Newsletter | Q3 2019

From the CEO’s Desk

Trust is Earned Every Day on Every Deal 

Whether you’ve been working with our team for two weeks or 20 plus years, the experience you have with PlanetOne means everything to us. With so much hype around who’s doing what and why, our team at PlanetOne takes great pride in saying we’ve been doing the common things uncommonly well since 1992, and one of those is over-communicating with our channel partners to ensure we’re all in the know and growing profitably together.

Whether it’s a FLASH FRIDAY notice from Jake or Ross, or a good old-fashioned phone call from yours truly, if there’s something worth noting, consider it done. If it’s really timely, we won’t let our emails or calls go unanswered. We’re relentless because results matter to us, and your success is our success.

You’ve heard it from me before, but I am going to write it again…open, clear and consistent communications are critical to earning trust with every partner we serve. It’s not enough to have it on every deal. We will continue work to deliver open communications on everything we do.

The fact is, from the simple to the strategic, we’re all making business decisions based on trust. In our experience, three of the fastest ways to earn trust are: 1) Do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it;  2) Provide your customers with extraordinary information that’s meaningful and actionable and; 3) Advocate for their success. Have their back. Don’t disappear when the deal goes south, instead work together to find a fix or find a new deal. Opportunity is everywhere. Do business with people you enjoy working with and trust to do right by you.

We are all here to make money so let’s continue to learn from each other, enable each other and build on our success. Thank you for trusting PlanetOne with your business and allowing us to contribute in a significant way to your success. If you’re not signed up for our Dana Point Tech Tour and our End of Year event, there’s no better time than the present. We have some incredible incentive opportunities for you to qualify for between now and the end of the year so please visit our website for all the details at https://planetone.net/2019incentives.

Cheers,

Ted Schuman, Founder/CEO
PlanetOne

Company Name: Big Dog Networx

Headquarters: Boston, Mass., with agents in New York City; Washington D.C.; Chicago, IL.; and Denver, CO.

Website: www.bigdognetworx.com

Year Founded: 2004

Key Markets/Verticals Served: Big Dog Networx is a leading voice, data and cloud consultancy serving clients across a broad range of vertical markets including education, government, healthcare and financial services.

Specializations: Cloud, connectivity, voice, collaboration

Why Big Dog Networx Teams with PlanetOne: Integrity and Responsiveness

“It all comes down to trust,” said Gregory Howard, Founder and CEO, Big Dog Networx, when describing his relationship with PlanetOne.

Since 2004, the voice, data and cloud solutions consulting firm has been helping its clients identify the right communications solutions for solving their unique business challenges. “We believe in delivering the best solutions for our clients through honesty and integrity, and that is why PlanetOne is such a great fit for Big Dog Networx,” said Howard. “I would trust Ted and his team with my life.”

He added, “One of the biggest things for us is PlanetOne’s responsiveness. When I am in the middle of the deal and trying to win a piece of business, I can trust that PlanetOne will be there to support me. In our business, every single deal is the most important deal and they understand that. Even in a pinch, PlanetOne is there to make sure I can support the client and immediately resolve any issues that arise.”

Howard also says that he appreciates that PlanetOne is there, regardless of whether the business has closed or not. “A lot of times with other companies, I’ll only hear from the channel manager once the deal is inked, with PlanetOne its completely different. They come to me with a mindset of looking for what they can do to help me win the deal – no one is too good to take on even the most mundane of tasks. PlanetOne is truly an extension of my team and remains loyal to me regardless of whether we close the deal, or not.”
 

Large Nonprofit Teams with Big Dog Networx and PlanetOne for Voice and Data Upgrade

One of the areas of vertical focus for Big Dog Networx is large nonprofits within the education and healthcare sectors. Recently, Howard and his team received a call from a CIO, whom they had worked with before at a previous nonprofit organization. He had switched jobs and was working for another large nonprofit and had an opportunity he wanted to explore with Big Dog Networx.

