It's Not About Selling In...

It's about selling through.

Skype is banking on their distribution partner BrightPoint to make that happen.

My advice to companies is to hire a killer sales manager with retail relationships and work direct with the retailers on shelf promotions, advertising and pricing strategy.

My second comment is don't trust the distributor. Beyond Skype they also represent Vonage and I think Packet8. Lessons learned from one company transfer to the next. Since Skype is the threat to both, this dichotomy is hard to ferret out, and retailers who have a hard time understanding VoIP to begin with are only going to be more misfused.

My third comment is about demand creation and sales generation. Radio Shack is the ideal place to sell products, but the Skype generation is not the ones who shop there. They shop in "cool" stores which is why Apple gets it with their Apple stores.

I'm pesonally amazed that Skype has not embarked on a Skype kiosk or Skype within a store category similar to the way fashion and perfume brands work with department stores. That would eventually lead to a real Skype store. Why do I suggest this? Because Skype has the potential to be a lifestyle brand.