In this episode of 'The Wireless Way,' host Chris welcomes Max Silber, Vice President of Mobility and IoT at MetTel, for an in-depth conversation on the latest trends and innovations in mobility and IoT. They discuss MetTel's advancements in mobile device management, IoT connectivity, fleet solutions, and mobile threat defense. Max shares insights on the importance of lifecycle management, the role of AI in edge data collection, and strategies for helping companies transition from CapEx to OpEx models. They also cover the significance of secure mobile deployments and how new technologies are enhancing safety in fleet management. Max offers practical advice for channel partners on expanding their mobility and IoT portfolios to drive revenue and solve customer problems. Tune in for a detailed look at the evolving landscape of wireless technology.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:37 Max Silberg's Background and Experience
03:30 Personal Insights and Early Career
06:43 Transition to Mobility and IOT
11:49 Business Growth and Industry Trends
17:37 Mobile Device Management and Security
21:12 Introduction to Mobility in Business
21:23 Exploring IoT and Fleet Management
22:49 AI and Real-Time Data in Fleet Management
27:00 Challenges and Opportunities in Mobility Sales
30:55 Strategies for Engaging Customers
36:10 The Importance of Data in AI
40:19 Final Thoughts and Call to Action
Check out my website https://thewirelessway.net/ use the contact button to send request and feedback.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (00:00):
Hey, welcome to another episode of
The Wireless Way If you've beenlistening for a while, I hope
you know, I'm grateful you'rehere.
I know there's so many otherthings you could be doing.
We talk about a lot of things.
Yes, a lot of technology, theindirect channel in the us.
But more importantly, it's aboutpeople.
all of this stuff is powered bypeople and I'm grateful to bring
(00:21):
on a great guest today, maxSilberg vice President of
Mobility and IOT at MetTel.
I've been working with Nettelfor years.
There's a lot of people workingin this mobility space, but very
few are really doing it.
Great.
So we're gonna talk about thatand how Mitel has done that.
A little bit more about Maxbefore I bring'em on.
with over 20 years experiencespearheading mobility and IOT
(00:43):
and managed services across thetelecom industry at companies
like IDT Net to phone am Tel andGTE Space Net.
some of those, you're like, wow,I thought he was born and bred
at MetTel.
That's where he belongs, whichis where he is now, obviously.
But he brings, a easyperspective to every challenge.
And of course, now being theleader at MetTel, he leads
(01:04):
mobility division.
Driving operations and businessdevelopment, including cutting
edge offerings like mobiledevice as a service.
we're gonna talk about iotconnectivity, fleet solutions,
mobile threat defense, all typesof wireless connectivity.
Medtel has scaled MDAS into anend to end lifecycle powerhouse.
(01:24):
it's the full thing.
You hear that a lot.
Lifecycle.
We're gonna talk about that andit's pretty impressive.
I've been to their warehouse.
It's a smart warehouse.
That goes all the way fromprovisioning to retirement.
Simplifying mobile deploymentsfor enterprise and government
customers.
if you're in the governmentspace pay attention here.
His expertise has earned him aspot in the Forbes Technology
(01:45):
Council.
And his insights have beenfeatured in outlets like CNN
Business and Forbes, he's afrequent industry speaker and
advisor.
he's at the forefront ofmobility and iot innovation,
shaping how enterprise leadersthink about device management,
private networks, and mobilesecurity.
You can see now why I'm excitedto have I could call friend.
(02:07):
I've known him for years, butMax, welcome to the show.
Excited to dive into yourjourney.
maybe learn something about youand talk about what's next in
mobility and connectivity.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1 (02:18):
Thank you, Chris.
I really appreciate, me finallybeing on the show.
I know we talked about it onceor twice over the years but
thank you for that intro.
I'm, honestly blushing a littlebit from that intro.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (02:30):
When you hear that intro, is it
surprising to you?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (02:33):
it's always shocking to me.
Honestly.
I'm just like a guy that, likesto tinker with things in
technology, and I really enjoywhat I do.
I try not to take myself tooseriously.
So when you throw out those,types of accolades, it's a
little embarrassing.
I'm, blushing a little bit.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (02:51):
Man, nothing to be embarrassed about.
we were talking pre-show and itsays a lot about your character
when we, asked you about thebio.
You didn't take credit for anyof it, you said?
No, it's about my team.
It's about leadership.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025 (03:04):
Always,
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (03:04):
your leadership team and you're
right.
you could be the greatest playerin the, industry, but if you
don't have the right coachingstaff, the right operations, the
right team, manager, all thosethings do matter.
it really can make a difference.
You can make or break somebody.
So you are very fortunate andI'm just glad to call you
friend, we've known each otherfor years I, can't believe I've
been doing this for five yearsand this is the first time,
(03:25):
we've been able to get ittogether.
thank you for that.
I know you're a busy guy.
What's not the bio?
Tell us a bit more.
How did you get here?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (03:35):
Oh boy.
How did I get here?
what's, not in the bio?
First of all, what's not in thebio is I also consider myself to
be a professional lacrosse dadbecause I literally spend every
weekend of the summer.
Traveling the country for one ofmy, I have a girl and two boys,
both my boys play.
So every weekend there's atournament somewhere in the
(03:55):
country.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (03:56):
Did you play?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (03:57):
a full-time job
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (03:58):
Yeah.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1 (03:58):
takes up the other days
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (04:00):
did you play lacrosse coming up?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (04:03):
I didn't.
And I, and I kind of kickedmyself because I grew up in the
city I grew up in Manhattan.
I'm from New York, so we justsay the city.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (04:09):
We all know what that means.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (04:10):
in Manhattan it wasn't a thing.
we didn't have a lacrosse teamat my school.
But when my kids started playingat a very young age I kind of
kicked myself that I didn't haveit.
'cause I really loved the, game.
I really enjoyed it.
so that's certainly not in mybio.
Where it all started.
I'll give you the quickiteration'cause it's a crazy
(04:30):
story.
graduated college, was lookingfor a job around the time in the
early nineties the wasn't great,so there weren't a ton of jobs.
but I did get a reach out from,GTE space net, the space
communication division of, aphone company back then called
GTE that ended up merging into,one of the three remaining ones
(04:53):
we have today.
And, they, they basicallyoffered me a position as a
assistant country manager.
Which I thought was amazing.
You know, I was just comingoutta school and they said, we,
think you're gonna be the rightfit.
the next question was, when areyou leaving?
I said, I don't understand Youtold me I'm gonna be the
assistant country manager.
Where am I going?
They said, we've met theassistant country manager in
(05:14):
Ecuador.
I scratched my head and said,wait, what?
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (05:17):
That's a big detail to leave out.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (05:20):
I was like a couple of
clarifications.
Number one, I do not speak aword of Spanish.
And number two, I didn't realizeit was another country, but I
was young, I was single and Isaid, Hey take a chance.
So I ended up moving down toEcuador.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (05:35):
Wow.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_110 (05:36):
was there a couple of weeks.
Then I got another call fromheadquarters in Virginia and
they said, bad news, good news.
I said, what's up?
They said, we got into a bigfight with the country manager
and decided to part ways.
So you're now the acting countrymanager.
I said, this is crazy because,I, don't speak any Spanish.
(05:56):
The entire office speaks Spanishonly.
There's one or two people thatspeak a little broken English,
and I don't know anything aboutyour business or how to run it.
they said, it's not a problem.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (06:05):
Wow.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_110 (06:06):
you Spanish.
So every night when you get homefrom work we're gonna have a
translator waiting for you.
They'll spend three or fourhours a night with you, and then
in three months you're, you'regonna be able to negotiate
contracts in Spanish.
And in the meantime, we're gonnaget you certified on our
technology and you're gonna dogreat.
I ended up signing on for twoyears.
(06:27):
So I was, my first job two yearsdown in Ecuador and then
expanded into the Columbiaregion selling vsat
communication and managing thatentire business for GT's face
net.
So that was kind of thebeginning of my.
into mobility and into wirelessin general.
And then that over the yearsexpanded into, the cellular side
(06:50):
of it as cellular became moreand more prominent as well.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (06:54):
what was your major in school?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (06:56):
my original goal was to become a
floor trader on the New YorkStock
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (07:01):
Of course.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (07:01):
So I was a triple finance
investment and economics major,which had nothing to do with
technology.
But then going through GTE spacenet, I had to become.
Certified in their engineeringprograms.
So I went through engineeringcertification and then I
continued to grow in thetechnology space.
(07:23):
I enjoyed learning more on theengineering side.
And that's kind of what pulledme more and more into, you know,
I, really just look at myselfas.
A natural troubleshooter, sowhatever you put in front of me
I like to try every variationuntil I figure it out, and it
translated well into IT basedcommunication services.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (07:46):
So when you said that, it made me
think of something else totallyunrelated at home.
When you, when your wife bringsyou a problem, did she ever just
want you to listen or do youalways try to solve the problem?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (07:59):
I always tried to solve the
problem, even though she onlyjust wants me to
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (08:03):
Okay,
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1 (08:03):
which
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (08:04):
Okay.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1 (08:04):
yeah,
chris_1_07-22-2025_1100 (08:05):
answer.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (08:05):
been over 20 years of marriage now.
