Resellers from across northern England converged at Nimans’ Manchester headquarters for a special workshop about the company’s GS-hosted proposition that offers upfront or recurring revenue opportunities for the first time, or even a combination of both. One attendee warned afterwards that if he wasn’t involved in hosted soon someone else would ‘steal his dinner’.
GS-hosted includes a free three-year hosted seat licence (worth £360) with every handset purchased. A choice of three models are available – Standard, Advanced and Executive – with upfront margin potential of 45% or recurring margins of 65%. Already hundreds of resellers have signed up and made enquiries about the service that has turned the market on its head.
Head of Network Services, Mark Curtis-Wood began the seminar by posing a ‘why hosted, why now?’ question, as he declared: “It is time for change. Some people try and ignore it and pretend it’s not happening whilst some embrace it. Any change can be uncomfortable at first. The world of hosted can initially be a scary place but we are here to support you on that journey with a product set you’ve not sold before.”
“Nimans wanted to stand out from the crowd and offer something different to enable you to differentiate in the market. We came up with something very compelling,” Curtis-Wood added.
“I don’t believe anything can compete with the commercial model we are offering which provides complete flexibility; the catalyst for your growth.”
His positive comments received universal endorsement, with one Cheshire- based dealer declaring afterwards: “We tried to sell hosted in the past but were let down by various third parties. We know we need to add it to our portfolio so this is the perfect opportunity to do it ourselves with a tried and trusted partner that has some accountability – and I believe I’ve found that today. The event has been very beneficial. I’ve been a Nimans customer for 14 years and I’ve no doubt we will be selling GS-hosted. It’s a no brainer and has got to be done at some point. At this stage we won’t be leading with it as we’ve got a big legacy base but if we are not offering it as an alternative someone else is going to be stealing our dinner.”
A Manchester counterpart added: “We’ve not sold hosted before but today’s event has opened my eyes to what is happening in the market and how Nimans can help us break new ground. This is the next chapter for telecoms and a new movement. As technology moves on it’s going to get bigger and bigger, a given. We need to be on the journey before someone else offers that option.”