Discussing the economy on telecom sales today in some parts of the South, I was led to the following: Bell-Head versus Net-Head. What, you ask. Another way to ask it is Why can some folks sell TDM/POTS/PRI and why can some people sell VoIP?

VoIP is just an application, like UC, voicemail, and conferencing. That's Net-Head thinking. It's just eye pee!

VoIP is an unreliable step-sister to POTS. That's Bell-Head talk.

According to one client, voicemail-to-email is the killer feature for VoIP. But there's the question: What motivates a businesses to move to VoIP?  It's not price; it's Productivity.

How do you sell VoIP? Not like you sell POTS or PRI. It isn't the same. TDM is all plug-n-play in a similar way. VoIP requires a consultative approach.

• What are you doing with your PBX?
• Where are your offices, your people?
• What do you do with the phone system?
• What do you WANT to do with the phone system?
• Do you need a mash-up?

The only thing close is Centrex in TDM world -- and the Bell-heads didn't sell that  very well either. It was too complicated. TDM is transaction.

IP is possibility. There are no rules in IP. It's not black and white. (That's what drives the Bell-heads crazy!) 

If you want to sell VoIP, you have to be a Net-Head. It's all about the possibility.