“The CIO was looking to upgrade the organization’s voice and data systems,” said Howard. “The nonprofit had 28 locations, a very tight budget and an IT staff consisting of three people. What they needed was a solution to offload as much of the management of their connectivity infrastructure, while at the same time conserving their limited budget and resources.”

The first order of business when Big Dog Networx came on board was to clean up the client’s existing voice and data services account. “We were able to locate a $40K credit due to bad billing practices, which helped free up funds to upgrade their phone system,” said Howard. “The next challenge was the lack of support they were receiving. With only three employees, there was not enough manpower to manage the connectivity infrastructure across all 25 locations, and the previous provider was not giving the client the support it needed. After consulting with PlanetOne, we recommended that the client migrate to SpectroTel for its voice and data services.”

Howard added. “Unlike their previous provider, with SpectroTel the nonprofit would gain a one-stop-shop for any type of carrier – whether cable or fiber, or service – i.e. telephone, internet, e-fax,” he added. “Further, SpectroTel’s portal would give them a quick and easy overview of the performance of their connectivity network at any given time, which would save time and reduce strain on internal resources. Giving the nonprofit full control over their entire connectivity infrastructure, made the decision to migrate to SpectroTel a no-brainer.”

Big Dog Networx delivered for the client, completing the install at its 25 locations within 30 days. “We installed multiple locations per day,” said Howard. “We conducted weekly calls with the client to ensure they were up to speed on the project, and our SpectroTel project manager, Mike Robinson, was invaluable in bringing this installation together.”

The Friday Flash Puts Money in My Pocket

When asked what PlanetOne does that makes the company standout, Howard had one word – education.

“When I work with different solution providers, I love hearing from the channel managers as they are typically the ones with the insights into what’s new and trending,” said Howard. “Unfortunately, with most companies, that contact is little and far between, but that is definitely not the case with PlanetOne.”

Howard continued, “I’ve come to count on the ‘Friday Flash’ that Ross Thompson sends out as a great source of information that I can then use to educate my team and clients about what is happening in the industry. Every time I read a ‘Friday Flash,’ it puts money in my pocket and inspires me with the stories of deals that have been won and closed, and how PlanetOne worked with his providers and partners to solve client challenges.”

For more information on the PlanetOne Partner Program, visit https://www.planetone.net/partner-program/.

TPx is the nation’s premier Managed Services Provider, delivering unified communications, managed IT and network connectivity to over 50,000 customer locations across the country.

Accelerate Your Success With TPx!

We are looking for motivated partners, driven to success, who enjoy unlimited opportunities for compensation. Doing business with us is a win-win-win for you, your customers, and TPx. You receive the sales resources and support you need, the customer receives the service and customer support they need, and we gain a long-term customer relationship.

Generate More Revenue with TPx

TPx offers one of the most aggressive and competitive compensation packages in the industry. That means unlimited growth potential for you! And with special SPIFs and contests throughout the year, you can bolster your compensation and even earn trips to top destinations.

Higher Customer Satisfaction

We’re long-term relationship junkies.  It’s easy to murmur sweet nothings like, “service is our middle name,” but here, you’d better have the cold hard numbers to back those claims up because we want those relationships to endure. We keep customers better than almost anyone, in any industry.

We’ve recently felt like Queen of the Prom in the industry since earning several prestigious awards:

• Datto Breakout Partner of the Year for selling the most devices in a 12 month period
• Datto Partner of the Year for providing exemplary technology and services to SMB business customers
• TMC named UcX Unified Communications Product of the Year
• Ranked #2 on the Channel Futures MSP 501 rankings
• Dick Jalkut, TPx President and CEO was named a Channel Partners Top Gun 51 Channel Leader

The TPx team is ready to help you design, price and present the best possible solution to your customers. Our agent managers are among the best you will find anywhere. With our extensive range of services, you can offer your customers a comprehensive suite of communications, managed IT and network services from a single source.

For more information contact your TPx Channel Manager or visit the PlanetOne provider page.

Jake Schuman
Director of Sales, Strategic Accounts, PlanetOne

At PlanetOne, we place tremendous value the contributions our employees make to ensure both our success and that of our providers and partners. In our newsletter each quarter, we shine a light on one of our amazing employees. This quarter, we are featuring Jake Schuman, Director of Sales for Strategic Accounts.

