DiscountCall Blog

Everyone needs a “pick me up” sometimes. With the economic climate being what it is at the present time, it’s more important than ever to integrate happiness into the culture of your work place and personal life. For many companies, money is tight so my suggestions are affordable and, in some cases, free. So no chartering a plane for a weekend in Vegas or going to Super Bowl (although I do suggest attending a sporting event.) The primary reason I’m writing this post is to emphasize the idea that your employees and/or co-workers are a family. You may not always agree with each other, but even in cutthroat industries, your fates are indelibly intertwined; trust me on this one. Positive morale is vital to company success, so try these suggestions. I think you’ll like the results.

1.Have a company lunch or breakfast- It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but free bagels and coffee or box lunches or pizzas can go a long way in helping employees feel like they are more than just droids pushing out a product. This act works on two levels; it’s an act that shows genuine concern for employees. Also, we all have to eat, picking up the tab on breakfast or lunch saves your employees time. It also gives employees a chance to slow down and bond, if everyone sits together to eat.

2.After work happy hour or ice cream social- I know this may sound like a pricey idea but if you buy beer and wine the costs can be reduced. If you are concerned that your happy hour could become an unwanted dose of truth serum for some or if consuming alcohol is not in keeping with your corporate culture, an ice cream social works just as well. The point is to give employees an opportunity to unwind and learn a bit more about each other. It also gives them something to look forward to at the end of the day, which is always nice.

3.March Madness office pool- We don’t condone gambling in any venue, but employees who love basketball will get a big kick out of picking the winners in the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament. Having bragging rights in the office will be a more prized accomplishment than you can possibly imagine.

4.Ugly Sweater Contest- This is a silly take on casual Friday where employees don their ugliest sweaters. Some employees may think that they are too cool or distinguished to participate in this activity, but part of boosting employee morale is having a willingness to take yourself less seriously. A great way to encourage people to do this is for the employer to lead the charge.

5.Volunteer Project- Nothing feels better than helping others with no expectation of getting something in return. It also helps our world at a global and community level. If you could only participate in one of the activities that I’ve listed in this article, I strongly urge you to participate in this one.

6.Goal Planning- If you can only do two of the activities I’ve listed in this article, aside from volunteering, I strongly encourage the idea of working with employees to set company and individual goals. I can’t express to you the importance of making employees a part of goal setting for the coming year. It gives them ownership in the progress of the company and it makes them feel important. People would argue that workers are mostly motivated by money, but I would say that many if not all are motivated by a sense of importance.

7.Have employees make a short video about their lives or a safety video- This may require a little buy-in, but if you get it, it can pay big dividends. The video doesn’t have to be long (2-4 minutes would be fine.) The idea is to give your co-workers a little insight into each other’s lives, thus building connections. If this idea sounds a little personal, try getting everyone to create a funny video about office safety. Then take time on a Friday to show the videos and learn more about your co-workers or have a hearty laugh. By the way, these videos are meant to be a fun diversion, not an additional project or a political statement, so set ground rules early.

8.Bring in a masseuse to give 10-minute massages- This may also seem like a pricey suggestion but that’s why we have massage therapy schools. There are tons of would-be massage therapists who are looking to hone their craft for little to no cost. Benefits of this activity are obvious.

9.Walk in a co-worker’s shoes for a day- Nothing gives employees more of a feel for their teammates (and that’s what you really are or at least should be) or gives them a better understanding of their company than doing someone’s job for a day. This is not meant to be punishment, just an exercise in understanding those around you. This activity will build bonds between employees and make them better professionals within their industry.

10.Make note of one accomplishment each day- This can be an individual or company-wide activity. The point is to see progress each day. One of the best ways to give yourself a daily boost is to understand that your making strives, even small ones towards an end goal. No one wants to feel that they have wasted their time and this activity will help them feel a little more useful.

Randy Berlin 

• E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber
• Good to Great by Jim Collins
• Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

Johnny Crosskey

• Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
• 365 Health and Happiness Boosters by MJ Ryan
• Ogilvy PR Digital Influence Blog- http://blog.ogilvypr.com/

 Caroline Gregory

• http://www.salesroundup.com/about.htm
• http://salesmarks.com/

Tony Miyares

• http://www.phoneplusmag.com
• http://www.webopedia.com

Andrew Gambini

• Social Media Bible by Lon Safko and David Break
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• Built to Last by Jim Collins

This entry is the second in a 10-part series designed to show professionals from a variety of industries how and why partnering with DiscountCall can be lucrative to their business. This time we are featuring Telecommunications Consultants.

