NWMAP Annual Rafting Trip 2015

527532_10151151651543755_1840486639_nIt’s that time of year again. Rafting in the sun.  Come join the NMAP Team with Agents, associates, and clients on the Deschutes River in Maupin, Or. We don’t always stay dry but we always have fun. You can join us on site at the campground (you’ll need cash for parking/permits) or stay at the nearest hotel (link provided below). Lennie Green has information for all of this and can help you plan to make this a fun adventure with less stress about the details. We can’t promise you you’ll stay dry, but you won’t want to!

Save the date: July 24, 25, 26th 2015.

Typically people have a lot of questions so please feel free to contact Lennie. Got questions or need to confirm, email  Lennie Green: Lennie@nwmap.com

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NWMAP Annual Contest for Telecom Agents

This year marks our best ever contest prize: NWMAP Fall Fest dinner event for 6 winners! Every year NWMAP invites a few select employees to join an annual gathering we like to call Fall Fest. The event lands in November in time to get everyone in the seasonal spirit. Last year’s Fall Fest took place in Lincoln City, OR with dinner and overnight arrangements at the coast. This year will also be a dinner event, but the location is a surprise for now.

This year we’re holding a contest for additional Agents to attend our festivity. Winners will be selected by :
Most Sales
Most in one sale
Most improved sales
& random winners will also be announced.

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More details later…In the meantime let’s get selling!

There’s More To NWMAP Telecom…

President of NWMAP Lennie Green decided years before NWMAP came to fruition, that customer service was crucial to a business. But how he got to this point is a story in itself. Lennie worked in the customer service industry, many of those years under a man named Bob Farrel- who started out as the ice cream guy of Portland, Oregon’s Farrell’s Ice Cream that had lines from opening to closing. Nobody was more enthusiastic about customer service and business than Bob. After the ice cream business he began investing in chain restaurants.

Bob coined the term “Give ’em the pickle”, becoming a motivational speech that lives on today. He was an excellent example for many business owners, including Lennie. When Bob bought the seafood company that owned Newport Bay restaurants where Lennie was employed at the time, Lennie recalled Bob Farrell from high school when Mr. Farrell stopped into the high school restaurant where Lennie was working and learning. He imparted some wisdom on the young Lennie. He made an impression on him so much that Lennie began to take notice of the importance Bob placed on customer service.

While Lennie was learning the fine art of customer service at Newport Bay, he also learned some things from his mentor Bob Farrell. He learned a business can’t afford not to treat every customer with quality care. Give ’em the pickle! The main points within that speech that stuck out to Lennie were attitude and choosing to be happy and present with your customers no matter what else was going on at the time.

Lennie remembers a Greek deli during his college years at Oregon State University. At this deli, all this chaos seem to ensue in the background of the deli, behind the scenes, but Lennie noticed something remarkable- these guys never let one customer suffer. Never! They would put on that smile and say “What can I get for you boss?” Ironically, Lennie ran into Bob Farrell at an event in college too. It soon became obvious this guy was showing up in Lennie’s life for a reason.

After working for a telephone systems company, he became well versed in the technology and customer service aspect of Telecom and was able to branch out on his own. Today, Lennie owns NWMAP where he consistently handles the balance between customers and technology/Telecom with ease. Well, at least he makes it look easy because he still believes the customers should never feel the pain of the situation.

Lennie/NWMAP Telecom is the middle man so that customers don’t have to deal with anything but running their business and taking care of their own customers. He not only anticipates (technology) wants and needs of clients, but he actively gets to know their business as well. Over the years he’s been honored by friends and partners in his field and customers who show their gratitude with their long term loyalty.

Business Savvy: “Invest In Your Customers More Than Your Brand”

Harvard Business Review had an article recently about this and I felt the need to post something here at NW MAP about it as well. We’ve always tailored our telecom to meet the specific needs of our clients. We have over 40 carriers we represent… to specifically find matches based on our clients’ needs rather than what we should be selling, what we have to sell, or a specific brand. While this isn’t exactly how Amazon does it (the company featured in the Harvard article), it is based on the same mentality.

Amazon allows both good and bad reviews to be posted on anything they sell. You may think bad reviews or posts would be harmful for business, but on the contrary. Jeff Bezos of Amazon says it helps his customers navigate their way to the products they will really benefit from, really want, and be satisfied with their purchase. It’s no secret that there are an abundance of Telecom carriers available, but what we always strive for, and our greatest asset, is helping and listening to our clients so they get exactly what they want and they’re happy! We don’t have to sell a certain product from a certain company. All we have to do is help our clients and focus on them.

My favorite quote in this article, “Close the deal by being openly helpful and helpfully open, not by “selling better.” ” Jeff Bezos, Amazon.

Full article: http://blogs.hbr.org/schrage/2013/02/invest-in-your-customers-more-than-your-brand.html

BYOD; The Good, The Bad, and The Divided

Almost as dramatic as the 1966 Clint Eastwood western (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) is the talk and opinions about the BYOD (Bring your own device) revolution. I think the lesson learned, as in the western, is to be ahead of the game… at least 10 steps ahead. As a business leader (perhaps CIO, entrepreneur, and otherwise), certainly knowing the benefits and risks of BYOD is key. For Telecom Agents, being knowledgeable is always profitable.

With the Smartphone/ iPhones, tablets, and laptops, people can do business any time, from anywhere. In fact tablets outsold PC’s or desktops last year. Website visits are coming from mobile users.

Similar to the Cloud, a business really needs to have a strategy in place before adopting BYOD practices, evaluating the pros and cons to determine (and deal with) security risks. Basically, the benefits must outweigh the risks.

The debates continue:

  • Employee
    chooses device versus controlling the types of devices and uses.
  • Going mobile versus chained to a desk.
  • More productive versus more risk.
  • Effectiveness versus costs of networks and other cost for usage.
  • Employee empowerment and choices versus lack of IT support

How to decide:

  1. First question is…’Is it doable?” Find out from a Telecom Agent at NW MAP if BYOD is manageable and appropriate for your business (type of business and/or size).
  2. Employee surveys- finding out who would use them and what they think about it. Some research has shown employees would accept a lower paying job if able to use their own devices.

How to do it:

  1. Talk to your Telecom Broker or Agent.
  2. The current thought and what many businesses are allowing is BYOD but with limited support. Issues with this is of course security but also employee satisfaction with limited support. Allowed with full IT support is optimal, but your choices are not allowing it, allowing with minimal support, allowing with full support, and allowing with no support.
  3. Check and evaluate network capacity. Most people using BYOD have 2-3 devices.
  4. Money! Realize BYOD will not eliminate costs, but rather place them in areas of support functions rather than devices.

With BYOD, it seems employee satisfaction varies – employees either love it or hate it. Truth is, companies want, no need, their employees to be connected, especially to what is
happening now…information and communication at the speed of light. Employers are equally on the fence as about 40% of companies allow it.

Contact a NW MAP Telecom Agent: https://nwmap.com/contact-us

 

With BYOD, it seems employee satisfaction varies – employees either love it or hate it. Truth is, companies want, no need, their employees to be connected, especially to what is
happening now…information and communication at the speed of light. We’ll see how it all unfolds.