Cara Sievers 

If you’re not already using, or at least considering, social media and social networking for marketing purposes, then you might be a little behind the curve. Companies are starting up Facebook pages and LinkedIn groups, along with writing, and sometimes distributing, company blogs.

Here at PHONE+, blogs seem a little more natural for us since we are indeed a journalistic institution. However, that doesn’t mean we’re not as guilty as the next guy of using our blogs to promote our publications, shows and other stories or products – we would be silly not to. But as I continue to read more and more company blogs, I’m beginning to feel a little concern for the future of the blog as a marketing tool.

For instance, let’s take a lesson from recent history and examine the ever-notorious world of telemarketing. At one point in time, I’m sure that telemarketing seemed like the most ingenious marketing tactic ever. Why wouldn’t a business be interested in targeting the consumer via surprise attack in hopes that he or she would actually see it as a very personalized, direct invitation for their business?

But somewhere along the way, the overuse and misuse of telemarketing – wrought with bait-and-switch scams and security risks – has caused most citizens, thanks to the wonders of caller ID, to ignore calls from any number they don’t personally know by heart.

So, I guess what I’m saying is ... let’s not be the cause of the world turning against bloggers just like they did telemarketers. We need to protect the integrity of our blogs by constructing them carefully. A blog doesn’t have to read like a blatant advertisement in order to give you a marketing boost. Use it as a relationship-building tool where your audience can get to know you and your company better. Fill it with useful information and not a ton of hyperbole. And make sure to never put a blog out there that you might ever want to retract – blogs can have a huge impact and should not be taken lightly.

Let us band together to save the blogosphere from its spammish fate! Bloggers unite!

I often say that sales works on me, but I guess what I really mean is that charm works on me. When we meet someone who is charming and charismatic, most of us think, “Are you in sales? If not, you should be.”

But the truth is, there is a very delicate balance or recipe, if you will, that must be achieved in the charm department for a salesperson to be just charming enough ... but not over the top. To illustrate my point, I have concocted the patent-pending (just kidding) Charm Continuum, that ranges from zero charm to charm overload.

“What a Bore” Bobby: Bobby is just sort of there. “Oh ... you’re here to sell me something? I thought you were just delivering our lunch.” He comes in like a lamb ... you wait for the lion ... and wait, and wait, and wait; but it never happens, and neither does the sale.

“She’ll Do” Sheila: Sheila has the facts and some decent pricing. Luckily, she meets with a lot of no-nonsense CEOs, so they appreciate her, ahem ... how should we say ... directness. She’s not so much on the relationship-building front, but if you need a service that she’s selling ... she’ll do.

“I Kinda Like This Cat” Carl: Carl knows what he’s doing. He always has a warm hello for everyone and a beaming smile; and he comes across as confident, but never cocky. Carl likes to keep it real, but he still knows how to put a positive spin on things without it being too obvious. I like people who make me happy. I like Carl.

“My Instant Friend” Irene: Irene is goooood. She is selling to you all the time and you don’t even know it. She’s so fun to be around that you keep her around all the time ... quick lunches, company outings, the list goes on! She’s so charming that you don’t even mind when she tells you your network needs a complete overhaul even though your company is struggling to get out of the red. “Sure, Irene! You know best! If that’s what will make you stick around, I’m on board!”

“Please Stop Selling” Sam: Sam, Sam, Sam ... when are you going to learn that not everything the boss says is funny? And you don’t need to call on us every day. If you don’t leave us alone for a while, how will we realize what we need you for next? And remembering our children’s names, ages, kindergarten teachers, shoe sizes and IQs is nice and all, but it can get a little scary. Speaking of names, the woman at the front desk is Anna, not “Sugar-Britches.” Oy ... where do I get a restraining order? In the meantime, please use your inside voice.

So, there you have it...where do you fall on the Charm Continuum? And as a customer yourself, where do you like your salespeople to be? I personally am a Carl kind of girl. When Irene starts coming around, I get a little nervous. And if I see a Sam coming my way, I run as fast as I can in the other direction!

I guess it’s all personal preference; and many times, the salesperson can just play to what he or she thinks the customer wants – but I guess then that would be an Irene – damn, she’s good! She even had me going there for a second!

Today is my birthday. And while this isn’t a milestone birthday – I had one of those recently enough – I guess you could say I’m one year closer to what many define as being middle-aged. Of course, I’ll spend the day doing what I suspect many people my age do on their birthday – trying to decide whether they are young or old and if they have the energy to “celebrate” like they used to.