Telecommunications Consultants enjoy working with DiscountCall for many reasons. Some are tasked to save money for their clients and get paid a percentage of overall savings while others charge by the hour and may not be able to accept payment from DiscountCall. Either way, we can be a good fit for your business based on your needs.

-Have you ever lost a sale because your prospect was shopping for a new telephone system while they were evaluating your service proposal?

-Have you ever faced an objection to your service proposal due to limitations of your prospect’s telephone equipment?

-Have your clients started to ask about newer technologies like VoIP or SIP Trunking?

If you said yes to any of these questions, you’re a strong candidate to earn high commissions while getting rid of the headaches that we are equipped to handle. By utilizing DiscountCall, we can help manage your client needs, increase your customer retention rates and perceived value while providing you with an alternate revenue stream.

Benefits:

-We act as single point of contact for telecom services, telephone equipment and cabling.

-We represent multiple carriers in the marketplace for quoting and technical comparison.

-Our impressive track record and extensive client list.

-We can guard or help sell your services during the sales process.

-We sell and support locations throughout United States.

-Major revenue stream

Once the confetti of New Year’s Eve has been cleaned up and we’ve taken all our annual leave, it becomes time to get to work- to shed the issues of 2009’s disastrous economic climate and to develop methods for ensuring that 2010 will have more positive results. Below are ten things to consider when taking that next step. These aren’t resolutions as much as they are action items. As we have all heard before, the definition of insanity is doing the same things while expecting different results. If we want 2010 to be different than 2009, we have to be different.

1) Create a plan that begins with the end- We want business to be better. We want to make more money. We want to have more customers. We know that a plan is an essential part of goal achievement, but I want to take it one step further in examining the environment that surrounds your company when you enter 2011. Think about where you want your company to be, what you want your company to be doing, think about what will result from having more customers, revenues, etc. and work backwards to your current situation. Build your plan from there. I would also encourage you to include employees in planning 2010 since they are the ones that will carry out this vision. They can give great insight on ground-level constraints and will take ownership in your plan, if they helped develop it.

2) Clear out last year’s clutter- Not only do you need to physically clear out any stuff from the previous year, but mentally you must get passed the fact that 2009 was less than stellar. Just like in baseball, it’s a new season; we all have a chance to win.

3) Brainstorm five people who can help you reach your goals in 2010- Determine five people, whether its journalists, prospects, influencers or whoever that can help you reach your goals. Then strategize methods for getting in front of them. Then do it!

4) Take a stand on social media- My opinion is that all companies should have a voice in all places where they could possibly be discussed. However, to this point, B2C companies, non-profits and events have had greater success using social media as a marketing tool than B2B companies. That doesn’t mean that B2B’s can’t find their niche in social media, they just have to work harder. And that’s my point, if you don’t feel that social media is working for your company, stop doing it. If you want to make it work, put in the extra time and resources. Whatever you do, don’t make a poor, uninspired effort in this arena because it will look worse than making no effort at all.

5) Become a Subject Matter Expert- Take the time to learn the ins and outs of your field. This will not only help you to provide a better product but will create much more credibility when in front of the customers, especially if your knowledge can be displayed via the media. Also learn as much as you can about the customer’s experience with your products and the competition. The knowledge can be invaluable in all facets of your business.

6) Dedicate yourself to customer marketing- While many companies can cut their prices, few can enhance their quality. Make sure that the experience that customers have with your products is unsurpassed and empower them to tell others. If customers see the experience with your company as a “must have” they will find a way to afford it and will recommend it. Find ways to encourage them to recommend your products more often. The customer is always the most powerful endorser of your products.

7) Investigate how new technologies can help your company- If a new technology can streamline work processes, help you communicate better or simply make someone’s job easier, it’s a worthy investment. The time you save down the line because of technology investments can save money in the years to come.

8) Always extenuate the positive- Times are tough, we all know this. However, if you are reading this you’re blessed. When people talk about past recessions that they’ve been through, listen to them. Take comfort in knowing that tough times are temporary. Make sure this message permeates your entire company. It may not sound like much, but a positive, confident attitude will be projected to prospects and will give you a much better shot at turning them into customers.

