prmirage
join:2005-03-19
Temecula, CA
|  Need opinion
Hi there...
I have been offered a job as a sales rep with a WISP here in Temecula, CA and have some concerns. I thought why not ask some of the gurus or owners of WISP's to get the inside track. My concern isn't with the technology itself, in point of fact I am a fan of it. It is more with the marketability of the product. For those of you not familiar with Temecula; there are to wired providers currently offering service in our area. Adelphia Cable and Verizon DSL. I am an Adelphia customer at present and am VERY happy with their service. Tested here on this site are speeds of 1312/240, on a rainy day during peak time (I point out "rainy day" as it is fair to assume that more people are indoors likely to be on the internet.) I find this speed very acceptable given the time it was conducted. I have had faster times during off peak hours. What is really impressive about Adelphia is the customer service. I have yet to experience this level of CS with any company I have EVER dealt with.
As for Verizon, I do not know what types of actual speeds they get in Tem but I can say from experience that their CS leaves little to be desired. I feel it important to point out that Verizon has begun laying fiber lines throughout the valley directly to homes and plans to implement FTTP/H (Fios as they are calling it) within the next 5-6 months. Yes, that's Fiber To The Premise/Home with UL/DL speeds of 15/2 respectively. See their link: »www22.verizon.com/FiosForHome/ch···variant=.
So here is my dilemma. After much research, I have read mixed speed reviews of the several WISPS in my area. Throttling seems to be a big issue as well as stability. But by far Customer Service and abhorrent install prices seem to be the biggest complaint I hear about selecting a WISP, which invariably turns prospective customers away. So here are my questions:
1. How does a WISP compete in a market where hard wire solutions cost less per month for faster speeds (even during peak ours) and do not charge upwards of $180 just to get up and running? In fact, the big boys offer "Free Installation" or do it yourself kits.
2. What is a WISP's target market where the big boys already have close to 85% of the market in the area? Surely 15% is that big of a chunk to sustain business in the long run. Eventually, the 'big boys' will make their way into that area as well.
I would like to think that I can be successful selling this product to the public, and as good a salesman as I may or may not be, I don't know too many people that can walk into a neighborhood and say "Hi I'd like you to commit to a year of service that costs more, you get less and we might not come help you if you need us. Oh, and it will cost you $180 to sign up." - Cue smile.
I understand that the CS issues will vary from provider to provider - I only generalize there. However, speed for cost seems to be the same across the board with only a few dollars difference. Not to mention per month caps. Another little charge made by most WISP's.
So can anyone help me understand what I am not seeing...Thanks for your time...
prmirage |
|
anthrorules
Premium
join:2003-09-14
Rollinsville, CO | better forum...
»Wireless Service Providers
This forum is for CUSTOMERS of WISP, NOT providers.  |
|
robbin
Premium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX | reply to prmirage
As a salesman, will you get a good salary or is this all/partial commission? If commission, can you survive on the salary part? |
|
mogooder
join:2002-11-26
Washougal, WA | reply to prmirage
Just my Opinion
If you don't beleave in the product, service and CS of the company you are going to work for, you won't do very well trying to sell it.
mogooder
--
"The Secret is in the RITHMATIC" Henry Hudson |
|
prmirage
join:2005-03-19
Temecula, CA
| reply to prmirage
Re: Need opinion
It is not a question of believing in the company or the product. I clearly said that I am an advocate of wireless technology. Most sales persons don't base their interest in a sales job on the belief of the product so much as whether or not they can successfully sell the product itself. Just because you don't believe in Fords doesn't mean you won't sell them well. That has to do more with your ability as a closer and how strong the market is for the product. I believe in my abilities as a closer but if the market isn't there that wont amount to much at all.
As for the salary question, it's not much of a base salary. The position is more commission than salary. Which is why I posted my question. I am not weary of commission based sales positions if the product is marketable which is clearly in question given the competition in the area. |
|
jebz
join:2002-05-19
 ·OptusNet
| said by prmirage  :...but if the market isn't there that wont amount to much at all. ... if the product is marketable which is clearly in question given the competition in the area. You may be able to sell iceblocks to Eskimos but if someone turns up with a hot dog cart you may as well give up.
It would be better to spend energy on identifying an area that is currently unserviced or uneconomical for a big player to compete in. |
|
John Galt
Forward, March
Premium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
·CenturyLink
| said by jebz :It would be better to spend energy on identifying an area that is currently unserviced or uneconomical for a big player to compete in. I agree with this point of view. Now, whether or not you need to move to another area...
It might be possible to identify areas near Temecula not serviced by the "Big Kids", and not in their plans to service in the near-ish future.
I know that area. I spent a spring and summer in Warner Springs. Now THAT might be a good area for a WISP to grow into...fiber will never touch that area.
Look for areas like that...
--
A is A |
|
cmaenginsb
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-19
Palmdale, CA
| reply to prmirage
It's all in your target market. I worked for a WISP who served Los Angeles up to Santa Barbara. Where we would succeed is in selling them that our service was better than DSL for business, we didn't look into the residential market much. Our direct competition was DSL.
BTW our cheapest rate plan was $100 and it was $600 to install.
Probably the most important thing in being able to sucessfully sell is whether you feel the company will add value compared to DSL and cable. There are a lot of people out there who hate both and if you can offer them a good reason they will pay more money to go with you. Internet access is more than just being able to provide bandwidth, although there are people out there that only care about that. Those people aren't loyal and don't make good customers typically. |
|
public
join:2002-01-19
Santa Clara, CA
·DSL EXTREME
| reply to prmirage
said by prmirage :Hi there... 1. How does a WISP compete in a market where hard wire solutions cost less per month for faster speeds (even during peak ours) and do not charge upwards of $180 just to get up and running? In fact, the big boys offer "Free Installation" or do it yourself kits. You do not. However you may be amazed that large parts of metropolitan areas pretending to be hitech are inhabitable due to lack of broadband service.
If a wisp can deal with trees and other obstacles, there are ready customers for reasonably priced broadband service. |
|
viperm
Carpe Diem
Premium
join:2002-07-09
Winchester, CA
| reply to prmirage
As being one of the bigger wisps here in Temecula I can tell you we compete all day long with the fiber and DSL and cable and we get people jumping ship from cable and DSL all the time. Each has its advantages and disadvantages it all depends on what the customer looks for. We for one throttle but very high we see normal speeds in about 3-4 megs down and 2 megs up. The other “competitors” charge more and also throttle much lower. We upgraded our system to allow for higher speeds and better reliability.
Hands down we provide BETTER customer support and reliability then you will find from our competitors!
You say wisps offer less for more?? I just signed up 6 businesses this past week at $279 per install and $79.95 per month. Verizon entry business package is $99 per month and go try and find a T-1 service for less then $400 per month (thats reliable) and gives away the install for free (normal install varies from $400-$800).
So as you can see we do compete and we are also offering value added services like better responsive tech support, spam filtering and soon VOIP. Look at the posts in the DSL reports on our company blazenwireless.com and see who wins hands down as far as reviews. |
|
