New to the American market but not new to the global telecom industry, One Access

They make CPE for CLEC on multi-access platforms.

Looking for a white-label VoIP company? Flat Planet Phone Company is looking for a few select partners that want to own a VoIP business and the healthy (40%) margins that come with it.

I get press releases because PR folks like to make me annoyed daily. What really gets me is how many make outrageous claims like free calls and no more cell charges: "Zipring works with every phone and turns any smartphone into a free or cheap calling phone. It supports all SIP-enabled devices and does not handcuff users to Zipring software. It also turns any iPod Touch into a smart phone."

Carbonite has some cool new ads to sell online backup [from Adweek]

XO Communications Inc. launched a three-year strategic plan in 2012 that involves streamlining its product offering, including eliminating most TDM services.

The FCC has a lot on its plate and wants to close some dockets. FCC's Genachowski Tells Congress He Will Consider Closing Title II Docket, which proposed to reclassify Internet access service as a telecommunications service subject common carrier regulations.

I emailed my list this post from L3 this morning. How Kodak is just like POTS.

Day 1 at ITEXPO

2012-02-01T05:31:06Z

I had a couple of good conversations today. One was with Greg Plum who has embarked on a new chapter in his career at StartMeeting.com. Plum is exciting about building the channel for this start-up conferencing company for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that he believes that StartMeeting.com will be a disruptor, a serious game changer in the conference space. They offer conferencing - audio and web - like so many others, right? It is HD audio though. There is file and desktop sharing. We'll see. The launch is at the channel show in Vegas.

I met with ONYX today. ONYX is a distributor of value added products - like Grandstream IP phones and Digium - to Latin America. Headquartered in Miami, ONYX is turning a corner, realizing that Education and Local will be the keys for growth.

On the Local side, ONYX has offices in four Latin America countries now. A local presence is needed for distribution and support and a local presence. ONYX has plans to open offices in every country in Latin America.

The second key is education. With 20 years of experience, ONYX is rolling out how-to videos on its products, developing a knowledge base, and offering product and know-how training to its VAR's and others on IP-PBX, IP Phones and Asterisk - in Spanish too.

A final note about ONYX is that it migrated its back office computer systems to the cloud in order to utilize tablet based access for real-time inventory and more. Accessing the back office over an Android smartphone or tablet is speed to market.

Globecomm was next up to discuss their TEMPO product - a managed platform for streaming video specifically for Fortune 5000 companies. Analytics and whatnot are included in the platform. For corporate training and webcasts.

It's Monday So Lots Happened

2011-10-17T17:21:24Z

Polycom bought Vivu, a video collaboration company, to help Polycom push it's Presence gear. Video, video, video. Yet I never have video calls or video call requests. To me, I wish you would work on the phone part. Give me a great looking phone that is easy to use and where the voice quality is awesome. Can you do that? Not really.

All the companies in this space are running to the Video. Why? Deployment and usage are challenging enough without trying to hook up video and make myself presentable. Fax over IP and HD Voice are still just a promise - and video conferencing off platform doesn't work.

It's kind of like talking about Cloud or UC, you are hoping for a stock bump or a PR bump.

Folks are at the Broadsoft show today being introduced by a 3D presentation. Then they will be peppered with alcohol to dull their senses so they can listen to BSFT talk about Video Conferencing (iLinc acquisition) through BroadWorks (Don't get your own; Buy more licenses from us!). Then I'm sure it will be about Mobility and Integration from the vendors that ponied up big $$$ to pitch their wares.

The one thing that gets lost in all this: there are too many VoIP Providers in the marketplace (over 1100 in the US alone). All of them are still trying to figure out how to sell more seats! Sure, they can sell SIP trunks but that is low margin commodity business. Hosted PBX is a higher margin (if sold correctly) business that is about to heat up as the cable giants - Comcast and Cox - roll it out nationwide and give away access in the sale. How does a Hosted PBX provider who doesn't own a network compete then?

