Rural Telecommunications articles from July 2003

Rural Telecommunications archives from July 2003

A three-way street. (From the Editor).(Marketing, sales and public relations are key elements to success of any business)
July 1, 2003... Marketing, sales, public relations...key elements to the success of any business. This is taught in business schools, and grasped--at least in theory--by most company managers. But agreeing with the concept, and putting it into daily play, are...

'Rainmaking' Made easy. (Short Takes).(Relationship development should motivation behind every marketing activity)
July 1, 2003... While the thought of "selling" may leave many employees cold, few companies can hit the bottom line without a healthy dose of sales people, a role that should not be restricted to the sales staff. "Many professionals think that they have to...

Explosive rumor. (Short Takes).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Good news for cellular telephone devotees: Warnings that cellular phones and gas stations make a hazardous pair have been greatly exaggerated. Researchers at the Center for the Study of Wireless Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) at the...

Attitude adjustment. (Short Takes).(Tolerating employee's negative attitude "as long as he does his job," can prove to be damaging to supervisor's standing )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Tolerating an employee's negative attitude "as long as he does his job," can prove to be damaging to both the supervisor's standing with her staff and the morale of other employees, according to Measure X, a customer service training firm. ...

Internet irregularities. (Short Takes).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Internet and e-mail are popular work tools these days, but not all usage is work-related, which could lead to legal headaches for the employer, according to the American Marketing Association The group recently polled its members and...

RBOCs' loss could be rural ILECs' gain. (Perspective).
July 1, 2003... The phenomenon of regional Bell operating companies (RBOCs) divesting access lines in their rural service territories is nothing new Throughout the 1990s, U S West opportunistically divested rural exchanges, and Verizon/GTE announced the...

How do you build relationships with the media? (Person).
July 1, 2003... "In my opinion, the most important step in working with the media is to get to know them," said Kevin Larson, general manager of Consolidated Telecommunications Co. (Brainerd, Minn.). "In the communities that we, and most independent telephone...

Broadband over power lines: an idea grounded in reality?(Suburban Washington, D.C., project, conducted by Current Technologies and Potomac Electric Power Co., sends Internet data over standard electric power lines)
July 1, 2003... As shocking as it may seem, the long-sought "third pipe" to the Internet already may be in your home--as well as in nearly everybody else's. In April, FCC Chairman Michael Powell viewed a demonstration project for a new technology that, at...

Bundling what works what doesn't.
July 1, 2003... Bundling takes on several meanings when you live in Minnesota. We know how to bundle up for Artic winters. But we're also learning how to bundle up telecom services to help attract new customers and increase the loyalty of those we already...

Employee power: building a winning sales force; are you selling everything you have? Or are a few people pushing the same few features, products and services over and over?
July 1, 2003... You've been investing like gangbusters: you've upgraded your switch, you've added digital subscriber line (DSL) and you're offering cellular service. With all these additions, can you say you're reaping a return on the telco's investment? If...

Planning well: creating a marketing plan.
July 1, 2003... Marketing has changed. Once upon a time, you could utilize "seat of the pants marketing" with some success. However, with the speed of change in demands and budgets, a well-defined plan must be in place to increase the chances of that success....

PR polish: working with the media.
July 1, 2003... Public relations, to a great extent, is about the art of crafting a positive brand for your company Too many smaller telephone companies don't give much thought to this particular form of image building, which typically involves dealing with...

Taking the fear out of public speaking. (Notebook).
July 1, 2003... Speaking before an audience can be an intimidating experience. But there are some strategies to help a speaker prepare and relax before a presentation. First and foremost is remembering that the audience wants the speaker to succeed. They...

Finding the money in a sluggish market. (Matters).
July 1, 2003... If you're like most business people, you're looking for new ways to grow your business. You want to do more than run in place for the next few years. But there's a downside to upward mobility: expansion requires an investment in equipment and...

Marketing to younger consumers a must for future success. (Viewpoint).
July 1, 2003... Rural America is at a crossroads. Gone are the days when rural cooperatives and commercial companies could just offer plain old telephone service. As you are aware, over the next decade, baby boomers will begin to retire and rural carriers will...