Monday, September 21, 2009

The Quick Sell on Fixed Wireless Broadband

In a recent article from Telephony Online: Fixed wireless broadband solutions: Five quick wins for the downturn, writer Rich Karpinski built on a strong point that what we all need in a down economy is quick sales. Look for opportunities with short sales cycles, he advises, to shore up the short term numbers.

Not bad advice. Not bad at all. But Rich then goes on to cite five areas where he believes that fixed wireless broadband providers can find surprisingly short wins. Here's where the content gets shaky. First, three of the five suggestions entail video streaming over wireless broadband. Not to knock our own product, but the bandwidth demands of video streaming, particularly to meet the real-time requirements of the security applications he suggests, may leave prospective buyers uncertain about wireless. Can it do it? Sure can! Can it be a quick sale? With doubts and preconceived notions looming, not sure.

Second, four of the five suggestions entail selling into some form of state, federal, or local government. I don't know about you, but I've never thought of government sales and quick sales in the same sentence before. Government procurement is one of the slowest known to man.

So, where should the wireless industry turn for the quick sell?

Stick with commercial. Non-profit and government sales are rarely quick. And, the resources that often go into a government sale might mean lower profit margins in the end.
So, where do we find profitable commercial customers with money to spend? C-Stores. Convenience Stores have flourished in the down economy.
Not only that, but c-stores also have another key attribute: the need for quick-launch solutions. So, where else do we find that demand? Construction sites. Incubator Office Space. Just to name a few.

Labels: Convenience Stores, Economy, Fixed Wireless Broadband