If you’ve ever waited patiently as your mobile device marinated in a bag of rice, you may understand the anxiety of water damage.

With over 300 million cell phones in the United States, it’s fairly safe to assume that for every cell phone there’s at least one camera, tablet or personal computer. And almost every household— let’s be honest here—has at least one gaming console. Tech devices are becoming much less disposable than they were a few years ago because they’re increasing in value to consumers.For this reason, the days of offering repairs and service for just one type of device have ended. Put yourself in a customer’s shoes: you wake up to discover your cell phone, laptop and iPad have all gone kaput, and you don’t have time to run all over town on your lunch break to have them fixed. Your customers need a one-stop shop to have their gadgets serviced and fixed quickly, and at a price they can afford. It’s time to think seriously about what your customers need. Joining the Cell Phone Repair (CPR) family is an excellent start!

Introducing Cell Phone Repair

Cell Phone Repair is America’s largest mobile device repair franchise, with more than 260 locations. The CPR family prides itself on being an asset to their communities, offering what it calls a fast “while-you wait” service that specializes in repairing cell phones, tablets, mp3 players, computers, gaming consoles and much more. They are even setting their sights on fixing space-age-y new toys, such as drones—but we’ll get to that later.

We spoke at length with the president of the company, Josh Sevick, who says joining the family—becoming a franchisee— is a smart move for independent mobile device repair shop owners.

“From the start, CPR has had a great franchise concept, one that connects with people. There aren’t many things more important to people today than their devices. But just having a great concept isn’t enough, you need to execute well. We have a really strong corporate team that believes heavily in reinvestment. For us, it’s all about creating value for franchisees,” Sevick said, adding that the company’s size, web presence and reputation offer a distinct advantage future franchisees should be aware of.

“The larger you are, the more locations you have, the more leverage you can provide to everybody in your system. We make the best deals with point of sale providers and supply chain partners, and we’re able to pass these along to franchisees.”

Onboarding with CPR

Getting started with Cell Phone Repair is easy. The company has structured its “Discovery Process” to be extremely personal and to truly help candidates determine if this is the business for them. In addition to weekly calls with CPR’s development team, and a discovery call held by a senior member of the CPR management team, candidates are strongly encouraged to travel to CPR’s headquarters in Cleveland, OH, to meet with the management team. This isn’t a typical discovery day meeting filled with corporate sales people and a ton of other candidates, this is a one-on-one session with the management team. The purpose of the “CPR Discovery Day” is help the candidate learn as much as they can about the business opportunity and to allow them to assess the corporate management team.

“While we’re looking for the best possible franchisees, the last thing we want is for someone to become a member of the CPR team and then later realize that they aren’t cut out for the job. Most franchise organizations in our space are primarily focused on getting candidates to commit to buying a franchise. Candidates end up feeling like they’re at a used-car dealership. But with us, franchisees get an opportunity to truly evaluate the offering and to understand what it’s going to be like being a CPR franchisee,” said Sevick.

Once candidates decide to join CPR, that’s when they begin to experience the value of being with the industry leader. Candidates are guided through a 52-step onboarding process with one of the CPR Onboarding specialists. In addition to help with finding your store location, training at the corporate office in Cleveland, local launch support onsite at the store location, and regular coaching calls along the way, new franchisees are currently being given $6,000 worth of inventory so you won’t have to sacrifice your wallet to stock your shelves! What’s not to like?

High Standards When IT Comes To Training

So what else is there to know about Cell Phone Repair? Well, they recycle parts to keep perfectly good electronics out of landfills; they have been the number one franchise in the electronics repair category on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 list for four years running; and they have the only ISO (International Standards Organization) 9001:2008 certified training program in the retail electronics repair industry.

ISO articulates the standards a company must meet to fulfill the needs of customers through its services and products. Globally, over one million tech companies have ISO certification, which makes it the trusted standard for technical training in the industry. So, in other words, your staff will have the best training the industry can offer, hands down. The list goes on!

Grasping The New Age Bull By The Horns

And then there’s this deal with drones. Sevick says the company has set its sights on being ahead of the curve for when drone technology explodes in the next few years.

“Do we see drones being a relevant technology in the next few years? Absolutely. We are piloting a drone repair process, and we’re working with an early-stage company that’s looking to create a professional, secondary market for drones in the U.S. and Canada.”

There’s a whole nation out there—figuratively speaking—of gadgets needing your expertise. The challenge over the coming years will be to stay relevant and in line with emerging tech trends. Sevick says Cell Phone Repair is a company that works tirelessly to keep up with changes in consumer interest.

The Bright Horizon

The world is CPR’s oyster and the company has big plans ahead. It’s now operating internationally in several countries around the world: India, Kuwait, Nigeria, Mexico, and Guatemala. In addition to these countries, CPR is planning to launch in Bangladesh before the end of the year. At home, in the US, the company is focused on growing its certified refurbished device sales program and expanding its K-12 school service and repair offerings.

What makes this company so great at what it does? Sevick says it’s all about the team.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our franchisees and our corporate team. Our business is as healthy as it’s ever been. We see opportunities all over the place, and for us, it’s about focusing on the right opportunities and making sure we continue to grow in the same fashion we have over the years.”

