Where to Start?

By Peter Radizeski, President of RAD-INFO

As agents registered for my conference call about Selling in Telecom, I received a couple of calls from people who are just starting out as agents.

These, newbies, if you will, have never been in telecom. They don't know what VoIP, SaaS or a PRI is. They are eager to make money. But how to get started was their question.

That's a tough one, because the marketplace is vast. TDM, IP, VoIP, SaaS, and on and on.

Where do new agents go for training? Where should they start? Selling dial-tone and DSL or fat pipes? Selling services or VoIP?

When I got my start in telecom nine years ago, it was with three complementary products to one niche market. Eventually, I took training classes -- some from the carriers and some from TRA (now COMPTEL) -- so that I could learn the spectrum of products available. (I still prefer data to voice).

Today, I wouldn't know where to start. TRA is out of business and most "classes" are Webinars and PowerPoints without much interaction. As if this stuff was self-explanatory.

One of the reasons I put my time into building the new agent association is because it is the ideal place for agents to get training, a code of ethics, and maybe an old-fashioned Good Housekeeping-type seal of approval.

While trying to help these newbies, I asked several master agents if they had an agent training system in place. Telephony Partners and TBI do. So if you are a newbie, give them a call.

There are also channel managers who can help you along. (BellSouth's Dom Milano was excellent for this when I first joined). If you know of other resources, please leave a comment.

Peter Radizeski is president of RAD-INFO. He is a member of the PHONE+/Channel Partners Conference & Expo Advisory Board.