Windstream Blog by TA

Windstream's Summer Vision: "You Sell It, We Grow It!"

Posted 6/10/10 By Dan Baldwin, TA Executive Director, 951-251-5155 email 

 I was taking the long way home from a business trip to Florida and decided to drop in on my friends at Windstream Dan Sterling & Sarah Smith to see how life is treating them since Dan reported last February at the Telarus agent expo that everything was looking good.

He reported that except for one month since the big announcement (Windstream acquiring Nuvox) that sales were on target and the "vision" was going according to plan. I asked him to share with me the 2010 Summer message for the channel and he summarized it as follows:

1. Nothing bad has (or is going to) happen to the agent program - The big concern for some agents was that because Windstream did not appear to have a robust channel program prior to the purchase that maybe agents had something to worry about. Dan Sterling's response, "Nothing bad's going to happen!" As evidence he again suggested that one of Windstream's primary interests in the acquisition was Nuvox's agent channel - and the opportunity to expand it - not mess it up. As evidence he again held out Windstream's hiring of John Leach.

2. The most up front money ever & a totally awesome year end sales trip - Far from cutting back the agent program or compensation package in any way Windstream is currently offering more up front money than ever and has added a first-ever year-end trip for their top agents.

3. Opening new CLEC & ILEC areas - Dan emphasized that agents selling in the old Nuvox CLEC areas was as profitable for agents as it's ever been and that Windstream is opening up new CLEC areas that all agents can now sell in any Windstream ILEC area. (Dan did say there were some ILEC sales consolidation "challenges" being overcome - as can be expected in any merger - but both Dan & Sara flat out said that "Nuvox" agents can sell in the Windstream ILEC areas today.)

4. We will grow AND RETAIN an agent's existing base while they sell new accounts - This point came across crystal clear. The Windstream partner team has a very clear vision - do whatever it takes to grow the base of agent's existing customers. "You sell it and that's it", Dan suggested. "We provision it, love it and renew it!"  While many carriers talk the talk about customer service, Dan and Sarah ended our visit by taking me around the several floors of in Greenville that housed just a few of the 8,000 employees focused on making sure the Windstream channel partners have "customers for life" after bringing a customer to Windstream.

Click the link below to view TA's video of Dan Sterling giving a "partner update" as of 6/10/10: -------- ----------- Click here or the following link to learn more about Windstream's partner program:

http://business.windstream.com/Partners/index.htm

NuVox "SIP Video" Makes a Confusing Concept SImPle!

 There's a lot of people that are still just a bit confused about SIP & hosted VoIP and when one is better than the other. 

NuVox no doubt had this confusion in mind when they decided to create the short video below to ensure the whole concept of SIP came through crystal clear. While this video was produced several months ago, I just came across it today and I'm sure happy I did.

Watch it for yourself and see if it doesn't answer all your questions about SIP!

Click here to check out all of NuVox' videos.

Posted 3/12/2010 by:

Dan Baldwin
TA Executive Director

951-251-5155
[email protected] 

Why Nuvox Agents Should Love the Windstream Deal: Dan Sterling Video

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.

Posted 3/12/2010 by:

Dan Baldwin
TA Executive Director

951-251-5155
[email protected] 

Windstream Executives Share Unique 2010 Vision at Telarus Agent Expo

 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 

................................................................................... ................................................................................

  Telarus' Favorite Agent Manager  Chris Shubert 

....................................................................................

----------------

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

Posted 3/10/2010 by:

Dan Baldwin
TA Executive Director

951-251-5155
[email protected]