By Khali Henderson

The Keanes (Jeff and Pete) of the KeaneTel have been inviting me to attend their master agency's annual for the past few years. This year, being that it was in Las Vegas and near my home base in Phoenix, I decided to join in. Now, I know why that call it the Telecom Training Triathlon.

I originally thought it was a cute marketing name for the three-day event, but it turns out to be an endurance test. The day I was attended, classes started at 8:30 and continued through to 5 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break. Then, it picked up again with a reception at 8 p.m. when KeaneTel honored its top sales partners and suppliers.

Jeff Keane admits that it can be a long day, but says it's only half as long on the first and last days of the event. To reward sales partners for their stamina, KeaneTel offered two free years of membership in its sales partner program. Unlike traditional agent programs, KeaneTel sales partners pay a monthly fee to KeaneTel in exhange for 80 percent to 100 percent of commisisons. The two prizes (a $7,200 value each) -- one for an existing partner and one for a prospective partner -- were offered in a drawing. The catch? You had to attend every activity to qualify for the drawing.

By Friday morning, the crowd -- about 30+ agents and as many suppliers -- thinned, eliminating all but eight companies from drawing. (No pain, no gain!) Dwayne King of Network Carrier Resources (NCR) and Paul Pietrusewicz of Maket2Go were the winners.I wasn't eligible for the award, of course, but I did get a workout  -- albeit only the middle part, which I believe corresponds to the  swimming part in a real triathlon. (Well, there was swimming at the MGM Grand in Vegas, but I can't say that I got to go anywhere near the water.) Nevertheless, I and the other students were nearly "drowning" in information by the time that I left.  

During last week's training KeaneTel sales partners heard from 13 suppliers and event sponsors, including ACC Business, AT&T (via master agent Integral Choice), Cavalier, Connex, Covad, DynaLink, Intelliverse, Intercall, New Edge Networks, PAETEC, Qwest, Total Call International/OPEX and XO.  Two of the suppliers -- PAETEC and Intelliverse -- are new to the KeaneTel portfolio this year.

Since I was only there for a day, I got to hear from just a few. Here are some of the highlights: PAETEC's Steve Kopp and Alex Prescott promoted the CLEC's expanded footprint following the McLeodUSA merger. They discussed the company's data products and also a unique equipment-for-services offer. Jeff Keane said also touted an aggressive commission strucutre available to the KeaneTel Sales Partners.

Joel Allinson of XO (KeaneTel's Carrier of the Year) highlighted the CLEC's IPfolio products and mentioned a new cool IP Flex feature launched a month ago that enables users of its service to click-to-dial any number even when away from their desktop phone. The service calls both the subscriber and the person he/she is calling and connects them. Later this year, XO wil add a feature that allows subscribers to move seamlessly from mobile phone to desktop within a call.

XO's John DiCataldo announced upcoming XO SIP integrations with popular IP PBXs. The latest is with Cisco's UC500. In June, the carrier plans to announce integrations with gear from Nortel, 3Com, ShoreTel and Mitel. In January 2009, integration is planned for systems from Siemens, Aastra, Toshiba and Panasonic, he said. 

In addition to its new carriers, KeaneTel also announced the launch of a new Website, www.keanetelsalespartners.com, to house all carrier communications regarding spiff and promotions as well as useful tools like area code maps. Since the site was opened in January, Keane said it's become a popular place for carriers to disseminate information to the KeaneTel sales network.

Keane said this year's training is the most successful to date. There weren't more people, but the ones that attended represented 80 percent to 90 percent of KeaneTel's business. KeaneTel has about 32 sales partners, he said. (KeaneTel had tried the traditional agency route, but found it unproductive and shut it down.)  This year, he said the KeaneTel sales partners are on pace to deliver $22 million in carrier revenue.

I am happy to report that I survived my first Telecom Training Triathlon with only a residual few aches and pains  -- mostly of the brain cramp variety.

