Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2015

We just decided to...

I mentioned in a previous post a transition in my career, one from sales person to consultant. Now, let me be clear, the act of selling is what generally pays for my consulting (the carriers pay me for the business I bring them, although I do have a fee based set of offerings...let's focus on the grander theme). But, I self identify now as consultant. How did I transform to this new height? Simply put, I just decided to. I found myself in a new role that allowed me to embrace the transformation, allowed me to self-define, allowed me to truly be the franchise that I've been working to become for years. I suppose that I'm being a bit too simplistic. My transformation took the better part of two decades to come to fruition. I possess a wealth of knowledge that can only come from the amount of OTJ (on the job) training, that the better part of two decades brings in my field. Blood, sweat, and tears. Trial by fire. Drinking from the firehose, again and again and again. A

Channel vs Direct

"First, open a trouble ticket via the 800 number...work directly with the engineers to make sure you don't have a breakdown in translation. Then get the trouble ticket number to my team, and we will break out the whips and bullhorns." The above is an example of a repeated script, used throughout my entire career. Roughly 15 years working in the Telecom/Carrier world, on the Direct sales side of the house. I am now on the Channel sales side of the equation. Nothing has changed in the above scripted response. I spoke with a client the other day, a division of a rather large company here in town, and he seemed baffled by the channel sales model. He posited the following: 1.) "Won't the carrier get mad because I bought if from you instead of them?" 2.) "How can you represent multiple carriers all at once, and still have my needs in mind." 3.) "Since they have to pay you too, will the service cost more?" These questions were excep