Marvin: On a serious note, I would suggest a pilot program somewhere to test the waters. I think we have enough sales reps at westlake to take care of shows, individual demo's, sales calls, etc. The sales managers at westlake have the upper hand on what, where, there initial calls have taken them.
My suggestion of a sitemanager at strategic points would be two-fold from a standpoint of making sales. The initial plan developed at westlake would give you the names, addresses, and pertinent info for your area. Every call the sitemanager made would therefore be backed by a westlake database for that area, with the sales manager for that region. If the work load for the sales group at westlake was not overbearing at this time, I think the regions could be broke down so each at WLake would have a region sitemanager.
My main reason for a seting up a plan like this is that IS Managers still don't have a clue on the ENTIRE TELEPHONY SYSTEM, (they just don't get the BIGGGG Picture). Everyone including myself fears something they don't understand fully. It only goes to reason that when demo's are setup, there is not a fully functional system in place and therefore cause's allot more concerns than there need be.
Picture yourself setting at at you PC trading stock, but not fully appreciating how its accomplished from the time you buy and sell. But once you saw "first hand" the trading floor, met your online broker, saw the seamless transmissions, I see the telephony market allot like this. Lets get comfortable, get that perverbal seat juuuuuuuuust right before I proceed.
I know it would be a developing system, with upgrades on presentations hardware and software so that the IS Managers would feel like there actually setting in their "fearless" seats "having total control". IF you can't get that type of atmosphere in your "networking" demo? Forget about it. ggg
The intricate details of such a point A, and B system with hardware would be a bit challenging. But if you also incorporate the largeest ISP into your site, your two-fold plan would be taking place.
There are always Tier 1, 2, and 3, ISP's. Each ISP knows its peering partner and the level there in. Its like a group of dogs, they have their pecking order. If you chose a Tier 1 peering partner, who also works closly with the sitemanager with a "demo plan" in a collocation, this would also add to sales, and a total local-region marketing plan.
ISP's could work together in setting up a "state-network" of sorts for competing with the local bells. Franklin could possibly have a hand in that or just possibly feed off the ongoing information. Hardware at the site might be a bit of a problem, but having a Tier-1 ISP in place, helping to foot the bill would be, I think, a sugnificnet benefit. This is all superficial, but possibly a link the overall success of the "Tempest Program".
I mentioned earlier to someone of a "Franklin Tempest Lease Program <F.T.E.L.>" that could help cash strapped ISP's get their piece of the telephony-revenue's. That could be possible with the right program.> You'll need to use your imagination on the FONTS> ggg
As we all know, most ISP's are anything but cash-flow positive. In saying that, could a leaseplan work for ISP coming under this unique program. I have heard from a few onboard that Franklin is going after fortune 500 companies. If that's so, then ok, but why leave this group out. I think after careful consideration to each service provider, this would be quite unique to the market.
__________________Franklin Telecom Offers
______________The "Tempest-Lease / FTEL-Plan"
___________Franklin Tempest Equipment Lease - Plan
Due to the overwhelming response from Internet Service Providers, Franklin FTel, has announced a lease plan for small-to-mid size ISP's. The FTEL-Plan will have a major impact for all those cash-strapped ISP's throughout the Continential US.
According to Frank Peters, CEO of FTel, the average ISP is not able to provide up-front cash to purchase telephony equipment for their networking area's. Mr. Peters stated: " The initial positive response from hundreds of ISP owners, have led us to understand "we" have the best product out there for internet telephony bar-none. So we are announcing a lease / and-or / lease-purchase plan for ISP's with "under x-amount of POP's or dial-up accounts".? After reviewing each company, we feel our plan will work with their needs.
Peter Thornton said it like this: Franklin is providing all the necessary hardware to ISP's on a contingency basis. With the provider's initial setup, we plan to hold off billing for the
first 3 months and impliment an accrual 12 month plan. For example, if the ISP orders 20 DVG's for their network, we plan to take the cash amount due by an accelerating % percentage amount by the years end. This would lessen the burden of the initial cost, giving the ISP's more time to setup and starting bringing in a cash flow. Larger
payments and/or lease amounts by the 1st year for Franklin Telecom would follow.
Our second plan for a leasing program would provide the DVG's as mentioned above and instead of initial product-profits by years end, we will take a percentage (%) in revenue's brought in after the first year forward. During the first year, we will have leased our
product a wholesale to the ISP, but giving them time and money for profit-sharing thereafter.
So the best possible senerio for small-to-mid size ISP's "AT THIS TIME" ?, is to lease the Data Voice Gateway's from Franklin Telecom, under the new <FTEL program>
I know Franklin is not concerned with smaller ISP's, and shouldn't be in its overall effort to make-the-market. But setting up a plan with local sitemanagers or having Tier-1 ISP's involved in this plan could generate more sales, and form partnerships.
Someone say partnerships? boy could we use a few of those.
Cash is cash.....Temp' just having fun! |