So now she gives me a look asI'm.
she just looks at me and I'mlike, okay, I'm just gonna shut
up now
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (08:13):
That's right.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (08:15):
that step by step.
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (08:17):
That's right, if you're listening and
you're a young person, and yoursignificant others bringing you
problems, sometimes it may beworth asking, Hey.
Do you just want a soundingboard or should I give you some
options?
are you telling me'cause youwant me to help you or you just
wanna vent?
if they wanna vent, just let'emgo.
Most of the time we know theanswers even when we're venting.
I've been accused of that too.
(08:37):
My wife's like, can you justlisten?
Just get in my mud puddle withme.
She would tell me.
so yeah, I'm very cautious I gointo problem solving mode.
Do you think your, education andwork in the financial area,
surely that's helped you makegood business decisions, right?
Even though you're a techie andyou love tinkering having the
(09:01):
concept of how to turn that intodollars that's been good for
you, right?
Has that been helpful?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (10:44):
I think, everything we do in life
is a tool and it's a question ofhow you use that tool.
without a doubt having anunderstanding of the financial
side, it is in the end wealways, you know, finish the
term with, it's the technologybusiness.
It is a business.
And part of the business is andI always remember this like way,
way.
(11:05):
Kind of in my early days, I'dmeet with large vendors trying
to sell different gears.
I went through satellite andthen satellite into voiceover
ip.
different players, differenttechnology we were buying a lot
of Cisco gear.
For voiceover ip, encapsulationfor voice services.
I went for a meeting with,Lucent at the time, and Lunt had
(11:27):
actually come out with acompeting product to what Cisco
was making, which was sellinglike crazy.
So Lucent came out with thiskind of competing product and I
went for the demo and I rememberthey were showing me like.
got two fans to cool the box.
We've got four fans and youknow, Cisco's got this amount of
(11:49):
memory, we've got triple thememory.
And then I said in the end, Isaid, how much is your box?
And the price tag was threetimes that of Cisco.
And I said.
Do you guys come up with thisinnovation strictly from the
lab?
And they said, yeah, this was a100% engineering project.
I said did you benchmark yourpricing against the market?
(12:12):
And they kind of looked at mewith this blank stare.
that's what I always rememberwhen I think about the business
aspect of what we do intechnology.
You can solve a problem withtechnology, but, you have to
also solve it within benchmarkpricing.
You always have to make sureit's not just technically
viable, but it's commerciallyviable.
(12:34):
So yes, I think that aspect ofwhat I do is always like.
Okay, this sounds great andcustomers are gonna love it, but
nobody's gonna pay that price.
So now how do we take all thisgreat stuff that we're trying to
put together, like, youmentioned our MDAS or mobile
devices as a service program.
How do we give all this greatvalue to customers, but still
provide it?
(12:55):
A price tag where there's truesavings that it's actually
something that's providing notonly a value, but immediate
financial benefit.
absolutely, these are all toolsI've accumulated over the years
that I try to apply in everydecision and in every new
product that we try to launchinto the marketplace.
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (13:15):
That's right.
there's a lot of cool technologyout there, but at the end of the
day, if we're not turning aprofit, we all got bills to pay,
we gotta make money on it.
Speaking of making money I'veheard you tell the story of, 10,
11 years ago when you were firststarting to MetTel and it was
(13:35):
you and an intern doing somestaging kit shipping from your
apartment living room.
And now you got this city blockin Queens of this massive huge
warehouse with a, ton ofdevices.
Let's just leave it at that, ofall types.
How are you seeing, thebusiness, how has it grown for
you?
Where are we now?
what's the state of the mobilityand iot industry as it is today?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (13:59):
I think the state continues to be
healthy.
I think the importance of.
With, with the mobility programis always about recognizing
where the market's going andmaking the right pivots to stay
in line with the market.
What I mean by that is we lookmaybe 5, 6, 7 years ago people
were buying.
(14:20):
mobile plans that includedsubsidized equipment or they
were financing equipment.
what we've seen is companies arereally looking for a one-stop
shop for all the aspects thatare part of that mobile
lifecycle management plan.
that starts with the device.
(14:40):
Not being a capital expenditure,a CapEx, but more an opex.
They wanna pay a monthly rate.
today, companies are, cautiousin the current world markets,
economic state, worried aboutthings like tariffs, worried
about exposing too much capital,too much cash out to make large
(15:00):
purchases.
So providing companies with anopex based monthly charge that
includes everything, theequipment, deploying it
digitally.
we enroll it over the air so thedevice can be fully configured.
that's also a securitycomponent.
we're seeing the addition ofneeding additional security
(15:23):
modules.
What we've done over the lastyear, and we haven't done a lot
of noise around it, but nowcustomers that come in and don't
even use mobile devicemanagement today.
We tell them.
gonna give you mobile devicemanagement included at no
charge.
now we're doing our MDASprogram.
we're doing the OPEX model for,a monthly, a fixed monthly
(15:45):
charge includes the equipment,includes the unlimited plan for
a smartphone, or tablet.
the enrollment over the air,mobile device management, and
we'll do the setup.
so we'll actually train thecustomer.
If they wanna go in and do theirown management or they want us
to do it, there's no additionalcharge for that.
We'll deploy down to the userlevel so we can ship it to
(16:06):
someone's house if they'reremote.
They'll just hit the powerbutton.
The device will enroll itselfover the air, if they break the
device, we'll advance, replaceit at absolutely no charge, and
take back the broken devicehandle the whole reverse
logistics data, wipe, repair,and then depot.
having all that provided by asingle vendor.
(16:30):
That's been the big game changerthat we've grown into with this
program we started with let'schange CapEx to opex, and we
ended up with a completelifecycle management program
where customers really get themost bang for the buck.
They get the greatest value, andin every case, they also get a
savings compared to what they'repaying today by utilizing
(16:52):
direct.
Co contract with the carriers,plus all the other third party
vendors they have to usuallybring on to be able to provide
that experience.
chris_1_07-22-2025_1100 (17:03):
There's a saying Pay now or pay later,
but you're going to pay, itmakes me think,'cause a lot of
companies think, oh, we can dothis in-house.
We can save some money.
You know, why would we want todo that?
And like, but they fell.
As they're paying thoseemployees too.
I mean, there's a lot of softcosts compared to the hard
savings of, the carrier.
And, MDM that's usually asubscription licensing fee per
(17:25):
device that you're including.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (17:29):
A ton of internal.
I was gonna say there's a lot,there's a ton of internal cost.
the important thing to alsoremember is.
when we're having theseconversations with
organizations, when they bringin the people that do the
day-to-day, those people don'twanna do this work.
They have a million other things
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (17:48):
That's right.
max-silber_1_07-22-20 (17:48):
companies don't have, excessive IT staff.
So it's more about giving themtheir time back to supervise a
process.
that includes putting onruggedized cases and screen
protectors on every smart devicethat goes out, that we'd also do
as part of our M Ds process atno additional charge.
we don't charge for the cases orthe screen protectors that all
(18:10):
comes with it.
But imagine three to four hoursof your day just putting cases
and screen protectors ondevices, now I'm giving you an
updated report or portal accessto see what's going on with the
process.
And you can focus on all theother trouble tickets coming in
through your ticketing system.
So it's a big time saver.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (18:30):
both of us have been on numerous
calls with companies where italmost makes sense that an IT
help desk person would do that,but sometimes it's the HR person
the finance, account payableperson, or the CEO's secretary,
executive assistantreceptionist, front desk person,
the office manager.
I mean, to your point, it'salways like a secondary duty for
someone and then they come to usand other people in this
(18:52):
business going, I don't knowwhat happened.
Bill used to be 5,000.
We haven't hired anyone else.
Now it's 10,000.
We don't know what's going onhere.
it takes some knowledge andhaving the right tools too.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (19:05):
It's having those right tools and,
it's important to point out whenwe say tools, there's a reason
why we give customers free.
MDM or MDM included, we needthat enablement engine.
The other huge change we've seenover the last 12 months is the
mobile device has become the newthreat vector for cybersecurity.
(19:26):
we're seeing 42% of all mobiledevices, including the ones in
front of you, have some form ofmalware already installed on
them.
that's a point of entry forcyber criminals.
we're giving you MDM included sothat if you feel you are at
risk, and we do recommendcustomers look at additional
(19:47):
solutions.
we recently, did a press releaselaunch for the addition of
mobile threat defense a solutionwe teamed up with Checkpoint
for.
that's about providing edgedevice security.
And that's super importantbecause we are now eliminating
that risk of someone actuallyinfecting a company device or
(20:09):
device accessing company assetsor a network.
that's, helping alleviate a lotof the other big problems.
'cause those cyber hacks, theycost millions of dollars to
corporations.
being able to seamlessly push amobile threat defense agent on a
phone, because you already havemobile device management,
(20:29):
included with your plan, becomesthe enabler for that other
threat factor we've seen addedover the last 12 months.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (20:38):
I've talked to some cybersecurity
analysts and leaders, they'resaying, if a breach occurs and
it's proven that it originatedon a mobile device and there was
no MDM on it, claim is null andvoid'cause you didn't do your
due diligence to protect yournetwork.
