Laura Johns: Hey, folks joining! We’re going to wait just a few minutes to get started. This is going to be a good one today. You’ve made a great choice by investing the next hour with us. Everyone will get started with cameras on, and I believe you’re muted. Please stay muted to avoid background noise. We’ll get started in just a second.
Alright, Jeff, are you ready? Let’s dive right in!
Laura Johns: Welcome to today’s webinar with Jeff Zimmerman from AT&T Partner Exchange. If you’ve never joined one of my webinars before, you can find previous ones on our YouTube channel. This one is particularly special—I’ve known Jeff for quite a while. I’m Laura Johns, founder and CEO of The Business Growers. I’ve been a friend of AT&T for a long time, having started my career selling cellular-embedded smart meters ages ago. Now at The Business Growers, we partner with managed service providers (MSPs) and IT businesses to help them grow their revenue, which is a story that AT&T fits right into.
Jeff is the Business Development Manager at AT&T Partner Exchange. Jeff, why don’t you introduce yourself, and then we’ll dive into how people can grow their revenue through AT&T Partner Exchange and The Business Growers.
Jeff Zimmerman: Thanks, Laura! It’s great to be here, and I’m excited to share what we’re doing. I’m Jeff Zimmerman. I’ve been with AT&T for about 21 years—although I know I don’t look like it! I’ve been part of the AT&T Partner Exchange for about 10 years, which is half of my career. This program launched in 2013, and my role is to recruit MSPs, solution providers, and IT providers who see the value in the AT&T brand and want to go to market reselling AT&T’s network services, both wireline and wireless.
My job every day is to talk to folks like you and see if there’s a mutual fit with your go-to-market strategy. Honestly, I think I have the best role in the company, and I stand by that. I’m glad to see everyone on this Zoom!
Laura Johns: That’s great! And if you’re seeing Jeff’s background, don’t be alarmed by the boxing gloves! If you don’t choose to do business with AT&T, he won’t beat you up!
Let’s play a little game. I like keeping people engaged during webinars, so if you’ve heard of Jeff Zimmerman, also known as Jay Z, put a “Jay Z” in the chat! I’m even going to do it because I know a lot of people are friends with Jay Z!
Thank you, Jeff. So, let’s get started. A lot of the folks here today are either revenue-growth curious, trying to figure out how to grow their revenue, or they’re already selling something similar to what AT&T offers. From the ground up, can you explain what the AT&T Partner Exchange is and how it can benefit a managed services provider (MSP) or IT business?
Jeff Zimmerman: Great question. Who are we, and what do we do? The program has been around since 2013. We were the first business unit launched at one of AT&T’s innovation centers, and we started as a bit of a startup within AT&T. Eleven years later, we’re a billion-dollar entity.
We designed this program to make it easier to do business with AT&T. I know AT&T can seem like a big company, and it might sound complicated, but we’ve created a platform—a portal—that gives MSPs and solution providers access to quote services, check service availability, and order services like broadband, dedicated internet, and wireless solutions.
The beauty of this program is that you own the end customer relationship. You’re buying from AT&T on a deal-by-deal basis, and you handle the billing, taxes, and tier-one support. That allows you to build top-line revenue and equity. You may already be getting a commission from other channels, but in our program, it’s 100% top-line revenue. You’re building stickiness with your clients and equity for potential exit strategies. We’ve also made it easy by providing resources to support your efforts—because if you don’t win, we don’t win.
Laura Johns: Exactly! That’s a huge benefit—having control over the customer relationship and the revenue. And Jeff just touched on it, but for those who are already selling AT&T services through another channel, there’s still a benefit to working with AT&T Partner Exchange. What’s the difference between someone already selling AT&T and someone using the Partner Exchange?
Jeff Zimmerman: Right. We have a vast indirect program at AT&T, called AT&T Partner Solutions. It’s really up to you as a partner how you want to do business with AT&T. Some partners don’t want the risk or responsibility of billing and customer management, so they prefer AT&T to handle it, and they just receive a commission.
