HSC Annual Conference/Awards

It's the day after the night before and my head is still recovering but I've only got great memories of yesterday's event. Destination Bournemouth Marriott Hotel right up on the cliff overlooking the surf. The day started a bit nervy as the unpredictable british weather threw us a curve ball with half of the UK covered in quite a few inches of overnight snow. Fortunately no-shows ended up being pretty minimal and other than a couple of late arrivals most of our intrepid dealers and suppliers made it in time.

We kicked off at 11am sharp with the O2 Approved event. Colin and Steve did a great double act with the main thrust being Joined Up Communications and how it provides the stockists with a great opportunity to sell mobile, mobile landline, landline and soon broadband all on the O2 bill backed up by O2 Techies. 2010 will be an EXTRAordinary year we were told.

A nice buffet lunch and we welcomed all the other VIP members of The Mobile Club. Basically HSC's top dealers. I was then joined by Carlos, Theresa and Antony who all presented the HSC pitch excellently over the next 90 minutes or so. We emphasised our ongoing strategy to focus on standing up for and supporting local independent dealers with a wide choice of mobile products and services. We're clearly making a difference with our sales promotions, marketing support, technical support and training. Our customer base and business has grown strongly in tough conditions in 2009 and 2010 is looking promising.

We then opened up the Airtime, Hardware and Software rooms for all our key suppliers to highlight their 2010 key shouts and answer any questions coming from the dealers. All the stands looked great and while business was done I took this opportunity to sneak off and do some media interviews. We'll see if I sounded intelligent or not when and if they publish.

The Q&A passed painlessly. Not ONE question was raised proving beyond doubt that we are faultless (I wish). I think the hotel bar was calling...

And then there was the evening. The entire HSC team arrived to share the festive spirit with our VIP dealers. A red carpet greeted our guests as they arrived for the champagne reception and then we opened up the oscars themed dining room which looked just awesome. Our comedian struggled a little bit with a tough crowd but bravely battled on to present the inaugural HSC annual awards. We also raised nearly £600 from the tables for cancer research reminding all of us how brave and composed our very own Matt Gates is being throughout his treatment. We'll publish all the award winners in due course but the headliners went to Zoe Mole (HSC Employee of the Year) and Connect U (HSC Dealer of the Year). Well done and well deserved to you two and all our other winners. Clints Jazz Band then swung into action and eventually filled the dance floor. Details become a little sketchy after this point...

The power of the independent mobile dealer

Hidden in the back streets and business parks of the UK is a powerful beast that if fed correctly could do an even better job in the mobile industry than it already does. Who am I referring to? The independent dealer of course. This much maligned community have taken quite a bashing over the last few years but they still come back fighting. Blamed for all the mis-selling complaints and unpaid cash-backs there are some within the networks and manufacturers who would be glad to see the back of them all for good, which would be the worst mistake a mobile policy-maker could make. Yes there has been a rogue element in the past and there are still a few colourful characters but the huge majority of surviving independent dealers run extremely efficient businesses built on impeccable service, spot-on knowledge and solid customer relationships. Who knows their local community better than the local independent dealer? Who has the best relationships with all the local business leaders? It is certainly not the networks direct sales teams. It’s not the big guns on the high street either. There are at last count around 1k independent mobile dealers left surviving in the UK and they are in danger of becoming an endangered species. The networks seem to be intent on marginalising them all to the point of extinction but don’t have the coverage to replace them. This is fundamentally wrong and we need to stand up and fight for the rights of the small local dealer. Yes I am being a bit dramatic but there is a real issue here. What does a customer think when he goes to his local specialist accredited with a network badge only to be told that the dealer can only sell a sub-set of that network’s products due to ‘channel strategy’? What does a customer think when he is in a dealer’s premises arranging his upgrade and the network operator on the phone is offering him a deal that the dealer can’t match? I spend a good chunk of my time travelling the length and breadth of the UK visiting mobile dealers and although every single one of them is unique in their approach they all have some really strong common talents. They are all totally enthusiastic about servicing their customers. They are committed to being the most knowledgeable mobile specialist in their area. They all seek out new customers in the most innovative ways imaginable. They are the front line to the lucrative SME community and the sooner we as an industry start trusting and equipping them as such the better. Ofcom GC23 and other network schemes have provided the much-needed regulation let’s now work on providing a fair and proper reward.