It makes you wonder why there'snot a line at the door going,
(21:00):
Hey, how can you help me with myMDM?
at least 50% of the time whenI'm talking to device customers
that are large enough to have,you know, even say a hundred
plus devices, half of'em eitherdon't have a strategy or they
have it, but you ask who managesit and they're like, I don't
know.
John set it up four years ago,but he left two years ago.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1 (21:19):
Yeah,
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (21:20):
we have an NDM, but no one knows
how to log in.
No one's checking the alerts, noone's enforcing the policies or
the groups and all the differentsettings.
So, That's, I'm glad you broughtthat up.
'cause that is often I feel likeoverlooked because.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (21:34):
if you are going through a renewal
for your cybersecurityinsurance, ask them about
discounts.
By adding components it's noteven compliant for insurance.
they'll just reject that claim.
But in some cases, you'reactually going to save money by
adding something that doesn'tcost a lot.
It's actually a small component.
And the reason why I mentionedthat is in most of these
(21:56):
exercises when we're taking overmobile lines for, the customer,
moving it over to MetTel managemobility.
We're typically saving them alot of money in that process
they can look at it and say, letme reinvest some of the savings
in having better compliance andhaving a real tool that sits on
(22:17):
the edge device, scrubs thedevice, make sure it has no
malware.
If it has malware, removes itimmediately.
this is also the stuff thatblocks those annoying text
messages that say Hey, you havea pass due bill with Easy Pass
or Sun Pass, They actually makeit custom.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (22:34):
Yeah, it looks convincing.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (22:35):
make that scam custom to your area.
It will stop if you clicked onany link from those text
messages.
that mobile threat defense thatwe launched will stop that.
So we'll stop the infection ofthe device with malware.
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (22:49):
That's huge.
Let's pivot just a little bit'cause you can't think of a
company that doesn't leveragemobile devices.
Check the show notes, definitelybe some links to learn more.
But I wanna pivot a little bitabout another part of your
mobility business.
the IOT and the fleet.
Tell us a little bit more aboutthat.
where are you seeing that stateof the industry from, the
non-mobile device, cell phone,tablet to.
(23:09):
Other parts of iot and Fleet.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (23:12):
So what's really fascinating is,
you know there's alwaysbuzzwords every year, I feel
like forever.
AI is the big buzzword.
But I would say, like, take astep back and try to think of
what's the fuel for ai.
For AI is data And data from theedge.
So what we're seeing more andmore is.
(23:34):
a multiplier of edge sensorsgoing out to provide better
real-time data.
And that could be anything fromutility based sensors.
and certainly what we see a tonof is more and more on the fleet
side.
A real revolution where we weretwo years ago with fleet.
(23:55):
was general Fleetmatics driverbehavior.
if you're not familiar withFleet, we measure for things
like Nancy's a new driver.
We send Nancy out, she hits thebrake a lot or a little too
hard, that generates an alert.
she tries to take turns at 40miles an hour.
That generates an alert based onthe G-Force.
(24:17):
So it's a lot of driverbehavior, driver training.
making sure you're not providingtoo much wear and tear on the
vehicle itself.
what we're seeing now with AIspecifically with the use of
high definition video both incab pointed towards the driver
as well as externally, is the AIis actually.
(24:39):
Helping provide better outcomes.
It's actually alerting forthings externally like the
distance between the vehicle andthe vehicle in front of you.
So if you're someone that'salways tailgating, that's a high
risk alert for an accident, itdoes the same, cabin facing as
well.
So we can actually, using ai,zero in on eye movement.
(25:01):
We know if someone's lookingdown into the left, they're
looking at their cell phonewhile they're driving, or if
they're distracted by otherthings.
Smoking eating those types ofbehaviors.
The AI agent now looks at thevideo, analyzes it, and
generates alerts directly tothe, to, to the driver.
(25:24):
driver has a training app thatbasically says, here are the
things that you should reallyimprove on.
you shouldn't be having that,double cheeseburger while you're
driving an 18 wheeler, or youreally should stop looking at
your phone.
We know you're looking at yourphone.
So that's really where I'veseen.
use of real time data, in thiscase, video, capture, and then
(25:48):
using those engines to generatebetter outcomes.
it's not just, your boss callingand yelling at you.
You've got an app that's kind ofself-regulating, like, Hey, we
know we're, all intelligentpeople.
change your behavior.
that turns into a scoringsystem.
the higher you score, sometimesyou get bonused based off of
that.
So you wanna maintain.
(26:08):
Kind of a high score ratio, butcertainly we, we've seen that
and now we're using that videoas well to provide better safety
overall.
So things like complete bird'seye view, look around where it's
almost like you have a perimeterfence around a moving vehicle
using all these sensors andcameras.
(26:30):
allows the driver to see, wherethey couldn't see before.
So it'll alert them and tellthem, I know you can't see this
motorcycle driving next to us,but it's there and it can
actually show you on a view.
So, things we're retrofitting,vehicles that didn't initially
have it, like newer pickuptrucks that have, if you've got
a camper in the back and it canalmost show you.
(26:51):
Transparently past the camper.
We can now do that with a lot ofwhat we're retrofitting onto
fleet solutions.
So it's not just the Fleetmaticspiece anymore.
We're providing a betterlearning tool and a higher
degree of safety, which isreally what you're striving for
when you're trying to retrofit afleet.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (27:13):
You know, a lot of, drivers, I've
talked to some fleet managersand, some drivers and a lot of
'em don't like it.
they've liked the big brotherswatching me, I want my privacy.
I'm in this cab 12 hours a day.
but when you just turn it aroundand go, Hey, you're gonna get
bonused or this is gonna be partof your performance review.
Just ai, you hear about all thetime in the contact center
world, right?
I mean, AI is Rating theseagents and telling if the
(27:34):
customer's getting upset, allthe different AI features there.
So it's kind of cool to see itcoming over into the fleet
tracking route optimization,fuel conservation, insurance
discounts oftentimes, right.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (27:48):
Look at the business outcomes you're
going to, get better safety andlower insurance premiums because
of that better safety.
it is a direct correlation tobusiness outcomes, and that's
why many companies are excitedthat they have a tool that they
can actually use.
It's also reward'cause thatreward to having everyone really
be accountable and provide thebest And safest experience
(28:11):
generating lower insurancepremiums.
It's helping the company overallfinancially.
Obviously, less people hurt,less equipment damaged, so less
claims for totaled trucks orvehicles or anything else.
So in general, it just providesbetter business outcomes.
(28:31):
As part of changing and usingtechnology to help make that
transformation.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (28:37):
We've talked about managed mobility,
managed device as a service.
We've looked at, some IO ot, howAI's impacting fleet.
all great topics and I feel likewe just scratched the surface on
them.
I wanna dive into, when you lookat the channel, whether it be
your internal team and evenselling advisors out in the
market.
(28:57):
Some people are natural sellers,so they're crushing it in these
areas.
And then you have some that havereally big logos, big brands,
big businesses, but they're not,they're just not doing it.
They're not doing any mobility.
Our fleet.
Why do you think that is?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (29:11):
I think it's a combination of
knowledge and perception.
I think there are people thathave.
Some element in their backgroundwhere they were involved with a
mobility sale or came from acompany where mobility was part
of the portfolio.
they've gotten some basicknowledge, they're confident
enough to speak to it, andthey're confident enough to
(29:32):
speak to it in a way where theycan add value to their customers
or their, partners.
So I think.
The most important thing, and Isay this by the way, both to
channel managers as well as topartners, is to identify where
you can have the greatestconversation that can provide
(29:52):
the value to set up thatexploratory call.
And I think instead of stickingto what you are comfortable
with, take this as anopportunity to learn.
on the mobility side, we alwayshave.
Extra resources dedicated justto training, just to updating.
one of the things that I love todo more than anything, and this
(30:14):
is why I joke, when you give meall the accolades and you know,
all the stuff I've been quotedin or spoken to, I like to have
one-on-one conversations withchannel managers and partners
that come in and say, look, I'venever sold mobility before, so
where do I start?
Let's take one example.
Give me one partner.
(30:34):
What vertical are they in?
I will give you specificexamples of other similar
partners or customers wherewe've solved specific problems.
We understand what compliancethat vertical needs to adhere
to, and we'll help you developthat initial talk track where
you can come in and say.
Are you challenged with thefollowing components specific to
(30:58):
your vertical?
If you are, we'd like to set upan exploratory call with a
wireless sales engineer to talkthrough some of these components
and provide initialrecommendations use that call to
listen.
And learn what that talk trackis.
It is identical.
Identical to every vertical.
(31:19):
I'm not just talking aboutcommercial.
I've been doing federal work foryears, I walk into those big
rooms and there's 65 people ofdifferent departments, I start
with the same conversation anddiscussion, and the feedback is
identical.
The problem is always the sameIt's about understanding that
(31:39):
initial discussion and thatinitial talk track so that your
customer sees how much valueyou're going to bring into that
conversation, and theneverything from there on.
It's just about learning andunderstanding how to solve for
each slight deviation based oncompliance by vertical or use
(32:00):
case.
Maybe it's field services, it'smore ruggedized device base,
where it's more, law firms andaccounting firms where it's more
kind of executive hierarchybased.
But the problem statementdoesn't change.
It's about.
distributing edge devices.
having a program for what you dowhen those edge devices need to
(32:23):
be returned maintaineddispatched and giving control to
that entire process from amonitoring perspective, back to
the organization.