And selling UC&C (unified comm and collab) mixed with video is a specialized sale. First, you need a base of Hosted PBX clients and a set procedure for deployment and on-boarding customers. Then you can have a process to upsell or chase a specialized market.

Meanwhile, we are all waiting for the FCC to make some decision on both USF Reform and Inter-Carrier Compensation. ICC will actually change the VoIP market a little. Not that anyone noticed, but the TRA is now a requirement for Inter-Connected VoIP Providers. Why not utilize the video and collaboration components to solve TRA and Communications for Disabilities? Then at least you would have a hot button.

I was going to rant about USF Reform -- like how we should kill the whole program -- like that would ever happen -- because spending tax money to outfit rural areas with broadband is kind of crazy, in my opinion. And its only 15 million Americans. How many will actually buy broadband? Maybe 67%? So 10 million? At a cost of 15% of the bill every month? That's crazy.

Anyway, on to M2M. Sprint is big in Machine-to-Machine wireless solutions and "has targeted four high-growth segments as the umbrella focus of its M2M development activities and offerings: Connected Transportation; Connected Meters, Sensors & Alarms; Connected Machines, Screens & Things; and Connected Personal Devices." [pr] Meanwhile, Sprint is hoping the iPhone bouys up their subscribers.

VZ is getting into home energy monitoring and testing 3G/4G networks nationwide. I'm sure that it will be an unbiased study of the 3G/4G world (MetroPCS, AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, Sprint and VZW).

And in another blow to privacy, VZW "has made a change in its privacy policy that clears the nation's largest wireless carrier to track its subscribers' Web browsing, location and app usage habits," according to the LA Times.

Did you know there is such a thing as Hardware-as-a-Service? Chartec and Outreach offer it in a partnership.

NTS/XFONE grabbed 1800 cable customers in West Texas from Reach Broadband.

ABRY Partners bought data center company XAND, who is either a hosting company or a data center infrastructure company. To tell you the truth, the way these press releases describe the companies involved, I know two things: (1) the PR firm has no clue what they are talking about; (2) the marketing department or firm has no clue what they are talking about either. Keep It Simple!

Conferencing is on the Rise?

2011-09-30T21:00:07Z

Analysts often talk about predictions and trends in the marketplace. It seems except for voice, everything is on the rise: Cloud, VoIP, SAAS, mobile, social media and, yes, even conferencing.

What is driving conferencing?

The economy has something to do with it. Conferencing saves on travel and makes the sales process more productive. With more remote workers, it's one way for businesses to remain in touch with all of their employees for training, information, policies, and of course project collaboration.

Add in that there are a number of competitors in the marketplace - Skype, Vidyo, MegaMeeting, Microsoft Lync, Lotus Live, PGi, InterCall, and the Conference Group just name a few - and that probably means that the conferencing pie is large and growing (or it couldn't sustain this many vendors.

Monday, October 3, 2011 at 1:00pm ET, the

Metaswitch got into the SBC market, because their clients didn't want to buy the market leader, Acme Packet. Level3 jumped into the SBC market with a new service: Managed SBC.

Skype bought Groupme for a rumored $80M. Groupme was a contestant at the second Startup Camp, that also had the makers of the Android desktop phone, Glass.

Interesting thought: Inter-op is about user experience, so is device choice. Think about deployment from the user's experience.

Telesphere partnered with CosmoCom to add cloud-based contact center solutions. That's one more customer that won't be using BroadCloud. Oops! BSFT bought web conferencing company, iLinc, for just $2.4M. The hope is that clients will use BroadCloud instead of third party companies (like Citrix, MegaMeeting or CosmoCom) to fill in the UC components needed for the complete UC experience.

Sangoma acquired all the key assets of Vegastream.

InterCall announced that it will extend its Smoothstone VoiceMaxx IP-PBX services with the addition of VoiceMaxx CE, a suite of service packages based on the Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution. Both Smoothstone and Intercall are owned by West Corp.

Here's something startling: a company debuted at ITEXPO with "a 100 percent turnkey white label product that will not only include provisioning, support, billing and telco services, but will also incorporate all of RealLinx products (VoiceLinx, SecurityLinx and BroadbandLinx)."