9) Stay the course- Don’t get desperate and change your business model, plan or the way you do business. In football, smart coaches may make adjustments at halftime, but they always believe in their offensive and defensive philosophies as well as the players who carry them out.

10) Be Courageous- Deep down we all know that the most successful people in the world had to make a bold move from time to time. To turn the tide from last year, you may have to do the same. While your core philosophy should remain, it’s important to continuously keep your eyes open for new opportunities and ways to enhance your business processes. Beyond that, being courageous means taking charge of your economic recovery. Creating plans, seeking out people who can help your company, utilizing social media, being creative, and essentially doing all the things that made you successful in the first place. In a phrase, “play to win!”

For the second straight year, the team at DiscountCall would like to share with you our goals for the coming year. As always, we strive to provide outstanding customer service to our customers, generate new customers and build mutually beneficial partnerships.

Randy Berlin- Implement a maintenance contract for non-Samsung phone systems. Currently, there is a high demand in the marketplace for us to handle them. Also:
- Add four new salespeople.
- Add 300 more Referral Partners
- Have 350 people at our Fall Soiree

Tony Miyares- Due to the still weak economy, my goal this year is to contact our existing customer base to plant the referral partner seed and strengthen our business relationship. I know 99 percent of our customers don’t mind a call from me just to say hello and to pitch them my suggestion to help generate some extra cash because of the likeability factor (and they’d better be nice to their phone guy anyway).

I want to build a strong group of guys that will help us generate well-qualified leads and help our company have a strong and prosperous 2010.

So, my main goal for 2010 is to generate sales from my end, support our sales team as much as I can and last, but not least, have no MUDA by eliminating unnecessary expenses.

Caroline Gregory- Establish new, strong relationships with a more diverse group of referral partners from multiple industries. 

Andrew Gambini- Have a positive attitude because that affects every aspect of work and life. Empower referral partners to be great endorsers of our brand.

Johnny Crosskey- Build more relationships with media, business influencers, referral partners and customers. In a tough economy, it’s relationships that can separate you from your competition.

Winnie Berlin- Ruff! (Loosely translated, it means “I’m already perfect and have no use for resolutions. I’m going to continue to greet guests in the normal, gregarious way that you all have come to love.”)

Ron Raitz, president of Strategic Real Estate Investment Solutions, Inc. (SREIS), owns an office building in Marietta, Ga. While his primary business helps community banks maximize their return on non-performing commercial real estate loans or REO assets in the greater Atlanta area, it’s important that he makes the most out of his investment property. This includes equipping his tenants with the tools necessary to make their companies successful. “It’s my experience that businesses that have processes in place to help other businesses, not just themselves, are the ones that are the most successful. We have that process and we look for that in the companies we work with,” said Raitz. This philosophy makes a partnership with DiscountCall a natural choice.

Ron’s relationship with DiscountCall began while NuVox was providing phone service for his office. Caroline Gregory, Major Account Executive for DiscountCall, took over this account for a colleague while working at NuVox. Ron was so impressed with Caroline that when a new tenant moved into his building, he tapped her and the team at DiscountCall to get them set up. 650 Capital Management occupies office space in Ron’s building but needs to coordinate communications with offices in New York and California. Caroline came in, assessed their business needs and provided them with a telecommunications solution, which included a Samsung OfficeServ 7100 as well as cabling. They also needed their office to be functional in a hurry and through DiscountCall’s relationship with NuVox, their service was up well ahead of schedule (service functional in 19 days instead of the customary 30 days.)

“I was impressed with the level of attention we received. I know very little about telecommunications but they explained everything in layman’s terms and made great suggestions,” said Robin Baker of 650 Capital Management. 

“Anytime you can use trusted resources, it helps. It builds trust in the customer to know that their move will go well,” said Raitz.

Do you need trusted resources to enhance your business? Contact a DiscountCall representative at 404-844-6800 or email us at referral@discountcall.com.

About Strategic Real Estate Investment Solutions
Strategic Real Estate Investment Solutions helps community banks maximize their return on non-performing commercial real estate loans or REO assets in the greater Atlanta area. We specialize in assets worth less than $5 million by providing a turnkey solution that includes securing, managing and disposing of properties in a manner that maximizes their value for the bank. We can work with your balance sheet concerns and have a flexible compensation structure. In summary, we provide a third-party workout solution that produces superior results. For more information, contact Ron Raitz at rraitz@ade1031.com.