Tomorrow’s World Relies On You

We’ve all heard people grumbling over how addicting our cell phones, tablets and computers can become. But, when you think about it, this future we’re moving into—with drones taking aerial wedding videos at 25 feet, smartphones capturing world-altering news in real time and eReaders allowing you to carry a library of knowledge in your backpack—is a marvelous thing.

Most new technologies are arriving on the scene from drawing board to launch within the same amount of time it takes to complete high school. The future is coming sooner rather than later.

So what will tomorrow’s tech trends be? We’re excited to find out. Whatever tomorrow’s world looks like, rest assured that as a member of the Cell Phone Repair family, you’ll be an integral part of it—an asset to the community.

The post WHY YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT YOU TO JOIN CELL PHONE REPAIR appeared first on Wireless Dealer Magazine.

The FAA’s green light to fly commercial drones opens the flood gates allowing companies a much cheaper, faster, and simpler path to getting in the air.

“A MAJOR DEVELOPMENT FOR THE FUTURE OF DRONES IN AMERICA.

”This means that businesses, farmers, government agencies, academic researchers, advertising agencies, photographers, real-estate agents, roofers, inspectors, and many more industries and professions can put drones to work without having to get an airplane pilot’s license or follow other onerous rules.

WHY DRONE REPAIR IS A NATURAL FIT FOR WIRELESS REPAIR SHOPS

1. Less experienced drone operators are entering the drone industry.

2. Drones purchased before the FAA grounded commercial use of drones are now out of warranty.

3. America’s dependence on drones will become similar to the dependence we have on our smart-phones today. By 2025, America is expected to have an $89.1 billion drone industry.

JOSH SEVICK, President of the electronics repair giant, Cell Phone Repair, agrees. “Do we see drones as being a relevant technology in the next few years? Absolutely! … We see it as an opportunity that we have to be prepared for (for when drones become mainstream). … We are piloting a whole drone repair process, and we’re partnered with an early-stage company that’s looking to create a professional, secondary market for drones in the U.S. and Canada. …”I think drone repair will become a significant portion of our revenue.”

Basically, as with any form of technology, issues will occur when using drones. Whether it’s due to human error or faults in the software or hardware, it’s essential for consumers to know that there’s someone who can fix these problems. And for the average consumer, the local electronics and wireless repair shop owner is the natural first contact they will turn to when something goes wrong with their drone.For this reason, alongside the drone industry’s booming growth mentioned earlier, drones represent the next frontier of revenue for wireless repair professionals.

JOHN PATTERSON, Head of Digital Content Production with Heliguy, a CAA approved supplier and drone trainer based in the UK, adds, “There’s definitely money to be made as more and more people turn to drones for both recreational and professional purposes. Clients will range from amateur film makers who try (and fail) an overly ambitious shot to companies who require regular maintenance on their equipment, especially those using drones in challenging environments such as offshore surveyors.Patterson goes on to forecast that this market is only going to grow year over year, especially as mainstream media outlets continue to both report on and use drones. This media exposure is compounded by the proliferation of amazing and viral drone videos taken by everyday consumers, then uploaded to sites like YouTube. As such, the amount of repair work required will ride along this upward trend.

This forecast is shared by WESLEY FLIPPO, Co-Founder at Buy the Best Drone, a fast growing drone startup based out of San Diego, US. He says, “We believe that drone repair will become a very profi table business, much like computer repair companies and auto shops. As drones become more popular, more people will be flying them and even with increased training, by a sheer percentage factor, there will be more mistakes that lead to necessary repairs. I predict we’ll see a major company pop up in the near future, similar to the automobile industry’s AutoZone or Jiffy Lube that specializes in drone repairs.”

A NEW AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FOR DRONES? THAT MEANS PREPARING YOUR REPAIR BUSINESS IN ADVANCE FOR THIS FORTHCOMING REVENUE CHANNEL IS VITAL.

Thankfully, the FAA’s $63.4 billion modernization plan of the country’s air traffic control systems will also expand to accommodate the commercial use of drones.

MOST COMMON TYPES OF DRONE REPAIR ISSUES

According to experts in the field, the most common types of repair issues that affect drones include:

1. Outer shell replacement, due to general wear and tear that causes dents or gashes.

2. Motor maintenance, as these components are often one of the main points of contact during a crash. Additionally, drone motors are prone to overheat when propellers are incorrectly positioned, thereby creating additional motor stress.

3. Mainboards & ESCs (Electronic Speed Control), as crashes and contact with water are likely to damage these intricate electronic components.

4. Aircraft leg replacement, due to the wear they endure after frequent landings.5. Gimbal replacement, as their usual placement beneath the drone ensures they are likely to be the first thing to hit the ground in accidents.

Josh Larson, founder of the drone consultancy, Breakover Services, adds that the majority of drone crashes leading to drone repair business tend to occur from two sources:

● FLYAWAYS: This is where there is a software or GPS problem, and the drone just flies away from the operator.

