On the Board call for the TCA (Technology Channel Association) discussing the the next step in the evolution of the Certified Telecom Professional (CTP).

The exam (and certification) is just $199 for member agents (and member VAR's) of TCA. Employees of our Vendor members (Motorola, Qwest, Megapath, Global Crossing, Intercall, XO, Level3, Netwolves, Star2Star, US Signal, Telnes Broadband and SalesStream) can also take the exam.

There has been a groundswell of buzz around the certification. The next step is to get carrier support for the CTP.

Carriers give spiffs for orders. Maybe instead of a spiff, they reimburse them for the exam.

Run a contest where for every order in a given month gets the agent (or employee) a voucher for the exam.

Why should carriers support a certified agent?

Because the Industry is changing. Carriers need more professional agents with the skills to sell complex solutions because those are higher margin. Selling T1's and PSTN service is going the way of LD - there are people doing it but the money is in Converged Services and Big Pipe. It's in targeting the right prospects with the correct solutions.

It's time to raise the bar in telecom. It's time for a Certified Telecom Professional.