So I would start by saying,don't be afraid.
to say, I'd love to learn more.
Can I set up a briefing before Iintroduce you to my customer I'm
happy to have thoseconversations because there's
(32:45):
one thing we both know Chris andwe've known for years.
There is no customer left wheremobility is not part of their
spend.
So as a partner, if you are notselling it to them, someone else
is.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (32:58):
Yes, absolutely there is opportunity
there.
sometimes I talk to partners andadvisors and They're like, well,
gosh, Christian, I just sell toSMB.
I sell to mom and pops.
And I'm starting to ask'em why,do you limit there?
And you know, the answer's like,Hey, I'm semi-retired.
I don't want any complex deals.
I'm just trying to, you know,it's a lifestyle business.
(33:18):
Okay, great.
Good luck with that.
But they're like, yeah, I'vebeen in it for about five years
and I'm really struggling togrow my business.
I'm like, but you just told meyou only work with SMBs.
why is that?
Oh, well, I don't have a shot atgoing for the bigger accounts,
you know?
All the big agencies are alreadyin there.
but you know, what are theyleading with?
Oh, they're trying to sell'emFiber and ucas and maybe
(33:38):
cybersecurity.
I'm like, you know what?
I bet if you go to them with adifferent message and a
different value prop managemobility or iot, I mean these
are things that my researchsuggests maybe only 25% of the
channel is kinda leading with.
Would you agree with that?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (33:55):
I look at MetTel's embedded base
of customers we have over 5,000corporations that we service.
There's still a percentage ofthem that don't have any mobile
services for one reason oranother.
Maybe they didn't make their wayinto the top thousand account
group that manages stewardshipsfor that group maybe an initial
(34:17):
agent from years ago kind offell off and no one managed the
account.
But there is so much opportunityout there.
And now more.
Than ever.
Because we are solving more thanjust a savings on a plan We're
taking over that completelifecycle management.
(34:37):
We're helping them set up aprogram that has what we call
triple defense.
So it's the enrollment piece,the MDM piece, and now things
like mobile threat defense toprovide that complete layer of
security, which for SMB is, 10times more important than it is
for enterprise.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (34:55):
a lot more to lose.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (34:58):
I heard some alarming stat.
one out of every three SMBs thatget hit with a cyber attack out
of business, they can't survive.
if they've got, revenues of,$15million or less, one in three
will fail because of a cyberattack.
when you think of that inrelation to.
(35:20):
Do I spend, a couple of dollarsper device per month to protect
that?
It almost seems illogical not togo that direction.
it's just as important for SMB.
for anyone selling SMB, who'safraid to go into mid-market
another secret, don't share withanyone.
the same exact sale process.
The only difference is there'smore layers in the decision
(35:44):
tree, so you have to wait alittle bit longer.
Those deals take a little bitlonger to make their way through
all the different departments,but it's identical.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (35:52):
Yeah, solving problems and solving
problems.
I mean, it might take a littlebit longer, but I think the
payoff's bigger in most cases,right?
land and expand, ask betterquestions.
You will be compensated for yourtime.
You don't ask questions.
You don't land and expand.
How can you grow your agencydouble digits?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_110 (36:09):
the mid-market ones grow.
They will always grow, in myexperience every single year,
grow at a percentage, even ifyou don't do anything.
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (36:19):
That's right.
max-silber_1_07-22-20 (36:20):
Sometimes the SMBs grow and that's a great
thing, but sometimes the SMBs.
Are kind of capped.
They'll always stay the same.
They're consistent.
It's great, but the mid-marketones actually grow without any
effort.
So definitely something.
If you're SMB and you've gotsome contacts at a mid-market
company you, wanna engage us forthat as well?
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (36:39):
So tell me a little bit more about
how your team in MetTel willhelp these partners that are
looking to expand their revenuethey're like, okay, I hear you.
I haven't been talking aboutmobility, I haven't been talking
about fleet or iot.
How are you guys helping?
any last words or advice aroundgrowing into that and did this
era we're talking about.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (36:59):
So I would say definitely engage.
If you have good contacts into acompany and you're not sure how
to start, engage us.
through Intelisys.
You can engage your channelmanager at MetTel.
they'll bring in one of ourwireless sales engineer.
On a, one-on-one call with you,we'll explore the vertical,
(37:19):
we'll explore how much knowledgewe have.
We have a lot of data enginesthat feed us knowledge on
customers, so we can look atwhat's in place what's the best
approach, any specificchallenges that the customers
mentioned to you already as astarting point.
And then we'll build thatplaybook.
We'll build that strategy on howwe're going to get on an intro
(37:42):
call with you and your customer.
And be able to expand thatconversation.
So we're there to hold your handand help you, get to the next
phase with that customer, As faras any parting words my parting
words this year is that the truefuel, the true enabler of AI is
actually wireless.
(38:04):
It's the data from the edge.
Without that fuel, AI doesn'tlearn or get better.
So when you're talking to yourcustomers and customers are
talking about their AI strategyor how to grow the output
they're getting out of theirLLMs, their large language
models or whatever AI toolthey're using, the fuel of AI is
(38:25):
actually wireless because it'sabout data from the edge.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (38:31):
Wow.
I love it that you got me.
I told you I wanted a good one.
And that's a good one.
I agree with you a hundredpercent.
I tell people all the time, youknow, people are like, Chris,
you've been talking about iotfor years I'm like that's'cause
you're not doing it right.
You're not focusing.
But you're right, in the lastyear or two, probably three, AI
is now making iot a realbusiness conversation because
(38:51):
it's actionable data, it'smaking businesses more efficient
and effective, more profitable.
Uh, before when you'recollecting all this data.
Didn't know what to do with it,you know, it just was sitting
there.
But now AI can do something withit.
that is great.
We've covered a lot, check theshow notes.
I'm grateful for this timetoday, man.
Thanks.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_ (39:11):
Really appreciate you having me on.
I'm glad we finally got to doit.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (39:15):
Yes.
we don't have to wait as long.
Next time we can get an update,next year and look back and say,
Hey, were we right?
Was AI really driving a lot ofthis?
how was sales because of it?
Something I always like tomeasure is, active selling
partners, how many people areactually selling this stuff, or
even, deal regimen it.
And that's usually the goodindicator, Of where, the
funnel's gonna grow.
(39:35):
ask yourself, how are youleveraging this technology.
It might be new to you, but it'sbeen around for, decades.
how are you leveraging it?
are you asking your customersabout mobility, how they're
managing it?
How are they managing theirexpenses?
Are they frustrated with workingwith the, underlying carrier?
There's a lot of good ways to,take a quick assessment, What
advice do you have for them?
there has to be something theycan do today.
(39:58):
What can a partner do today tochange the TR directory of their
revenue by leveraging inmobility and iot?
Is there anything you wouldrecommend?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (40:08):
I would say definitely get that
conversation started.
reach out to us, it's okay toask for help.
I've always asked for help myentire career.
That's how I learn somethingnew.
So reach out to your Intelisysrep.
Get on with a channel manager atMetTel.
They'll connect you to myself orsomeone on my team, one of the
(40:29):
wireless sales engineer.
Let's figure out what the rightplaybook is to create that intro
call for your customer.
That will add.
The greatest value.
The other one is by looking atwhat is the customer challenge.
In many cases, I'm also seeing abig frustration for customers
and a big initiative is toconsolidate vendors.
(40:49):
If it's a vendor consolidationget a list of all the vendors
being utilized in a mobilityprogram today and see if our
MDAS program can help.
consolidate and centralize howthe entire program runs for
those customers.
So a lot of different.
in which we can approach, thatinitial call with the customer.
(41:11):
It's about providing the mostvalue to the customer and
solving the most immediateproblem.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (41:17):
Yeah.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (41:17):
that problem on that call, so we'll,
come armed ready to have thatconversation.
One thing I will tell you, I'venever been on a call or no one
on my team has ever.
Been on one of those calls wherea customer said this adds no
value.
And you know, this wasn't a gooduse of my time.
So as an advisor, it's importantto bring these conversations to
(41:38):
the forefront with yourcustomers as well.
It positions you as a personthat brings value and expertise
into those calls.
So I'd say it's there.
It doesn't cost you anything.
Let's have that conversation andlet's bring that conversation to
your customer.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (41:55):
Man, again, another great word, to
end on AI is fed by data.
Mobility and Fleet iot providesthat data.
if you're a selling partner,advisor, consultant, whatever.
Let's start with the deal you'reworking on right now.
Surely you have a prospect, youhave a client on your radar ask
(42:19):
that client the questions thatMax is talking about here.
Let's start now.
Today's the day.
Today's the day you pivot and itbecomes a part of your discovery
questions.
as you talk your clients, as youcheck in with your current
customers, today's the day toask about, how are they
collecting data?
What are they doing to havesafer fleets?
How are they managing theirassets and their expenses?
(42:41):
If you can't tell Max, I reallydon't want to end this
conversation.
Can you tell I keep circling.
I keep trying to close this andI just wanna keep talking about
it, a tip of the hat to you Yougot good energy and, you got
such experience in this area.
we'll wrap it up.
thanks so much for your time.
Look forward to hopefully seeingyou on the road here soon.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_ (42:59):
Thanks for having
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (43:00):
And there you go.