In those cases, you’d be working through the Alliance program or our traditional agent program called ACC. The Alliance program, for example, means you’re working more with the direct retail team at AT&T. But with the Partner Exchange, you get to own the customer relationship, and you’re building top-line revenue instead of just earning a commission.
Laura Johns: That’s a big differentiator! Now, let’s talk about the types of products and services that people can sell through the Partner Exchange. Can you share some of those?
Jeff Zimmerman: Sure. We’ve made it simple by offering only strategic services, so we’re not selling everything under the sun at AT&T. We’re focused on high-demand services like dedicated internet with SLAs, business fiber, switched Ethernet, private line WAN solutions, and wireless. Wireless is especially hot right now, with use cases like failover or fixed wireless for areas where fiber is harder to get.
We also recently launched a security offering called Dynamic Defense, which adds an extra layer of protection on top of your dedicated internet service.
Laura Johns: That’s great! You mentioned earlier the idea of owning the customer relationship. What would be the risk for an MSP to take on that responsibility and handle the billing themselves rather than letting AT&T handle it?
Jeff Zimmerman: Well, by owning the customer relationship, the risk is that it’s on your paper. You’re purchasing from AT&T and reselling to the customer. The question often comes up, “What if my customer leaves?” If that happens, you’re still responsible for the remaining contract with AT&T. However, we offer revenue replacement—if your customer leaves, as long as you replace that revenue within 90 days, you won’t be charged an early termination fee. It’s unique to this program and offers a lot of flexibility.
Laura Johns: That’s a lot of flexibility for the MSP. Now, I get asked this a lot—when people say they’re interested, they want to know what it looks like to join the program. What does that process look like?
Jeff Zimmerman: Sure, joining the program is simple. It’s not a long or complicated process. First, we have a conversation about your go-to-market strategy and the markets you serve. We’ll ask things like, are you in our 21-state footprint where we offer the best rates for dedicated internet or business fiber? We’ll also look at whether you can win with our pricing.
Once we’ve established that there’s a good fit, we’ll do an NDA and run a credit check, which takes about five days. During this time, I’ll run quotes for you to see if our pricing works for your business model. If everything checks out, we move forward with signed agreements and then go through the onboarding process for both wireline and wireless, which takes about three weeks.
Laura Johns: That sounds pretty straightforward, and I like that there’s an opportunity to test the waters before fully committing.
Jeff Zimmerman: Absolutely. We want to make sure you can win with our pricing before you sign on. We can even give you a tour of the portal, so you can see how easy it is to quote services and check availability.
Laura Johns: Is quoting and qualifying an opportunity going to be a pain every time? How does that process work?
Jeff Zimmerman: In the past, quoting services through AT&T might have seemed difficult because everything had to go through an account team. But with AT&T Partner Exchange, you have the keys to the kingdom. You’ll get access to a portal where you can quote services, check service availability, and place orders all by yourself. It’s a self-serve model, but you’ll also have access to an account team that includes a channel account manager, inside sales support, and even a sales engineer to back you up. If you need help, they’re there for you.
Laura Johns: That’s great! So, as long as someone can get into the portal, they have the headcount to make this work, because AT&T comes alongside them with support.
Jeff Zimmerman: Exactly! And one thing to keep in mind is that if you’re not selling mobility or wireless solutions today, someone else is to your customers. This program allows you to bundle wireline and wireless solutions, creating more value for your clients. You don’t dictate margins either—we give you wholesale rates, and you add your margin to bundle it with your other services.
Laura Johns: That’s a great point. I’d be curious to see how many people on this call have lost an opportunity because they didn’t have everything their customer needed. If that’s ever happened to you, put a “1” in the chat.
I’ve had conversations with people who say it’s happened. And it’s important to be able to offer everything a customer might need, because if you’re not, someone else probably is. Let’s see if we get any “1s” in the chat…
There we go. We’ve got a couple of “1s” already!
