VIDEO |
AUDIO |
Studio News Desk
Anchor 1 |
ANCHOR 1 (male)
Welcome to a special edition of Business World News. I'm (NAME) |
Anchor 2 |
ANCHOR 2 (female)
And I'm (NAME). We go on locations around the world and behind closed doors to show what some companies are doing to improve the quality of life for their customers. |
Anchor 1 |
ANCHOR 1
Our story today is so multi-faceted, we were hard pressed what to lead with. It's a corporate turn-around story. It's the story of a savvy management team aggressively maximizing profits in a unique telecommunications niche. |
Anchor 2 |
ANCHOR 2
And it's a story about one company positioning itself to be a market leader in an industry that's becoming increasingly integrated regionally and internationally. |
Anchor 1
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ANCHOR 1
It all starts in one of most dynamic countries in the European Union – Spain . International Reporter (NAME) tells us about a company that's created its own calling card for the future. |
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SHOTS of Madrid demonstrating a cosmopolitan, sophisticated city of international stature. |
REPORTER (in voice-over)
Madrid . Once the capital of the far-flung Spanish empire.
But today, instead of gold and silver flowing in from the New World , Madrid is being flooded with Fortune 500 companies and multinationals eager to tap the entrepreneurial drive of Spain 's highly educated – and motivated – workforce. |
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International and Spanish national corporate logos on office buildings, advertising, and shops.
Teleconnect logo or website. |
REPORTER (in voice-over)
But for every Microsoft or Sony setting up shop, there are world-class Spanish companies spring-boarding beyond their national borders with innovative products and services, top-notch management and smartly-targeted marketing.
One such company is Teleconnect. |
CUT TO:
GUSTAVO GOMEZ talking on camera |
GUSTAVO
Teleconnect, which is registered in Florida and traded on the NASDAQ Bulletin Board, has seized a unique telecommunications niche here in Spain. That niche is not only underserved but hungry for service – and we're made it our own.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
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REPORTER talking to camera. She holds up a selection of phone calling card in office park where Teleconnect has its offices.
The REPORTER is an attractive, no-nonsense European. She has only a hint of an accent to her fluent English. |
REPORTER
With its wide selection of telephone calling cards, Teleconnect is rewriting the rules of prepaid phone service – for Spain and potentially Europe – and it doesn't stop there.
Prepaid calling cards are big business. A $XXXXX billion dollar industry in Europe alone.
Our story starts Malaga , the sunny resort capital of southern Spain , hundreds of miles southeast of Madrid... |
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SHOTS of Malaga , its harbor with pleasure boats, its beaches, and nightlife.
SHOTS of attractive residential districts.
CUT TO:
SHOT of MARGOT GUNTHER making a call on her cell phone. |
REPORTER (in voice-over)
Malaga is a magnet for millions of Europeans who seek out its clear skies, warm days, and balmy nights.
Many have second homes along its sparking beaches.
Like Margot Gunther, one of Teleconnect's most loyal customers. |
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MARGOT talking on camera... with cutaway SHOTS of her at home... and on the telephone. |
MARGOT
I own my own business in Stuttgart , Germany . But I fell in love with Malaga . I even bought a home here. I spend a minimum of two to three months here every year. Plus vacations.
Still phone service has always a thorn in my side. I can't use my German phone company and my Spanish isn't very good, so I feel uncomfortable using Spanish language phone service. But Teleconnect with its service and people is a godsend.
(Representative Remarks For Content ) |
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SHOTS of MARGOT purchasing calling card at an attractive shop or supermarket… then using it, either in conjunction with her cell phone or at home. |
REPORTER (in voice-over)
All Margot has to do is buy a Teleconnect prepaid phone card at one of the upscale shops or markets she frequents… dial in her code… make her call… and she's connected. Simple as that. |
CUT TO:
MARGO talking on camera…
…with cutaway SHOTS of Teleconnect Support Center staff answering phones and dealing with customers in a variety of languages. |
MARGOT
If I ever has any problem, I simply call Teleconnect's toll-free help line and a German-speaking communications specialist is always ready to help.
They're knowledgeable, efficient – the service is great.
I always know they're there for me.
(Representative Remarks For Content ) |
CUT TO:
REPORTER on camera…
…with cutaway SHOTS of…
…easily recognizable European cultural landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower …the Leaning Tower of Pisa… as well as…
…people using telephones. |
REPORTER
Prepaid phone cards are popular with Europeans. Their use by affluent, smart consumers is growing not only in Spain – but throughout the European Union.
Because Europe is a patchwork of languages, distinct cultures, and national borders – each country fiercely defends its economic interests.
That means national phone systems, differing service standards, and multiple regulations and restrictions on cross-border ownership and servicing.