Yes, the official ending of thisepisode.
if you like what you heard ifyou thought about a client, a
colleague, a coworker, asalesperson on your team, please
share this episode with them.
subscribe, like, follow allthat.
I really appreciate it.
And also check the website, thewireless way.net.
The wireless way.net.
There's a contact us buttonthere.
(43:22):
come straight to me and my teamand we'll love to engage with
you.
Get any advice or input on thisepisode or others.
Check us out@thewirelessway.net.
And there you go, folks.
Another episode in the books.
We'll see you next time on TheWireless Way
Hey, welcome to another episode of
The Wireless Way If you've beenlistening for a while, I hope
you know, I'm grateful you'rehere.
I know there's so many otherthings you could be doing.
We talk about a lot of things.
Yes, a lot of technology, theindirect channel in the us.
But more importantly, it's aboutpeople.
all of this stuff is powered bypeople and I'm grateful to bring
(00:21):
on a great guest today, maxSilberg vice President of
Mobility and IOT at MetTel.
I've been working with Nettelfor years.
There's a lot of people workingin this mobility space, but very
few are really doing it.
Great.
So we're gonna talk about thatand how Mitel has done that.
A little bit more about Maxbefore I bring'em on.
with over 20 years experiencespearheading mobility and IOT
(00:43):
and managed services across thetelecom industry at companies
like IDT Net to phone am Tel andGTE Space Net.
some of those, you're like, wow,I thought he was born and bred
at MetTel.
That's where he belongs, whichis where he is now, obviously.
But he brings, a easyperspective to every challenge.
And of course, now being theleader at MetTel, he leads
(01:04):
mobility division.
Driving operations and businessdevelopment, including cutting
edge offerings like mobiledevice as a service.
we're gonna talk about iotconnectivity, fleet solutions,
mobile threat defense, all typesof wireless connectivity.
Medtel has scaled MDAS into anend to end lifecycle powerhouse.
(01:24):
it's the full thing.
You hear that a lot.
Lifecycle.
We're gonna talk about that andit's pretty impressive.
I've been to their warehouse.
It's a smart warehouse.
That goes all the way fromprovisioning to retirement.
Simplifying mobile deploymentsfor enterprise and government
customers.
if you're in the governmentspace pay attention here.
His expertise has earned him aspot in the Forbes Technology
(01:45):
Council.
And his insights have beenfeatured in outlets like CNN
Business and Forbes, he's afrequent industry speaker and
advisor.
he's at the forefront ofmobility and iot innovation,
shaping how enterprise leadersthink about device management,
private networks, and mobilesecurity.
You can see now why I'm excitedto have I could call friend.
(02:07):
I've known him for years, butMax, welcome to the show.
Excited to dive into yourjourney.
maybe learn something about youand talk about what's next in
mobility and connectivity.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1 (02:18):
Thank you, Chris.
I really appreciate, me finallybeing on the show.
I know we talked about it onceor twice over the years but
thank you for that intro.
I'm, honestly blushing a littlebit from that intro.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (02:30):
When you hear that intro, is it
surprising to you?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (02:33):
it's always shocking to me.
Honestly.
I'm just like a guy that, likesto tinker with things in
technology, and I really enjoywhat I do.
I try not to take myself tooseriously.
So when you throw out those,types of accolades, it's a
little embarrassing.
I'm, blushing a little bit.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (02:51):
Man, nothing to be embarrassed about.
we were talking pre-show and itsays a lot about your character
when we, asked you about thebio.
You didn't take credit for anyof it, you said?
No, it's about my team.
It's about leadership.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025 (03:04):
Always,
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (03:04):
your leadership team and you're
right.
you could be the greatest playerin the, industry, but if you
don't have the right coachingstaff, the right operations, the
right team, manager, all thosethings do matter.
it really can make a difference.
You can make or break somebody.
So you are very fortunate andI'm just glad to call you
friend, we've known each otherfor years I, can't believe I've
been doing this for five yearsand this is the first time,
(03:25):
we've been able to get ittogether.
thank you for that.
I know you're a busy guy.
What's not the bio?
Tell us a bit more.
How did you get here?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (03:35):
Oh boy.
How did I get here?
what's, not in the bio?
First of all, what's not in thebio is I also consider myself to
be a professional lacrosse dadbecause I literally spend every
weekend of the summer.
Traveling the country for one ofmy, I have a girl and two boys,
both my boys play.
So every weekend there's atournament somewhere in the
(03:55):
country.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (03:56):
Did you play?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (03:57):
a full-time job
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (03:58):
Yeah.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1 (03:58):
takes up the other days
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (04:00):
did you play lacrosse coming up?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (04:03):
I didn't.
And I, and I kind of kickedmyself because I grew up in the
city I grew up in Manhattan.
I'm from New York, so we justsay the city.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (04:09):
We all know what that means.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (04:10):
in Manhattan it wasn't a thing.
we didn't have a lacrosse teamat my school.
But when my kids started playingat a very young age I kind of
kicked myself that I didn't haveit.
'cause I really loved the, game.
I really enjoyed it.
so that's certainly not in mybio.
Where it all started.
I'll give you the quickiteration'cause it's a crazy
(04:30):
story.
graduated college, was lookingfor a job around the time in the
early nineties the wasn't great,so there weren't a ton of jobs.
but I did get a reach out from,GTE space net, the space
communication division of, aphone company back then called
GTE that ended up merging into,one of the three remaining ones
(04:53):
we have today.
And, they, they basicallyoffered me a position as a
assistant country manager.
Which I thought was amazing.
You know, I was just comingoutta school and they said, we,
think you're gonna be the rightfit.
the next question was, when areyou leaving?
I said, I don't understand Youtold me I'm gonna be the
assistant country manager.
Where am I going?
They said, we've met theassistant country manager in
(05:14):
Ecuador.
I scratched my head and said,wait, what?
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (05:17):
That's a big detail to leave out.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (05:20):
I was like a couple of
clarifications.
Number one, I do not speak aword of Spanish.
And number two, I didn't realizeit was another country, but I
was young, I was single and Isaid, Hey take a chance.
So I ended up moving down toEcuador.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (05:35):
Wow.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_110 (05:36):
was there a couple of weeks.
Then I got another call fromheadquarters in Virginia and
they said, bad news, good news.
I said, what's up?
They said, we got into a bigfight with the country manager
and decided to part ways.
So you're now the acting countrymanager.
I said, this is crazy because,I, don't speak any Spanish.
(05:56):
The entire office speaks Spanishonly.
There's one or two people thatspeak a little broken English,
and I don't know anything aboutyour business or how to run it.
they said, it's not a problem.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (06:05):
Wow.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_110 (06:06):
you Spanish.
So every night when you get homefrom work we're gonna have a
translator waiting for you.
They'll spend three or fourhours a night with you, and then
in three months you're, you'regonna be able to negotiate
contracts in Spanish.
And in the meantime, we're gonnaget you certified on our
technology and you're gonna dogreat.
I ended up signing on for twoyears.
(06:27):
So I was, my first job two yearsdown in Ecuador and then
expanded into the Columbiaregion selling vsat
communication and managing thatentire business for GT's face
net.
So that was kind of thebeginning of my.
into mobility and into wirelessin general.
And then that over the yearsexpanded into, the cellular side
(06:50):
of it as cellular became moreand more prominent as well.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (06:54):
what was your major in school?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (06:56):
my original goal was to become a
floor trader on the New YorkStock
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (07:01):
Of course.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (07:01):
So I was a triple finance
investment and economics major,which had nothing to do with
technology.
But then going through GTE spacenet, I had to become.
Certified in their engineeringprograms.
So I went through engineeringcertification and then I
continued to grow in thetechnology space.
(07:23):
I enjoyed learning more on theengineering side.
And that's kind of what pulledme more and more into, you know,
I, really just look at myselfas.
A natural troubleshooter, sowhatever you put in front of me
I like to try every variationuntil I figure it out, and it
translated well into IT basedcommunication services.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (07:46):
So when you said that, it made me
think of something else totallyunrelated at home.
When you, when your wife bringsyou a problem, did she ever just
want you to listen or do youalways try to solve the problem?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (07:59):
I always tried to solve the
problem, even though she onlyjust wants me to
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (08:03):
Okay,
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1 (08:03):
which
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (08:04):
Okay.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1 (08:04):
yeah,
chris_1_07-22-2025_1100 (08:05):
answer.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (08:05):
been over 20 years of marriage now.
So now she gives me a look asI'm.
she just looks at me and I'mlike, okay, I'm just gonna shut
up now
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (08:13):
That's right.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (08:15):
that step by step.
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (08:17):
That's right, if you're listening and
you're a young person, and yoursignificant others bringing you
problems, sometimes it may beworth asking, Hey.
Do you just want a soundingboard or should I give you some
options?
are you telling me'cause youwant me to help you or you just
wanna vent?
if they wanna vent, just let'emgo.
Most of the time we know theanswers even when we're venting.
I've been accused of that too.
(08:37):
My wife's like, can you justlisten?
Just get in my mud puddle withme.
She would tell me.
so yeah, I'm very cautious I gointo problem solving mode.
Do you think your, education andwork in the financial area,
surely that's helped you makegood business decisions, right?