● OPERATOR ERROR: This is where the operator crashes the drone due to an error while flying. These crashes usually result in a range of potential damage cases, including damage to the propellers, the motors, the aircraft body, the landing gear, the gimbal and the camera. Larson adds, “Due to the increase in drone use by hobbyists, as well as commercial operators, there will subsequently be an increase in drone crashes and a higher demand for drone repairs. That’s why right now is the best time to look into getting a drone repair company going.”

DRONE ACCESSORIES! YES! THE REPAIR UPSELL!

As any store operator knows, the real money is in the upsells. Drone repair is no different. The most popular upgrade that people opt for when purchasing a drone are gimbals, the mechanism which attaches the camera (and other gear) to the drone. Other upgrades include antenna upgrades, speed modifications, and first-person view (FPV) cameras that allow pilots to operate the drone through the drone’s visual perspective beamed into a video display or VR goggles—these upgrades will become ever more popular once recreational drone racing grows in popularity.

Conversely, the most frequent accessory repairs also happen to be gimbals and FPV mods. With gimbals, any issues with their alignment can spell disaster for an aerial filmmaker trying to get their perfect shot. Meanwhile, FPV cameras often get damaged in a nose-first crash.What all this means for the wireless repair technician is that profi t can be made twice: first by installing these add-ons for customers and the again when these add-ons require servicing.

WHAT IT TAKES TO GET STARTED IN DRONE REPAIR

Just as you wouldn’t try and fi x your car without any background mechanical knowledge, you shouldn’t try and work on a drone without a basic understanding of engineering and electronics. “Getting started in drone repair requires an interest in electronics, as well as a passion for the machines themselves,” says Patterson. Luckily, these interests and passions are commonplace amongst wireless repair professionals. In fact, being a smartphone repair technician may give you a leg up on the general drone repair business. Patterson explained, “The large majority of popular drones on the market right now actually use smartphones to stream and sync their devices. Having a strong understanding of how this technology works can help troubleshoot issues users are experiencing.

WHAT KIND OF TOOLS WILL I NEED?

Patterson adds, “Also, when it comes to the tools you’ll need, the basic tools required include a range of hex and torx screwdrivers, soldering irons, wire cutters and strippers, as well as a number of devices able to run the necessary software to perform analytics on the drones you’re repairing. Aside from these essentials, if you’re looking to scale your aspirations within drone repair, then you may also consider purchasing a 3D printer that can print high performance drone parts.”

Speaking of spare parts, companies within the Phone Repair industry will quickly become vertical, not only selling drones, but also drone parts, software, accessories, and extended warranties.For this reason, it’s important to stay abreast of which companies are producing the top selling drones, and build relationships with their parts offices to secure good rates on spare parts.

WHEN A DRONE CRASHES, AND IT WILL, THEY ALL DO, YOU WANT TO BE THE REPAIR STORE THAT IS READY TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF CUSTOMERS

The Drone Repair EXPO will introduce you to a new generation of technology that will change our world and how you can profit it today. Drones not only fly for hobbyists and government agencies, but they can also be outfitted with additional accessory upgrades to perform specific tasks for business. Due to the high demand for custom drone features drone upgrades, accessory purchases, and installation labor is part of your business profit model.

Drone Repair is the perfect ground floor opportunity to future-proof your career and grow with the industry of Unmanned Vehicles, Artificially Intelligent Machines, and Robotics. Luckily, the Drone Repair Business has a very low cost of entry, low monthly overhead expenses, and available training. Drone Repair Training can be accomplished in a few weeks time.

Most Done Repair shops start receiving drone repair businesses shortly after they open their Drone Retail location or run their very first ad. Better yet, drone repair is scalable to your life: You can operate your repair business successfully from a well prepared and organized garage or a Drone Repair retail location.

The Drone Repair business model you want to own and operate has many variations. However, there are two things you can count on by entering the drone repair business. The first one is profitability right away! The second is enriching your technical skills which will be in high demand.

As our world enters the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the in-roads and segues you will have made will enable you to transition into the tech-driven jobs related to unmanned vehicles, robotics, machine artificial intelligence, and so much more over the next 10 years!

THE DRONE REPAIR EXPO IS THE PLACE TO LEARN FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTS & OEM DRONE MANUFACTURERS OFFERING CERTIFIED TRAINING.

EXPLORE ALL YOUR DRONE REPAIR OPPORTUNITIES

The Drone Repair EXPO will show you the big business future of drone repair opportunities. We will provide you with all the options you need to start your drone repair business immediately after out two day event. Drone Repair has a very low start up cost and entree into the marketplace, yet provides a high return in profits in a very short time period. Technicians and store owners grow fast and since they are continuing their education on the job they are learning solutions for repairs the schools can’t even predict to teach you. This makes you as a drone technician or drone repair store owner more in demand with every drone you repair. Drone technology is only going to advance as robotics, aviation, and unmanned technology continues to skyrocket.

THE DRONE TECHNOLOGY BOOM CREATED A GREAT PROBLEM

The drone industry grew so quickly racing to develop and pump out the next level of drone technology they left a huge “open spot” for drone repair in the booming drone industry.
When you look at the amount of money consumers are spending on drones it warrants a reliable repair option for drones that cost between $500 to $1500 and more.

