Outreach Technology Sold to Telecom Decision Makers

By Khali Henderson

**Editor’s Note: Please click here for a recap of the biggest channel-impacting mergers in Q1 2013.**

Pete Keane, CEO of Outreach Technology LLC, confirmed that he recently sold certain assets of the master agency to a subagent partner in order to pursue a new business venture providing an overlay application to Saleforce.com for residual commissioned businesses under the brand SalesReach Software.

Effective April 1, Telecom Decision Makers, a telecom agency based in Louisville, Ky., acquired Outreach Technology’s supplier and subagent contracts. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Founded in 1999 by partners Robert Blowing and Ron Shields, TDM is Outreach Technology’s top partner by volume and in 2012 was named “Outreach Agent of the Decade.” TDM focuses on large, multilocation accounts and claims customers throughout the U.S.

Key Outreach Technology agent support personnel, including Kristen Vick and Mary Baldini, have joined the TDM staff in similar roles, Keane said.

Keane started the master-agency business as KeaneTel in 2002, using a franchise-like model with 100 percent commission pass-through to subagents. The company later introduced more traditional subagency models as well. KeaneTel was acquired by Outreach Telecom & Energy in 2010. Keane was also owner of Outreach T&E along with Joel Allinson. Keane in February purchased all outstanding stock for Outreach, becoming its sole shareholder. He will remain CEO of Outreach, which has interests outside of the master agency business.

Keane told Channel Partners his decision to exit the master agency business was an effort to remove any perceived conflicts of interests with potential customers for SalesReach, a cloud-based application for quoting and commissioning that Outreach released last summer. SalesReach Software, which spun off from Outreach in December 2012, is targeting telecom carriers, agents, master agents, VARs and MSPs with applications that overlay Salesforce.com to provide industry-specific functions, nomenclature as well as instant quoting with special and ICB pricing and promotions included. It also includes a commission processing system for telecom and IT.

“When Petes business direction started shifting to SalesReach, it was a natural business progression for TDM to purchase the telecom agency,” according to a statement from TDM partners Bowling and Shields. “The purchase allows TDM to expand its employee sales success using the agent base operating through Outreach.”

TDM has assumed all agent agreements and has no plans to cut agents, TDM’s owners said, noting that they plan to sign all Outreach agents to a new TDM contract with additional carrier options and expanded service level offerings.