It simply amazes me that AT&T does not have complete coverage for DSL throughout the Midwest. I still have customers who have to use Comcast and have no choice.
Sammy Sosa
Posted by: Bill LeutzingerJune 17th, 2009
Just a regular rant here…Nothing to do with Telecom…..Or maybe it all does tie together in the end?
The news comes out that our beloved Sammy was on the list of names (that was supposed to be kept from the public) of players who tested positive for steroids. Why is this such a shock to anyone…..Why is this even news? Anyone who saw him as a young man with the Sox (before picture) and as a home run king with the Cubs (after picture) knows that he did steroids. My good friend John Shear once said that he went from the skinny guy on What’s Happening to someone from the WWE. The guy hit 66 home runs in a single season. I remember the days when 50 was a huge deal. Andre Dawson hit 49 and won the MVP for a losing team. Anyway I digress.
The talk has turned to how this is going to keep him out of the Hall of Fame. Everyone knew he wasn’t going to get voted in anyway because he was suspected of using. On ESPN tonight they put him in a group with Shoeless Joe and Pete Rose. In my opinion Shoeless Joe got a raw deal. Pete Rose bet on baseball as a manager. On a side note I think the person most screwed out of the Hall is Ron Santo. Anyway, steriods were not on the list of banned substances when Sammy tested positive. Players have always used whatever they could to get ahead in baseball. Spit balls, nail files, corked bats (Sammy did that too), pine tar, uppers, you name it. In every profession people will do whatever they can to get ahead. Salespeople do things to beat the competition (somtimes fairly-sometimes not). My point is steroids were not on the banned substance list at the time.
I would even go so far as to say that the magical summer of Sammy vs Mac saved baseball and brought people to the park. It was definately a resurection if not a savior. I think we can all agree that he was just doing something that by baseball rules was not illegial. Wait for it…Wait for it…Oh yeah, kind of like surcharges on telephone bills. It is not illegal….The FCC says they can do it….They never really put any rules on it. Now is time for I predict. I predict that myself and like minded people will bring this issue to the forefront. Just like the reporters did nothing through the steriod years. What happens every time companies get greedy? I have sat back long enough, now is the time for action! Help me bring the Surcharge issue to the forefront, just like it happened in baseball it can happen in telecom.
Call early on Fridays
Posted by: Shawn DrimmelJune 12th, 2009
It is summertime again. We need to remember that this was a rough winter for everyone in the Midwest. Prospects are more likely to be leaving earlier on Fridays to start their weekend.
One suggestion is to call early in the morning and do clerical work in the afternoon. I know as salespeople we despise the clerical but it needs to be done.
Taxes and Surcharges Out of Control!
Posted by: Bill LeutzingerJune 11th, 2009
I have an issue that is really burning my ass lately. I just don’t understand how this whole surcharge (which have been made to look like taxes on phone bills) thing has gotten as out of control as it has. I review customer’s phone bills every day, and every day I want to pull out what is left of my hair.
It is very simple. The price of a PRI has dropped significantly over the last few years. What we used to sell for about $500.00 now can be purchased for as low as $299.00. At first glance you mark it up to a PRI becoming a commodity or competition in the marketplace. I am here to tell you it is neither. By the time you get done your bill is still going to be close to the $500.00 mark.
There are two reasons this chaps my ass. The first is the consumer is getting hosed! The second is that agents only get paid on the base price. Consumer bills are filled with what I like to call “bullshit charges.” These charges are made to look like taxes and have some very funny names like “Regulatory Recovery Fee” and “Universal Service Fund Surcharge.” The government let’s telcos get away with this. My question is why?
As simple way to look at this is your average cell phone bill. You think you pay $49 for that package but your bill is $75. Sure some of it is actual taxes, but some of it is also bullshit.
I just signed up a new customer here in Chicago and I took a vendor in to explain all of these charges to that customer. He told me that he bought from us because he knew he was getting screwed, but we were the only ones who were honest about it and took the time to walk him through all of it. So what happened to this poor guy? He gets his first bill and there is a new surcharge on it for “Network Maintenance.” He said to me, “Didn’t they know they were going to have to do maintenance on their network?”
We were honest and told him everything, and then some suit decides he can get another $10 of pure profit out of all their customers. Why? Because the government told him he could. How can we put a stop to this (or at least get paid on it since it is profit to the telcos)?
I know that many shady salespeople don’t even talk about these fees. I try, but it is obvious that I can’t even keep up with it and I deal with it every day. Something must be done, and I am looking to everyone reading this post for help. Please let me know your thoughts!
The two most Important Words…
Posted by: Shawn DrimmelJune 8th, 2009
As salespeople we work incredibly hard to create a positive impression with our prospective clients and our existing base. We listen to people’s stories, learn about their organizations, ask about their families, and remember their birthdays. We are working hard to create a good impression, and a strong personal bond, and we often ruin all of this hard work with the failure to say two words- “you’re welcome”.
Consider how often you go to a restaurant, a retail store, a party, you hold a door open for somebody, you give your child a few dollars…How often do you say “thank you” to somebody and they either don’t respond, or they offer you a cursory “yup”, or some version thereof. How often does somebody thank you, and you fail to say “you’re welcome”?
I asked my 18 year old daughter’s boyfriend to help me move some furniture around the living room the other day-a room that he spends plenty of time eating my food and watching my television in. Not much work was involved, but it took time away from this teenager’s pressing television viewing time, so I thanked him once the job was done. This young man, whom I happen to think highly of, responded with “yup” to my “thank you”.