CRASHED DRONES ARE NOT DISPOSABLE.

Drones can be repaired, salvaged for parts, and broken drones have trade-in value when upgrading into a new drone. When a drone crashes, and it will, they all do, you want to be the repair store that is ready to meet the demands of customers.

The post Drone Repair: Why Now? appeared first on Wireless Dealer Magazine.

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Today, the smartphone has integrated into nearly every aspect of our modern lives. Whether we use them for calling, texting, emailing, or even just playing a game, we’re living in a generation of smartphone owners.

However, people don’t just own a phone; they own phone accessories. When a phone is purchased, so are charging docks, screen protectors, cases, holsters, and more.

When business booms for smartphones, it booms for smartphone accessories, and that’s exactly what’s happening at Lux Wireless. Any phone retailer knows that phone accessories are the driving force behind the retail up-sell. Accessories make up a generous portion of sales and demand is high. Whether customers want to be practical and protect their phone, or just want to spice it up with a fashionable case, Lux Wireless has everything under the sun when it comes to cell phone accessories.

The cell phone accessory industry is huge and with so many competitors trying to get a piece of pie, how does Lux Wireless stay ahead of the game?

SUPPLY & DEMAND

We had the chance to speak to Sean Davis, the Director of Sales at Lux Wireless. As Davis explained, aside from carrying a massive selection of cell phone products and accessories, for a variety of different carriers, Lux Wireless also has an impressive track record of having products as close to launch as possible, sometimes even before. That means you aren’t waiting to carry the most popular and sought after accessories on the market; Lux Wireless is always working hard to supply the demand. But this is only scratching the surface.

Davis explained that he believes Lux Wireless is a fierce competitor in the cell phone accessory industry because of they have a solid grasp of their customer base.

Lux Wireless currently carries products for all the big players such as ATT, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile, but specializes in prepaid carriers such as Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless, Metro PCS, and Open Mobile. If one of these carriers takes on a new phone, you can bet your bottom dollar that Lux Wireless will have accessories for it.

PLACING AN ORDER

Lux Wireless understands that their customers’ time is valuable, so they strive to deliver everything in a “neat, organized fashion” As Davis explained, when you place an order, “every item you receive will have its own unique SKU, as well as its own unique barcode.”

These unique barcodes and SKUs makes matching the packing slip to your shipment a piece of cake. Lux Wireless also links their website to their inventory software, so if an item is no longer in stock, it will show up on the website – say goodbye to tracking down backorders!

Many of Lux’s competitors have multiple warehouses and while this might seem like an advantage, products coming from multiple warehouses only hike up shipping costs, not to mention shipping products from multiple warehouses is a recipe for disaster. Lux Wireless can ship to virtually any address on the planet and all shipping is centralized. They have one warehouse, based out of Atlanta, Georgia, where they mail out all shipments. This organized method keeps your shipping costs low. Davis told us that Lux Wireless pride themselves on having a strict shipping policy: “All shipments are made no later than one business day after you place an order.”

STAYING AHEAD OF THE GAME

Lux Wireless is constantly looking to add new products to the mix. They work hard to have new products stocked as soon as they hit the market. Lux Wireless also doesn’t ‘cherry pick’ the phones they support. “If Boost Mobile, for example, is going to carry the phone, we are going to carry products for it,” Davis said. Moreover, retailers rarely come to Lux Wireless for a one-time purchase. Lux Wireless works hard to build lasting business relationships by making sure their customers are satisfied with every purchase made. In fact, not only will you be getting the hottest products on the market, Lux Wireless is going to help you show them off.
They offer a store fixture program that provides fixtures at a subsidized rate, or even no cost, to clients who commit to easily obtainable monthly spending minimums.

Lux Wireless makes getting in contact with them easy. As previously mentioned, their website is built for ease, all products are linked to their inventory software, so the website always shows exactly what Lux Wireless currently has to offer. This technology will save you the time and hassle of dealing with back orders. You can order directly from the website, or you can get in contact with them by phone at 1-855-589-9473, or by email. As Davis explained, “whatever method is easiest for you, is easiest for us.”

CONTACT-US : WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

Lux Wireless is currently looking to expand their product offerings and take on some new products due to hit the market in the following months. They see and understand that the market is constantly evolving, and they want to remain at the head of the pack by continuously offering new and more advanced products to suit their customers’ needs. At CTIA 2016, Lux Wireless plans to demonstrate some new and advanced devices that they are adding to their product line. Lux Wireless comes backed with an impressive track record of consistency and exceptional turnaround times. This is what keeps their customer base growing. If you are a pre-paid cell phone retailer, Lux Wireless should be your first point of contact for all your accessory needs. With fast shipping, prompt delivery, and a sea of products to choose from, you won’t find a better, or more reliable, wholesaler than Lux Wireless.

Visit www.LuxWireless.com

The post ACCESSORIES DON’T MAKE THE OUTFIT, THEY MAKE THE PHONE! appeared first on Wireless Dealer Magazine.