Jake has been with PlanetOne for five years, having joined the company in June 2014. He is based in PlanetOne’s Orange County Office and as Director of Sales, Strategic Accounts, is responsible for driving sales initiatives, increasing revenue and closing deals across the company’s strategic partner base.

Jake is also newly married and he and his wife, who works in the technology sector as well, love spending time in the outdoors and taking advantage of everything the Southern California lifestyle has to offer!

We recently sat down with Jake to learn what he likes most about working at here at PlanetOne, and how he spends time away from the office.

1. What do you like most about your job? Working with PlanetOne?Personally, I enjoy helping our partners solve their most pressing business challenges. Often, it’s like putting together the pieces of a puzzle – looking at the problem and then finding the right technology solution. The advantage that we have here at PlanetOne is our rich provider portfolio which enables us to identify the right technology solutions for our partners, regardless of the complexity of the problem.
   One of other reasons I enjoy working here at PlanetOne is being surrounded by some of the most talented technologists in this space. That, coupled with our trusted providers and partners, makes for great teamwork!

3. What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t working?
   I enjoy doing anything outside, especially when a motorized vehicle is involved! Many weekends and evenings you’ll find my wife and I at the beach or on the trail – often joined by our dog, Cash!
4. Do you have a ‘bucket list’? What are some of the things you would want to do if time or money were no object?
   One of the things I’ve always wanted to do was see the Monaco Grand Prix in person. Even better would be viewing it from a yacht docked in the harbor! What an experience that would be!
5. Do you have a favorite saying, mantra or quote?
   One of my favorite sayings that the team will often hear from me is “teamwork make the dream work.”

On a toasty July day, PlanetOne’s From the Heart team headed over to Arizona Helping Hands and donated their time putting together 96 back-to-school backpacks and 75 first aid kits. Learning about the plight of so many neglected children in the community was very emotional and knowing that these children would have new backpacks for the school year was a small but hopeful contribution.

Arizona Helping Hands is the largest provider of essential needs for children in foster care in the state. As long as children are abused and neglected, and as long as drug and alcohol addictions riddle our society, there will be a need for foster care.

The mission of Arizona Helping Hands is to provide basic needs for children in foster care… and so much more!

• Twin bed set: New box spring, mattress, frame, mattress protector, set of sheets, pillow, and blanket.
• Crib: Mattress, crib, two crib sheets, quilt.
• Diapers and wipes: Provided through donation drives and special events.
• Dream Kit: Hygiene items including toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, brush, shampoo, etc.
• New and gently used children’s clothing: The only non-new item that provided.
• Safety equipment: To pass the state-mandated home inspection for licensed foster care homes, including fire extinguisher and customized first aid kit.

Arizona Helping Hands began when co-founder, Kathy Donaldson, made a promise to her dying sister to “do one good deed a day and don’t take credit for it.” From those early days of holiday toy drives, they have continued to meet the needs of children in the community. The organization has served tens of thousands of children over the last 20+ years and continues to grow every year with the focus being on helping children in foster care.

For more information or to donate please visit www.azhelpinghands.org

A big thanks to Derek, Jen, Renee, Ross, Shawna, Suzanne and Taylor for your help.

Join us for these educational and networking events focusing on emerging technologies, industry trends and valuable product information. Our mission is to enable agents with the knowledge and tools to succeed in the ever-changing world of telecom & IT services. Each Tech Tour stop features executive speakers from our 2019  Preferred Providers, creating valuable engagement with some of highest regarded executives in the industry.

Win great prizes and receive gift packages just for attending. There is no cost to attend and meals are complimentary. These events are exclusively for PlanetOne agents, prospective channel partners and our Preferred Providers.

The PlanetOne Tech Tour 2019 schedule includes the following stops:

To register, visit https://www.planetone.net/2019-tech-tour/. For photos from our previous Tech Tour events, check out our photo album on Facebook.