I once heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing day after day thinking you will get a different result. If you want things to change then you have to change the way you are doing things.

BRAND YOUR OWN

Selling someone else’s product, you lose all control of discounts and protection of territory. Many distributors have experienced great success by creating their own products (private label), therefore deciding their own discounts and protecting themselves from other distributors coming in with the same product and selling it at a higher discount.

FIRST USE BILLING

It is also helpful to find a provider that will offer you first use billing, in other words you only pay for the product after it has been used, not COD or terms. The benefit of this is that: 1) You have more protection. If (God forbid) the company goes under, you will not be stuck with dead cards that you have already paid for. 2) You will now have the ability to put as many cards as you want out on the street, without being concerned with liability or not having the resources to pay for that larger amount of cards. This will help take your growth to a new level, as you can open up more accounts with more products.

FIND NICHE MARKETS

Success can also be achieved by finding a niche within a proven market, and coming out with something new and different. For example, focusing on the international long distance aspect of prepaid and postpaid cellular. Most cellular users don’t use their cell phones to call their home countries because of the high costs; there are new products out there with high discounts and very low rates for cellular long distance. The cellular business is booming. Find a unique way of getting your piece of that market.

ADD NEW FEATURES

There are also your standard calling cards that offer additional features and benefits, for example, free roadside assistance and callback technology that enables the calling card to be used from anywhere in the world. Imagine going into your retailer, and asking him if any of his existing calling cards can be used from anywhere in the world. Remember, retailers are also looking for products that are different. They need them to increase sales. Always be looking for the edge on your competition, as they will be looking for the edge on you!

SERVE WITH A SMILE

Service is always a plus in gaining an edge. I learned a long time ago that people will do business (and sometimes pay more) with people they know, like, and trust. Spend the time with your clients and find out what’s important to them, what are their goals… Then, you can help fill those needs. Don’t look at your customers as a dollar sign. If you do, they will always see right through that. Everybody has the need to feel important and appreciated, and you can do that through top notch service and a true caring for the people you do business with. Look at your relationship as a partnership and treat it that way. They need you and you need them, and together you can work to a common goal of succeeding. I have witnessed in many businesses the lack of these basic principles of service; these are the companies that are struggling and inevitably heading for destruction. If you are only focusing on the product then you are missing the boat. Any turkey with some money in his pocket can buy the same product and sell it to your client, and sometimes at a higher discount. Give your client a reason to stay with you, as crazy as it may be, many business decisions are made with the heart not the head. Have you ever you ever made a decision based on a feeling you had in you “gut?” So do your clients.

The above ideas are based on some of the success stories I witnessed firsthand. Be different, be a renegade, blaze your own path. It only makes sense that if you don’t change the way you are doing things, your results will never change. Happy hunting.

•• John Gill is CEO of Phoenix Telecommunications. He can be reached at john@phoenix-tel.com
online: www.phoenix-tel.com.com