Unified communications promises companies huge productivity gains and cost savings by integrating telephony, messaging and collaboration – especially in support of distributed and mobile workforces. Helping your customers understand and realize UC’s value is critical to developing a successful UC practice. Today, CEOs are looking for projects to be self-funded or provide an ROI within a few months. UC solutions are capable of realizing rapid ROI provided that the installs are timely and the adoption rates are high. In this workshop, channel partners will learn how to:

• Sell UC’s “bells and whistles” as essential components instead of options
• Secure executive buy-in and organization-wide adoption policies
• Roll out UC, including user training and follow-up
• Measure UC’s return on investment

MODERATOR:

Kelly Teal, Senior Editor, Channel Partners

SPEAKERS:

Pam Avila, Principal, Sierra Summit Group
Richard Eddy, Cisco

Sponsored by:

As a channel partner you likely are looking at the rapid changes in the marketplace as opportunity for you to grow your business or your cue to make a profitable exit. Merger or acquisition is a proven strategy for scaling or diversifying your business, jump-starting plans to take your business to the next level. On the other side of deal, it also can be a way for you to cash in on the business you’ve built. This workshop will prepare you for a successful transaction by answering these critical questions:

• How do I value a company for purchase or sale?
• How do I find a buyer or seller?
• Should I enlist an investment adviser?
• What are the pros and cons of merging versus acquiring or selling?

The workshop also will include a panel discussion with partners sharing their experiences, benefits and challenges with recent transactions.

SPEAKERS

Craig Dingwall, Attorney, Technology Law Group
Neil S. Ende, Managing Partner, Technology Law Group
Eric P. Evans, Senior Managing Director, Evans Hagen and Company
Scott McKinney, President and Owner, connecTel Inc.
Brad Miehl, President and CEO, MicroCorp Inc.

Are you a VAR looking for a recurring revenue stream? Are you a sales pro looking for a new career? Do you want to own your own business? This workshop will introduce you to the world of sales agency for network-based communications and IT services. Yes, that means telecommunications services, but it also means data connections and various applications that run over those connections. This workshop will address the basics, such as:

• What it means to be an agent
• What products you can sell
• How to choose suppliers
• How your are paid
• How you manage customers
• The ins and outs of contract negotiations
• And more

Tutorial presentations will be followed by a Q&A panel featuring successful telecom agents.

MODERATOR

Khali Henderson, Editor-in-Chief, Channel Partners

SPEAKERS

Laura Bernstein, President, CRA Inc.
Ben Bronston, Founder/Owner, Ben Bronston – Telecom Lawyer
Bill Power, CEO, Agent Alliance Inc.