Skype Journal

I spoke with Dany Bouchedid, President and CEO of COLOTRAQ at ITExpo Los Angeles, a large VoIP conference. He leads the Technology Channel Association’s board of trustees. Agents like COLOTRAQ resell carrier services and manufacturer hardware. The TCA is rebuilding trust between these sales agents and the carriers after a time when the channel was “known as the wild, wild West.” Unscrupulous agent conduct produced defensive measures by vendors: long and complicated contracts, vetting delays, and unfavorable terms that hurt the whole channel.

Skype is taking its fifth or sixth stab at reseller channels with Skype Connect, where company calls go through the Skype network. Before this Skype sold Skype credits through grocers, Skype co-branded headsets and other gear through big box stores, small business kits in parts of Europe, and subscriptions through online affiliate programs.

Each channel has its own peculiarities so it’s not unusual to hire channel managers from and for each channel.  A vendor like Skype can take a long time to earn a reputation that’s worth something with the channel. Generically, resellers want a vendor to trust, that makes them money, offering competitive terms, keeping end customers delighted and dependent, that you can reach on the phone or by email, and that listens well to the channel’s changing needs. Bonus points for making them smarter than their customers, positioning them as better than their competitors, and sharing a brand that drives gets customers to call. A tall order.

I’ve been there, in the last century. I managed one of the first chains to carry the IBM and Apple PCs, trained hundreds of dealers west of the Mississippi to sell the first Compaq luggable PC, and managed value-added resellers and retailers for Wang Labs. Channels can be labor intensive on the vendor’s part, especially when establishing yourself in the market. Channels can expose vendors like Skype to substantial business and brand risk, so education, regulation and program design are part of the game. If only channels didn’t provide such a great way to expand your reach, to leverage trust between sellers and local markets, reps and and niche markets.

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