RingCentral got $10M more in funding. Aren't they self-sufficient yet?

8×8 recently acquired cloud-based call center provider Contactual Hosting.

"NetSapiens' SNAPsolution is utilized by One Source Networks to power a hybrid of cloud-based and premise-based solutions, integrating all of the necessary service delivery components critical to the OSN VoIP infrastructure, such as accounting, provisioning, and call switching to enable OSN's end-user applications such as unified communications, virtual PBX, conferencing, and enhanced call center solutions."

"Virtual PBX Complete with VoIP Anywhere allows customers to use their smart phones and computers as VoIP handsets with complete business phone system capabilities."

CounterPath added SMS, chat and presence to its Bria mobile app. Counterpath also launched the Client Configuration Server (CCS), a carrier grade server platform specifically designed to allow enterprises and service providers the ability to efficiently and consistently deploy, configure, update and upgrade softphone and UC Client end-points.

Zendesk adds some VoIP functionality via Twilio. Zendesk Voice is a cloud-based call center that integrates with the startup's popular help-desk platform.

Vocal IP Networx now offers a unified communications (UC) platform, dubbed Vocal UC, utilizing Microsoft Lync software.

A Couple of M&A Items

2011-09-09T15:48:25Z

It seems that Apple put in a bid for Dropbox for $800M (for $100M in revenue). But Dropbox decided to get another round of funds and think IPO instead. [BusinessInsider]

Cablevision will resell Sprint wireless service through its Optimum Business unit. Quad play for SMB.

WAN optimization is buzzing. That will be the next "big thing" companies will be begging the Channel to sell.

Ntelos spun off its wireline business, including the Fibertech asset it bought, into a new company called Lumos Networks. This is the same thing that Alltel and Sprint did. For sale?

Broadsoft decided to shore up its BroadCloud service by buying iLinc in an all-cash deal. (No figures found yet.) This deal means that the web conferencing and collaboration piece of BroadCloud will be an in-house offering instead of a third-party resale or add-on. This is an attempt by Broadsoft to get beyond just trunking and seat licensing. Add-on sales is where the gravy is. Otherwise Broadsoft customers would be incorporating other options like Microsoft, Citrix or Cisco (Linc, GoToMeeting, Webex).

And one last plug for the CMO SUmmit next Tuesday at ITEXPO with this link: CMO's To Increase Spending On Social Media But Integration Still Lacking

3 Reasons that Video Conferencing is Better than Travel

2011-08-23T23:18:30Z

I write this from an hour delayed American Air flight to Chicago. I started my 75 day travel schedule last week and sitting on this plane makes me wish I could afford NetJets! The screaming kids in the aisle next to me and the one behind me. (My fault for not buying noise canceling headphones.)

The guy with body odor in front of me.

The hour long delay for no apparent reason.

The tiny ass seat.

The long lines to board as people carry EVERYTHING on the plane which results in the delay in exiting the plane.

Did I say just 3? Sorry. There is also the expense (financial and health) and the carbon footprint worry.

Unfortunately, video conferencing can't really replace a trade show, the face-to-face networking, and the bonding over a meal, coffee or cocktail.

Video conferencing would eliminate most of the expense account for meals, cocktails, strippers, cabs and other conference related receipts.

Video conferencing would allow for a more intimate face-to-face conversation than email, text or voice - the primary means of communications by everyone younger than me. Tone and other speech capacities cannot be expressed in one dimensional messaging like email and text. It takes voice or video. (We get more than 70% of our communications cues from sight.)

Video conferencing for training or a sales call would diminish the travel, at least in the follow up stages. While I appreciate face-to-face communications, there are times when video conferencing could replace that without weakening the relationship or experience.

Video conferencing would get me away from the noise, body odor and cramped feelings I get flying commercial, but it would mean that I couldn't moderate CPZ and make my fellow agents laugh a little.

It also means that I would have to shower and dress for work every day.