Every day, businesses strive to keep track of inventory, supply chain issues, costs, and market conditions in order to remain competitive and viable. Oftentimes, it can be difficult to manage all of these aspects at once without the proper resources and tools on hand. In this case, a point-of-sale system would be a helpful tool for business owners since they could easily track inventory, receive alerts about potential supply chain problems, and quickly respond to customer requests. However, business owners should remember that while a point-of-sale system can help in some ways, it is still necessary to have a human touch for various aspects of the business.

Tracking Sales and Inventory

Manually checking inventory and tracking sales can be time-consuming. By automating these tasks, business owners can save more time and money while focusing on other aspects of the business. The POS system can be a helpful automation system for business owners who need to manage their inventory better and reduce time spent on manual data entry. The system can provide sales data for a day, month, or year, allowing owners to determine which items are their best sellers.

That way, business owners can prepare and evaluate what items they need to order for their customers. The inventory management system can also notify owners when stock is running low, allowing them to plan ahead and order items.

Managing Inventory Remotely

If store owners can’t find the time to go to the store, managing inventory remotely can be convenient while they are on the go. Store owners can manage inventory from a remote app or web portal that links to the point-of-sale system. That way, they can order items from their phone and get updates while they aren’t in the store. It can also help reduce the need to hire extra employees for tasks the system can handle. It is well worth researching a strong point of sale system that includes inventory, tracking, monitoring, and alerts as part of the broader technology ecosystem to help grow the business and succeed.

Don’t Waste Inventory

Avoid Supply Chain Shortages

When ordering new incoming items for the store, supply chain setbacks and shipping delays may occur, affecting the store’s ability to keep up with customer demand. For this reason, it is essential that store owners order ahead in case any of these occurrences happen. If it isn’t planned accordingly, the store may have difficulty maintaining customer loyalty and satisfaction, ultimately resulting in fewer sales and lower profitability. To combat this, store owners should closely keep track of inventory, look into alternatives, research pricing deals, and communicate with their customers.

Offer Better Deals to Customers

While ordering inventory from a distributor, it is important to look carefully at cost and profit and evaluate the best way to stock inventory. Store owners should compare prices from each distributor to see what works best for their profit margins and gets them the most value. For example, store owners need to look into distributors’ bundle deals. This can help store owners save money while providing the same deal to their customers. It is also critical for store owners to research what their competitors offer and provide better pricing to customers. Customers enjoy saving money, and if they see a store advertising better deals, this can lead to increased sales and revenue for store owners.

Stocking the Shelves

The post Harnessing Technology to Maximize Your Inventory Management appeared first on Wireless Dealer Magazine.

THE CELLULAR ACCESSORIES MANUFACTURER PRODUCES SMARTPHONE CASES

THAT ARE WATERPROOF, DURABLE AND BARELY-THERE.

With phones becoming thinner, sleeker and more expensive, finding the right phone case is crucial. Sometimes it’s not enough for people to find a case that just covers their phone— now it has to be slim enough to show off the phone’s style while still protecting it from water, drops and scratches. Ghostek, a manufacturer of cellular accessories, focuses on creating cell phone cases that cover all of the above. “We provide cases for the high-end phones,” said Vadim Abramov, senior distribution manager at Ghostek. “We try to come up with the best design and the slimmest case. Our waterproof cases are the most durable.”

GREAT CASES AT GREAT PRICES

Ghostek puts great emphasis on making sure the look of their cases are slim and attractive. A big part of their focus is working with engineers to come up with a product that customers want to buy. They describe themselves as the source for rugged mobile accessories, built with the toughest materials to protect your smartphones. They use the latest in phone case technology, making them competitive in the hot, overcrowded market. Their waterproof cases use IP68 protection, which shields against dust and deep submersion in water, while their TPU cases contain a thick, durable frame that makes the phone drop-resistant. They fit all of these features while maintaining a thin, sleek design.

The best part? While most waterproof cases in the market sell for over $100, Ghostek keep their cases at a reasonable $50-$65, depending on the phone model. “Our goal here is to make sure the customer sees an affordable product that, obviously, looks good and has a nice design, but that’s not too bulky, so it can fit in their pockets. It also has to protect their phones,” Abramov said.

A UNIQUE BRAND AND AN ESTABLISHED TRACK RECORD

Ghostek has been around for five years and recently started branding their cases two years ago. Since they started, they’ve found success and remain popular on Amazon, consistently getting good reviews. But perhaps what makes them so unique is their branding. There’s a theme behind the company’s products— a fun and creative way to attract customers. They treat each customer as if they were agents, like James Bond or a part of the CIA, and the buyers need to find the perfect accessory to protect their phone to maintain an “air of undetectability” while they’re on a mission.

THE TOP SELLERS

Ghostek sells three models of cell phone cases: the Cloak, the Covert and the Atomic series. Both the Cloak and Covert are slim cases that protect the phone while showing off each smartphone’s unique
style. The Atomic series is waterproof. They are coming out with new cases all the time for upcoming phones, such as the iPhone 7. They also offer warranties ranging from one year to lifetime limited. Moreover, Ghostek offers a variety of products outside of cell phone cases. They sell chargers and book bags, which were, at one point, ranked in the top 20 and 50 on Amazon under the bag/outdoor categories.

