Conferencing: Commodity or Fat Minute?

 the company if they are prepared to manage another appliance, if the features will suit their needs, if the executives will need operator assistance or event management, and if the technology will outrace the ROI of the purchase.

He added that if the customer does decide to buy a bridge, they remain a good prospect for services because they have collaborative behavior and understand the value proposition. “Most big users have needs for service providers for peak hours of use, event calls and high-touch executive calls,” Flynn said.

Ted Schuman, president of master agency PlanetOne Communications, which sells Premiere Global Services conferencing, agreed. He said he has yet to lose a client because they decided to purchase their own in-house bridge.

Why Sell Conferencing?

According to sources in the conferencing industry and indirect channel, agents who aren’t currently selling conferencing should add it to their portfolios.

“Unfortunately, I think many agents are missing this opportunity for added revenue,” said Telarus’ Edwards. “Conferencing is a fantastic product that can be added to traditional voice and data products sold. It’s an easy sell and the margins add a significant increase to the amount of commission to be earned from the customer.”

Telarus sells audio and Web conferencing from AccuConference to clients with bills ranging from $100 to $1,000 per month.

PlanetOne’s Schuman said conferencing is the easiest add-on sale in the industry. He explained that accounts activate the same day, there’s a one-page sign-up form, and commissions range from 20 percent to 40 percent. “These products pay some of the highest commissions and are relatively maintenance-free,” he said. “Agents not selling conference calling are missing out on a tremendous opportunity.”

Schuman said that all agents who have a large base of long-distance customers should be offering to set up a complimentary conference calling account for those clients as a “thank you” for their business. “Agents who continue to sell long-distance for 1 cent per minute and a 15 percent commission amaze me,” he said, explaining that selling a 5-cent conferencing product and making 30 percent commission should never be deemed a waste of time.

Another benefit to selling conferencing is that it has a very low learning curve. Conferencing solutions and services are a tad easier to understand than some of the other goods telecom agents might already be selling, such as MPLS VPNs or wavelengths. And just like most other products in their portfolios, agents can take advantage of partner support programs at their chosen providers. “Conferencing and communications solutions are remarkably easy to understand, and the expertise that our team has built through years of successfully selling these services is at our partners’ disposal,” said Tiffany Jensen, agent channel director for Premiere Global Services. Premiere has a presence in 22 countries and delivers its products to an established client base of nearly 50,000 customers. “We have customized some very effective sales approaches for a multitude of industries and applications. We’re here to help our agents sell more by offering truly valuable solutions to address the business challenges of their clients,” she continued. “And most importantly, I’d be willing to bet that these agents have a great deal of opportunity in their existing customer base just waiting to be capitalized upon.”

Another example of such partner support is found in Copper Conferencing’s Conference Coach approach. The company offers training and helps users