May 21, 2008

KeaneTel Honors Top Sales Partners and Top Suppliers

Khali Henderson
05/21/2008

Master agency KeaneTel  recognized its top sellers and top suppliers at a May 15 reception in conjunction with its Telecom Training Triathlon in Vegas. KeaneTel’s top sales partners based on year-over-year revenue growth were Integral Choice, Xilec, Telecom Decision Makers, Kelly Communications, NS Communications and DataTel.               Kipling Stephens of Xilec -- one of six KeaneTel sales partners to earn top partner honors -- receives an award from KeaneTel's Jeff Keane. KeaneTel’s sales partners pay KeaneTel a $600 monthly fee to manage carrier relationships and process orders. In return, KeaneTel passes through 80 percent to 100 percent of the carrier commission, depending on the carrier. In addition, KeaneTel named XO Communications Inc. as Carrier of the Year. DynaLink Communications was given a special award for customer satisfaction.               XO's John DiCataldo, Tom Gorey and Joel Allinson accept the Carrier of the Year award from KeaneTel's Jeff Keane.   March 24, 2008 Finding the best telecom for your business Avoid sticker-shock by getting everything in writing - and be prepared to do legwork to find the best bid. EMAIL | PRINT | By Lenora Chu Last Updated: March 24, 2008: 9:21 AM EDT (FORTUNE Small Business) -- Dear FSB: We are a small business in the Philadelphia area. How should I select a telecom company? Is there an independent evaluation anywhere of these companies by region? - Meg P., Plymouth Meeting, Pa. Dear Meg: Small businesses are lucrative customers for telecom companies, especially in urban areas, so you will have plenty of choices. Carriers that may operate in your area include Qwest (Q, Fortune 500), Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500), AT&T (T, Fortune 500) or XO Communications (OTC: XOHO). But getting a completely independent evaluation is probably not possible; you have to do legwork, too. Start by contacting a handful of providers directly for quotes and information. Alternatively, you can contact an independent sales agent trained in packaging the services of multiple carriers, says Jeff Keane of Atco, N.J.-based KeaneTel. By the way, you should never pay a commission to such an agent - they are compensated by the carrier who gets your account, Keane says. Running an entire business from smartphones Alone or with outside help, you'll need to evaluate multiple solutions from multiple carriers, to get the best combination of voice, data, Internet, and/or VoIP services at the best price for your company's needs. Some carriers have great networks, while others have better customer service, but most small businesses find that the place to start their evaluation is by looking for low monthly charges. For example, a client can get a package of up to 24 lines, a T1 Internet connection, unlimited local calling and 2,000 minutes of long distance for as little as $480 a month, Keane says. Monthly cost is an important consideration when choosing a provider, says Sonal Gandhi, a small-business analyst at Jupiter Research, but you should also look at the bundle of options being offered, as well as the service provider's reliability and disaster recovery track record: be sure ask for service uptime and performance guarantees, Gandhi says. Use Internet resources for research, too: Some websites evaluate telecom service providers by region. Cnet.com posts some reviews of VoIP and Web hosting providers, and Bridgevine.com has a listing of all telecom providers by region. BuyerZone.com will provide bids from telecom providers in your region via e-mail. Price your equipment, too If you also have to buy telecom equipment, be prepared for more research - and expense. Start by talking with other business owners in your area who run similar types of companies, says John Harahan, president of Wayne, Penn.-based Telegard Find out which system providers they looked at, and what they liked. Ask how easy the system they chose was to install, and if there were extra costs. Conference calls: Cutting the cord  The three largest providers of phone systems for companies today are Avaya (NSE), Nortel (NT) and Cisco (CSCO, Fortune 500). They have certified resellers in every city who will give you a custom quote. Harahan suggests getting at least five quotes and says you should encounter no surprises if you make sure to get estimates in writing, with detailed descriptions of every line item in your bid. Remember to ask about installation and maintenance. The cost of a purchasing and installing a new phone system will run roughly $800 to $1,000 per station, Harahan says. This includes voicemail as well as VoIP (voice-over-Internet) services. Maintenance for the first year is typically included in the initial cost. Then, for years two through five, it might run about $140 per month for the average small office. But that's not the whole story. You'll also need to consider installation. Set-up costs may be waived if you're willing to sign a two- or three-year contract, rather than a month-to-month or one-year term, Keane says. Be aware that additional wiring charges are almost never quoted, and come directly from the company's wiring vendor. For example, phone companies usually only bring wires from outside the building to your phone box or demarcation point inside. Should you need to "extend the demarc," say, to an office suite at a distance from the box, you'll likely incur an additional charge from the wiring vendor. Make "extended demarc" requests when you order your phone service to avoid delays. These charges - primarily for labor - are almost never waived, according to Keane. Keep in mind these are rough estimates, and could swing higher or lower depending on what bells and whistles you want. "Similar to purchasing a new car, people often over-buy on extras they never use," Harahan says.  First Published: March 21, 2008: 10:23 AM EDT

