BUSINESS INTERVIEW
www.comms-dealer.com
Wick Hill fi nds its voice
CONVERGENCE NEWS
Wick Hill is gearing up for a major push into
the convergence arena, and leading the
charge is incoming Business Development
Manager Siobhan Gibbs, recruited to
spearhead the growth of converged voice
and data solutions through the channel.
ibb’s remit is to grow revenues exceptionally quickly.
G
the channel for new But it’s very important that we
Wick Hill vendor spend time with the right resellers
Samsung, getting the to make sure we put all the
voice part of the business running building blocks in place to take
and working on building up resellers to a point where they can
Wick Hill’s converged voice and generate revenue,” she added.
Siobhan Gibbs
data portfolio. Gibbs has worked
in telecoms distribution for 15 According to Gibbs, the biggest encompasses both voice and by phone or in person. We help
years, much of the time involved opportunity, from a reseller’s point data. We will be selecting good them technically with pre- and post-
with successfully launching new of view, is customer retention. “It’s peripheral products that sit around sales support, and will accompany
products into new channels. She no secret that the more products telephony solutions, but at the them on customer visits, aid with
previously worked for Westcon and services you can supply to any same time looking at solutions for installations and provide product
Group as Head of Sales, and for one business, the more important network services and hosting.” support post-sales,” said Gibbs.
MTV Telecom (now ScanSource) you are to that company, and the
as Sales Director. She said Wick more likely you are to keep their Gibb’s job is also about Her previous experience in telecoms
Hill represents an ‘excellent business,” she noted. “Financially, implementing and putting a has helped her to address the
opportunity’ for resellers as it has in- the margins for hardware and strategic team in place to support challenges of introducing voice
depth knowledge of the IP world. software sales are generally her and the channel, as well as to data resellers in a number of
much lower in the data world about recruiting resellers. “I’ve ways. “I understand what is needed
To drive the convergence strategy than they are for voice, so voice personally been involved with from a delivery point of view,”
Gibbs plans to use various methods products are margin rich for a data recruiting a number of pure security she commented. “In the past,
such as knowledge transfer and reseller. Equally – which is why it’s resellers and more broadline data I’ve successfully launched various
awareness across both the voice interesting for voice resellers to be resellers and bringing them into products into the channel that
and data channels. “Wick Hill part of this too – the service and the voice market,” she stated. have been outside the comfort
has an existing customer base project management element “It’s helped that Wick Hill has zone of voice resellers, and have
that understands the IP world, in the data world is more margin been able to go with a rounded been first to market with those
but equally there are a vast rich than in the voice world.” portfolio to its customer base. We on several occasions. I’m used to
amount of voice resellers who have had some significant wins taking products that the channel
can increase their skill set,” she Gibbs intends to pay close so far and exceeded our own, isn’t used to, and helping make
said. “We’re working with voice attention to building up Wick and Samsung’s, expectations.” them an every day part of business,
and data resellers, to take them Hill’s converged voice and with associated high margins.”
forward to achieve customer data portfolio, saying: “We’ll The key elements of Wick Hill’s
retention through delivering a be selecting our vendors very marketing, sales and technical Wick Hill has made a long-term
complete solution. We’re using carefully. We will choose products support in educating resellers and large investment in building
various training methods to fill that are complementary to about the converged environment this part of the business and Gibbs
in the skills gaps and have an our resellers across the board. include seminars, demos and finds its approach ‘refreshing’. “We
internal and external converged Samsung’s range, for example, training courses. “We’re also pride ourselves on knowledge and
team to support resellers.” includes security, data, voice providing resellers with technical driving demand at end-user level
gateways and routers, so it and consultancy expertise, either to support resellers in growing their
The biggest challenge in getting business. It’s all about partnership.
the voice part of the business up It’s fantastic to have this type of
and running is the time scale, said
I’m looking to turn Wick Hill
support around me. I’m looking
Gibbs. “It’s all about how quickly to turn Wick Hill into a force to be
into a force to be reckoned
we can make things happen. In reckoned with in the converged
an ideal world, you’d be able voice and data marketplace. with – watch this space
move from conception to actual Watch this space.”
„
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Call 01937 847 800 or email dealer@rocom.co.uk
20 COMMS DEALER OCTOBER 2009 www.comms-dealer.com
20 Wick Hill.indd 1 5/10/09 13:37:22
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