"Excellent information! The savings I will negotiate will pay for this conference 10 times over!!"
– Wendy Bruneel, Office Service Manager – East Jordan Iron Works Inc.
"Overall a great conference ... one of the best I’ve attended"
– Gail Adams, Sr. Vendor Management – Bally Total Fitness
"As a first–time attendee I found this conference to be extremely worthwhile. There were many useful take–aways that I can immediately apply to my area."
– Brenda Schworm, Sr. Program Manager – General Dynamics
"This is my third time attending … the speakers are without a doubt the experts in contracting for telecom services."
– Paula Foss, Procurement Technology Relationship Manager – Eastman Chemical Co.
"This was time well spent! I gathered useful information that will be used immediately as well as on future deals."
– Dave Agey, Director, Global Telecom – Colgate–Palmolive
"I most liked the lively interaction, access to world–class experts and broad range of topics."
– Phillip Viscito, Global Telecom Manager – Dupont
"The real–life user stories were very valuable!"
– Carol Vosseller,
Contract Manager – UBS
Welcoming Remarks, Introductions and a Story
Widget Co. has two months left in its contract ... the CFO wants savings NOW ... the vendor calls you a “house account” ... listen to Hank weave an all-too-familiar tale of what can go wrong in a negotiation as he tees up the agenda and sets the tone for the conference.
Carrier Myths vs. How Regulation Really Affects Your Deal
Long-standing – and often misrepresented – telecom regulations and statutes are the basis for a host of “carrier myths” vendors hide behind. You’ve probably heard, “This fee is mandated by the FCC.” Fact: It probably isn’t. Get the lowdown on this myth and 8 more (have you heard the one about how the carrier has 2 years to back bill you when it messes up an invoice?) from Laura so you can knock down these smokescreens in your negotiation.
Andrew Brown – Levine, Blaszak, Block & Boothby LLP
“The best-laid schemes o’ mice and men” fits telecom negotiations perfectly. No-commitment deals entice your CFO and then turn out to be sink holes with hugely burdensome hidden commitments ... endless vendor end-runs play havoc with your ability to manage internal processes … and bogus vendor claims linking prices to service volumes can lead to expensive deals that you cannot escape. Learn to identify and avoid these pitfalls and others with the real-world advice you get in this bedrock session.
Craft an efficient RFP that gets you apples-to-apples comparisons (even vendors will appreciate it) and addresses key terms the right way with the on-target guidance you get in this session. You also learn the 3 benchmarks you must know cold before reviewing responses, as well as the best techniques for zeroing in on the top responses for your short list. This must-attend session puts you on the road to a winning deal!
Theresa Knutson – TechCaliber Consulting LLC
Boilerplate vendor contracts transform what could have been a great deal into a dismal swamp of customer obligations, vendor disclaimers and bewildering clauses tied to everchanging web-based service guides. But you can avoid this trap and come out on top with the advice you get in this session. (And when you see the real-world examples our experts share with you, you won’t have a problem getting motivated!)
Jack Deal – TechCaliber Consulting LLC
Contracts are all about allocations of risk and responsibility, and it’s critical that your telecom contracts address the operational issues that invariably arise. Network migration between otherwise uncooperative vendors, SLAs that have real teeth, effective account team management and sufficient time for ramp-up are just a few. Get them all in this information-packed session!
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