Tellatek is based out of Wildomar, CA and has been a partner with us since June of 2009. Phillip Ingram, the “Chief Thinker-Upper” of Tellatek, tells us how he was able to close two otherwise lost opportunities because of the technical knowledge he gained in class.
How did attending FVU benefit you?
I would say the biggest thing for me was that it opened my eyes technically. My initial reason for attending was to gain a better understanding of the sales process and by the time I left, I had a new understanding of both. Another unexpected bonus was that I got to improve my business relationship with FreedomVoice as a partner. I enhanced my foundation plus I have more influence in shaping the sales with my technical knowledge. In addition, I managed to close a couple of sales while I was in class! I was able to get the technical answers I needed to close the prospects that I was working on.
The strongest takeaway on the sales side is to never say no to your customer when getting something done. Go back to your Channel Manager and find out if a technical customization can be achieved. Attending training will also grow your confidence, especially for the non-technical folks. Plus there is the partner networking, sharing with the group your challenges and wins, along with the additional learning of tools and features.
Tell us about your opportunities after training?
I had an opportunity that had eight different business entities sharing one office space amongst 20 phones, under one umbrella. They also had eight unique autoattendants, all on one system. It was a technical nightmare.
What set FreedomVoice apart?
They were dissatisfied with their phone carrier to the point that they were ready to give up altogether and lose their hardware investment. They were on another hosted solution. However, the confidence I portrayed over the phone along with the 30 day money back guarantee and the month to month contract set the tone for success. I was also able to install the entire system remotely. I was able to complete the sale throughout the FreedomVoice training and register their phones! I also found online tools in WebLink4 that helped me in this process that I did not know about prior to FVU. Pacific Western Partners, LLC has been with us for over a year now. They are a happy customer and just told me they would provide a glowing referral!
How has attending training benefitted your existing customers?
I have new knowledge on the VVX 500 phone and am prepared to upgrade my base. I know this is going to really pick up in the coming months.
Tell us about your company
How many employees do you have? 3
How long have you been in business?
I have 23 years in the industry and I started with cabling. In the last 15 years, I have slowly migrated from a field technician to a salesperson. The biggest thing I like to present to my customers is that I want to be a servant to my customers. I have the technical background and I look at their business and think about how I would handle if it were my own. Through this, design application has become my specialty.
What other services do you sell? Local dial tone, Internet services, call center applications, cabling
Is there anything else you would like to include?
I like challenge and enjoy bringing in multiple solutions to create what is best for the client. Whenever I get a sales opportunity, I consider FreedomVoice first and take it from there. The bandwidth and the business itself have to be the right fit. It has to be a definite no before I wouldn’t consider presenting it. With the knowledge I have from the training, I consider this first.
What are your goals moving forward?
I want to build my company’s foundation through my customer base. I want to put my focus into business development and of course my family. With a solution like FreedomIQ-all of this is possible.