Intelliverse's Frank Paterno

NCR's Dwayne King

Frank Paterno of Intelliverse, spoke about selling the company's hosted IP telephony services as well as its new integration with the New Edge Networks MPLS footprint, bypassing the public Internet. New Edge Networks' new channel chief Brett Theiss discussed the company's new MPLS over DSL product.

Qwest's Steve Robinson also talked about its product roadmap for OneFlex SmartConnect. In second quarter, he expects it to support up to 200 seats per location; presently, the limit is 48. He also expects it to support a VPN component in short order.

KeaneTel has announced that enrollment in its Sales Partner Program, which closed in January 2007, is open again this month. The family-owned master agent says it chose, for the benefit of its sales partners, to grow its distribution channel at a manageable rate and therefore closed enrollment last year to evaluate and analyze the program and redefine its processes. KeaneTel said it has been inundated with requests throughout 2007 to allow new sales partners and it is opening the program now to new candidates, and offering more features, services and better earnings capabilities.

“The reason that we closed enrollment last year was because we had grown so fast and the program was so successful, we actually had to catch our breath a little bit and allow ourselves to continue to provide a high level of service and support,” explained Pete Keane, senior partner at KeaneTel.

KeaneTel is different from most master agents in that in addition to its traditional Agent Partner Program, the Sales Partner Program operates on a fixed fee paid by the partner instead of a split of commissions. Sales partners received 100 percent commissions on most carriers, with just a few exceptions paying only 80 percent due to training, travel and so on. This fee also provides partners with KeaneTel’s Annual Training Triathalon and several back-office services, including MasterStream for quoting and RPM for commissioning. KeaneTel also offers a CRM capability using CRM ASP, in addition to e-mail services and Web hosting.

The master agent admited that the Sales Partner Program is not for everyone. Some agents can’t fathom paying their master agent in order to be able to make sales for them. However, KeaneTel said the program is for people who have substantial enough volume, specifically $3,000 per month in total monthly recurring revenue. If someone can bring in that amount of revenue, they are at the break-even point. After that, 100 percent of every dollar from every sale belongs to the agent.

During the past year, KeaneTel evaluated whether the profit and loss of the Agent Partner Program was comparable or better than the Sales Partner Program. The company found that even though the agent program attracted a high number of agents, the amount of resources consumed compared with the revenue it generated was too far out of proportion to be profitable for the company.

“We’re searching for quality, not so much quantity,” said Jeff Keane, president of KeaneTel. “That’s what we’re finding is a draw for the Sales Partner Program as opposed to the Agent Partner Program.”

“Ultimately what it came down to is this,” said Pete Keane. “The average sales partner who’s paying us the monthly fee is making substantially higher percentages of the revenue than any agent partner on a split. And since they are higher volume, more hands-on themselves, it puts us in a position where we benefit by driving our volumes up with the carriers.”

KeaneTel said it’s on track to do approximately $22 million in carrier revenue for 2008. This is up from $3 million or $4 million four years ago when this program started.

KeaneTel agents in the traditional Agent Partner Program will be asked to convert to the Sales Partner Program or see their commissions drop to a 60/40 split from 75/25. Pete Keane said although the agents will be incented to move to the Sales Partner Program, all current contracts will be honored and paid. Any new agent partners choosing to enlist in the Agent Partner Program would do so at the 60/40 level.

KeaneTel has more than 100 agents and sales partners. They have almost two dozen sales partners and expect about a half-dozen agents will migrate to the Sales Partner Program because of this announcement. KeaneTel expects to have more than 50 sales partners by then end of the first quarter.

“I believe this will make us one of the top three agencies in America in very short order,” said Jeff Keane.

KeaneTel www.keanetel.com