"The Technical Training Symposiums"
What are they?
How do they differ from a trade show?
How will they help you, the supplier, increase market penetration and
sales to your client of currently approved products?
How will they help you introduce and cross-sell new products and
technologies?
In the dynamic, rapidly changing environment of telecommunications today the
old rules don't always apply. Lines of communication and purchasing authority
are changing. Telephone operating companies, CLEC's, Cable service providers,
and other utilities, are bundling purchases, using single source suppliers.
The incredibly fast pace of change requires new strategies to obtain, and retain
business.
Operating companies have found the Technical Training Symposium to be an ideal
environment to do intervention based training for the technical staff and network
operations personnel, give focused training on approved products, and enable
their staff to review new products and services from already approved suppliers.
The Symposium is actually a one-day event repeated three consecutive days.
Each day a new group of 300-400 technicians and management attend from outside
plant, installation and maintenance placing, splicing, engineering, switching,
purchasing, technical staff and executive levels.
Each technician is expected to attend 2-3 craft specific classroom seminars,
taught by both you (the supplier) and subject matter experts from the operating
company. Each attendee is given a curriculum plan specific to their job description.
Where a specific business problem needs to be addressed by the host company,
you may be asked to participate or instruct one of the classroom seminars.
The rest of the day is spent by each attendee in the training station area,
a large exhibition floor. Instead of a booth, your space is set up as hands-on
training station. Each host company attendee must attend 18-20 three to ten
minute training events. These training events are given at your company's training
location. We call these Training Stations. Host company attendees must receive
a sticker at each training station they are certified at, assuring a great deal
of activity at your station.
Why should you participate?
The number of trade shows and conventions in the industry has proliferated.
The reason suppliers choose to attend these Technical Training Symposiums is
that they directly address the real world needs of marketing and sales personnel
in supplying products and services to the Telephone and Communications operating
companies and they are successful in ways that traditional trade shows and conventions
don't even approach.
Suppliers have found these Symposiums to be extremely effective for the following
reasons:
- The opportunity to reach and teach proper uses of your product to over
one-thousand technicians, engineers and staff managers in a three-day period.
This is more than most sales teams can cover in a year of work center and
garage visits. All of the attendees are required to receive training at 18 to
20 training stations.
- Participation is by invitation only, and you must have at least one currently
approved product to train on or specific permission from the host company. Your
competitors who are not currently approved cannot use this unique method.
- The opportunity to receive direct feedback from these technicians on the
strengths and weakness of you products, and your competitor's products. This
gives you a decided competitive advantage!
- The opportunity to meet and socialize with executives of the operating
company, to schedule field trials, etc. and develop meaningful and valuable
relationships.
- The opportunity to have your new products that have not yet been approved
seen and examined. All participants fill out an exit survey in which they are
asked about new products they have seen at the Symposium that would help
them perform their jobs better. This results in many new product evaluations
and approvals.
- Cost Savings. Training stations can be much simpler and less costly than
traditional trade show exhibits, since the primary emphasis is on hands-on
training.
- Regionalized exposure. In order to have your product or technology accepted
it must be used properly all over the host company footprint. A Telco may choose
to do 3-5 Technical Training Symposiums throughout the country in its service
areas. By traveling less you will see more, and build up lasting relationships
and loyalty to you.
- Word of mouth. Technicians who attend must be selected by their employer to
attend, and Many times a company will send its best and brightest technicians
to these symposiums, in the hopes that they will share their knowledge with
their fellow worker who did not attend.
- Lunches breaks and breakfasts are provided free of charge to you and your
staff, as well as to all the attendees from the host company. This helps keep
attendees on premise throughout the day, so you have full participation. It
also gives you an opportunity to eat and socialize with your clients and users of
your products throughout the day.
- Executives of the host company are chosen as keynote speakers for each
mornings opening session, and often you will hear from the CEO or COO of the
host company, or regional or business division managers. We host a symposium
reception for you and the invited executives of the host company to give you
the opportunity to meet them and establish relationships.
- Product evaluations-attendees fill out an exit poll and note one product
and technologies that they have seen at the symposium and would like to have
more information. This is an excellent pipeline to help you introduce your newer
products to the end users and their supervisors.