Channel Support Is Like Trick or Treat

By James Lockhart, President and CEO, Telecom Management Inc.

Does channel manager support seem like trick or treating sometimes? You never know what you’re going to get. Well the old saying, “I got a rock!,” comes to mind.

In light of all the recent conversations with carriers pleading with agents not to sell on price alone, let me state that I have built my business with relationship-based selling. The carriers might want to take note of this because we, the relationship-based sellers, only do business with carriers that treat us like valued long-term clients.

The definition of client is a customer or patron, one that is under the protection of another. And I believe that too often many channel support managers (CSMs) forget that we, the agents, are their clients and that the end user is our client. If they take care of us and treat us properly, we will remain loyal and place our trust in them to provide products and services to our clients, the end user.

If a new-to-you carrier or channel manager calls you with the greatest product or pricing since sliced bread, do you do business before getting to know them plus at least a few other people within the organization? And what do you do when that CSM, your main point of contact with the company, completely drops the ball and gives you the proverbial “rock” for Halloween?

It’s my job to get to know my clients and take care of their needs. The carriers should think about building and maintaining better relationships with us agents, their clients, the people actually selling their products and services.

Happy Halloween!

James Lockhart is president and CEO of Telecom Management Inc. (TMi), a solution-based telecom consulting firm, which he has grown from a one-man operation to a small master agency with voice, network and conferencing divisions. He serves on the ACC Advisory Board and TMi is an ACC Presidents Club winner. Lockhart also is a member of the 2008-09 PHONE+ Channel Partners Advisory Board.