This response dissapointed me. It gave me the impression that the only effort he wanted to put forth was in the actual moving of furniture, that in his eyes doing the job was enough, he did not understand that this situation provided him the possibility of building a tighter bond with me. It appeared that he felt that the act of fulfilling my request to move the furniture eliminated the need for him to acknowledge my appreciation. He failed to see that if he responded by saying “you’re welcome”, that by making the effort to say these two words, my respect for him would have been raised an extra notch. Instead, he chose to respond, “yup”, which reduced my respect for him.
As you spend your day interacting in the world, keep your eyes and ears open. Pay attention to how often you hold the door for somebody, or someone does the same for you. Did either of you say “thank you”, or “you’re welcome”? If so, how did it make you feel-if not, did that dissapoint you. When you paid your bill at lunch and left a tip for the waitstaff, did he/she say “thank you”? did you say “you’re welcome”? Or, did one of you say “thank you” and the other say “yup” in return? How did you feel in each instance-what was your internal conversation after each verbal exchange?
Believe me, I understand that in the overall scheme of things, the need to hear or say the words “you’re welcome” uttered in response to the phrase “thank you” is miniscule in its importance compared to the other manners in which our appreciation for something can be conveyed. Yet, they are the most important words you may ever say.
Side Door?
Posted by: Shawn DrimmelJune 8th, 2009
If the front door is closed why not try the side door or even the back door? As we all know these are extremely difficult times for everyone so how can you distinguish yourself from others? Let’s be honest and most decision makers/IT managers do know want to get a phone call about LD and local service. How can you peak their interest these days? How about talking about network redundancy or Internet security? All companies are relying on the Internet more than ever and backup solutions are extremely critical to have in place along with a secure network. This way you may get an appointment to discuss different network options and now you have an in to sell the standard services as well. I believe this will also bring you more value when you finally meet with the customer because you are looking out for their entire network. What are some of the rest of you doing to get in the door these days?
Contracts are Contracts
Posted by: Bill LeutzingerJune 6th, 2009
Has anyone else noticed that customers are looking for more and more ways out of a contract? They all want a 3 year price with a month to month contract. This is how Wikipedia defines contract:
A contract is an exchange of promises between two or more parties to do, or refrain from doing, an act, which resulting contract is enforceable in a court of law. It is a binding legal agreement. [1] That is to say, a contract is an exchange of promises for the breach of which the law will provide a remedy.
I recently had a customer that wanted to buy an Internet T1. He liked my price of $299.00 with a router but said that he was concerned about the contract. So, I gave him a one year price. He thought that was too high. So, I went back to the vendor and got him a business downturn clause, another addendum with an out for poor service, and a 90 day trial period. He still balked at everything. This is a three hundred dollar a month deal with as many outs as I could give him and he still was not happy. He wanted a clause that basically said he could take his ball and leave at any time. I finally told the gentleman to quit wasting my time and hung up on him.
This is not the first time this has happened to me recently. If you sign a 3 year lease on a car can you take it back halfway through the lease? I don’t think so. So, why should you be able to get out of your telecommunications contracts? I deal with a lot of traders who only do one year deals and spend the extra money so that they have this flexiblity. Why don’t others see it this way?
I do however have a solution. SBC/Ameritech used to do it this way. You sign a 3 year deal and if you leave after one year you pay the difference in what the one year vs the three year contract was. If anyone knows of a vendor that handles things this way, I would love to work with them, and would appreciate you letting me know about them…..Thoughts?
Back to the basics
Posted by: Shawn DrimmelJune 5th, 2009
I recently had an opportunity to participate in a sales workshop. We worked on our elevator pitch. I know what you are thinking “waste of time” but it wasn’t. It was good to review and to practice the pitch. We all get a little lazy and it was good to go back to the basics.
Hard Times
Posted by: Shawn DrimmelMay 29th, 2009
I thought this was pretty good…
There was a man who lived by the side of the road, and he sold hot dogs. He was hard of hearing, so he had not radio. He had trouble with his eyes, so he read no newspapers. But he sold good hot dogs. He put signs up on the highway telling how good they were. He stood by the sid of the road and cried, “Buy a hot dog, mister?” and people bought. He increased his meat and bun order. He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade. His business was good and growing daily. Finally it became so big that he called his son home from college to help him. But then something happened! His son said, “Father, haven’t you been listening to the radio? Haven’t you been reading the newspapers? There’s a big depression on! The European situation is terrible. The domestic situation is worse. Everything’s going to pot.” Whereupon the father thought, “Well, my son’s been to college. he reads the newspapers and listens to the radio, and he ought to know.” So the father cut down on this meat and bun orders, took down his advertising signs, and no longer bothered to stand on the highway to sell his hot dogs. And his hot dog sales fell almost overnight. “Your right son,” the father said to the boy. We’re right in the middle of a great recession.
Having Luck with Vertical Markets
Posted by: Shawn DrimmelMay 28th, 2009
It has always been a good idea to work a vertical market. In today’s market it is vital to success. I have had recent luck with car dealerships. The ones who are still selling cars are great candidate for MPLS. They generally have multiple locations and high usage at each. Add a couple remote repair facilities and you are Golden. What other Verticals have people been having success selling?
