INSIGHT Channel Feedback
“Channel partners need to understand their customer’s business and trends that will
re-shape them in the next 3-5 years” Nick Powell, Sales Director at Sky Business Communications
Picking Par tners
is Priority
“My advice for the channel
would be that connectivity
is the essential
underpinning for all of
the value-added services that
businesses need to operate”, says
Neil Wilson Head of Products
& Marketing at Virtual 1.
“A signi cant time without
access to critical systems or
customers is now unthinkable,
so owning the customers
connectivity is vital to make
sure you can control the
customer experience of the
other products and services
you provide. It cannot be
overlooked.”
Dan Cunli e, Managing
Director at Pangea, urges
resellers to keep the customer
accurately informed, in order to
build trust and garner thought
leadership.
“Use multiple sources
of information when doing
research into up-and-coming
tech—verify, verify, verify.
And—once you’ve really got to
the heart of a client’s business
problem—be clear about what
the client needs versus what
you can provide, so that you
can meet and even exceed
expectations.”
Paul North, Head of Sales
at Entanet, says “Encourage
your customers to move to full
bre as soon as possible and
demonstrate how doing so will
improve their business.
Find out what’s available in
your area today and take action
to focus your sales strategy on
businesses within reach of full
bre now. In doing so, you will
expand the reach of full bre
and equally expand your own
opportunities to build further
As we move ever closer to a Digital Britain we asked some key
players if they could provide just one piece of advice for the
channel what would it be. Here’s what they say
success.
With respect to the switcho
of ISDN/PSTN, making
clear to customers that a
switch to an alternative service
from their current service
provider isn’t the only option
available to them. Switching
to an alternative, full bre
service as soon as possible
means customers are more
likely to secure an ultrareliable,
competitively-priced
and future-proof service.
By encouraging an earlier
migration onto full bre, you
are advancing the progression
towards a true Digital Britain.
It gives the industry a real
chance to deliver more choice
and accelerate the move to
higher speed connectivity.”
“My one piece of advice to
MSPs and resellers is to work
with trusted connectivity
providers,” says Daren
Baythorpe, CEO at ITS.
“After all, this is
what underpins digital
transformation. It’s not just the
obvious considerations, such as
product, SLA and commercial
terms that are important;
but more the qualities that
set them apart, such as
innovation, partner ecosystem,
responsiveness and probably
most important of all – how
quickly they can connect your
customers!
Richard ompson:
Director of Partners at TalkTalk
Business, says his advice to the
channel is to choose a partner
who has the scale and expertise
to deliver full bre.
“TalkTalk Business has
experience of building a full
bre network in York and we
will share our learnings with
our Partners and work shoulderto
shoulder with them. We
have disrupted the connectivity
market before with Local loop
Unbundling (LLU) and we
intend to do the same with
FTTP.”
Steve Mackervoy, Channel
Sales Manager at Nextgenaccess
is also a ‘partner picker’.
“With emerging Digital
Britain full bre opportunities,
be super-con dent your chosen
infrastructure provider(s) is
targeting fertile and sustainable
growth areas, as well as playing
fair on margins.”
Nick Powell, Sales
Director at Sky Business
Communications, says his piece
of advice for the channel would
be to take on the role of ‘trusted
advisor’.
“Whilst price and being
competitive is important, new
innovations will continually
appear in the market like
AI and machine learning.
Customers care about the future
for their business and ensuring
you remain their trusted advisor
is the way to win long term
business.
Channel partners need to
understand their customer’s
business and trends that will
re-shape them in the next 3-5
years. We need to be enabling
growth plans and ensuring
businesses have the right tools
to di erentiate in the market.
Customers need to know
that the service they take today
is exible and that there is a
path to upgrade for the next
two, three, ve years ahead with
minimal hassle.”
Pushing the one-piece
envelope Powell concludes,
“Don’t get tripped up by the
latest technology trends without
building your foundations,
from infrastructure, to your
team, to the suppliers you work
with.”
54 | Comms Business Magazine | October 2019 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
/www.commsbusiness.co.uk