A Failure to Communicate

2011-04-06T18:01:07Z

In the Agent space, many non-telco vendors (like Conferencing and Hosted PBX providers) have tried to get traction. Sales traction from this independent sales force. It isn't going well.

Agents (and VAR's) spend about 80-99% of the work week in the comfort zone. That is, doing what they have always done. Selling what they have always sold. Selling the same way they always have.

Growth only happens in the Dis-Comfort Zone.

So providers have asked to co-market to the VAR or Agent client base. Maybe that happens one time. Maybe the results are "not worth it". So it doesn't happen again.

What's the Problem?

Well, Marketing requires Repetition - Not One and Done. There are 4 factors for marketing: list, headline, offer and repeat.

It could be that the Value Proposition for the new service (could be conferencing, data backup, efax or whatever) doesn't resonate with many of the targets.

One problem with Cloud is that it's too generic. It needs to be sold as a package aimed at a set vertical. For example, a premium Dental Office Bundle of DSL, 3G, mobile, credit card processing, data backup, EMR, dental practice management, invoicing system and payroll which ends up being a Dental Office in a Box.

That is easier to wrap your head around as both an Agent and a Customer.

Take Retail. Legacy New Edge Networks (now EarthLink Business) was very good at selling to Retail on its branding of PCI Compliance. The VAR or Agent can reduce churn and increase residuals if they sold a package of other services down that pipe. Attached to the NEN AX Platform are companies offering payroll, Hosted PBX and more. (I'm not sure how Agents make money on that, but it is a private connection via MPLS to the AX Platform.

What if payroll, Network DVR, a point-of-sale system, credit card processing, web conferencing, email, Blackberry service were added to the MPLS service along with 3G backup and cell phone service? The client gets one stop service for all its business application needs; the carrier gets a sticky customer with big ARPU (even though a percentage of it goes to partner companies); and the Agent or VAR gets paid on a bigger ARPU.

Plus now the Agent and VAR understand how Cloud and Apps and SaaS can affect a sale and a customer relationship. Something that has been disconnected before.

Next you have Unified Communications which has a similar disconnect for Agents and VAR's. Agents used to selling T1's and Ethernet and VAR's selling switches and servers don't have any of the UC components on their radar.

In this webinar with XO about the UC Sandbox, we talk about how UC is just a bunch of components to help any company communicate with employees, customers, prospects, partners and vendors. For UC sales to take off, the idea of the UC Sandbox has to get granular with very specific examples.

We will need case studies in print, podcast and video that are short but concrete about how a jewelry story benefited from UC and specifically what parts. Or how an auto dealership utilized UC to sell more cars or more efficiently scheduled repairs.

In the grand scheme, providers have to do a better job of being concrete with a value proposition and a specific case for both the indirect channel and the marketplace to embrace both Cloud and UC. All too often, I get pitched with a bunch of mumbo-jumbo that is either all about the company or a string of buzz words. Neither of those pitches explain what the benefit is; what the value play is; who would buy it; why would they buy; what pain does it solve. It is this failure to communicate these necessities that is causing a disconnect in sales.

One Quick Note About Cloud

2011-04-05T18:44:31Z

I keep reading all these projections for Cloud and I have to wonder: Has everyone forgotten that a good portion of this used to be Hosting? Shared Hosting; Managed Hosting; Dedicated Server; Collocation; Digital Hands. This isn't new. Plus it isn't like RackSpace doesn't door knock to see if a business has a server to move to their data center. So there is going to be plenty of growth in Cloud.

Remember that SAAS is everywhere; best example is email. It's QuickBooks online. It's e-filing to state and federal apps. Everywhere. We just never called it that before.

Stephanie Mosca wrote an article today about the growth of enterprise mobility and many other segments like all kinds of conferencing, cloud comm and collab (UC 2). Of course, there is growth in these sectors because a couple of years ago, sales were slim to none. So I get the media buzz about the growth, but let's keep in mind that 35% of $1 million in sales isn't moving the multi-trillion dollar IT or telco needle much.

But all this media buzz and ground breaking growth means get onboard NOW! Learn as much as you can and look for opportunities. This segment will only grow.