Ghostek also sells the NRG bag. By September 2016, five different colors are due for release. This backpack is water resistant, contains a rechargeable battery pack, and includes USB cables for charging any device including laptops, iPads and smartphones. The next NRG bag will include a solar panel for recharging purposes. It’s a great item for those who love the outdoors.

The post GHOSTEK IS LIVING UP TO ITS NAME appeared first on Wireless Dealer Magazine.

If you’ve ever waited patiently as your mobile device marinated in a bag of rice, you may understand the
anxiety of water damage.

Don’t worry; most of us have been there.

Hoping for a successful rice bath resurrection is, unfortunately, a common occurrence in the tech world. Water damaged electronic devices can be a huge pain in the neck, not to mention very costly to replace.

However, you can now breathe a sigh of relief and rest assured that the rice in your cupboard will never again be used for anything but dinner, thanks to technology from Liquipel.

Liquipel is a California based company which created a specialized process to keep electronic devices WaterSafe. This means saying adios to the dreaded rice revival!

[This compelling technology sprouted from a single idea]

Liquipel’s WaterSafe technology process involves placing the electronic device into a special proprietary
machine which creates a vacuum. Once the vacuum process is complete, the Liquipel formulation that is
injected turns from a liquid to a gas as it enters the chamber. The final step involves plasma, which decomposes the liquid repellent molecules, polymerizing them to themselves. Liquipel becomes the new surface of your device, and its components.

Basically, this complicated high-tech process results in providing electronic devices with a safe haven from water damage.

This compelling technology sprouted from a single idea, which came about from two partners. Liquipel co-founders Kevin Bacon, and Danny McPhail owned a previous company that dealt with applying military grade films to electronics to prevent them from scratching. There was a special solution necessary for applying the film, and as phone designs changed and evolved, the process started to water damage the phone. This was when Bacon and McPhail’s idea for waterproof protection began to take hold.

Development for Liquipel began in 2009, and Bacon and McPhail left no stone unturned as they searched to assemble the perfect team to commercialize their technology. By 2011, they built the first machine and landed in the US. Liquipel launched during the 2012 CES and overnight the company exploded.

“We were listed in publications
ranging from Forbes to the LA
Times,” Bacon said, “it was
very exciting for us.”

THEIR SUCCESS DID’NT STOP THERE.

iquipel gained even more momentum as they received media recognition from the BBC, CNN, and even the Today Show. All that media attention, matched with a top notch executive team, made it easy for Liquipel to expand their product offerings.

THE FUTURE OF LIQUIPEL

Liquipel is now beginning to apply their technology in areas outside the electronic devices department. Liquipel  as recently begun working with clothing manufacturers, using their waterproofing technology to allow fabrics to dry faster and resist odor.

Liquipel QuickDRY is an eco-friendly way of applying a water repellent to fabrics. It also has zero water or solvent usage, very little power consumption, no hazardous waste generation, and no storage needs. This new water repellant technology quickly caught the attention of big brand clothing manufacturers.

Liquipel has recently teamed up with O’Neill to launch the fastest drying board short in the world. Customers will no longer need a towel to dry off; the shorts will be dry by the time they reach their car.

If you want an inside look at Liquipel’s strategic vision, CEO, Rod Nakjavani, has your answers. “We are focusing on three main verticals. First are consumer electronic water safe technologies.” Liquipel is currently working with several original equipment manufacturers and handset refurbishing houses to expand their business. The next focus is on “major apparel brands.” Liquipel wants to offer their eco-friendly water-resistant technology, allowing fabrics to dry faster and resist odor, without sacrificing performance. Finally, “complete mobile device protection;” you can easily find this in the SafeGuard and Liquipel 360 packages.

Liquipel is always looking for strategic partnerships. Their business model can effortlessly span across the globe, and they are always interested in partnering with big businesses, military, or commercial clients.

Liquipel’s success is spreading like wildfire as many major online and big box retailers have picked up the Liquipel products. Liquipel products are now offered in over 1,600 Radio Shack stores, hundreds of wireless dealers and online on www.amazon.com.

In a short period, Liquipel has turned a single idea into a well-established success story. But how did they do it? What was the key to this success? As the old saying goes, you’re only as strong as your weakest link, and it would appear that there are no weak links in the Liquipel team.

“If there is anything I’ve learned in watching our company grow, it is about having the best possible management available,” Bacon said, while talking about his exceptional executive team. Liquipel assembled their team from across the globe. This is why it should come as no surprise that their team is the driving force behind this company.

Whether you’re an everyday, accident prone customer, or a retailer just looking to expand your offerings, Liquipel is your new saving grace against damage. Never again will there be a need to worry about a cracked screen or a water-clogged phone. The future is bright (and dry) with Liquipel.

If you are interested in potentially partnering with Liquipel, please visit www.liquipel.com.

JOIN THE LIQUIPEL NETWORK

The post Liquipel Is Making a Splash in Waterproof Technology! appeared first on Wireless Dealer Magazine.

