Title: President & CEO
Years in current position: 7
Years with current company: 10
Years in the indirect channel: 10
Past jobs in the indirect channel: Vice President of Marketing; Vice President of Operations
Annual revenue responsibility: Not disclosed
Main channel goal:
“Let’s start with what makes us who we are: Namely, an unfaltering commitment to our agents and to helping their businesses grow and become more profitable. We deliver to agents in a way that no one else can. With the advanced network of AT&T. And with the highly personal service you would expect from a small company. That brings us to a critical commitment — one that we have had since the beginning: We pledge to always work closely with our agents, to listen, to understand their needs thoroughly, and then to fulfill them in a way that helps them and us achieve the greatest success possible.”
Biggest challenge:
“Our biggest challenge is to continue to deliver the appropriate product portfolio combined with an agent and customer experience that is second to none.”
Please comment on the importance of the indirect channel to your organization and tell me what you see as the future for your channel operations:
“ACC Business, which is an AT&T company, is in a unique position when it comes to this question. The indirect channel is our ONLY channel. We do not have a direct sales force, we do not sell services wholesale. Our single distribution channel is our agent partners and it’s been that way since the creation of the ACC Business program as we know it today. Our entire organization and processes are built around and sensitized to the key role that our agent plays for ACC Business and our customers. They are an integral part of our go-to-market strategy, not a “bolt-on” afterthought. Our “agent only” distribution strategy has been a key component of our past success and our future is predicated on our exclusive focus on the indirect channel as our platform to service our customers.”
To what extent do you, personally, show leadership within the companies you have worked for, the business community at large, the communications industry and the channel?
“I have found that the key to effective leadership and the success associated with good leadership can be found in harnessing the “collective intellect” of an organization. Organizations that truly excel have found the way to unify the entire employee population around a singe objective. The power of an organization with laser focus on a common goal is tremendous. The key is establishing a clear vision and objective for the organization and then being able to communicate that vision and objective in a way that can be understood at all levels of the organization and then making sure each and every person understands how they personally connect to that vision through the position they hold in the organization. Once you have accomplished that, great things will happen. The business landscape is ever-changing, while the objective may remain constant, that path to achieve that objective is very dynamic. With and entire organization unified behind a single objective, all disciplines within the company have the ability to continually adjust the specific execution of our plan, based on what is needed to achieve the overall objective.”
Why do you consider yourself to be innovative in bringing new ideas to the channel?
“Once again, as the only ‘Agent Only’ carrier of substance in the marketplace, everything we do is focused around the agents’ best interest. That is unique to ACC Business. We have built this company on the capabilities of the channel and we will continue to provide what we believe to be the best agent program in the marketplace, built exclusively for agents. Some of the innovative aspects of the ACC program seem simple in nature but are difficult to find in a single carrier. We deliver a broad base portfolio of services designed to meet the needs of the majority of the value-based business customers in the U.S. We allow our agents to provide their customers with access to the industry leading AT&T network through a product portfolio that is specifically build around the agent’s role in supporting that customer. We offer the agents an opportunity to propose a service to their clients without finding themselves in a ‘channel conflict’ situation with some direct sales forces. We offer the agent a program that has the intimacy, accessibility and efficiently of a smaller carrier program but with the financial stability of being part of the AT&T organization. We are obsessed on streamlining the pre-sales, sales, contracting and provisioning process in order to allow our partners to maximize selling time and leave the back-office work to us. We pay our commissions accurately and on time. Our organization knows that agents have many choices of what carriers to work with. Our objective is to earn their business with every deal they bring to us. Plain and simple.
To what extent do you engage in activities to promote or advance the channel?
“There is nothing we do that isn’t focused on promoting or advancing the channel. It’s all we do.”
Awards: “Every year, ACC Business has achieved double digit top line revenue growth as an AT&T business unit. Given the state of the industry over the past 10 years, you can imagine the recognition we received within the AT&T organization. However, the awards we’re proudest of are those that come out of the indirect channel, such as:
-- 2002 Agents Choice Award - The awards were presented by a consortium that champions the efforts of the telecom industry agent community. The four award categories consisted of: Best Facilities-based Carrier, Reseller, Local Service Provider and Data and Internet Services Provider.
-- 2003 Channel Partner Excellence awards - in three of five categories based on its performance in the first ever Agent Program Carrier Report Card conducted by ATLANTIC-ACM. ACC Business earned top honors for its Contract Terms, Conditions and Incentives, Network Quality and Reach, and Carrier Stability and Commitment to the Agent Channel.
-- 2006 "Best in Show" award for Best Trade Show Exhibit at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo held in Washington, D.C. To select a winning trade show booth, the Channel Partners staff first narrowed the field of “best booths” and then attendees voted on the best of the best.
-- 2006 “Members Choice” 3 awards -Members of TelecomAssociation, an organization of over 2,000 telecom service distributors and providers, voted for and honored ACC Business with two top awards, the “Members Choice” awards, in the categories of Data/Broadband and Retail Carrier, and as one of the “Top Five” for Local Services.
-- 2007 Top 15 Channel Managers Ruth Morford - agent manager, was named in a vote conducted by PHONE+ magazine. The Top 15 Channel Managers were nominated by master agents, subagents and independent agents. The nominees' names were placed on a ballot and voted on by PHONE+ readers and supporters.
-- 2007 Top 50 Channel Program winners - PHONE+ is very proud to honor ACC Business. Voted on by indirect sales partners, the winners represent communications suppliers - carriers, resellers, master agents and manufacturers - who provide their agents with that extra something - extra attention, rapid quotes, sales training or special promotions - that makes agents want to do business with them.”
Personal motto: Drive it like you stole it.
Favorite band: Steely Dan
Least favorite vegetable: Cauliflower
Hobbies: Spending time with family, camping, boating, auto racing, shooting.
What others are saying about J.D.:
“Since I have known J.D. Baker, he has always played a key role in the channel program and a major reason for our success.”
-- Sam Levine, President, National Communications Group, Master Agent
“ACC Business has enabled our firm to offer a complete set of telecommunication products with immediate pricing to complement our business solutions. ACC Business includes sales and service support like no other. Any consulting firm wishing to add a solution to their portfolio should consider ACC Business as an exclusive partner. J.D. Baker has enabled ACC Business as a best-of-breed partner program.”
-- Brian Corbell, Founder, IT Solutions Inc., Independent Agent
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