T1 Sales Support Services

For anyone who wants to be involved in the lucrative business of business voice and data sales, such as T1 data lines and ISDN PRI service for PBX telephone systems, there is a brokerage service that can make the process easy and successful.

The VAR Network, operated by Telarus, Inc., is a comprehensive support system designed to link telecom carriers and other service providers with VARs, or Value Added Resellers. VARs usually act as independent manufacturers representatives for business telephone systems, network switches and routers, video conferencing equipment and the like. Most often a VAR's business includes both sales and service, offering the customer a turnkey package and ongoing maintenance.

As hardware and software oriented businesses, many VARs have not expanded their list of services to include the telephone lines or WAN network services that customers need for a complete business solution. More often than not, a customer would be delighted to have a single point of contact for both the equipment and connectivity that they need. Especially if the VAR was able to present a suite of competitive services rather than simply a reference to a single telecom vendor.

The VAR network does this for independent business people who do not necessarily have the in-depth expertise, the inside contacts with multiple carriers, nor the inkling to get in the middle of sometimes involved negotiation and contract paperwork. The VAR network's consultants have all of those tools at their disposal and telecom service sales are all they do. A VAR can easily hand-off the contractual process for line sales to the VAR Network and be confident that they will do everything in their power to close the order.

Other than the satisfaction of making sure the client gets a good deal on their telecom line services, what's in it for the VAR? Monthly residual income, that's what. For every month that a client pays their billed service, the VAR gets a percentage of the amount involved. It might be the same amount every month in the case of a T1 dedicated Internet service. Or, it might vary from month to month in the case of an ISDN PRI telephone trunk where usage varies. Regardless, there is money to be made for the VAR from every sale.

Why pass on this potentially lucrative income stream or try to go it alone in building relationships with the dozens of competitive carriers now in the field? Why, indeed, when membership in the VAR Network is free of charge and you'll get a monthly check as your customers buy, use and pay for their services?

Sound too good to pass up? It is. Learn more and sign up now with the VAR Network.

Goose Your Technical Service Business

Have you noticed that business has been slowing down lately? Perhaps you have as many inquiries as ever, but customers are hesitant to commit. It's probably nothing that you're doing wrong or differently. It's likely just the current state of the economy. Even so, is there any way you can goose your business to maintain or even raise your income? Sure there is.

These comments may apply to many different types of businesses, but the specifics are related directly to business telephone or computer networking technical service businesses. If that describes you, then you're in luck. Here are a couple of ideas that could give your business that extra boost when you most need it.

The idea is an opportunity that comes free of charge. It's membership in the VAR Network. VAR is Value Added Reseller and most often applies to companies that are authorized resellers of equipment such as routers, switches, IP PBX systems, handsets, security appliance, WAN optimizers, and the like. But it can also apply to technical consultants who help companies design their networks, select system components or install and maintain phone systems or networks.

What the VAR Network offers you is a registry of your business with details on the particular products and services you support and the footprint where you operate. There's no charge to be included in this online registry. Once your details are entered into the database and approved, you'll be qualified to receive inquiries from companies actively seeking your products and services. Think of it as a match making service between sellers and potential buyers of business technology. Whatever warm leads that come your way will probably be in addition to the business you currently have. That sounds like a net increase, doesn't it?

Another advantage of membership in the VAR Network is that you gain access to an organization with vast resources to provide competitive line services such as T1 voice and data, DS3, Ethernet, SONET fiber optic and even wireless point of sale. Chances are that you are not currently as well connected and maybe don't even deal in the specialized field of telecom line services. But with a couple dozen providers and experienced consultants at your beck and call, you can easily offer your clients the line services they need in addition to the physical hardware. For them it's one stop shopping. For you, it's extra monthly income.