Bunch of mobile phones with space for your text

B-Stock Solutions and CellWorks Unlimited have partnered to launch CellWorks Unlimited Liquidation Auctions, offering you high-quality smartphone overstock from America’s top retailers and manufacturers!

Around the world, smartphone consumers by the hundreds of thousands—maybe millions—are returning their devices every day to take advantage of buyback and upgrade programs. Meanwhile, manufacturers are overproducing devices to facilitate skyrocketing demand. To save money and space, retailers and manufacturers regularly sell this excess inventory (also called liquidation stock) into the secondary market, and they sell it for only a sliver of the suggested retail price.

We’re talking about quality devices at clearance prices. That’s why you should seriously give the smartphone secondary market a second look as a key source to stock your shelves.

In fact, the time to do this couldn’t be better: B-Stock Solutions and CellWorks Unlimited are joining forces to make reselling smartphones much easier on you and your bank balance. How are they doing this? They are eliminating the market’s need for intermediaries, who traditionally generate their profit by running wholesale warehouses that are paid for by high markup and auction bidding fees.

In other words, forget the frustrating business of jumping through hoops between mediators to get the product you need. It should be easier than that. And now thanks to CellWorks Unlimited Liquidation Auctions, powered by B-Stock Solutions, at the click of a mouse you have access to bulk liquidation stock right from the retailer or manufacturer. The process is cheaper, faster, and easier.

Introducing B-Stock & CellWorks

So who are B-Stock and CellWorks? B-Stock Solutions is the leader of liquidation marketplace. Its experts and platform use state-of-the-art technology, analytics, and services to facilitate the largest network of business-to-business (B2B) liquidation marketplaces for Fortune 1000 companiesin America. Meanwhile, CellWorks Unlimited is the face of smartphone reselling. It knows the B2B smartphone business better than anyone and works to provide the best quality-tested product to resell at the best prices. Both partners knew what sort of impact they could make on the market together. So, naturally, joining forces made sense.
We spoke with Kevin Salkeld, who is CellWorks Unlimited’s vice president of sales and purchasing. He said partnering with B-Stock allows everyone to win.

“CellWorks Unlimited is constantly looking for new strategic partners. After several conversations with B-Stock Solutions, we decided that B-Stock’s marketplace would be a perfect fit for selling our devices,” said Salkeld. “We believe B-Stock Solutions will be able to provide us with a new network of customers, as well as provide us with access to their experienced marketplace team experts and state of the art e-commerce platform.”
Over at B-Stock, Dave Gershon, director of professional services, said partnering with CellWorks was inevitable. “Mobile is B-Stock’s largest category, and we have an extremely robust buyer base of wireless buyers from around the globe. . . . For B-Stock, adding another mobile-centric marketplace to our sourcing network further establishes us as a key solution provider and platform for excess, trade-in, or other mobile devices slated for the secondary market.”

Choose mobile phone. Heap of the different smartphones. 3d

The Benefits of CellWorks Unlimited Liquidation Auctions

Let’s dive into the good stuff: How will this new partnership, and CellWorks’ new marketplace, help you?
When you start out buying liquidation stock, you may feel apprehensive about product quality. After all, a lot of it, if not most, is second-hand. So it’s natural and reasonable to spend your money with caution. Thankfully, you can rest assured knowing that CellWorks Unlimited tests every smartphone with a strict quality control process, and then grades it so you know the condition of what you’re buying.

“Every phone goes through our quality assurance inspection process to ensure it’s fully functional, cosmetically graded, and ready to be activated,” said Salkeld.

What brands are there available to buy? Right now, CellWorks Unlimited is offering devices from Apple, LG, Samsung, Motorola, and more. And new inventory from other brands will be added routinely. In other words, the brands they are selling are among the most notable on the market. Your customers will love the devices you’ll be buying . Also, the lots range in size from ten individual units to a few hundred, allowing you to bid on the amount of product you need and minimize excess inventory!

How To Start Bidding

Getting started is easy. First, you need to register with CellWorks Unlimited Liquidation Auctions. Once you’ve been approved to bid, you’ll start receiving email notices about upcoming auctions. The rest is a piece of cake. Log in, choose your auction, select the items and quantities you want to bid on, and then select your bidding price. The process couldn’t be easier than that. It’s only a game of point and click.

In review, B-Stock Solutions is powering CellWorksUnlimited’s next-level online auction marketplace, where you can bid on hundreds of quality-tested, brand-authentic smartphones from your home or office computer. The process is transparent and fair—there are no “preferred” buyers you’ll be bidding against. And, once again, there are no money-sucking middlemen to be wary of.

Gershon says he’s confident you’ll be nothing but pleased to use this new online auction marketplace. “We hope that wireless dealers and repair shops will find our new marketplace to be an easy-to-use, safe platform to purchase bulk quantities of tested smartphones for resale.”

Salkeld agrees. “I believe CellWorksUnlimited’s business-to-business marketplace will help depict just how convenient buying can be. With high-quality products at low prices, I find it hard to believe that anyone won’t perceive this marketplace as anything less than remarkable.”