This whole age contemplation thing reminds me of a conversation I had recently with my stepbrother, nine years my junior and finishing up college at the University of Tennessee (Go Vols!), that made me reflect on just how much music defines a generation. I realized that this is so true, that you can essentially define yourself as “old” the second you can’t find anything on the radio that you like anymore (oldies disguised as “adult contemporary” excluded). I was shocked – especially because he’s so into music – that my stepbrother had never heard of “The Humpty Dance” by Digital Underground, which was perhaps THE ultimate dance hit of my clubbing era (well, if you want to call it that).

Of course, one’s familiarity with new technologies is usually also a telltale sign of one’s youth. You know exactly what I’m talking about ... remember when you were a kid and your friend’s mom would always ask you to set the time on their VCR when you would come over? And what about the task of explaining the difference between turning your computer on and being on the Internet to your grandparents?

Although, I have to admit, I’m starting to notice a few areas of technology in which I’m being outpaced by today’s youth for sure. I really couldn’t tell you the first thing about Blu-ray; I miss the sound of a typewriter; and I’m OK with settling for my clamshell phone (although I really needed that QWERTY keyboard). However, although my teenaged sisters-in-law can out-text me 10-fold, they’ll never know what it’s like to play Frogger on Atari. (Huh? What’s an Atari?)

So, today as I put a close on the past year of my life, and begin a new one that I hope will be prosperous and exciting, I’m left wondering this ... is working in telecom, where we are constantly surrounded by new technology, keeping us all young?

I’ve been chatting with a lot of Debbie Downers in our industry lately, and it seems the indirect channel might need some happy pills. I know the economy sucks right now and a lot of people are being deeply affected by it ... but I think it’s time to call on the power of positive thinking.

I’ve seen and heard of many reports that this faltering economy could actually be good news for the channel. Some providers see the value in the relationships built by indirect partners, and they know they must rely on the channel to reach certain market segments, namely the good ole SMB. So, can’t we just consider that the glass half full, and as Bing Crosby sang, accentuate the positive?

While I’m on a roll with the clichés, let’s think about this one: Birds of a feather flock together. If everyone makes an effort to be a bit more positive, then they will most likely end up being surrounded by those with a similar mindset. Wouldn’t you rather run with a happy flock and leave the grumps behind?

And there’s no doubt that optimistic thinking can positively affect sales. I know I’m personally more apt to buy from someone with a cheerful countenance – why would anyone want to hand over their cash to someone with a doom-and-gloom demeanor?

So, when a negative thought or complaint enters your mind, try to turn it into an opportunity for growth. If something is weighing you down, turn your frown upside down by being proactive to change it. I know we’re in cliché city here, people, but there’s gotta be some truth to these babies: When one door closes, another one opens.

And while we all struggle to deal with the changes that our economy, and perhaps our businesses, are going through right now, let us not forget the amazing innovation taking place in our industry every day, the increasing ubiquity of these technologies, and the remarkable network of indirect channel peers that you can turn to for advice via PHONE+, the Channel Partners Conference & Expo, and online forums such as the Channel Partners Network on LinkedIn. Use these resources to help you get through these tough times ... and I guess, if nothing else, be happy you’re not alone.

My husband and I are huge Costco fans. We’ve been known to giddily await our bimonthly Costco jaunt with the anticipation of a teenager on prom night. Well, okay ... we don’t get quite that excited, but we look forward to it nonetheless. While we usually exercise restraint when making our Costco purchase decisions, we have been known to buy thousands of olives because the price per olive was less, or a gargantuan tub of hummus because of the outstanding price point, or 300 Q-tips, because, well ... who doesn’t need 300 Q-tips?

Anyway, aside from trying to control my husband’s sale addiction – he’d buy a used firecracker if it was on discount – it’s an interesting study in human behavior to watch the glassy-eyed patrons whirr around the Costco warehouse looking for the wholesale pot of gold at the end of every aisle. It’s easy to see that most of my fellow shoppers are so enamored with volume discounts that they would gladly drink the Kool-aid ... as long as it was on sale.

It’s clear that volume sales – or any sales, for that matter – are attractive during a recessionary economy. But is it also the answer for telecom? Agents definitely can focus on pushing more for less during this economic downturn in order to boost profits, but does offering a desperation-fueled discount ultimately hurt a channel partner’s business?