Even though you're a techie andyou love tinkering having the
(09:01):
concept of how to turn that intodollars that's been good for
you, right?
Has that been helpful?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (10:44):
I think, everything we do in life
is a tool and it's a question ofhow you use that tool.
without a doubt having anunderstanding of the financial
side, it is in the end wealways, you know, finish the
term with, it's the technologybusiness.
It is a business.
And part of the business is andI always remember this like way,
way.
(11:05):
Kind of in my early days, I'dmeet with large vendors trying
to sell different gears.
I went through satellite andthen satellite into voiceover
ip.
different players, differenttechnology we were buying a lot
of Cisco gear.
For voiceover ip, encapsulationfor voice services.
I went for a meeting with,Lucent at the time, and Lunt had
(11:27):
actually come out with acompeting product to what Cisco
was making, which was sellinglike crazy.
So Lucent came out with thiskind of competing product and I
went for the demo and I rememberthey were showing me like.
got two fans to cool the box.
We've got four fans and youknow, Cisco's got this amount of
(11:49):
memory, we've got triple thememory.
And then I said in the end, Isaid, how much is your box?
And the price tag was threetimes that of Cisco.
And I said.
Do you guys come up with thisinnovation strictly from the
lab?
And they said, yeah, this was a100% engineering project.
I said did you benchmark yourpricing against the market?
(12:12):
And they kind of looked at mewith this blank stare.
that's what I always rememberwhen I think about the business
aspect of what we do intechnology.
You can solve a problem withtechnology, but, you have to
also solve it within benchmarkpricing.
You always have to make sureit's not just technically
viable, but it's commerciallyviable.
(12:34):
So yes, I think that aspect ofwhat I do is always like.
Okay, this sounds great andcustomers are gonna love it, but
nobody's gonna pay that price.
So now how do we take all thisgreat stuff that we're trying to
put together, like, youmentioned our MDAS or mobile
devices as a service program.
How do we give all this greatvalue to customers, but still
provide it?
(12:55):
A price tag where there's truesavings that it's actually
something that's providing notonly a value, but immediate
financial benefit.
absolutely, these are all toolsI've accumulated over the years
that I try to apply in everydecision and in every new
product that we try to launchinto the marketplace.
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (13:15):
That's right.
there's a lot of cool technologyout there, but at the end of the
day, if we're not turning aprofit, we all got bills to pay,
we gotta make money on it.
Speaking of making money I'veheard you tell the story of, 10,
11 years ago when you were firststarting to MetTel and it was
(13:35):
you and an intern doing somestaging kit shipping from your
apartment living room.
And now you got this city blockin Queens of this massive huge
warehouse with a, ton ofdevices.
Let's just leave it at that, ofall types.
How are you seeing, thebusiness, how has it grown for
you?
Where are we now?
what's the state of the mobilityand iot industry as it is today?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (13:59):
I think the state continues to be
healthy.
I think the importance of.
With, with the mobility programis always about recognizing
where the market's going andmaking the right pivots to stay
in line with the market.
What I mean by that is we lookmaybe 5, 6, 7 years ago people
were buying.
(14:20):
mobile plans that includedsubsidized equipment or they
were financing equipment.
what we've seen is companies arereally looking for a one-stop
shop for all the aspects thatare part of that mobile
lifecycle management plan.
that starts with the device.
(14:40):
Not being a capital expenditure,a CapEx, but more an opex.
They wanna pay a monthly rate.
today, companies are, cautiousin the current world markets,
economic state, worried aboutthings like tariffs, worried
about exposing too much capital,too much cash out to make large
(15:00):
purchases.
So providing companies with anopex based monthly charge that
includes everything, theequipment, deploying it
digitally.
we enroll it over the air so thedevice can be fully configured.
that's also a securitycomponent.
we're seeing the addition ofneeding additional security
(15:23):
modules.
What we've done over the lastyear, and we haven't done a lot
of noise around it, but nowcustomers that come in and don't
even use mobile devicemanagement today.
We tell them.
gonna give you mobile devicemanagement included at no
charge.
now we're doing our MDASprogram.
we're doing the OPEX model for,a monthly, a fixed monthly
(15:45):
charge includes the equipment,includes the unlimited plan for
a smartphone, or tablet.
the enrollment over the air,mobile device management, and
we'll do the setup.
so we'll actually train thecustomer.
If they wanna go in and do theirown management or they want us
to do it, there's no additionalcharge for that.
We'll deploy down to the userlevel so we can ship it to
(16:06):
someone's house if they'reremote.
They'll just hit the powerbutton.
The device will enroll itselfover the air, if they break the
device, we'll advance, replaceit at absolutely no charge, and
take back the broken devicehandle the whole reverse
logistics data, wipe, repair,and then depot.
having all that provided by asingle vendor.
(16:30):
That's been the big game changerthat we've grown into with this
program we started with let'schange CapEx to opex, and we
ended up with a completelifecycle management program
where customers really get themost bang for the buck.
They get the greatest value, andin every case, they also get a
savings compared to what they'repaying today by utilizing
(16:52):
direct.
Co contract with the carriers,plus all the other third party
vendors they have to usuallybring on to be able to provide
that experience.
chris_1_07-22-2025_1100 (17:03):
There's a saying Pay now or pay later,
but you're going to pay, itmakes me think,'cause a lot of
companies think, oh, we can dothis in-house.
We can save some money.
You know, why would we want todo that?
And like, but they fell.
As they're paying thoseemployees too.
I mean, there's a lot of softcosts compared to the hard
savings of, the carrier.
And, MDM that's usually asubscription licensing fee per
(17:25):
device that you're including.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (17:29):
A ton of internal.
I was gonna say there's a lot,there's a ton of internal cost.
the important thing to alsoremember is.
when we're having theseconversations with
organizations, when they bringin the people that do the
day-to-day, those people don'twanna do this work.
They have a million other things
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (17:48):
That's right.
max-silber_1_07-22-20 (17:48):
companies don't have, excessive IT staff.
So it's more about giving themtheir time back to supervise a
process.
that includes putting onruggedized cases and screen
protectors on every smart devicethat goes out, that we'd also do
as part of our M Ds process atno additional charge.
we don't charge for the cases orthe screen protectors that all
(18:10):
comes with it.
But imagine three to four hoursof your day just putting cases
and screen protectors ondevices, now I'm giving you an
updated report or portal accessto see what's going on with the
process.
And you can focus on all theother trouble tickets coming in
through your ticketing system.
So it's a big time saver.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (18:30):
both of us have been on numerous
calls with companies where italmost makes sense that an IT
help desk person would do that,but sometimes it's the HR person
the finance, account payableperson, or the CEO's secretary,
executive assistantreceptionist, front desk person,
the office manager.
I mean, to your point, it'salways like a secondary duty for
someone and then they come to usand other people in this
(18:52):
business going, I don't knowwhat happened.
Bill used to be 5,000.
We haven't hired anyone else.
Now it's 10,000.
We don't know what's going onhere.
it takes some knowledge andhaving the right tools too.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (19:05):
It's having those right tools and,
it's important to point out whenwe say tools, there's a reason
why we give customers free.
MDM or MDM included, we needthat enablement engine.
The other huge change we've seenover the last 12 months is the
mobile device has become the newthreat vector for cybersecurity.
(19:26):
we're seeing 42% of all mobiledevices, including the ones in
front of you, have some form ofmalware already installed on
them.
that's a point of entry forcyber criminals.
we're giving you MDM included sothat if you feel you are at
risk, and we do recommendcustomers look at additional
(19:47):
solutions.
we recently, did a press releaselaunch for the addition of
mobile threat defense a solutionwe teamed up with Checkpoint
for.
that's about providing edgedevice security.
And that's super importantbecause we are now eliminating
that risk of someone actuallyinfecting a company device or
(20:09):
device accessing company assetsor a network.
that's, helping alleviate a lotof the other big problems.
'cause those cyber hacks, theycost millions of dollars to
corporations.
being able to seamlessly push amobile threat defense agent on a
phone, because you already havemobile device management,
(20:29):
included with your plan, becomesthe enabler for that other
threat factor we've seen addedover the last 12 months.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (20:38):
I've talked to some cybersecurity
analysts and leaders, they'resaying, if a breach occurs and
it's proven that it originatedon a mobile device and there was
no MDM on it, claim is null andvoid'cause you didn't do your
due diligence to protect yournetwork.
It makes you wonder why there'snot a line at the door going,
(21:00):
Hey, how can you help me with myMDM?
at least 50% of the time whenI'm talking to device customers
that are large enough to have,you know, even say a hundred
plus devices, half of'em eitherdon't have a strategy or they
have it, but you ask who managesit and they're like, I don't
know.
John set it up four years ago,but he left two years ago.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1 (21:19):
Yeah,
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (21:20):
we have an NDM, but no one knows
how to log in.
No one's checking the alerts, noone's enforcing the policies or
the groups and all the differentsettings.
So, That's, I'm glad you broughtthat up.
'cause that is often I feel likeoverlooked because.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (21:34):
if you are going through a renewal
for your cybersecurityinsurance, ask them about
discounts.
By adding components it's noteven compliant for insurance.
they'll just reject that claim.
But in some cases, you'reactually going to save money by
adding something that doesn'tcost a lot.
