agents tag
25 result(s) displayed for agents (76 - 100 of 215):
3 Weatherman and an Agent
At the CPExpo last night I was a panelist for the CPZ, an experiment in doing a talk show at the expo. It was 100 invitees, an open bar and 5 panelists in front of the camera - Khali Henderson,...
How does the Verizon Strike Affect Agents
From notices from both Netwolves and Microcorp about the Verizon workers strike.Effective yesterday, two unions - the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers - representing 45,000 workers at Verizon announced an immediate strike. The strike...
Hosted VoIP Valuations
NPRG Insights suggests that hosted VoIP valuations are rising. I don’t think so. I privvy to some info that points me to the fact that many valuations are based on not revenue, but what the investors want to cash out....
Channel versus Direct
When I speak to carriers about the Channel, it's usually through gritted teeth. Most carriers have a love-hate relationship with the Channel. Carriers: Agents aren't exclusive. They aren't pitching us first and foremost.Me: DUH! They aren't employees. They are brokers working...
InterNAP Sweeps the Legs of Agents
In March, InterNAP notified agents that it would be making changes to the Agent program. It was going Master-centric. According to the phone call I just received, 400+ agents that have agreements with InterNAP were given the boot. With 30...
Ethernet is Spreading
So many notices this week about Ethernet. It’s the preferred protocol for most businesses. (No one wants to buy a DS3 card and configure it, I guess). Ethernet is becoming more and more available as the delivery protocol for Internet...
Riding the IPv6 Wave
Correction: Verio is now just the name for the NTT hosting division.NTT America is looking to make a big splash in the IPv6 space in the Channel. NTTA has run a global IPv6 network for quite a few years. In...
Why Use an Independent Telecom Broker?
What is an Independent Telecom Broker? It's not the preferred title that I like for an independent telecommunications agent but some companies like it. It has variations as Agent, Consultant and Specialist, but at the end of the day the...
Is this a Master Agent Dilemma?
From the carrier side, Channel executives are looking to the VAR space for growth? Why is that? Has the Agent contribution to channel revenue hit a plateau?At dinner last night, I was talking about the magic number of a tribe....
Six More TCA Agent Companies Adopt CTP as Core Training Platform
The first industry trade association-sponsored certification program designed specifically for indirect sales agents is gaining momentum. Six more agent companies that are members of the Technology Channel Association (TCA) announced they have adopted the Certified Telecommunications Professional (CTP) program as...
Cable is Different
When selling cable services, it is different from selling most telco services. For one, the voice services are all digital and SIP. In many cases, voice is delivered on a separate VLAN or even physical path. (It's not a dynamically...
Top 3 Things Affecting Your Agency
Your telecom agency has seen some changes over the last 10 years for certain, but the industry is in another state of change. What three things can affect your Agency?1. Commission changes. They happen often, even without M&A.2. Your biggest...
Are VAR's the New Agent?
The Channel seems to be turning their back on the traditional telecom agent. All eyes are on the VAR space. Even Master Agents are out chasing the VAR's. (For example, Telephony Partners has a white paper out to explain why...
Why Accurate Paperwork is Necessary
I have hired salespeople that just don’t want to do paperwork. Someone else should handle that why they do the “important work” of sales. I would buy into that if that superstar was closing a lot of deals or had...
Schools and Libraries are Off Limits
Saw this notice today: “AT&T corporate policy prohibits Alliance Channel Solution Providers from selling AT&T services to E-Rate eligible customers (which includes all K-12 schools and public libraries). Do not engage in sales activity of any kind with E-Rate eligible...
The Inexpensive Cloud
Image via Wikipedia Amazon Web Services including EC2 is down today. When Gmail has any failure my twitter stream goes nuts. Facebook collapses often. There is one thing people should keep in mind: Building Resiliency and Survivability into a...
VZ One Year
In an ironic move, VZ ends one year contracts at the same time it tells its Channel that it will only be paid commissions on year 1, even when they sell multi-year contracts. So VZ CEO Ivan says, "HA! Take...
It Finally Happened
Level3 finally buys Global Crossing for $3B including assuming $1.1B in GC debt. This is a merger that the industry has expected for some time. Honestly, I don't see how it works, because it's about synergies. My favorite word, because...
A Failure to Communicate
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...
What is a Master Agent?
A buddy of mine and I have been having a conversation for about a month about Master Agencies. We are trying to decide if there is a standard definition for the term. Generally, a master agent has direct contracts with...
A CDN With Channel?
Image via CrunchBase Highwinds is a CDN player out of Florida. The only reason I know them is that I track tech funding in Florida. Highwinds had a booth at the Channel Partners Expo, which made me scratch my...
Go Abroad
The last year or so has seen a fair amount of agent interest in global connections. The world is flat, right? Globalization and all that?Level 3 - Can do IP-VPN and E-1s in the UK, plus international MPLSACC Business - International...
InterNAP Changes Channel
Last week, InterNAP sent a letter to its Agents announcing that InterNAP's Indirect Channel program would be changing. The new model reflects a more Master Agent centric program which will add an additional layer of support for Agents. In the next few weeks, all InterNAP Agents will...
Super Charging the SIP Trunk
I was on a panel about Supercharging the SIP Trunk Sales by Broadvox. It sounded similar to the panel I did at CVX West 2010 on Upselling the SIP Trunk sale. This one had to go a little more basic...
The Number from Above(Net)
Here is AboveNet CEO Bill LaPerch presenting the business numbers to the channel partners at their private event at the CP Expo in Vegas this week. AboveNet has some interesting numbers:2400 lit buildings including 450 data centers1400 customers, most...