I hope the answer is a resounding, “no.” Aside from the profit possibilities of a successful volume sales model, there’s also the inherent advantage of your newly reduced pricing exposing you to a wealth of new customers that weren’t interested before.

But I just have to wonder once you dig yourself far, far down in the discount hole, how do you get out again? It’s not like you can raise your prices once the economy gets better ... or can you?

So, are volume sales the answer for agents whilst businesses are avoiding equipment purchases and system upgrades like the plague? Is the volume sales model just a way to get by or a recipe for success?

And furthermore, what about an increase in overhead due to volume sales? Sure, Costco can make you carry your loot out without bagging it, but can you expect your accounts to manage themselves once a sale is made? For example, your profit per minute will decrease in a volume sale, but will your support to the client decrease as well?

So, is it profitable to pump up the volume in a recession or not?

I have to say, AireSpring’s new promo is pretty cool. In the spirit of the summer blockbuster, Star Trek, AireSpring’s marketing messages seem to beam partners right into the spirit of the film. It’s really fun!

In addition to listing some great promos for the month of June, a little Klingon told me the ad contains a secret portal that could lead to winning an iPod Touch ... just another way to prosper with AireSpring. And see if you can recognize the Commander of the USS AireSpring – quite a Spock-tacular photo!

There I was on my 44th squat of the day with a 10-pound medicine ball in my hands, and all I could think about was conferencing. I tried to explain my epiphany to my personal trainer – and I appreciated her feigned interest – but I thought I’d better keep this crazy analogy to myself before she had the chance to figure out how nerdy I really am. This thought process needed some cardio-contemplation – you know, mulling it over on the treadmill.

Let’s start with a little background. My husband, who also belongs to the gym with me, thought I was absolutely wacko to spend extra money on personal training sessions. “You’ve already paid for a gym membership ... she’s not going to show you anything you don’t already know how to do,” he’d say over and over.

But here’s the thing. The basic gym membership is fine. I get all the tools I need to accomplish my fitness goals. I might not be as efficient, timely or successful in using them as I would be if I had some additional guidance – but they will work nonetheless, and if I put my mind to it, they will suffice. However, by shelling out a little more dough for personal training, I get tailored service and more education on just how to use the tools provided. For example, a weight machine that I once thought only served one or two purposes can actually be used to facilitate upwards of 50 different exercises, if I had to guess.

And I cannot neglect to mention the psychology of the situation either ... paying extra for the trainer keeps me motivated and on task. I want to get as much out of my training as I can and learn as much as possible – you know, get my money’s worth. The basic tools that came with the regular gym membership became more valuable the second I wrote that check to upgrade to personal training, and therefore I utilize them more.

So, what does this have to do with conferencing? A lot, actually. Last week, when FreeConferencing.com announced the public availability of its free conferencing service, I checked into it further and found myself asking, “If a small business can get by with the tools and support offered by a free service, why would it ever spend money on conferencing?”

I found my answer in squat 44. The basic gym membership is a lot like free conferencing. Granted, the gym membership is not really free – neither are LD charges on the PSTN with free conferencing – but for the sake of argument, let’s just consider it the baseline service. You’re provided the basic tools, a little support, and are allowed to run with it. Good luck!

But what if you have an extremely important goal to accomplish – whether that be dropping 20 pounds for a cruise or holding a significant audio conference for investors? Are you willing to pay for the extra tools that are more likely to guarantee your success?

As we all know, businesses are cutting back on travel significantly due to the state of our economy and our environment. I’m sure this “readiness” has done a lot to boost conferencing sales in the channel, but I’m guessing the heft of a customer’s investment in conferencing applications is directly proportionate to the added value conveyed by the agent. It’s kind of like me with the gym and personal training – don’t just tell me what I need to do to get by; give me the tools to succeed! Some of your customers might be of a similar mindset, and unbeknownst to you, are actually craving an upsell.

So, next time you’re selling basic conferencing service to one of your customers, try to look for more ways to add value. Can you up the customer’s service level? Can you offer them any unique and useful features? Can you add on another service that will increase their usage of the product and increase your revenue?

Just when you think you’ve satisfied your customer’s need, go a bit further and you might be surprised by the reception you get. In the words of my trainer: “Just a little bit more. You can do it!”