Unified communications (UC) has come a long way from the days of traditional PBXs, voice trunks, and analog phones. Since communications technology has changed so dramatically over the years, shouldn’t the way we sell these solutions evolve as well?
Many resellers still approach UC as if they are selling boxes, devices, and standalone services, but today, UC is much more than that. It is a communications solution that becomes part of an organization’s workflow, business processes, customer experience, and overall operating model.
In this article, we explore seven mistakes that resellers make when selling UC solutions, along with practical ways to avoid them. Although this is a list of “mistakes,” it really outlines best practices for selling UC solutions. The overarching principle is that the most successful resellers are not just moving boxes or quoting licenses. They are trusted advisors who help customers understand what they actually need.
It can be tempting to lead with the solution that has the lowest upfront cost, assuming it will make the offer more attractive to potential customers. Although price almost always influences business purchasing decisions, it is only one of several factors that determine the value of a solution. Leading primarily with price can also encourage customers to compare options based on monthly cost, handset price, and license fees rather than on the broader value each solution provides.
Helping customers understand the value of a solution, rather than focusing only on cost, can lead to a more productive conversation. Instead of centering the discussion on dollars and cents, the reseller can highlight factors such as uptime, user experience, scalability, future-proofing, support, integration, and business outcomes.
A useful question to frame the discussion is, “What problem does this solution need to solve, and what would it cost the customer if it doesn’t work correctly?” This moves the conversation beyond the price of the solution and toward the value and benefits it can provide over time.
A customer will often start the conversation by simply stating the product or solution they think they need. Taking that request at face value may make the sales call shorter, but it’s important not to confuse “short” with “efficient.” If the wrong solution is recommended, the time saved up front can easily lead to problems later.
The customer may not know exactly which solution they need because they are not specialists in that area; the reseller is. That said, the customer is the absolute authority on the outcomes they want.
For example, a customer may ask for a Bluetooth headset, but the outcome they’re actually looking for is freedom of movement. Bluetooth is just one of many solutions for this need, so other options can be explored (like DECT or Wi-Fi) if a different technology would meet the need in a more suitable way.
By asking the right questions, the reseller can uncover the buyer’s true needs and desired outcomes. The reseller can then use that information to recommend the solution that best fits the customer’s goals, rather than simply providing the product the customer initially requests.
This is where the art of asking the right questions plays a vital role. Using the same example as before, when a customer says, “I need Bluetooth headsets,” that request can open the door to important questions about wired vs. wireless, Bluetooth vs. DECT, device connectivity, noise cancellation, and other factors. Exploring the customer’s business environment, workflow, and user expectations first makes it easier to match the right solution to their actual needs.
By using “discovery questions,” a reseller can better understand the customer’s environment before recommending a solution. In our example, the following could be discovery questions for the particular scenario of Bluetooth headsets:
If resellers forget to ask key questions up front, the system may work at a small scale but fall apart as the customer's business grows.
Voice is often just one component of a much larger system. Understanding how the various components work together can help resellers (and their customers) see the bigger picture. The overall solution depends on the integration and interoperability of many technological and operational elements, including network topology, Wi-Fi, QoS, routing, failover, security, and the customer’s broader business needs and operations.
For resellers, this presents a risk and an opportunity. Selling a VoIP phone, IP PBX, or UC platform without considering the underlying network could result in a solution that is correctly installed and configured, yet still underperforms due to poor Wi-Fi coverage, lack of QoS, or inefficient routing policies.
The opportunity arises when a reseller becomes involved in the customer's networking infrastructure, allowing them to serve not only as a voice provider but also as a long-term partner and consultant for the broader communications ecosystem.
People don’t know what they don’t know. During the selling process, resellers can add value by helping customers understand why call flow design matters, why DECT may be a better fit than Bluetooth, why failover is important, why QoS is still relevant, or why endpoint selection can affect adoption. This education helps customers make better buying decisions, reduces unrealistic expectations, and gives the reseller another opportunity to stand out from competitors.
An important aspect of customer education is that it builds trust and sets the foundation for a potential long-term consultancy role, rather than simply a seller of products. When a reseller takes the time to explain options in business-value terms rather than just using technical jargon, it predisposes the customer toward the reseller's proposed solution. It gives them confidence when they understand the reasoning behind the proposed solution and why it is the best fit for their business.
A UC solution proposed by a reseller may be technically sound, but it can still fall short if users don’t like it or if it doesn’t align with daily business operations. Understanding how employees actually work with the technology can reveal important considerations for selecting the ideal solution.
For this reason, the most effective UC systems are designed around how people actually communicate, not just how the product sheet says they can communicate.
A successful sale can lay the foundation for a meaningful, long-term business relationship. Over time, the customer may come to see the reseller not simply as a supplier, but as a trusted partner they can rely on for future communications needs and, potentially, for broader networking support as well.
Resellers who win in UC are the ones who ask the right questions, understand the customer’s business, educate the buyer, design for the real environment, and support the customer after the sale. The opportunity in UC is not just to sell more products. It is to become the trusted partner that customers rely on when communication is critical to how their business operates.
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