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The Top 10 Companies

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1. Mergers and Acquisitions

Sales is already known as a high turnover profession, but the recent rash of mergers and acquisitions in telecom make it highly unlikely the representative who signed you to your term agreement will still be there to assist you within a year. After making it past the phase of bankruptcies following deregulation, the next phase is mergers and acquisitions. In the past couple of years, a few of the major mergers include Level3/Broadwing (Focal), XO/Allegiance, ATT/SBC/Bell South, MCI/Verizon, Paetec/US Lec, and Time Warner/Xspedius among many others. By using an Independent Telecom Agent, you can be sure that regardless of continued merger activity or bankruptcies, your Independent Telecom Agent will continue to have the same contact phone number and email address. He/She will not be laid off or fired, and will continue to supply you all of the options you need.

2. Single Point of Contact

Regardless of whether your Independent Telecom Agent recommends a single carrier solution or a multi-carrier solution, you still have a single point of contact to deal with the person who knows your account best. During the pricing and evaluation process for a new carrier, it is typical to get at least 3 bids and have at least two appointments with at least three carriers. The number of appointments you have to schedule could easily reach up to a dozen before an educated decision is made on your company's communications. If you use a qualified Independent Telecom Agent, you can spend one appointment determining the best course of action, and just one more evaluating the best options available in your market. Having a single point of contact is a huge time saver!

3. Person who understands your company, how you make decisions, and why

Your Independent Telecom Agent acts as an assistant buyer once he/she understands your business needs and preferences. He/she gets to know your organization, your goals and long range needs, and how you make decisions and why. Why would you want to repeat that process every couple of years?

4. You get to hear the truth!

Perhaps this should be ranked #1! When you use an experienced Independent Telecom Agent, you tap into a wealth of knowledge and experience of someone who has been in the field for many years-and most likely with multiple carriers. Your agent will typically have experience dealing with multiple carriers in your market, and can tell you how they really perform. Not the rosy picture they all want to paint for you. Who has the most reliable network? Who has billing problems? Who is going bankrupt? Who can make the desired install date? When using an Independent agent, you don't have to listen to "The Company Story" for each carrier, as they always tend to dress up their deficiencies. You get to hear the truth.

5. Unbiased opinion of multiple carriers and their product lines

Based on where your business is heading, whether that be expanding, streamlining, or contracting, your Independent Telecom Agent can put you in the right situation. Just like buying an inexpensive phone system that can't grow with you, and can create the need for a forklift upgrade sooner than expected, getting stuck with a carrier that can't meet your future expectations can be crippling to your operation. Since most carriers have gone to term agreements in the T-1 age of communications, it's key to get set up with a carrier that can move with your needs. Do they have MPLS? Do they do SIP trunking? Can they offer an IP-VPN solution for your remote sites? Your Independent Telecom Agent knows the carriers' products and limitations, and can put you in the right solution for your company.

6. Agents are invested in your success long term

This is an incredibly important concept to understand when choosing to use an Independent Telecom Agent! When you work with a direct sales representative for a telecom company, one that may be here and gone tomorrow (rep or company), they are paid only to bring in the sale. As we all know in the world of corporate sales, comp plans drive behavior, and sales reps are specifically told, "If the customer has a problem, send them to the Help Desk. Do not get involved. You are paid ONLY to bring in new business." There is absolutely no motivation, despite the direct representative's best intentions, for them to ever speak to you again after you sign the dotted line. It's sad but true. On the flip side, because Independent Telecom Agents are commission only and residual based, earning a small percentage of the monthly bill, it takes them, in many cases, up to 24 months to get paid what the direct representative will get paid in month number one after the sale. The entire motivation for someone even becoming an Independent Telecom Agent is to build a book of business of happy customers that don't have to find someone new every couple of years to deal with. This relationship only makes sense for the agent if you stay with them for over 24 months, so they have EVERY motivation to assist you in solving any service issues that you may ever have. A good Independent Telecom Agent isn't just another business associate; they become part of your team.