As sales people, we are all too familiar with the classic “follow up with me after the first of the year” objection we often hear from customers as we attempt to move forward with the sales process during the holiday season. Have you considered what your prospects may really be telling you? If they won’t buy now, will they actually buy in January? Or February?

The good news is that this doesn’t have to be a frustrating obstacle to overcome year in and year out, but rather an opportunity to re-qualify your prospects and learn ways to improve your own sales skills.

Five reasons customers may be saying “come back after New Year’s” and how you can prevent it:

1. They aren’t going to buy the product or service and don’t want to tell you. Odds are, if you’ve been persistent and have given a decent sales presentation, the customer has good reason to believe that you aren’t going to just give up after being told “no.” Bottom line, the customer is avoiding the conversation because they know it won’t be brief and easy.

Solution: Close early. A good sales person tries their hardest to get the sale no matter what. A really good sales person knows when to walk away. A great sales person qualifies early on and only meets with buyers. Asking the right questions from the very beginning will set the tone for the entire sales process - be straightforward and thorough and customers will reciprocate.

2. They are going to buy the product or service but they aren’t buying it from you. It’s one thing to tell someone you’re never going to buy, but it’s quite another to say you’re going to buy, but from someone else. Ouch. Bottom line, they don’t want to hurt your feelings - especially if there isn’t a tangible difference between your offering and that of your competition.

Solution: Build Relationships. Partnerships add tremendous value and can protect you from this.

Sell yourself and your company. Differentiate yourself and your product from the very beginning. Get creative. Be clear and direct about what YOU bring to the table. Avoid focusing on the competition - it’s irrelevant. Pride and confidence is contagious and customers will respect it and be drawn to you for it.

Basic qualifying applies - what made you choose to buy from your current vendor and what motivated you to meet with me? What’s the process? The responses they provide you with could be priceless.

3. They don’t see the value in having your product or service NOW. The customer probably agrees that it makes sense and would be beneficial, but not to the degree needed to motivate them to move now. Bottom line, if they are a truly qualified prospect with real needs and you have shown them the value in having your solution, they won’t put it off another day, much less an entire month.

Solution: Don’t just uncover a few wants - you must uncover real pain. Pain that can be healed with your solution and can be associated with a price tag. There’s nothing more motivating than seeing the dollar amount EARNED by fixing it now instead of later. Ask the tough questions, get a calculator out and show them the ROI. Let the math do the talking.

4. They are going to buy, but they aren’t done shopping yet. Bottom line, you have more homework to do and need to start over.

Solution: Set proper expectations and don’t be afraid to simply ask if they are shopping. If they say yes, then you haven’t convinced them that you and your solution are the best out there. Go back and re-qualify to figure out what you missed. When a customer shops this late in the game of the sales cycle, something was clearly missed.

5. They have a 100% legit reason to wait until after the first of the year. In some cases there is a specific and legit reason to wait. A common word you will hear in this scenario will be “budget,” but this is a key factor that you will likely know about in the beginning - given that you qualified properly.

Solution: Ask about the process, timeframe, and possible obstacles from the beginning. Even if they don’t reveal all the details initially, deep down you will see it potentially happening. No biggie, these customers will buy. The difficult part is identifying what is truly legit and what’s not…

At the end of the day, or year, sales people will always be faced with objections and obstacles they must learn to overcome; whether it’s from a customer or themselves. Opportunities are plentiful given a positive attitude and willingness to take an honest look at what’s really happening around you. Of course, there’s no one definitive method of guaranteeing things always going your way in sales, but there will always be ways of improving your skills. So take ownership of YOUR sales process by setting the tone of the relationship with prospects from the start, always ask the tough questions despite the anticipation of hearing some bad news and enjoy the confidence that comes along with knowing where things stand.

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” –Henry Ford

I usually ask business owners and decision-makers two simple questions:

1. Do you have remote workers?

2. Do you have multiple locations?

If I don’t get a Yes to either question, then VoIP is probably not a good fit for that business at this stage of the game. Of course, there’s much more to consider but it’s important to differentiate between a VoIP Phone System and a VoIP service like Skype, Vonage, Unlimited Free Calls, etc.

