Storm Clouds on the Horizon

The Cloud-based Future of Telephony

Michael A. LeBrun, Managing Director

 Naturally Cloudy

•Telecom is naturally central based,

Central Offices (CO)
• Centrex – legacy “CO” phone service
• Distance limitation now overcome via VoIP
• SIP = true plug and play

Conclusion: Cloud-based telephony

becomes viable option
Unified Communications (UC)
• “Communications integrated to optimize business processes.”
• voice, text, presence, video, call control, single messaging platform,
and even inexpensive toll calling.
• VoIP
• Requires substantial investment in capex and opex
• Tremendous efficiency and collaboration effectiveness.
Conclusion:
Only Enterprise-class businesses
have implemented UC
 Small/Medium Business Market

• Comprises 99.9% of the 25.8 million businesses in the US

• SMBs lack capex and opex for technology
• 70% of SMBs would prefer a hosted (cloud) solution

Other reason for non-adoption

“a general lack of convenient distribution for
SMBs to acquire the needed technology”
 Technutility
pronounced “Tek-new-tility”
Do you know how the lights work?
Or do you simply want to not walk around in the dark?

Do you know the process that produces drinking water?

Or do you just want to get a drink?

SMBs don’t have time to figure out technology . . . They just want it to work.

Technology like a utility. A technutility.

The Clouds are forming. . .

The rise of cloud-based UC solution (CBUCS) providers

proves that the technology is ripe

BUT

Does “virtual retail marketing” work for everyone?

Problem: The challenge of distribution
Standard Sales Theory* – the 4 prospect categories

1. Demand – know what they want and get it.

2. Seeking – know there’s a need, but . . .
don’t know where to get it. They have a EUREKA! Moment*
3. Unaware – truly has a need, but doesn’t realize there is one
4. Later – has no immediate needs. But tomorrow . . .

*See the book, Selling Comes Naturally, by Michael A. LeBrun, 2011

Distribution challenge (con’t)
Marketing to the Standard Sales Theory categories:

1. Demand - they are looking so retail works well; anything

with solid brand awareness.
2. Seeking – the EUREKA! Moment happens because of
advertising (in any form)
3. Unaware – Education is needed; purposeful sales contact
to raise their level of awareness.
4. Later – Build for tomorrow - business development
Where is your selling

Finally, Standard Sales Theory should dictate your selling priorities -

1. Demand - they are calling you . . . only 5% of the market.

2. Seeking – Marketing wins . . . 15% of the market.
3. Unaware – Salesmanship is the winner . . .35% of the market.
4. Later – Business development takes time . . .45% (any given time).

Conclusion: “virtual retail” addresses only a 1/5th of the prospects!

The death of personal selling is greatly exaggerated.

Virtual retailing misses most of the market AND

it is completely contrary to “Technutility”
SMBs don’t know the technology,
they don’t know how it will help them,
therefore they ignore it
•SMB’s want and need Cloud-based Telephony
• Distribution model is lacking
• Virtual retail model misses a lot of market
• Personal selling models would be the most effective –
• Direct sales force
• Value-Added Resellers
• Sales Agents

BUT these are expensive

and/or hard to manage.
A new idea in distribution -

A technology franchise
• Cost effective (the franchise is paying for their participation)

• Gives the franchisee ownership of the clients they produce (and they
OWN the relationships that make it happen).
• Creates brand awareness through cooperative effort

• Produces buzz in the marketplace

• Is a differentiating factor between other distribution forms
 developing the technology franchise model for cloud-based telephony.

For more information, please contact

Michael A. LeBrun
Managing Director
Midaire LLC
Atlanta, GA
malebrun@gmail.com
678-223-3040
Midaire LLC is a distribution development company

Technutility is a theory regarding SMB technology needs developed by Michael A. LeBrun

and defined at http://www.scribd.com/doc/38355305/Technology-as-a-Utility-20101001

Standard Sales Theory (SST) is a concept presented in the book, Selling Comes Naturally,
by Michael LeBrun, 2011. Chapters are published at

http://www.scribd.com/doc/47462585/Selling-Comes-Naturally-Ch-1-amp-2