The other idea isn't free, but it's pretty low cost. It's an add-on to your current business phone system that adds valuable features and opportunities to promote your business. For a few dollars a month, you obtain a toll free number that forwards to any or all of the phones you are now using. It includes such niceties as FAX on demand and an informational mailbox. You pitch your services and potential customers can impulsively connect you to in an instant no matter where you happen to be. Learn more about this by reading "Sales Lead Generation in a Recession" to see what it can do for you.

Technicians at Your Beck and Call

With the economy on the rocks, having even one full time technician on your staff can be a luxury for smaller companies. Does that mean that you have to put off the telephone and network upgrades and maintenance you really need? Or settle for hiring somebody who isn't very skilled but works cheap? No way. Not when you can have technicians at your beck and call without having them on your staff.

The trick is to hire contractors, but not just any contractors. What you want are pre-screened professionals who are capable and experienced in exactly the service you need. You don't put them on salary. You have them bid on the job and then pay for only the specific work you want done. Often you'll get a package deal. You buy the equipment and the installation, setup and training services on contract and get one special price. You can get wireline services, such as T1 lines or SIP trunks, along with your hardware so you know everything is going to work perfectly before the technicians turns it over to you. In some cases, you'll find several eager contractors anxious to bid on the same job. Lucky you!

So where are all these valuable technicians? You haven't getting resumes dropped off lately. In fact, no one has even called you in the longest time to see if you could use some help. Does that mean having to work you way through the phone book listings or calling a temp agency? Absolutely not.

Take the easy and proven approach. Use the quick and easy online matchmaking service called the VAR Network. VAR stands for Value Added Resellers. Those are the people you want. They specialize in particular product lines and have the connections and training to bid on your project and deliver results. You don't have to settle for a general "handyman" either. These VARs are professionals, but few represent all lines or offer all services. They specialize. That's an advantage for you, but doesn't it make finding the right VAR difficult?

No, not when the VAR Network is based on an automated online database system with several thousand registered VARs. That's right. Thousands of technicians in the network. Of course, they all have their own service areas. Some major equipment dealers serve the entire nation. Other specialized professionals may serve a very limited geographical area. It doesn't matter because the sophisticated matching capabilities of the VAR Network pair-up your requirements with only those VARs who offer the right expertise and serve your particular area.

Sounds like there's going to be a hefty fee for this service, doesn't it. No, no fee. As a business owner or manager with a definite commercial need, you are just who the technicians in the VAR Network want making inquiries. There is absolutely no fee to browse the network or put in a request for quote. If you have multiple needs, go ahead and put in multiple requests. You'll never pay a fee. What you will get is contact from qualified VARs eager to satisfy your requirements. Then it's up to you to decide which, if any, to hire.

Have you ever felt so important? That's because your business really is important and valued by the technicians in the VAR Network.

Scrambling For Business Leads

You can't help but notice that business activity is thinning out. Fewer inquiries are coming in and fewer order commitments are being placed. What's really scary is the "Out of Business" signs that seem to be popping up in more and more store fronts. So, what do you do to hang on?

The platitudes such as "business goes in cycles" or "this too shall pass" aren't much help when you're staring at red ink on the income statement. Truly, the frozen credit markets will thaw and eventually we'll exit what's likely to be a prolonged recession. But you need a way to keep people working and cash flowing until that "rising tide lifts all ships."

There may not be any of the proverbial magic bullets around, but there certainly are things you can do rather than just wait and hope. Belt tightening is always a good thing to consider. Chances are that there are expenses that have found their way onto the books and you're not even sure why you're spending that money anymore. But you should also look at doing things to increase income as well as reduce expenses.

Here's an idea if you happen to be in a technology related sales and service business, particularly one involved with computers and networking or business telephone systems. Join a collaborative network of like-minded technology professionals to increase your sales opportunities with current customers and get warm leads for potential new customers.