Whether you’re interested in reselling smartphones, just getting started, or have been doing it for years, we can say with optimism that CellWorks Unlimited Liquidation Auctions will be well worth your time and money.

The post Redefining Online Auctions with CellWorks Unlimited Liquidation Auctions appeared first on Wireless Dealer Magazine.

Before you can show profit on the books, you need control at POS. Here are the top 10 features your POS must have to gain total command of your wireless retail store, from the back office to the showroom floor.

1. Integrated carrier sales portals: Integrating sales portals helps to eliminate the need for double data entry, reducing the time it takes to process an activation and increasing accuracy and efficiency — all of which frees up more time for reps to serve customers.
2. Seamless integration with payment gateways: POS systems with smooth and fast access to payment gateways enables seamless and efficient transactions which makes for fewer logjams at the cash wrap and happier customers leaving the store.
3. Accurate commission reconciliation: Along with precise and user-friendly reporting, managers need the ability to track and reconcile carrier commissions.
4. Comprehensive inventory management: Go beyond what’s in a single store and manage inventory, bins, and aging across the entire company for all serialized and standard products.
5. Automated business intelligence & mobile reporting: With real-time reports that can be accessed and read on any device, managers can quickly take the pulse of an entire business from anywhere with an internet connection. Schedule reports to be delivered to whomever you want, whenever you want. For example, schedule a month-end sales tax report for your accountant after close of business the last day of the month.
6. Generate Barcodes: For those generic loose items you buy in bulk, our system can generate a barcode based on the customized UPC you choose.
7. Rebate and promotions tracking: Understanding the rate of rebate redemptions and effectiveness of promotions is important. Accessing a POS system with real time reports can give you an instant snapshot of both so you can dial in offers and make them more impactful.
8. Renewal, port-in, add-a-line, and upgrade tallies: Be sure you’re tracking toward carrier sales goals with detailed reports on demand that show you where you stand with every line of business.
9. Employee reports: Regular hours, overtime, vacation time, sick days, staffing levels, forward-looking schedules—the more you know without having to wait until the end of the day, week, or month, the better you can manage your sales force and payroll—not to mention serve customers.
10. Customized marketing tools: Use built-in marketing tools that can access shopper data and generate targeted campaigns and promotions that can reach customers instantly via email or SMS.

If all those features pack into one platform sounds like a dream POS system, you might be right. But it’s a dream hundreds of wireless retailers and master dealers around the country are living—and using—right now to maintain absolute control over POS and save time, effort, and money.

Cary Alan is VP of Sales and Business Development at B2B Soft . B2B Soft’s flagship product, Wireless Standard, is the premier POS system for wireless retailers, in use at thousands of locations.

Please contact Cary for additional information
caryalon@b2bsoft.com

CONTROL WHERE YOU NEED IT THE MOST: AT POS

Wireless Standard integrates all the essential POS programs you need into One platform.

Wireless Standard integrated features include:

• Carrier sales portals
• Payment pathways
• Precise commission reporting & reconciliation
• Comprehensive inventory management
• Renewal, port-in, add-a-line, &upgrade tallies
• Automated reports& mobile access
• Rebate & promotions tracking
• Bar code creation
• Employee reports
• Built-in marketing tools

The post Top 10 Ways To Get Control Of Your Wireless Store appeared first on Wireless Dealer Magazine.

The biggest challenge we foresee the industry would likely face is to convince customers that repairing remains to be a cheaper alternative to a new device. Since the launch of Apple iPhone 6S, every major telecom carrier in the U.S. has provided its customers with the ability to finance phones with zero upfront payment and interest rates. Moreover, telecom carriers such as T-Mobile has gone one step further with its JUMP ON DEMAND program, offering its customers the ability to upgrade their phones up to 3 times a year as long as the customers trade in the last upgraded phone. One might argue that such benefits of early or multiple free upgrades are only available to postpaid customers who do not truly represent the customers served by a typical cell phone repair center. Perhaps, prepaid customers are even more spoiled and have gotten accustomed to heavily subsidized devices, often starting at $0 with a new line of service. Certainly, customers will soon lack any incentive to spend money on repairs that cost anything more than $0.

But isn’t it true that customers pay for repairs because of the vital data stored on their devices that they want to retrieve at any cost? Not Really. With the advent of cloud services available on both Apple and Android platforms, customers are now blessed with a particularly inexpensive solution of backing up their important data for as little as $0 a year.

In fact, it is now time to learn an important lesson from some well known cell phone manufacturers and telecom carriers whose actions have caused such uncertainty in once thriving repair industry. Both manufacturers and carriers are increasingly becoming customer centered, relying on providing their customers with the freedom to choose among different services in return for their loyalty. They understand that customers desire novelty and demand assistance, and that the customers’ issues must be addressed instantaneously. Now that we know one possible solution, it is imperative to discuss the ways to fully capitalize on the traffic that walks into your repair centers, to adjust to the changing landscape and to build your customers’ loyalty towards yourself.

The post Evaluate & Adapt appeared first on Wireless Dealer Magazine.