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AireSpring Introduces New Training Series: AireU Technical Certification Training for Partners
What: AirePBX Certification Training Date: Wednesday, September 13, 2017 FREE for AireSpring Channel Partners Bonus: Receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a Certificate of Completion when you complete the course and pass the test.
NEW--AireSpring Adds Frontier Communications to its List of Service Providers
Real-Time Frontier Pricing Now Available in Quote Spring
AireSpring has now added Frontier to its list of top service providers. Frontier offers advanced carrier-grade Ethernet services for improved performance and flexibility, with connectivity throughout their 29-state footprint. This NEW addition to our list of carrier providers means:
Bandwidths include:
FE 5Mb, 10Mb , 20Mb , 50Mb , 100Mb GE 200Mb , 300Mb , 400Mb , 500Mb, 600Mb , 1000Mb
Frontier Ethernet Access is available with the following AireSpring products:
Download the new rates and commissions from our partner portal: www.agentstar.net (go to the Rates/Forms button, click on Rates/Commissions - Excel - Level I, II & III.) Please contact your AireSpring Channel Manager for more information on the updated rate sheets.
New Pricing for CenturyLink Ethernet Services
AireSpring is happy to share our new, improved pricing for CenturyLink Ethernet service effective July 6, 2017. This new pricing applies to bandwidths from 10 Mbps to 1000 Mbps. The CenturyLink Ethernet reduced pricing will apply to these AireSpring products:
This special offer is available only for a limited time. Get details in QuoteSpring.
AireSpring Announces New Verizon Promotion—
 AireSpring partners can earn an additional cash bonus per circuit, with all services using Verizon TLS as the underlying loop provider.Now, team up with two great partners—Verizon and AireSpring—to build your business and earn more than ever.
• Get great pricing on Verizon circuits. and SPIFFs in the industry. Log on to AireSpring’s QuoteSpring, our real-time quoting tool, to get information on this special pricing offer. This offer is valid July 1 – October 30, 2017.
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AireSpring is premiering a new program, AireU, offering in-depth online product training to its valued partners in a special series of webinars. Each month, agents will be able to get training and certification on our top products and services, and become the subject matter experts that clients need.
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Swing Into Some Sticky Commissions
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Let’s face it, many hosted PBX vendors pretty much offer the same features and functionality. In a marketplace with so many “me too” vendors, how do you choose a product that will give you an edge and deliver happy clients?
The answer is AirePBX with managed connectivity on AireSpring’s single nationwide IP Network.
Are your multi-location clients looking for a unified communications platform that is robust and guarantees QoS? Join John Kitchen, AireSpring Channel Manager for an educational overview on the advantages of the AirePBX hosted PBX solution, powered by a single nationwide, managed IP Network that leverages over 16 carriers and guarantees end-to-end, true Quality of Service (QoS).
AirePBX includes all the in-demand features users rely on, plus these special features:
 Complete our brief survey at the end for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card!
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CompTIA ChannelCon 2017 JW Marriott, Austin, TX July 31 - Aug. 2, 2017 |
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TBI – Impact Regional Conference The Elaine Levitt & Joel Gershman Conference Center, Franklin Institute Philadelphia, PA Aug. 10, 2017
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Telarus TIC Chicago Halas Hall-Chicago Bears Headquarters Chicago, IL
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Carrier Xchange Sept. 18-20, 2017
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Telarus TIC-Los Angeles |
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Channel Partners Evolution 2017 Sept. 26 - 28, 2017
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Welcome to the latest edition in our series of profiles, shining the spotlight on AireSpring’s amazing partners. This month, we’re speaking with Scott Brakefield, President of Source Communications.
Tell us a bit about your background and how you started your career in telecom.
I continued to handle that base for some time. I had a lot of success selling to schools under the E-Rate program but that space changed a lot in the last ten years and I decided to change gears. When NuVox was purchased by Windstream, I moved away from selling to government accounts altogether, and started focusing more on commercial accounts as an independent agent.
So when and how did you discover AireSpring?
I started selling AireSpring in 2008. It was one of the first carriers that I started working with when I stopped pursuing government accounts and decided to only sell to commercial accounts. I saw AireSpring at Channel Partners and I started out working with Charles Lomond [AireSpring Director of Agent Sales.] I worked with Charlie up until a few years ago when I started working with Chris Abbott [AireSpring Channel Manager] who is a Channel Manager on Charlie’s team.
There are three things: one is the pricing which is excellent, it’s as good as any there is. The second thing is the ability to speak directly to the AireSpring management team. When I speak with prospects and show them pricing, then I show them AireSpring's Dedicated Escalation List—honestly, that’s the biggest strength AireSpring has. People are so tired of not having anyone to talk with. Other providers offer no contact names or numbers. They may have one account manager at their carrier and that person may change in six months. They have an 800 number to call and no other names.