This organization is called the VAR Network, VAR meaning Value Added Reseller. If you're in this line of work, you'll recognize the acronym. The VAR Network gives you a double-headed approach for increasing your business receipts. First, you have the opportunity to include telecom line services in your stable of offerings. You may feel that specializing in network routers or IP PBX systems is really as deep as you want to get into systems work. But you're leaving a lot of money on the table for someone else to scoop up. Why not grab that share of the client's budget for yourself?

I know. You don't know squat about line services and are concerned about the learning curve involved to be able to productively sell things like dedicated T1 Internet, ISDN PRI, and Metro Ethernet. Fear not. You'll be partnering with an expert at the VAR Network who knows the ins and outs of all of those services. This consultant has the tools and carrier relationships to efficiently identify the best cost offers and close the deal, including the paperwork.

What do you get out of it? In exchange for providing the line services lead to the VAR Network, you'll be rewarded with a monthly commission based on your customer's usage. That can range up to hundreds or thousands of dollars a month per client for larger enterprises. Lots of smaller customers can also result in big incomes. But you already know that.

The other side of this double-whammy is that the VAR Network will send leads to you. That's right. The VAR Network sells line services through the Telarus Master Agency, but doesn't sell or install equipment. Many clients looking for line services also are seeking upgrades to their business telephone networks or local area networks and computers. Those leads are passed on to member VARs based on location, service specialization and support of the network.

Now the best part of the deal. You pay nothing to join or maintain your membership in the VAR Network. You just need to have an established business in the right field. Telecom line service consulting and support are absolutely free. You'll share in the income generated from the leads you supply. You'll also get leads for free as they become available. If, and only if, a lead supplied by the VAR Network results in a sale are you expected to remit a small percentage of your receipts from that lead to support the network.

Does this sound like an easy and painless way to give your business an edge in this declining business environment? It doesn't come easier or more pain free. Find out for yourself. Check out the VAR Network and Sign up to become a VAR Network partner now.

What Becomes Of The Broken Hardware?

As I check this LAN for broken wires
I have visions of server fires
Availability is just an illusion
I desperately need a good solution

What becomes of the broken hardware
Fizzled out after only one year
I know I've got to find
What took us down this time
Maybe.

The root causes go on and on
as the network comes a-crashin' down
Every day tensions get a little stronger
I can't take this heat much longer.

I check the server logs, searching for clues
The staff is glaring at me, wanting some news
Hoping and praying the vendors will care
I keep calling them but getting nowhere

What becomes of the broken hardware
Fizzled out after only one year
I know I've got to find
What took us down this time
Help me, please.

It dawns on me I won't succeed
Until I get the help I really need
To the VAR Network, a plea I'm sending
In hopes this job won't have an unhappy ending

What becomes of the broken hardware
Fizzled out after only one year
I know I've got to find
What took us down this time
I've been searching everywhere
But now I've got a VAR who cares
We'll be working night and day
I know we're going to find a way
Nothing's going to stop us now
This network's gonna run somehow
Hooray!

- John Shepler, with apologies to Jimmy Ruffin

Note: If you find yourself singing this sad song, help is closer than you think. Find computer network and business telephone system experts through the VAR Network for true peace of mind.

Telarus, the New Face of Telecom Sales

Disruptive technology is reforming the telecommunications field. Wireless is disrupting the 100 year old wireline business. VoIP is disrupting the 50 year old digital voice trunking business. Competitive fiber optic carriers are disrupting the stranglehold of incumbent phone companies on metro and long haul data circuits. Ethernet and IP network cores are blurring the distinction between local and wide area networks.

Despite this revolution in technology, what hasn't changed much is the sales and marketing process for business telecommunications services. It's largely parochial, consisting of isolated channels with sluggish inquiry and price quote systems. To call it Web 1.0 would be generous. But what's wrong with that? After all, augmenting telephone, paper and fax based systems with online inquiry request forms, email communications, and brochure Web sites seems like just the enhancement needed to keep up with changing times.

