Scottsdale, Arizona-based Slingshot has the first prepaid-wireless-broadband-Internet-access-product for resell in the United States. And it’s about time.
With just a USB modem and Slingshot’s loaded software, your customers could have mobile Internet access anywhere and anytime from any computer with pay-as-you-go freedom. Imagine being able to supply that to them. What a hero you would be, and a paid one too, because you could earn revenue every time they want to recharge their pay-as-you-go account.
There are many frustrating things in this world that can be easily solved if you just had access to the Internet from wherever you are. Until now, wireless Internet required something that is either painfully inconvenient or just plain expensive - expensive to the point of silly.
Hotspots are springing-up in many locations like airports, coffee shops and some public places, but hotspots can be complicated and introduce a new security risk. Each hotspot has a different set-up, different terms and conditions, and can be surprisingly frustrating and as much as $15 a day for access at a hotel, which is silly. The other option is cellular carriers who offer wireless access through express card modems - just plug it in and you have instant Internet, right? But while this solution is easy, it’s silly expensive too.
Carriers typically require a two-year minimum contract and consumers pay the monthly charge whether they use the service or not. If ‘the company is paying for it’, there’s not much incentive to complain about a nearly $60 monthly bill whether you use it or not, but there are millions of individuals who don’t have that kind of company position or budget.
“Rather than paying a set monthly fee for ‘unlimited’ wireless Internet access, Slingshot enables you to cut costs and doesn’t require a long-term contract,” says David Vindici, Slingshot’s chairman and CEO. “Our customers are free to access the Internet wirelessly and on their own terms.” And the entire process of purchasing and using Slingshot is easy for both you, the reseller, and your customers as well.
Users purchase a Slingshot starter kit in your store as a ‘registered dealer location’, (or online at http://www.slingshot.com). Then the process of installing and activating the product only takes a few minutes. The starter kit includes a Novatel USB-727 wireless modem (basically the size of a memory stick) with pre-loaded software that allows two months of unlimited Internet access. Vindici says that the modem is simply plugged into the computer’s USB port and installation is automatic. Once installed, a call to Slingshot’s customer activation center will provide a one-time activation code. From then on he says, users just open the Internet browser to get Web access.
Vindici also says that making payments for Slingshot is simple as well. “Payments can be made with the click of a button at http://www.slingshot.com or by visiting a dealer location, where cash or credit is accepted. When a Slingshot’s account is depleted, it can be re-charged at most dealer and retail chain store locations or via the Slingshot website.” And Slingshot also makes it simple for dealers.
Slingshot is simple to resell and earn a profit with. The company requires nothing from your customers; no application to fill out, no contract to sign, no credit check, no waiting for approval of the sale. So there are no long lines at your counter and no waiting for commission checks. Additionally, if a dealer has applied for and been granted the status of a “re-charge” location, every initial Slingshot sale has the potential to be a recurring revenue stream as customers come back to re-charge their accounts.
We live in an online world where people are more mobile than ever before. We use the Internet for email, news, information and online applications such as maps, travel and shopping. For most of us, to be without connectivity is to become disconnected from civilization. “There is clearly demand for wireless Internet connectivity, but until Slingshot, there wasn’t a solution that truly worked for consumers,” says Vindici. “Slingshot includes everything needed to accelerate consumer adoption of wireless broadband access. We are enabling people to buy what they want and use only what they need, anytime and anywhere.” And they are also making it easier for the dealer to sell a product with pent-up demand.