It's actually a small component.
And the reason why I mentionedthat is in most of these
(21:56):
exercises when we're taking overmobile lines for, the customer,
moving it over to MetTel managemobility.
We're typically saving them alot of money in that process
they can look at it and say, letme reinvest some of the savings
in having better compliance andhaving a real tool that sits on
(22:17):
the edge device, scrubs thedevice, make sure it has no
malware.
If it has malware, removes itimmediately.
this is also the stuff thatblocks those annoying text
messages that say Hey, you havea pass due bill with Easy Pass
or Sun Pass, They actually makeit custom.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (22:34):
Yeah, it looks convincing.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (22:35):
make that scam custom to your area.
It will stop if you clicked onany link from those text
messages.
that mobile threat defense thatwe launched will stop that.
So we'll stop the infection ofthe device with malware.
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (22:49):
That's huge.
Let's pivot just a little bit'cause you can't think of a
company that doesn't leveragemobile devices.
Check the show notes, definitelybe some links to learn more.
But I wanna pivot a little bitabout another part of your
mobility business.
the IOT and the fleet.
Tell us a little bit more aboutthat.
where are you seeing that stateof the industry from, the
non-mobile device, cell phone,tablet to.
(23:09):
Other parts of iot and Fleet.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (23:12):
So what's really fascinating is,
you know there's alwaysbuzzwords every year, I feel
like forever.
AI is the big buzzword.
But I would say, like, take astep back and try to think of
what's the fuel for ai.
For AI is data And data from theedge.
So what we're seeing more andmore is.
(23:34):
a multiplier of edge sensorsgoing out to provide better
real-time data.
And that could be anything fromutility based sensors.
and certainly what we see a tonof is more and more on the fleet
side.
A real revolution where we weretwo years ago with fleet.
(23:55):
was general Fleetmatics driverbehavior.
if you're not familiar withFleet, we measure for things
like Nancy's a new driver.
We send Nancy out, she hits thebrake a lot or a little too
hard, that generates an alert.
she tries to take turns at 40miles an hour.
That generates an alert based onthe G-Force.
(24:17):
So it's a lot of driverbehavior, driver training.
making sure you're not providingtoo much wear and tear on the
vehicle itself.
what we're seeing now with AIspecifically with the use of
high definition video both incab pointed towards the driver
as well as externally, is the AIis actually.
(24:39):
Helping provide better outcomes.
It's actually alerting forthings externally like the
distance between the vehicle andthe vehicle in front of you.
So if you're someone that'salways tailgating, that's a high
risk alert for an accident, itdoes the same, cabin facing as
well.
So we can actually, using ai,zero in on eye movement.
(25:01):
We know if someone's lookingdown into the left, they're
looking at their cell phonewhile they're driving, or if
they're distracted by otherthings.
Smoking eating those types ofbehaviors.
The AI agent now looks at thevideo, analyzes it, and
generates alerts directly tothe, to, to the driver.
(25:24):
driver has a training app thatbasically says, here are the
things that you should reallyimprove on.
you shouldn't be having that,double cheeseburger while you're
driving an 18 wheeler, or youreally should stop looking at
your phone.
We know you're looking at yourphone.
So that's really where I'veseen.
use of real time data, in thiscase, video, capture, and then
(25:48):
using those engines to generatebetter outcomes.
it's not just, your boss callingand yelling at you.
You've got an app that's kind ofself-regulating, like, Hey, we
know we're, all intelligentpeople.
change your behavior.
that turns into a scoringsystem.
the higher you score, sometimesyou get bonused based off of
that.
So you wanna maintain.
(26:08):
Kind of a high score ratio, butcertainly we, we've seen that
and now we're using that videoas well to provide better safety
overall.
So things like complete bird'seye view, look around where it's
almost like you have a perimeterfence around a moving vehicle
using all these sensors andcameras.
(26:30):
allows the driver to see, wherethey couldn't see before.
So it'll alert them and tellthem, I know you can't see this
motorcycle driving next to us,but it's there and it can
actually show you on a view.
So, things we're retrofitting,vehicles that didn't initially
have it, like newer pickuptrucks that have, if you've got
a camper in the back and it canalmost show you.
(26:51):
Transparently past the camper.
We can now do that with a lot ofwhat we're retrofitting onto
fleet solutions.
So it's not just the Fleetmaticspiece anymore.
We're providing a betterlearning tool and a higher
degree of safety, which isreally what you're striving for
when you're trying to retrofit afleet.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (27:13):
You know, a lot of, drivers, I've
talked to some fleet managersand, some drivers and a lot of
'em don't like it.
they've liked the big brotherswatching me, I want my privacy.
I'm in this cab 12 hours a day.
but when you just turn it aroundand go, Hey, you're gonna get
bonused or this is gonna be partof your performance review.
Just ai, you hear about all thetime in the contact center
world, right?
I mean, AI is Rating theseagents and telling if the
(27:34):
customer's getting upset, allthe different AI features there.
So it's kind of cool to see itcoming over into the fleet
tracking route optimization,fuel conservation, insurance
discounts oftentimes, right.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (27:48):
Look at the business outcomes you're
going to, get better safety andlower insurance premiums because
of that better safety.
it is a direct correlation tobusiness outcomes, and that's
why many companies are excitedthat they have a tool that they
can actually use.
It's also reward'cause thatreward to having everyone really
be accountable and provide thebest And safest experience
(28:11):
generating lower insurancepremiums.
It's helping the company overallfinancially.
Obviously, less people hurt,less equipment damaged, so less
claims for totaled trucks orvehicles or anything else.
So in general, it just providesbetter business outcomes.
(28:31):
As part of changing and usingtechnology to help make that
transformation.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (28:37):
We've talked about managed mobility,
managed device as a service.
We've looked at, some IO ot, howAI's impacting fleet.
all great topics and I feel likewe just scratched the surface on
them.
I wanna dive into, when you lookat the channel, whether it be
your internal team and evenselling advisors out in the
market.
(28:57):
Some people are natural sellers,so they're crushing it in these
areas.
And then you have some that havereally big logos, big brands,
big businesses, but they're not,they're just not doing it.
They're not doing any mobility.
Our fleet.
Why do you think that is?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (29:11):
I think it's a combination of
knowledge and perception.
I think there are people thathave.
Some element in their backgroundwhere they were involved with a
mobility sale or came from acompany where mobility was part
of the portfolio.
they've gotten some basicknowledge, they're confident
enough to speak to it, andthey're confident enough to
(29:32):
speak to it in a way where theycan add value to their customers
or their, partners.
So I think.
The most important thing, and Isay this by the way, both to
channel managers as well as topartners, is to identify where
you can have the greatestconversation that can provide
(29:52):
the value to set up thatexploratory call.
And I think instead of stickingto what you are comfortable
with, take this as anopportunity to learn.
on the mobility side, we alwayshave.
Extra resources dedicated justto training, just to updating.
one of the things that I love todo more than anything, and this
(30:14):
is why I joke, when you give meall the accolades and you know,
all the stuff I've been quotedin or spoken to, I like to have
one-on-one conversations withchannel managers and partners
that come in and say, look, I'venever sold mobility before, so
where do I start?
Let's take one example.
Give me one partner.
(30:34):
What vertical are they in?
I will give you specificexamples of other similar
partners or customers wherewe've solved specific problems.
We understand what compliancethat vertical needs to adhere
to, and we'll help you developthat initial talk track where
you can come in and say.
Are you challenged with thefollowing components specific to
(30:58):
your vertical?
If you are, we'd like to set upan exploratory call with a
wireless sales engineer to talkthrough some of these components
and provide initialrecommendations use that call to
listen.
And learn what that talk trackis.
It is identical.
Identical to every vertical.
(31:19):
I'm not just talking aboutcommercial.
I've been doing federal work foryears, I walk into those big
rooms and there's 65 people ofdifferent departments, I start
with the same conversation anddiscussion, and the feedback is
identical.
The problem is always the sameIt's about understanding that
(31:39):
initial discussion and thatinitial talk track so that your
customer sees how much valueyou're going to bring into that
conversation, and theneverything from there on.
It's just about learning andunderstanding how to solve for
each slight deviation based oncompliance by vertical or use
(32:00):
case.
Maybe it's field services, it'smore ruggedized device base,
where it's more, law firms andaccounting firms where it's more
kind of executive hierarchybased.
But the problem statementdoesn't change.
It's about.
distributing edge devices.
having a program for what you dowhen those edge devices need to
(32:23):
be returned maintaineddispatched and giving control to
that entire process from amonitoring perspective, back to
the organization.
So I would start by saying,don't be afraid.
to say, I'd love to learn more.
Can I set up a briefing before Iintroduce you to my customer I'm
happy to have thoseconversations because there's
(32:45):
one thing we both know Chris andwe've known for years.
There is no customer left wheremobility is not part of their
spend.
So as a partner, if you are notselling it to them, someone else
is.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (32:58):
Yes, absolutely there is opportunity
there.
sometimes I talk to partners andadvisors and They're like, well,
gosh, Christian, I just sell toSMB.
I sell to mom and pops.
And I'm starting to ask'em why,do you limit there?
And you know, the answer's like,Hey, I'm semi-retired.
I don't want any complex deals.