It did seem that way, until someone came along and completely blew the equipment rack doors off the staid old telecom sales and marketing process. In the last five years, Telarus, Inc., has totally obliterated a century of incremental improvement in the industry. Rather than cut the inquiry-to-price-quote time on a T1 line from a few days to a few hours, they reduced it to a few seconds. Instead of bolstering the carrier-by-carrier response to a customer inquiry, they merged all the responses into a single report that compares similar services, say ISDN PRI trunks, by price for the same service from all participating carriers.

An overworked IT manager can get an automatic price quote for a triple-bonded T1 data line at 3 AM in under a minute, including the time needed to enter the business location and number. That same manager can call a toll free number anytime 24/7 to discuss WAN expansion needs or compare telephone trunking options with a technical and sales consultant.

What has Telarus done that others didn't? A lot of the answer is in rethinking the business process with an eye to automating as much as possible and providing rapidly responding human links for everything else. The core of their pricing system is a patented software system called GeoQuote. It connects directly to carrier databases to perform the engineering and cost calculations needed for the most popular T1 voice and data line services. They also broke up the marketing team into dedicated sales people who work directly with carriers and customers on a real-time basis, and dedicated marketing agents who focus on bringing in qualified business leads.

Re-engineering the traditional wireline sales and marketing process would have been innovation enough, but Telarus has gone on to expand the GeoQuote system to support Ethernet WAN services that don't touch the incumbent telcos. Prospective customers can enter their building address and get a map of the nearest fiber lit buildings and carrier POPs with distance listings. Once again, this automated system is available for both business hours and second or third shift inquiries. Response time is easily under a minute and phone support is always available for consultations, if desired.

Not satisfied with revolutionizing carrier services, Telarus has gone on to re-invent the equipment sales and services marketplace with a social networking approach called the VAR Network. Also totally automated, this system allows customers to enter form-based inquiries which are routed to member VARs (Value Added Resellers) within the appropriate geographical footprint nationwide. Once isolated business telephone and network equipment vendors can now tie into a system that feeds them warm leads via email from businesses in their service footprint that need the products and services they offer. Dealers also have the entire Telarus wireline marketing system at their disposal so that they can add T1, Ethernet and other bandwidth services to their line cards without having to develop in-house expertise in this field.

Little wonder, then, that Telarus has won numerous awards from carriers impressed with the sales volumes they bring in. Now Telarus has been just been announced as a Phone+ Top 50 Channel Program winner. All of this makes us beam with pride to be part of the Shop For T1, Shop For Ethernet and VAR Partner Network programs that are the Telarus marketing juggernaut.

Tell Me You're Not PAYING For Equipment Leads

As a solution provider, you're not still paying for equipment leads... are you?

Oh, no. That gets so expensive, and a lot of those leads just fizzle out anyway. Right?

Here's a better idea. Why not get your sales and marketing leads for telephone systems and IT networking equipment on a commission basis. In other words, qualified leads from serious business customers in your area are emailed to you as they come in, at no cost to you. You choose which ones you want to pursue and do your best to make the sale. If and only if you successfully complete the job and are paid by the customer, do you remit a small percentage of the sale back to the agency that provides you with the leads.

That's right. This business model is quite different from any marketing methods you've been using. Other lead sources require you to pay up front for ads or a set of leads, be it a flat fee or on a per lead basis. Online advertising is worse. You pay by the click and a lot of them are just curious individuals, not even actual businesses. With the VAR Network, your leads come to you with no up-front charges. The online database system is targeted to business users with specific current needs, and are screened by service footprint and product line. These are good leads that may be costing you $25 or more now, if you can even get this quality of lead on a regular basis.

Who joins this network? Nearly 2,500 solution providers, including branch office sales people of major telecom equipment partners. Also independent consultants, telephone system installers, and network equipment resellers. The cost to join the network is the same for everyone. Free. You sign up for the VAR Network quickly and easily online. A VAR Network consultant will call you to complete the application and activate your listing within the network. Typically, your information is active in the database within a business day and being matched to warm leads as they come in.

