Telarus Blog by TA

"Why Nuvox Agents Will Love the Windstream Deal" - Dan Sterling Video

"Nothing to worry about, guys!"

Windstream VP of Dealer Sales Dan Sterling tells the Telarus Agent Expo audience why he went from slightly concerned to very happy when he learned that Windstream (an "old-fashioned" residential copper-based carrier with tons of cash but declining revenues) would be purchasing NuVox, a business based CLEC.

Sterling assured the Telarus agent audience that he'd been told by everyone at Windstream with an opinion that "they want us to be and stay very aggressive".

Click the video below to view and hear Dan's comments to Telarus' top agents.

Click video above to hear Dan Sterling's address to Telarus Agent Expo audience

While a buy-out of a nimble business CLEC by a copper residential LEC might seem a bit scary to the CLEC's agents (not to mention the CLEC's employees), with the comments from Dan Sterling and the address from John Leach (in a prior post) suggest to me that Windstream agents have a unique opportunity to sell (and get paid on) more service than was ever previously possible in Windstream's 16 Southeastern state footprint.

We'll have to wait and see if actually Windstream becomes like NuVox. We'll know when we see a remake of the following "It's a NuVox Thing" video starring Joh Leach and the Windstream board.

Click here to see all NoVox' YouTube videos.

Posted 3/12/2010 by:

Dan Baldwin
TA Executive Director

951-251-5155
[email protected] 

Windstream Executives Deliver Unique 2010 Vision at Telarus Agent Expo

Like their company name might suggest, John Leach and his fellow Windstream executives delivered some fresh air to Telarus' top agents last month. When you consider all the "me too" vendor presentations you can drown in at a trade show, it's refreshing to hear a presentation that showcases something quite different than all the other presentations.

Windstream (a Southeast "RLEC" that recently acquired Nuvox) did just that with their presentation delivered by Jason Dishon RVP Sales, John Leach Sr. VP Sales and crowd favorite Chris Shubert Dealer Manager.

Windstream, it seems, owns quite a bit of copper in the ground in many rural parts of the country that telecom agents might otherwise not be able to sell in. (Many "monopoly ILECs" are notoriously agent hostile to the idea of paying commissions.) 

John Leach, Windream's new SVP of Sales (who recently came over from PAETEC), says that Windstream isn't like other copper-based LECs who find themselves in a slow death-spiral. Leach suggests that Windstream is quite enlightened to the partner channel and is embracing partners as a way to transform Windstream into the dynamic selling machine of the future that it wants to be.

But don't take my word for it. Scroll down below and listen to Jason, John and Chris speak for themselves. Their message is clear, "We are THE PHONE COMPANY in our footprint. Sell with us or sell against us BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO LOOSE".

As a simple (getting older) sales guy, I like it when the vendor spells out their market value simply like that.

Sales VP Jason Dishon Likes Telarus' Sales Figures 

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Senior VP John Leach Explains the Windstream Vision

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  Telarus' Favorite Agent Manager  Chris Shubert 

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Windstream's Presentation to Telarus Top Agents

0:00 - 1:40  Telarus President Adam Edwards' comments about the Windstream relationship

1:40 - 4:56  Windstream Sales VP Jason Dishon comments on Telarus & Windstream successes

4:56 - 15:00 Windstream  Sr. VP John Leach discusses Windstream's marketplace advantages

15:00 - 47:07  Windstream Dealer Manager Chris Shubert shares Windstream product sales strategies

If you watch no other part of this video, make sure you watch the 10 minutes by John Leach.

Posted 3/10/2010 by:

Dan Baldwin
TA Executive Director

951-251-5155
[email protected]