August 8, 2005

Selling Data Services: A Look At A Small Town In Maryland

If you don't have broadband access yet, invariably you are going to purchase it. If you already have it, you might be looking to switch providers.

The Washington Post has a very nice story giving you an inside look at tough competition in a small town in Maryland. This town's residents get "much attention" from all the major and some not so major telecom/broadband/cable/DSL providers.

Read this article to get a glimpse into the day of a telecom sales person.

The Post writes "All those slick mailings," said Kevin Murphy, a resident of Portland Place and a mail carrier who every week delivers two or three brochure advertisements from those companies. "They're heavy."

"It's hand-to-hand combat," said James F. Mooney, chairman of RCN Corp., a cable service provider with 40,000 customers in the Washington area, including Silver Spring, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Falls Church and Washington, where it employs door-to-door salesmen.

One of those salesmen is Ron Maier, one of RCN's top-selling foot soldiers, who goes out six nights a week to win customers -- ideally with the "triple play" bundle of cable, phone and Internet services.

"Some people say you shouldn't degrade the competition, but I try to get customers dissatisfied with Comcast," said Maier, a 16-year veteran of the cable business.

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