Where do the leads come from? The VAR Network and its independent marketing agents actively pursue potential business customers online, by direct mail, in print advertising, by telephone and in-person. Many requests for equipment and service support come from existing customers who are leasing telecommunication lines through Telarus, which also runs the VAR Network. Because of this relationship, you have immediate access to qualified technical and sales consultants who can provide line services such as T1, PRI, DS3, and Ethernet WAN to your customers. If you refer a line requirement back to the network, you'll share in ongoing monthly commissions if the sale is closed by Telarus. Stop giving away telco line and WAN business to the phone company, when the VAR Network can help you offer a total solution and a share of the income.

The VAR Network is a new and exciting concept in IT and telecom equipment sales leads. It's a business model that is expanding exponentially. Beat your competitors to the punch by augmenting your sales leads with those from the VAR network. Eventually, you may dump all of your paid advertising. This network is that good.

Have a look at the VAR Network and see how it operates. If you like what you see, you'll find the partner sign-up opportunity right there. Or, get more details on how the business opportunity works at the VAR Partner site, designed for resellers only.

Attention: Telephone System Dealers

If you are in the business of selling, installing or servicing business telephone systems, you're going to be interested in a new business model that's sweeping the country. It a way to generate more business without additional up-front expense.

What is this new system? It's the VAR Network. If you haven't heard of it, pay attention because your competitors likely have. In simple terms, the VAR network is an online database system that contains business profiles on thousands of telephone and computer networking dealers. It's fully automated so that when a potential customer does a search to see who can help them with their telecom needs, the VAR Network will automatically notify matching qualified dealers in their area. Each dealer can then choose to pursue the opportunity or let another dealer have a go at it.

So how is this different from other online business directories? It's really quite a step beyond mere listing services. First of all, this is an enormous project designed with the capacity to link thousands of dealers with tens of thousands of potential clients on an intelligent basis. The customer doesn't have to sort through a pile of listings and try to figure out who to call. The system acts as matchmaker and sends the warm lead to only those dealers who are likely to meet the customers needs. Aside from the initial online inquiry, the customer doesn't have to take any initiative to contact dealers.

The VAR Network is also specifically targeted for business to business transactions among telephone system and computer networking dealers and prospects. It's designed by Telarus, a major telecommunications master agency and developer of the GeoQuote(tm) automated T1 and DS3 pricing service. The VAR Network is for Value Added Resellers only.

The VAR Network is intended to supplement or perhaps eventually replace other professional advertising resources you might be using, such as the Yellow Pages, newspaper ads, industrial directories, search engine pay-per-click, direct mail and telemarketing. It also has a more advantageous payment model. While other ad resources require you to pay up-front for leads or mere exposure, the VAR Network makes you a partner with no up-front fees. You join by filling out a short profile about your business and the services you offer. You'll be partnered with professional telecom agent at Telarus who will help you expand your listing and be a resource to ensure your success. Once your profile is online, you'll begin receiving lead notifications from businesses in your service area. It's then up to you to chose the opportunities you want and negotiate with the customer to sell your products and service. For every lead that results in a sale, you'll remit a small percentage back to the VAR Network in consideration of the service. Any leads that don't pan out cost you nothing.

Because of the partnership with Telarus, you'll also have the opportunity to earn monthly residual commissions on T1, ISDN PRI, DS3, and other telecommunications line sales to your customers. Many dealers pass over this business because they aren't equipped to deal with the intricacies of line sales and contracts. Your Telarus partner is an expert in this area and will handle these details with you or on your behalf.

As a business professional, how can you let another day go by without leveraging the additional business you could be getting through the VAR Network? Other dealers near you have already signed up and are receiving leads that you could also be bidding on. Visit the VAR Network now to see how it is organized to help you get more business. Sign-up immediately right on the site. Or, visit the VAR Partner site to learn more about the business opportunity. It could be working for you sooner than you think.