I'm just trying to, you know,it's a lifestyle business.
(33:18):
Okay, great.
Good luck with that.
But they're like, yeah, I'vebeen in it for about five years
and I'm really struggling togrow my business.
I'm like, but you just told meyou only work with SMBs.
why is that?
Oh, well, I don't have a shot atgoing for the bigger accounts,
you know?
All the big agencies are alreadyin there.
but you know, what are theyleading with?
Oh, they're trying to sell'emFiber and ucas and maybe
(33:38):
cybersecurity.
I'm like, you know what?
I bet if you go to them with adifferent message and a
different value prop managemobility or iot, I mean these
are things that my researchsuggests maybe only 25% of the
channel is kinda leading with.
Would you agree with that?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (33:55):
I look at MetTel's embedded base
of customers we have over 5,000corporations that we service.
There's still a percentage ofthem that don't have any mobile
services for one reason oranother.
Maybe they didn't make their wayinto the top thousand account
group that manages stewardshipsfor that group maybe an initial
(34:17):
agent from years ago kind offell off and no one managed the
account.
But there is so much opportunityout there.
And now more.
Than ever.
Because we are solving more thanjust a savings on a plan We're
taking over that completelifecycle management.
(34:37):
We're helping them set up aprogram that has what we call
triple defense.
So it's the enrollment piece,the MDM piece, and now things
like mobile threat defense toprovide that complete layer of
security, which for SMB is, 10times more important than it is
for enterprise.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (34:55):
a lot more to lose.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (34:58):
I heard some alarming stat.
one out of every three SMBs thatget hit with a cyber attack out
of business, they can't survive.
if they've got, revenues of,$15million or less, one in three
will fail because of a cyberattack.
when you think of that inrelation to.
(35:20):
Do I spend, a couple of dollarsper device per month to protect
that?
It almost seems illogical not togo that direction.
it's just as important for SMB.
for anyone selling SMB, who'safraid to go into mid-market
another secret, don't share withanyone.
the same exact sale process.
The only difference is there'smore layers in the decision
(35:44):
tree, so you have to wait alittle bit longer.
Those deals take a little bitlonger to make their way through
all the different departments,but it's identical.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (35:52):
Yeah, solving problems and solving
problems.
I mean, it might take a littlebit longer, but I think the
payoff's bigger in most cases,right?
land and expand, ask betterquestions.
You will be compensated for yourtime.
You don't ask questions.
You don't land and expand.
How can you grow your agencydouble digits?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_110 (36:09):
the mid-market ones grow.
They will always grow, in myexperience every single year,
grow at a percentage, even ifyou don't do anything.
chris_1_07-22-2025_11000 (36:19):
That's right.
max-silber_1_07-22-20 (36:20):
Sometimes the SMBs grow and that's a great
thing, but sometimes the SMBs.
Are kind of capped.
They'll always stay the same.
They're consistent.
It's great, but the mid-marketones actually grow without any
effort.
So definitely something.
If you're SMB and you've gotsome contacts at a mid-market
company you, wanna engage us forthat as well?
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (36:39):
So tell me a little bit more about
how your team in MetTel willhelp these partners that are
looking to expand their revenuethey're like, okay, I hear you.
I haven't been talking aboutmobility, I haven't been talking
about fleet or iot.
How are you guys helping?
any last words or advice aroundgrowing into that and did this
era we're talking about.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_1100 (36:59):
So I would say definitely engage.
If you have good contacts into acompany and you're not sure how
to start, engage us.
through Intelisys.
You can engage your channelmanager at MetTel.
they'll bring in one of ourwireless sales engineer.
On a, one-on-one call with you,we'll explore the vertical,
(37:19):
we'll explore how much knowledgewe have.
We have a lot of data enginesthat feed us knowledge on
customers, so we can look atwhat's in place what's the best
approach, any specificchallenges that the customers
mentioned to you already as astarting point.
And then we'll build thatplaybook.
We'll build that strategy on howwe're going to get on an intro
(37:42):
call with you and your customer.
And be able to expand thatconversation.
So we're there to hold your handand help you, get to the next
phase with that customer, As faras any parting words my parting
words this year is that the truefuel, the true enabler of AI is
actually wireless.
(38:04):
It's the data from the edge.
Without that fuel, AI doesn'tlearn or get better.
So when you're talking to yourcustomers and customers are
talking about their AI strategyor how to grow the output
they're getting out of theirLLMs, their large language
models or whatever AI toolthey're using, the fuel of AI is
(38:25):
actually wireless because it'sabout data from the edge.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (38:31):
Wow.
I love it that you got me.
I told you I wanted a good one.
And that's a good one.
I agree with you a hundredpercent.
I tell people all the time, youknow, people are like, Chris,
you've been talking about iotfor years I'm like that's'cause
you're not doing it right.
You're not focusing.
But you're right, in the lastyear or two, probably three, AI
is now making iot a realbusiness conversation because
(38:51):
it's actionable data, it'smaking businesses more efficient
and effective, more profitable.
Uh, before when you'recollecting all this data.
Didn't know what to do with it,you know, it just was sitting
there.
But now AI can do something withit.
that is great.
We've covered a lot, check theshow notes.
I'm grateful for this timetoday, man.
Thanks.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_ (39:11):
Really appreciate you having me on.
I'm glad we finally got to doit.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (39:15):
Yes.
we don't have to wait as long.
Next time we can get an update,next year and look back and say,
Hey, were we right?
Was AI really driving a lot ofthis?
how was sales because of it?
Something I always like tomeasure is, active selling
partners, how many people areactually selling this stuff, or
even, deal regimen it.
And that's usually the goodindicator, Of where, the
funnel's gonna grow.
(39:35):
ask yourself, how are youleveraging this technology.
It might be new to you, but it'sbeen around for, decades.
how are you leveraging it?
are you asking your customersabout mobility, how they're
managing it?
How are they managing theirexpenses?
Are they frustrated with workingwith the, underlying carrier?
There's a lot of good ways to,take a quick assessment, What
advice do you have for them?
there has to be something theycan do today.
(39:58):
What can a partner do today tochange the TR directory of their
revenue by leveraging inmobility and iot?
Is there anything you wouldrecommend?
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11000 (40:08):
I would say definitely get that
conversation started.
reach out to us, it's okay toask for help.
I've always asked for help myentire career.
That's how I learn somethingnew.
So reach out to your Intelisysrep.
Get on with a channel manager atMetTel.
They'll connect you to myself orsomeone on my team, one of the
(40:29):
wireless sales engineer.
Let's figure out what the rightplaybook is to create that intro
call for your customer.
That will add.
The greatest value.
The other one is by looking atwhat is the customer challenge.
In many cases, I'm also seeing abig frustration for customers
and a big initiative is toconsolidate vendors.
(40:49):
If it's a vendor consolidationget a list of all the vendors
being utilized in a mobilityprogram today and see if our
MDAS program can help.
consolidate and centralize howthe entire program runs for
those customers.
So a lot of different.
in which we can approach, thatinitial call with the customer.
(41:11):
It's about providing the mostvalue to the customer and
solving the most immediateproblem.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (41:17):
Yeah.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_11 (41:17):
that problem on that call, so we'll,
come armed ready to have thatconversation.
One thing I will tell you, I'venever been on a call or no one
on my team has ever.
Been on one of those calls wherea customer said this adds no
value.
And you know, this wasn't a gooduse of my time.
So as an advisor, it's importantto bring these conversations to
(41:38):
the forefront with yourcustomers as well.
It positions you as a personthat brings value and expertise
into those calls.
So I'd say it's there.
It doesn't cost you anything.
Let's have that conversation andlet's bring that conversation to
your customer.
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (41:55):
Man, again, another great word, to
end on AI is fed by data.
Mobility and Fleet iot providesthat data.
if you're a selling partner,advisor, consultant, whatever.
Let's start with the deal you'reworking on right now.
Surely you have a prospect, youhave a client on your radar ask
(42:19):
that client the questions thatMax is talking about here.
Let's start now.
Today's the day.
Today's the day you pivot and itbecomes a part of your discovery
questions.
as you talk your clients, as youcheck in with your current
customers, today's the day toask about, how are they
collecting data?
What are they doing to havesafer fleets?
How are they managing theirassets and their expenses?
(42:41):
If you can't tell Max, I reallydon't want to end this
conversation.
Can you tell I keep circling.
I keep trying to close this andI just wanna keep talking about
it, a tip of the hat to you Yougot good energy and, you got
such experience in this area.
we'll wrap it up.
thanks so much for your time.
Look forward to hopefully seeingyou on the road here soon.
max-silber_1_07-22-2025_ (42:59):
Thanks for having
chris_1_07-22-2025_110009 (43:00):
And there you go.
Yes, the official ending of thisepisode.
if you like what you heard ifyou thought about a client, a
colleague, a coworker, asalesperson on your team, please
share this episode with them.
subscribe, like, follow allthat.
I really appreciate it.
And also check the website, thewireless way.net.
The wireless way.net.
There's a contact us buttonthere.
(43:22):
come straight to me and my teamand we'll love to engage with
you.
Get any advice or input on thisepisode or others.
Check us out@thewirelessway.net.
And there you go, folks.
Another episode in the books.
We'll see you next time on TheWireless Way
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