Title: President, Business Services Sales
Years in current position: 3
Years with current company: 10
Years in the indirect channel: 15
Past jobs in the indirect channel: Director of Sales & Marketing, AT&T Wireless
Annual revenue responsibility: ~$1 billion
Main channel goal:
“Our mission is simple – to become the premier carrier for telecommunications partners and businesses in the country.”
Biggest challenge:
“Growing the indirect channel revenue so that it is a bigger contributor to the overall success of XO.”
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.
“Our Business Partner Channel program has never been stronger, and the proof is in the performance. Last year, we showed over a 25 percent annual sales growth from our indirect channel. And, we are continuing to add new strategic partners that can utilize our unique and powerful nationwide IP network while building even stronger relationships with our existing partners. The role of our channel program will continue to play an increasing role to the overall success of XO.”
Why do you consider yourself to be innovative in bringing new ideas to the channel?
“Shortly after I took over as head of our channel program I met with many of our partners before and during the 2005 Fall Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Chicago. It only took a couple meetings to realize that in order to have a successful channel program, we needed to change. That’s why at the beginning of 2006, we implemented a plan to re-launch the XO Business Partner Channel under the name of The New Deal. The New Deal encompassed a sweeping series of changes that would amend the mindset of the telecom agent community on XO’s partner program. With the focus to become easier to do business with and growing the sales of our partners, The New Deal offered: new compensation plans, new sales and marketing tools, bigger and better sales incentives, an Installation Guarantee program (which is the only one like it in the industry), a bigger support structure, plus much more. Since launching The New Deal, we have scene a tremendous turn around in our channel program. The feedback I receive now from our partners is a night and day comparison to where we were in 2005.”
Frequent flyer miles: 400,000+
Favorite thing to do on the weekend: Coach Little League Baseball
Favorite fast food joint: Chipotle
Favorite dessert: Any kind of cake
Number of siblings: five
What others are saying about Jim:
“Jim Delis turned around the channel program at XO in 2006 and poured on the gas in 2007. Jim recruited a channel savvy team including Tom Gorey and other channel veterans, set up a structure to support agents appropriately, and made XO easy to do business with. Our annual XO sales have grown over 500 percent since Jim took over the channel at XO!”
-- Adam Edwards, President, Telarus Inc., Master Agent
“As a subagent of a major master agent, we just love the localized support that we can easily receive from XO. We can obtain whatever resources are required to meet the needs of our clients and it makes us look good. No matter how complex or simple the application, sustaining our reputation with our clients is paramount to our success as a consulting company. Jim Delis has clearly created a model like none other in the industry, making it a pleasure to do business with XO.”
-- Barry Lawrence, President, Synthesis Consulting, Consultant |