Prepaid phone cards can be used anywhere any time. They're also significantly cheaper than a regular landline with its monthly bill for past usage. |
CUT TO:
SHOT of GUSTAVO talking on camera…
…with cutaway SHOT of a CUSTOMER tapping in a code on their phone. |
GUSTAVO
Teleconnect purchases bulk minutes from its international service providers...
...then repackages and sells them on a prepaid basis to its customers, eliminating billing costs, refused charges, and fraud, and passing the savings onto its customers.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
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SHOTS of Teleconnect Support Center talking on phones in a variety of languages…
…and a SHOT of MARGOT talking on her phone. |
REPORTER (in voice-over)
Teleconnect provides phone support in eight languages, including English, and four Spanish dialects. So it's no surprise Margot feels so comfortable using Teleconnect. She always has someone she can talk to in her own language. |
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REPORTER on camera. |
REPORTER
Teleconnect provides prepaid services for a highly defined market segment: customers who require individualized, multi-cultural and multi-lingual attention.
Until Teleconnect came on the scene, no other major operator really met this expanding market. |
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SHOTS of tourists and foreign residents and workers in Spain. |
REPORTER (in voice-over)
This includes the 60 million tourists who visit Spain every year, a resident foreign population of 3 million and growing – and close to 4 million immigrants from South America , Africa and Eastern Europe. |
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SHOTS of Teleconnect's offices and staff at work. |
REPORTER (in voice over)
But before it could fully tap into this profitable market, Teleconnect had to completely reorganize itself with new management… |
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SHOTS of GUSTAVO GOMEZ at his desk and interacting with his staff. |
The REPORTER (in voice over)
To spearhead the reorganization, the Board of Directors hired Gustavo Gomez Sanchez, a Canadian-born Spaniard as President.
With training and communications expertise on both sides of the Atlantic – and a curriculum vitae that includes Motorola and Nortel and a pair of highly successful broadband and consulting companies – Gomez was right man for the job. |
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GUSTAVO on camera. |
GUSTAVO
Before I joined Teleconnect, the company had gotten itself caught in the dot com bubble. It expanded too rapidly, adding offices and staff – acquiring a larger company to turbo-charge its growth… only to nearly drown in red ink.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
CUT TO:
SHOTS of the GUSTAVO in conference… on the phone… working at his desk…
…as well as SHOTS of Teleconnect staff and the office park where it is situated. |
REPORTER (in voice over)
Gustavo joined the company in late 2002. He put together a completely new management team, cut payroll, closed offices…
…even moving the corporate headquarters from Madrid 's pricey Marbella district to an attractive but economical office park outside Malaga. |
CUT TO:
GUSTAVO on camera…
…with cutaway SHOTS of CUSTOMERS using Teleconnect phone cards…
…and Teleconnect staff working together. |
GUSTAVO
I restructured Teleconnect from top to bottom with
the goal to break even every month. I reduced debt. I focused on the company's core strengths and its reputation for quality products and customer service.
Micromanaging our prepaid phone card business was key. If we didn't make a profit there, we were out of business.
We had to establish a cohesive management team that complemented each other in knowledge, abilities and leadership qualities.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
CUT TO:
SHOT of HERMAN DE HAAS at work. |
GUSTAVO (in voice over)
Fundamental to our successful turnaround was recruiting Herman de Haas to be Executive Vice President of Teleconnect, Inc and CEO of Teleconnect Spain.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
CUT TO:
HERMAN DE HAAS on camera |
HERMAN
It's no secret that profit margins in telecommunications are tight. That's why even half a cent savings per minute makes a big difference when you're selling millions of minutes per day.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
CUT TO:
SHOT of HERMAN evaluating spread sheets or other financial breakdowns. |
REPORTER (in voice over)
Herman was Director of Operations for McDonald's in the Netherlands . So he knew all about micromanaging a consumer product from costs factors to profit margins. |
CUT TO:
GUSTAVO talking on camera…
…with cutaway SHOTS of…
…HERMAN DE HAAS working on his computer and working with his staff. |
GUSTAVO
Herman is an entrepreneur by nature. He has a great track record of coming in and reorganizing companies to make them more profitable. So he's always analyzing the sales, the costs, the ratios from every angle…and always finding the best way to optimize them.
He's also a natural leader. So he's well respected by his people.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
CUT TO:
SHOT of FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ |
REPORTER
Helping him in this task is Fernanco Rodriguez, Teleconnect's Technical Director. |
CUT TO:
FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ talking on camera…
…with cutaway SHOTS of…
…RODRIGUEZ working at his computer and on the phone, making a business call. |
FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ
One of my responsibilities is to make sure we get the most minutes for the least amount of money from the six service providers we buy our minutes from.