7. They don't have a quota to make

One of the biggest issues I have with local RBOC/ILEC, is that if you call in to the call center to order new service, you will only be told about what THEY want to sell you. NOT what is best for you. Everyone LOVES to sell bundles in telecom, but let me ask you this. Why do you need Centrex calling features or voice mail on your alarm or elevator lines? Do you need call transfer or remote access to call forwarding on every line in your hunt group and on your fax lines? Do you have mysterious items in the back of your bill for web hosting or other items you are afraid to disconnect in case you actually use it? When I call the ILEC/RBOC directly from the agent channel, I get offered different packages, and more attractive packages, than I get over the phone through the call center. It is very common for Independent Telecom Agents to uncover up to 10-20% of pure fluff on your bill during the auditing process. Why does this happen? Simple. The direct representatives you buy from have a quota to make and will often sell you what is good for them, not what is good for you. They are directed to sell what is profitable for the carrier they work for, and are paid accordingly based on their ability to do so. Top Independent Telecom Agents, almost without exception; do not carry quotas with any carriers. Because they do not carry quotas, you will not find them pushing you towards a solution that doesn't feel quite right just to meet their numbers. Be frank and ask your Independent Telecom Agent if they carry quotas with the carriers proposed. If they do carry a quota, be sure to ask enough questions about the solution they are suggesting to make sure it is right for you.

8. Extra Incentives and Promotions

The Telecom Industry is moving increasingly towards the Independent Agent Channel. In fact, last year, a local ATT/SBC agent manager said the Agent channel gained more business through their agent Winback program than they did their direct Winback program. Even they were shocked! There are several reasons for this. Independent Telecom Agents are typically more knowledgeable, better trained, set proper expectations with the clients, their clients tend to remain clients longer (since they were sold the right program), and it is more cost effective for the carriers to deal with Agents. They do not pay base salaries or benefits, in addition to commissions. Strangely enough, where I have seen this benefit the customer most, is in the form of special incentives and promotions offered only through the Agent Channel. It is not uncommon for agents to compete head to head with a direct representative for one of the carriers they are presenting. It is also not uncommon for the agent channel to have promotions or incentives that the direct representative has not been given for the customer, and the agent will typically win the customer because of that fact. If the direct representatives have promotions available, they are often compensated extra if they do not use them. Independent Telecom Agents will pull out any available promotions available in an effort to gain your business for the long haul, as they are typically not incented or penalized for use of promotions.

9. Same Pricing

The exact same standard pricing is used in the Agent Channel and the direct channel. In spite of all of the additional knowledge you can tap into with Independent Agents, you can be sure you are not charged any extra for it. For large projects, special pricing is available to both Agent and direct channels at the same amounts. It's an incredible model that helps the customer and agent win, and insures all clients are treated equally.

10. They understand Next Generation Technology

Independent Telecom Agents will typically be better versed in MPLS, IP-VPN, VOIP, hosted solutions, call center applications, and SIP technologies since they need to understand multiple carriers' offerings and have attended their trainings. Direct representatives will often know a few tweaks to their individual limited product line a little better than agents that do not exclusively sell their product, but they will not have the overall understanding of all that is coming with new technology. No carrier can be the master of all technologies and master of all niches. It's a business impossibility. So it follows that it is nearly impossible for a direct representative to have the same breadth and width of exposure to the applications you are facing decisions on. Business is fiercely competitive, and implementation of some of the new technologies correctly can literally save larger companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. That may be the exact edge your company needs to gain the competitive advantage in your marketplace for security, marketing, recruiting, or even retention. Likewise, implementing a bleeding edge technology that is not ready for prime time may cost you the same. Using an experienced Independent Telecom Agent who is looking out for your best interests may make all the difference.

The Top 10 Companies

By the time you find out you're pregnant (pregnancy test $15) to the time junior blows out the candles on his first birthday cake (cake $20), parents can expect to spend upwards of $18,000. And that's on baby's first year alone. By the time junior reaches 18, the average middle-income family will spend $160,140, according to recent government calculations. That doesn't even touch college tuition. Ouch!

Children are priceless, but raising them is probably the most expensive thing a parent will ever do.

But there's good news. One of the few times companies are eager to hand out free things is when someone is having a baby!

When author, Sue Hannah found out that she was expecting twins, she couldn't wait for their arrival. But feeling the financial strain that goes along with being a new parent (times two), she was definitely a little nervous.

Desperate to find extra help for her expanding family, she contacted almost every company that manufactured baby items. She scoured through parenting magazines, searched the Internet and made phone calls until her husband thought she was suffering a pregnancy-induced craze. He claimed she couldn't get something for nothing. Boy, was he wrong!