As a disclaimer, I must admit that I make my living selling Samsung VoIP phone systems. These systems are essentially a hybrid of traditional TDM and VoIP services, connecting locations, individual VoIP phones or licensed soft phones(usually on a laptop). We have grown to be a major player in the
Southeast, selling Samsung VoIP phone systems and combining them with remote support and T1 access. So it’s fair to say I choose not to sell hosted VoIP systems or other VoIP services that bill a permanent monthly rate. Not to knock these products, but our customers see the value in our equipment and service and would rather own it than rent it. To put it another way, I rather sell you the car than lease it to you for the rest of your life.

With our products, remote workers can be connected to their office location from anywhere in the world. Four-digit dialing between users is also a very popular benefit and worth mentioning since I get asked about it often. Also, multiple locations can be linked together without the need for VoIP Phones. For this reason and many others, including long distance savings (not my favorite reason and overrated), smooth transfer of calls between locations or the need for an additional phone line, businesses should consider a VoIP solution. Another reason we’re installing VoIP in client locations is the need for a live person to answer calls from multiple numbers without having them physically present or using an auto-attendant at the smaller location.

After learning how a prospect’s business is run and hearing about their future goals, we introduce our VoIP phone system solution, demonstrating how it can achieve better results, help them grow and help them run more efficiently. People are in business to make money, not save money. A VoIP system from Samsung can achieve that for many businesses.

To learn how to achieve better results for your company contact a DiscountCall representative today. To purchase a cheap phone system, please call the “other” guys.

The DiscountCall Referral Partner Program rewards our Referral Partners for introducing clients that, in turn, purchase a Phone System or Voice & Data Cabling from us. Our partner, Samsung, offers an elite line of telephony-based customer premise equipment to accommodate a variety of customers from 5-500 phones, anywhere in the United States. DiscountCall also provides certified low-voltage cabling project management and a staff of data & voice cabling specialists nationwide.

The majority of our new clients come from Referral Partners like you. Instead of using advertising or cold calling as our primary sources of new business, we decided to pay large commissions to professionals who introduced us to their clients. Our appreciation for the time saved in building trust with new clients is shown in the form of competitive pricing and outstanding customer service, all while paying you for your assistance.

This entry is the first in a 10-part series designed to show professionals from a variety of industries how and why partnering with DiscountCall can be lucrative to their business. First up in the series, IT Consultants.

IT Consultants are some of our most successful Referral Partners, enjoying high commissions, an easy to work with staff with access to “behind the scenes” carrier support and a technical staff that knows how to rule out issues with phone system equipment and T1 service.

Do your clients ever contact you about:

• Relocating their office?
• Problems with their telephone equipment or Internet connection? *most frequent*
• Recommendations on which telecom carrier is best for their company?

If you said yes to one of the above, you’re a strong candidate to earn high commissions while getting rid of the headaches that we are equipped to handle. By utilizing DiscountCall, we can help manage your client needs, increase your customer retention rates and help pinpoint technical issues while providing you with an alternate revenue stream. All this and we answer the phone within two rings, every time!

Benefits:

• Our technicians will troubleshoot the phone system or T1 service during IT service-related calls.
• We sell T1 service through hand-picked carriers, making it more affordable for your services.
• We sell phone systems and T1 service nationwide; extending your network of opportunities.
• We don’t sell IT services.

We have extended the Referral Partner Contest until Nov. 30!!

• When you refer a customer that becomes a $6,000+ Phone System sale by Nov. 30, 2009, you will receive a $100 Buckhead Life Ultimate Card.
• When you refer a customer that becomes a $5,000+ Cable job by Nov. 30, 2009, you will also receive a $100 Buckhead Life Ultimate Card.
• When you refer a customer that becomes a $40,000+ Phone System sale by Nov. 30, 2009, you will receive a 32″ Samsung Flat Panel TV.

To qualify for one of the prizes, DiscountCall must collect 50 percent of the total amount of the product purchase by Nov. 30, 2009.  Referral Partners cannot collect the prize until the customer installs their system or cable job and pays in full, which may be after Nov. 30, 2009.

For more information or to participate in the Referral Partner Contest, contact a DiscountCall representative at 404-844-6800 or email us at referral@discountcall.com.