Distributor DMSL is on the hunt for additional partners to sell VoIP solutions 'face-to-face' to business customers.
The company says it has received a 'huge' response to the first wave of a new lead-generation campaign and wants to capitalise on what it sees as a major opportunity.
DMSL is leveraging its through-marketing engine to promote hosted VoIP solutions. John Carter, Managing Director of DMSL, says that the high level of interest in VoIP has prompted it to seek out additional partners that are willing to engage personally with the end-user customer.
"We started running the campaign in early August and we've had a phenomenal response to the VoIP aspect in particular.
"Now we really need to find more partners to help us capitalise on the opportunity. We want resellers who will go out and sell VoIP face-to-face.
"Experience tells us that this is the only certain way you can succeed. Customers need to see the technology in action and have all their questions answered.
"Once they have that reassurance - and the support of a local reseller - they gain the confidence to adopt and very soon turn into real advocates for VoIP."
DMSL is running a wide-ranging email marketing campaign to drive enquiries. DMSL's own trained team of experts are taking the incoming calls and qualifying opportunities, gathering details of the customer's exact requirements, before passing them onto the nearest registered partner. It is then up to the reseller to take the initiative. Those that do, are seeing immediate success, says Carter.
"SMBs are ready to embrace VoIP, the benefits are understood now. But it still needs to be sold and that usually has to be done in person.
"We are qualifying leads to a very high level and we've been surprised at the size of the opportunities and the eagerness of customers to take things forward. Resellers who make contact and then go in and see the prospect will win new business, there is no question about that.
"Once they have secured that business and won that customer, they will see additional revenues from the set-up and installation and recurring revenues every year."
Some significant deals have already been done by DMSL partner this month. These include one for more than 30 VoIP users and handsets, with accompanying set-up, installation, and services.
Many more are in the pipeline, Carter adds. "We have lots more potential coming through. The opportunity is there to be taken right now - we just need to have that conversation with more resellers.
"Once they have experienced VoIP, customers are also more likely to adopt other hosted services, such as Microsoft Office 365, security and network management.
"Both comms and IT dealers need to wake up to the reality here. The reseller business that owns the broadband connectivity and introduces the customer to hosted services will be storing up much more business potential for the future.
"It's vitally important to win that first piece of services business and in many cases VoIP will be the key that opens the door to those extended opportunities."
As well as lead generation, DMSL is providing resellers with access to a quote generation tool that makes it quick and easy for partners to create professional-looking quotations for customers.