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Exploring unified communications' sales potential

Find the one thing about UC your customer really wants and diversify from that, says Samuel Williams

Williams: Focus your sales pitch when it comes to UC

Unified communications (UC) is often considered impenetrably complex – but we think the true meaning of UC is often lost. Resellers also find it hard to differentiate themselves when so many UC offerings are available.

So the channel needs to review its pitching strategy to prospective UC customers.

A common mistake is to make UC too "aspirational". The tough economic climate means end user budgets are hardly sloshing around waiting for an overblown contraption (or dose of snake oil) to cure their communication worries.

Resellers should simplify their pitch. Think of the "unified" bit as the end game rather than the opening gambit, and focus on individual applications that will make a tangible difference to the way organisations work.

Amid each organisation’s communications networks, application assets and critical business processes there will be one thing that convinces them to invest in UC.

It might not be the only thing that they will benefit from as a result of a UC sale, but will turn out to be the best place to start. Keep things simple.

However, finding that "one thing" is not easy. UC sweet spots vary between organisations and within organisations.

For example, the user experience and interface requirement of the receptionist is generally quite different from that of the chief executive officer. However, both need certain tools.

Again, it is not about selling everything at once but breaking what is on offer down to individual components and finding out which applications suit each customer.

Will your customer be better served by integrating MSN and Skype, PBX and mobile or email?

And beware: organisations do not want to buy from resellers that offer new extravagant systems that do not integrate with existing systems or that aim to be a one-hit wonder.

Instead, organisations want solutions that benefit their business processes.

Resellers need to think outside their clients’ businesses as well.

Is integrating communications within internal business processes or operations absolutely critical? Is it really the ‘one thing’ that every customer badly needs?

UC is a chance to enhance communications between organisations. Suppliers, contractors, and customers may benefit from knowing the others are available, via MSN, Skype and phone integration.

Each part of a customer supply chain is likely to have its own specific UC needs, so complete integration may not be the best answer.

UC instead can provide each part of the supply chain with an alternative medium of communication, and maximise synergies and efficiencies.

That’s really the next part of a UC sale: the range of opportunity that emerges once that all-important "one thing" has been satisfied.

Samuel Williams is general manager at Zeacom Europe.

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