Jeff Zimmerman: Yeah, that’s a common issue. And if you’re not handling telecom because it seems too complicated, we’ve built this program to make it easier. We even created an ecosystem of partners to help with sales enablement, like billing, taxes, and compliance. We also have partners for tier-one support, so if you’re worried about the complexities of telecom, we have resources to help you fill those gaps.
Laura Johns: I didn’t mention this earlier, but if you have questions for Jeff or me, feel free to drop them in the chat. We’ll have designated time for Q&A, but you can ask them anytime during the webinar, and we’ll address them as they come up.
So, can you talk more about what people are selling? What are some of the products and services that AT&T offers through the Partner Exchange?
Jeff Zimmerman: Sure, great question! We’ve made it very straightforward. We’re only offering our strategic services. We’re not selling everything under the sun at AT&T—just our core, high-demand services like dedicated internet, business fiber, Ethernet, private line WAN solutions, and wireless solutions. Wireless, in particular, is in high demand right now, and we offer everything from failover to fixed wireless. We recently launched a security offering, Dynamic Defense, which provides network-based security to help protect your customers.
Laura Johns: Great! You touched on this briefly, but I want to dig into it a little more. What are the risks involved in owning the customer relationship, where the MSP is responsible for billing instead of AT&T?
Jeff Zimmerman: That’s a common concern. When you own the customer relationship, it’s on your paper, meaning you’re buying from AT&T and reselling to your customers. The risk comes if your customer walks away—you’re still responsible for the contract with AT&T. However, we offer revenue replacement. If your customer leaves and you replace that revenue within 90 days, we won’t charge you an early termination fee. It’s a great way to manage that risk while building your business.
Laura Johns: That’s a great safety net! So, I get asked this question a lot: What does it look like when someone is interested in joining the program? How does that work, and what kind of commitment is involved on both sides?
Jeff Zimmerman: Great question. We’ve streamlined the process to make it easy to join the program. First, we have some conversations to understand your go-to-market strategy—what markets you serve and whether our pricing works for you. For example, if you’re in our 21-state footprint, you’ll get our best rates for dedicated internet, and if you’re in other areas, we’ll evaluate the market potential there.
We’ll start with an NDA and a credit check, which takes about five days. Once that’s completed, we’ll run some quotes for you. We want to make sure you can win with our pricing before we move forward. After that, you sign the agreement, and we begin the onboarding process, which takes about three weeks. It’s all about making sure the program works for you and your business.
Laura Johns: I like that there’s a sort of “experimental phase” to see if it’s a good fit for both sides before jumping in completely.
Jeff Zimmerman: Exactly. We can even give you a tour of the portal, so you can see how easy it is to quote, check service availability, and order services yourself.
Laura Johns: Is it going to be difficult to qualify an opportunity every time? What does that process look like?
Jeff Zimmerman: Not at all. One of the things that sets AT&T Partner Exchange apart is that we give you access to our portal, where you can quote services, check availability, and place orders on your own. It’s a self-serve model, so you don’t have to wait on an account team. Everything you need is at your fingertips. Plus, you’ll have an account team behind you for support—channel account managers, inside sales, mobility experts, and sales engineers—to help with any issues or to bring in on meetings when needed.
Laura Johns: That’s great! So, for those worried about having enough headcount to support this, as long as they can access the portal and make quotes, AT&T comes around and supports them.
Jeff Zimmerman: Exactly. And here’s something to keep in mind—if you’re not selling mobility or wireless failover, someone else is selling it to your customers. With this program, you can offer both wireline and wireless solutions, increasing the value you bring to your clients. We don’t dictate the margin—you get a wholesale rate, and it’s up to you to bundle it with your other solutions and set your pricing.
Laura Johns: I’d love to hear from anyone on the call who has had to walk away from an opportunity because they didn’t have everything their client needed. Put a “1” in the chat if you’ve experienced that.
(Several people put “1” in the chat.)
There you go, we’ve got some “1s”! So, we know this challenge exists when you’re missing out on opportunities because you don’t have the full range of services to offer. Like you said, if you’re not bringing it to the table, someone else is.