That means tracking the available pricing every minute of the day… and updating our track tables 6 times a day so that we're paying the best rate that's out there… whether it's phone service to Germany , Argentina , China or the USA.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
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REPORTER talking on camera. |
REPORTER
By comparison, Teleconnect updated its track tables only once a month under the previous management. |
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HERMAN talking on camera. |
HERMAN
To be successful, you need a coherent strategy that can be easily and effectively executed — and is flexible and adaptive to a dynamically changing market.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
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GUSTAVO talking on camera. |
GUSTAVO
In XX years, we've seen a XX percent increase in minutes sold and XX increase in profit margin for Those minutes. That says we're turned this company around and we're taking it places.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
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REPORTER talking on camera…
…with cutaway SHOTS of ALFONSO at work…
…and examples of MARGOT and other Teleconnect CUSTOMERS using the prepaid cards |
REPORTER
To round out the Teleconnect management team is Alfonso de Borbon, Teleconnect's Director of Sales, and a successful internet entrepreneur in his own right.
A relative of the King of Spain, Alfonso brings both cache and high-level contacts to the Teleconnect. But he brings something even more valuable – a ceaseless drive to place the company's prepaid phone cards in the stores and shops frequented by their target market – and the expertise to deliver the goods. |
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ALFONSO talking on camera…
…with cutaway SHOTS of ALPHONSO working with his staff…
…and examples of the shops that sell Teleconnect's prepaid cards…
…and CUSTOMERS using them to place calls. |
ALFHONSO
I have my business degree from XXXXX in the United States . You can have a terrific product but you've got to have the marketing and sales to back it up.
Our strategy is to reach deep within the tourist and resident foreign community to increase Teleconnect's market penetration – and profits.
It will also serve as a template for future growth as Europe 's fragmented telecommunications industry integrates into one vast borderless service area.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
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REPORTER talking on camera…
…with cutaway SHOTS of new products, services, and CUSTOMERS using them. |
REPORTER
With much of the hard work of a corporate turn-around successfully behind it, Teleconnect is already rolling out a whole array of new products and services…
…such as rechargeable cards… with prepaid and postpaid residential service as well as cell phone cards and ADSL, DSL and Voice over IP services soon to follow. |
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GUSTAVO talking on camera. |
GUSTAVO
We currently laying plans to offer Teleconnect's products and services in other EU countries such as Portugal and Italy . We're also exploring potential alliances and acquisitions throughout the European Union . As the EU becomes a truly integrated, borderless economy – that will be larger than the U.S. economy – we want to be ready to make the most of it.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
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REPORTER talking on camera. |
REPORTER
In fact, one strategic investor has already wagered his own money on Teleconnect's future. His name is Leo Geeris. |
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SHOT of GUSTAVO, HERMAN, and ALFONSO meeting with LEO GEERIS. |
REPORTER (in voice over)
With successful investments – from telecommunications to pharmaceuticals, Mr. Geeris knows what to look for when evaluating a company's prospects and balance sheet. |
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GEERIS talking on camera. |
GEERIS
I invested in Teleconnect because it has a very clear focus and understanding of its market. Its business plan is sound and its management knows where it's going and how to take the company there. Teleconnect is the future. I want to be a part of it.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
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HERMAN talking on camera. |
HERMAN
Having the consistent and unconditional support of our major shareholder Mr. Geeris, has enabled us to move past the company's historical debt issues and put it on sound footing for solid growth.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
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REPORTER talking on camera…
…with cutaway SHOTS of MARGO T on her phone and Teleconnect's multilingual customer support unit…
…and SHOTS illustrating various European capitals. |
REPORTER
There's a tiered strategy to Teleconnect's projected growth. First consolidate its core prepaid phone card market. Then expand its customer base with new products and services…
…while as the same time using its expertise with prepaid services to enter other markets throughout the EU as the European Union's telecommunications becomes increasingly integrated. |
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GUSTAVO talking on camera. |
GUSTAVO
Just as Europe is moving forward to fully integrate its telecommunications, the rest of the world is soon to follow. Teleconnect will be prepared to make the most of that opportunity.
(Representative Remarks For Content) |
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REPORTER talking on camera. |
REPORTER
You can bet, when that call comes through, Teleconnect will be ready – and eager – to answer it.
Reporting from Malaga , Spain , I'm (NAME) for Business World News. |
Studio News Desk
Anchor 1 |
ANCHOR 1
Thank you, (REPORTER'S NAME) for bringing us that story. International telecommunications really is constantly evolving. Clearly Teleconnect is positioning itself to evolve right along with it. With maximum profitability. |
Anchor 2 |
ANCHOR 2
Absolutely. All you have to do is check out their website. They've really cornered the prepaid calling card market for Spain … with calling cards that match both a customer's usage and budget. To visit their website – it's in English and Spanish – go to www.teleconnect.es. |
Anchor 1 |
ANCHOR 1
Thanks for joining us here at Business World News. I'm (NAME). |
Anchor 2 |
ANCHOR 2
And I'm (NAME). We'll see you next time. |
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