She was surprised to find out that many companies offered free stuff to new and expecting parents--and with no obligation to buy anything! She received hundreds of dollars worth of fabulous freebies for herself and her babies, including free diapers, baby wipes, baby food, baby bibs, bottles, free gift packs, parenting starter kits, free parenting videos and software, coupons, parenting books and magazines, and tons of free samples in the mail, all from well-known companies like Huggies, Gerber, Heinz, Nestl? Carnation, Johnson & Johnson, and many more.

"It was really exciting to receive free stuff in the mail", says Hannah. "These companies were eager to respond to my requests for free samples and promotional items and within a couple of weeks of contacting them, my mailbox was flooded with valuable free stuff--and with no obligation to buy anything! I could hardly wait to see what my mailman brought me in the mail each day! I filled up three large storage bins with free stuff for my twins, and saved a ton of money!?

After receiving a flood of free stuff in the mail, Hannah decided to compile her contacts and listings into an awesome book, Free Stuff For Baby!, consisting of toll-free numbers that parents could call to request free stuff, company addresses where parents could write to request free stuff, as well as Internet websites where parents could register online to request free stuff for themselves and their baby. And what a success that book has been! Hannah has recently appeared on several television programs promoting her new book, including, "Northwest Afternoon" (KomoTV/Seattle), "Your Morning" (Comcast), ?Canada AM?, ?Breakfast Television", to name a few. Her articles have appeared in tons of parenting magazines, including ?Fit Pregnancy?, ?Today's Parent?, ?Work & Family?, and many more!

For those ?new or expecting? parents who are reading this article today, Hannah has offered to give you a sneak preview of her new book, "Free Stuff For Baby!", in the form of an awesome, 101-page e-book called "The Best of Baby Freebies", that contains hundreds of listings of companies that offer free stuff to new and expecting parents in the U.S. and Canada....FREE!! Details are available at the website. www.Free-Baby-Samples.com

Hannah's final words of advice: "Join as many mailing lists as you can to take advantage of what these companies have to offer. Enjoy your baby. Cherish every moment!?

Note: When contacting these companies, ask to be put on their mailing list to receive free promotional items for new and expecting parents. If you are expecting multiples, be sure to mention that in your correspondence with them.

Check out Sue Hannah's website at www.Free-Baby-Samples.com, where you can sign up for these and many other free baby offers online. Simple, Fast....and FREE!!

1. Pampers (Procter & Gamble)

In the United States or Canada, call 800-543-0480, 800-726-7377

U.S. Website: http://www.us.pampers.com/en_US/home.do (click on "JoinPampers.com")

Canadian Website: www.pampers.ca (click on ?coupons and special offers?)

Call the above-listed number to be put on the company mailing list to receive sample products and disposable diaper coupons. Call again after the baby is born to receive further offers. Pampers will also send out occasional mailings and coupons at the different stages of your baby's development. When you register online at Pampers.com, you will receive a free newsletter, a $10.00 New Registration Coupon Book, private product previews and samples from Pampers, as well as special offers from other Procter & Gamble brands.

2. Huggies (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)

In the United States or Canada, call 800-544-1847

www.Huggies.com

Call, or sign up online to join Huggies? mailing list for new and expecting parents where you will receive coupons for Huggies diapers, wipes, and other promotional items and free samples that they are offering at the time.

3. Johnson & Johnson

In the United States, call 800-526-3967

In Canada, call 800-361-8068

U.S. Website: www.johnsonsbaby.com

www.babycenter.com

Canadian Website: www.jnjCanada.com

Parents can call the above-listed number to receive a free Baby Care Basics brochure with valuable coupons, as well as to receive occasional mailings from time to time with further offers from Johnson & Johnson. You can also attend at the Johnson's Baby Website to sign up for their free personalized newsletter, as well as special offers. When you sign up, you will automatically be entered for a chance to win a diaper bag filled with $50 worth of Johnson's Baby products. There is one winner each month. Good luck! Residents of Canada can call Johnson & Johnson to receive a ?New Parent's Pack? with free samples, coupons, and literature.