When I show people the Escalation List with real phone numbers, even cell phone numbers, and names of managers, directors, VPs, all the way up to AireSpring's CEO, it really makes an impact. They realize that they're always going to know somebody to call, and the service must be pretty good, or AireSpring wouldn’t be giving me the CEO’s email address and phone number. Having cell phone numbers for directors and VPs, that’s pretty impressive!
Third, the sales people I’ve worked with have been excellent and responsive. I like the tenure people have—eight years later, Charlie is still there, and Chris has been there quite a while. The same is true on the operations side, so you can build a relationship. For example, I have been working with Barbara Jamaleddin, AireSpring VP of Operations for years and years. She knows me and I can call her if I have a problem. As a smaller agency, that makes an impact because I don’t have a lot of resources who can devote time trying to reach ten people at a carrier.
What would you say is the secret to success?
I think there are two paths to success. One is building relationships with organizations that will bring you leads, such as a VAR or an MSP, where you’re a telecom source and they can vouch for you, making it a warm opener. The second path is really building and owning the relationship, offering a value proposition such as expertise in a specific vertical, or a specific technical expertise, so the customer feels confident that they're speaking with someone who knows what they’re talking about. Customers know you’re going to take care of them. So, there are two halves, building or demonstrating your value to a third party who introduces you or demonstrating your value directly to the end user. Once you own that relationship, you’re their go-to person for telecom.
If someone wants to start out as an agent, they need about 12 to 18 months of “runway,” in order to build up their base of accounts…even if you sell an account the first day, it takes a good six months before you get paid on it. That will become increasingly harder because the larger agencies are taking over and can offer more value than the single transactional agents. It’s very difficult to be able to offer the value, project management services and technical support that these multi-site organizations really want when dealing with communications consultants.
SD-WAN is the only thing customers want to talk about—the only conversation you can have today if you’re selling multi-site accounts. If you’re not having that conversation with them, somebody else is. SD-WAN is everything. You have to be familiar with SD-WAN technology, knowledgeable about the various offerings and the underlying technology of providers and carriers, and know about the multiple ways to deliver that service. You have to become a technical resource for clients, bring multiple options to them--and what SD-WAN vendors make sense for them. Even if a client says they’re not going to move off their MPLS network, they’re going to want to talk about SD-WAN and figure out if it works for them or not, now and for the future.
Tell us about what you do in your free time and your interests outside of telecom.
steer, chickens, pigs, pet llamas and guinea hens. We have a menagerie of useful animals.
I’m originally from Nashville…a beautiful place. I am married. My wife Andrea and I have two kids, Christian, who is a 7-year-old, and Katie, who is a 5-year old.
Scott, thank you for taking time to talk with us and share your insights.
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I don’t have horses, but I have a lot of fruit trees and we raise animals|
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At AireSpring, we know that it is our dedication to customer service that sets us apart, and customer service begins with great employees. Here is your chance to get to know the AireSpring team that oversees your orders and delivers great service every day. This month we are talking with Translations Manager, Jennifer Gemmell.
Hi Jennifer. Can you tell us about your professional background and your career path in the telecom industry?
I originally started working as a graphic designer for Panavision, then Thomas Lighting, then took a year off to take care of family. I returned to work billing ops and reporting, then learned provisioning of OCs, DS3s and T1 at Network Telephone Services (NTS). I then moved into managing provisioning and billing for Internet Services West (IS West). This was at a time when we were bringing in channelized T1s and internet, and I had a chance to learn about that technology until they dissolved the company. I’ve now been in telecom for 20 years.
How long have you been working at AireSpring?
The people I work with are the very best part of working here. I really like that when something’s broken, we work easily as a team and we help each other. We keep at it until the problem is fixed. Beyond that, I like that there are lots of opportunities to learn here. I enjoy being able to build things and fix them from the technical side. There are always opportunities for growth. I’ve learned a lot. As an example, I’ve recently done Sansay switch product and related technology training.
What are some of your hobbies or interests outside the office?
I do a few charity events, including an Autism fundraiser ride, and I’m involved in the Kern County Search and Rescue fundraising event. At home, I enjoy organic gardening, raising my own vegetables and herbs, and playing with my two boxer pups.
Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing with us!
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AireSpring is an award-winning provider of Managed Connectivity and Cloud Communications solutions providing fully managed and connected end-to-end, next-generation solutions for multi-location enterprise customers, including:
AireSpring's services are delivered over its revolutionary nationwide MPLS Mesh Network, providing customers a fully integrated, end-to-end solution from a single vendor.
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