Jeff Zimmerman: Absolutely. And I hear it all the time—telecom can seem too complicated, with all the taxes, billing, and compliance involved. But that’s why we built this ecosystem of sales enablement partners to help fill those gaps. Whether it’s billing, tax compliance, or tier-one support, we’ve got partners who can make it easier for you to offer these services.
Laura Johns: I think that’s huge! Now, I want to take a minute to hype up your MDF (Marketing Development Funds) program, which is one of the most generous I’ve ever seen. Can you talk about how it works and how solution providers can benefit from it?
Jeff Zimmerman: Sure! Our MDF program is a great resource for partners. You can use these funds for sales enablement—such as setting up billing, tax compliance, or tier-one support—or for marketing activities, like working with The Business Growers to promote your services.
When you join the program, you get access to a significant amount of MDF for the first two quarters. I can’t share the exact number on this call, but it’s substantial. You can use these funds to cover the costs of getting set up on platforms or to offset monthly costs. And once you’re up and running, you can leverage those dollars for marketing efforts like social media, email campaigns, or co-branded materials.
Laura Johns: Yes! At The Business Growers, we help our clients maximize those MDF dollars. We have several core programs where we layer web development, SEO, digital ads, and lead generation to create a well-rounded marketing strategy. And what’s great about the AT&T Partner Exchange program is that you can promote AT&T products and services while using those marketing funds to grow your own brand.
Here’s a sample of what it looks like when you work with us to use those MDF dollars. This is an example of co-branded assets—AT&T’s logo alongside the partner’s. Jeff, can you talk a bit about the co-branding requirements?
Jeff Zimmerman: Absolutely. In our program, co-branding is a requirement, but we make it easy for you. We have templates in the portal where you can place your logo alongside AT&T’s for proposals, marketing materials, and more. This kind of co-branding adds a lot of value, especially when you’re going to market. Think of the power of the AT&T brand when it’s paired with your business—you’re offering the strength of AT&T’s network to your customers.
Laura Johns: That’s a big advantage! And we work with our clients to ensure they’re compliant with those co-branding requirements so they can get reimbursed through MDF. Here’s another example of a client that utilized these resources.
Jeff, you mentioned the Platinum Elite badge—can you explain that a bit more?
Jeff Zimmerman: Sure. We have three tiers in the program: Gold, Platinum, and Platinum Elite. The more you sell, the more you move up through the tiers, and each tier comes with additional benefits like discounts and more access to MDF dollars. We also have incentive programs where, depending on the quarter, you can earn back money by hitting sales goals for specific products like broadband.
Laura Johns: That’s fantastic. Let’s open it up for any questions. Please feel free to drop your questions in the chat or unmute yourself to ask.
John: What do the typical costs and margins look like for wireless failover?
Jeff Zimmerman: Great question, John. I can’t go into specific pricing details here without an NDA in place, but I can tell you that our wireless failover plans are highly competitive. If managing data pools and SIM management is something you’re comfortable with, you’ll find that our plans offer great value. We also have an ecosystem partner that provides a platform where you can manage all your mobility providers under one roof, which adds a lot of convenience.
Laura Johns: Thanks, John, for that question. If anyone else has questions, feel free to reach out to Jeff after the webinar for more details.
Jeff Zimmerman: Yes, feel free to email me. We can go through the portal, run some quotes, and take it from there.
Laura Johns: Before we wrap up, I wanted to share something exciting. I’ve just finished writing a book about digital marketing for MSPs and IT businesses. It’s available for free right now. You can scan this QR code or go to the link in the chat to download your copy.
And finally, here’s Jeff’s contact information. You can email him directly, or find both of us on LinkedIn. Jeff is very active there, and you can’t miss him—just look for the guy with the AT&T cap! We’ll also be sending out the recording of this webinar to everyone who registered, so keep an eye out for that.
Jeff Zimmerman: Thanks, everyone! Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and reach out if you have any questions. I’d love to help you explore the program and see how we can work together.Laura Johns: Thank you so much, Jeff, and thanks to everyone for joining us today. This has been really informative, and we hope to see you again in future webinars. Have a great day, everyone!