4. Bright Beginnings

www.brightbeginnings.com

Bright Beginnings, the fastest-growing baby formula in the United States, is offering a free sample of Bright Beginnings baby formula, coupons & more. Residents of the U.S. can sign up online at the Bright Beginnings website.

5. Nestl? Infant Nutrition

In the United States, call 800-242-5200

In Canada, call 800-387-5536

U.S. Website: www.verybestbaby.com

Canadian Website: www.nestle.ca (click on ?Good Start Magazine?)

Call to join Very Best Baby to receive a free 6-month subscription to The Very Best Baby magazine, as well as to receive free money-saving checks for Nestle Infant Nutrition products. You can also register online to join the Very Best Baby at the above-listed Website. When you register online, you can choose to receive an assortment of free benefits.

Residents of Canada can call the above-listed number to receive a FREE subscription to the Nestl? Baby Magazine for expecting and new moms. Along with your free magazine subscription, you will receive valuable coupons, free samples of infant formula and baby cereal (if you choose), plus information and savings on special products for new parents. You can also subscribe online to the Nestle Baby Magazine by visiting the website listed above.

6. Similac Welcome Addition Club

In the United States, call 800-BABYLINE (press #1)

In Canada, call 800-518-CLUB

U.S. Website: www.welcomeaddition.com

Canadian Website: www.welcomeaddition.com (click on "Join the Club")

Call the above-listed toll-free number, or attend at the Website listed above to join "The Similac Welcome Addition Club". Member benefits include money-saving discounts, free samples of Similac Infant Formulas, periodic newsletters containing expert pregnancy and parenting advice, or other gifts. Residents of Canada can call the toll-free number, or write to the address listed above to join the ?Welcome Addition Club? to receive coupons, free samples, and a free gift for your baby.

7. Enfamil Family Beginnings (Mead Johnson Nutritionals)

In the United States, call: 800-BABY-123 (press #6)

In Canada, call 800-361-6323

U.S. Website:www.enfamil.com

Canadian Website: www.enfamil.ca

The ?Enfamil Family Beginnings? program is a free program that is brought to you by Mead Johnson. Call the above-listed toll-free number to take part in the program and receive valuable retail checks and special offers. You can also register online at the above-listed Website to join the ?Enfamil Family Beginnings? program.

Attend at http://www.enfamil.com/enfamil8.html/ to print out a page to pack in your suitcase and give to your nurse at the hospital when your baby arrives to receive a free diaper bag and other free samples.(Offer available at participating hospitals.)

Residents of Canada can call to receive discounts on baby formula, and to join the ?Enfamil First Connections" program. When you join ?Enfamil First Connections", you'll receive a keepsake box with a free product sample and coupons, informational brochures, & more. You can also register online at the above-listed Website to join ?Enfamil First Connections?.

8. Gerber Products Company

In the United States & Canada, call 800-4GERBER

U.S. Website: www.gerber.com/mygerber/register.asp

Canadian Website: www.gerbercanada.com

Call to receive coupons for baby food, a free informational booklet, and a free baby spoon. Check out Gerber's Website to receive up to $50 in valuable coupons for Gerber products, special offers, free samples and more when you join ?Growing Up Gerber?.

9. H.J. Heinz Company

In the United States, call 800-USA-BABY (press #2)

In Canada, call 800-565-2100

www.heinzbaby.com

Call the above-listed number to receive a free feeding booklet with discount coupons, as well as other free promotional offers from Heinz. Residents of Canada can call the above-noted number to participate in the ?Children's Miracle Network? program, a label-saving program where you can collect and send in the labels/box tops from any Heinz baby product. Through the Children's Miracle Network, Heinz will make a donation of 6 cents for each label collected to a local participating children's hospital.

10. American Baby Magazine

U.S. Website: www.freebiesquest.com(click on "baby & toddler")

Get a FREE subscription to American Baby magazine! Are you a new or expecting parent? Do you know someone who is expecting a baby or who has a baby under 1 year of age? Check out Hannah's website at www.freestuff4baby.com for tons of baby freebies and parenting resources!

_____________________________________________________

***For more baby freebies, don't forget to check out Sue Hannah's website at www.Free-Baby-Samples.com where parents can sign up for these and other terrific baby freebies. SIMPLE, FAST.....AND FREE!!!

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About Author

Both Ada Denis & Kathleen Brooks are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Ada Denis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, Finances and Marketing.

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