“TeleChoice o mobile wholesale products. We give price conscious consumers a quality network option but, at a lower fees the marketplace Telstra 4G price”, explains TeleChoice Managing Director, Paul Reeves. TeleChoice is essentially three businesses in one, covering connections, accessories, and repairs.

He advises TeleChoice has a unique “one-stop-shop” business model, “We have accessory kiosks that operate in shopping centers but most don’t offer repairs. Ten there is the reverse. We have shops that manage repairs and have very little accessories. Ten we have our mobile phone stores that do connections, phones and so on and they do very little accessories and no repairs”.

By placing equal importance on all steps of the business and combining all three important touch points in a customer’s journey TeleChoice has built a potentially lucrative business for the right person. However, the renowned telecommunications business hasn’t always had this business model. It wasn’t until TeleChoice’s contract with Optus ended four years ago that the brand realised they had to adapt to the ever-evolving mobile phone industry.

“When we moved from Optus to Telstra wholesale we had to form a new model to ensure our business continued to be viable and successful”, explains Paul. “My existing model at the time was mobiles, mobiles, mobiles with a few accessories. But, when we no longer had the whole Optus suite, we had to diversify the business”.

Paul and his team noticed that mobile accessory kiosks were thriving in shopping centers and thought “hang on, why can’t we do that?” They were also aware that mobile repair businesses were taking over their old store leases and paying the same rent but, only offering repair services. “We thought we can also do this, but do it better”, says Paul. TeleChoice licensees are now benefiting from the decision to adapt rather than fold.

Phone repairs may be daunting for licensees; however, Paul promises they have nothing to be concerned about. “’Selling the phones is easy, selling accessories is easy, but repairing phones, I just don’t know”’ is something Paul hears often. “Te mobile phone repairs aren’t actually that hard, they are mainly ‘plug and play’”, says Paul. Most of the repairs have very little welding and all that is required is for the licensee to remove the broken part and replace it with a new one.

If licensees prefer, a technician completes the phone repairs. This enables them to focus on two other sales channels, thanks to a clever partnership between TeleChoice and existing mobile repair stores. “Some licensees hire staff to do the repairs and some of them sub-lease their shop and have a mobile repair business pay half the rent”, shares Paul.This partnership is mutually beneficial, as many mobile repair stores can’t rent a shop of their own within large shopping centers but, TeleChoice can.

He believes this is a significant benefit of becoming a TeleChoice licensee, alongside the low entry cost, unique phone ofering and proven customer referral system. Within the network, many people – including ex-policeman, teachers, and bankers – find the business a great way to earn a living.

“Our entry level is extremely low: Our Kiosks cost $80,000- $90,000 to ft out but our licensees only pay $35,000-$40,000”, says Paul. “Our working capital including stock is also lower than what it has been in the past – around $50,000. So, when you combine it, licensees only need to pay $150,000 total for everything and in return, they get a business that can potentially make well over $100,000 a year”.

TeleChoice is also the first in the country to offer a whole range of factory refurbished mobile phones. “Our refurbished phones are factory refurbished; they go through 40 checkpoints and then through the process four times”, explains Paul. “If any of those checkpoints don’t work, that part is replaced. Phones are also put into brand new cases, plastic is put over the screen, and then it is packaged in a box with all genuine accessories and sealed”.

Factory refurbished phones through TeleChoice come with a 12-month warranty if bought outright and a 24-month warranty if they are purchased on a plan.Tat allows for deals like an iPhone 5c for $30 a month on a plan, designed especially for kids – with features preventing the child from using data and calls outside of what is included in the plan. “We can chain a plan”, explains Paul. “If the plan has $500 worth of calls, once that is used up, the child can’t make more outgoing calls until next month”.

Te refurbishment plans aren’t just for the little ones. TeleChoice currently stocks iPhone 6s and the Samsung s7 and s7 Edge. All these phones are available on a plan for up to $15 cheaper than comparable plans with the same phone. Not to mention buying a phone outright from TeleChoice could save you up to $200. “One of the unique aspects of our business is that we don’t have to go out and chase customers, they come to us”, shares Paul. “We get price sensitive customers that want a better networking experience than they’re currently getting from their current provider”.

But this doesn’t mean licensees don’t have to work hard to build up a customer base. “Smart licensees have the attitude: ‘I didn’t make the phone or sell the phone but, you’ve got a problem with it which means now it’s my problem because you’re my customer and I’m going to look after you.’”

For Paul, TeleChoice is the perfect business for a tech conscious person who loves learning, adapting and moving forward. “One of the exciting things about our business is that's always changing.There’s always new models coming out and new brick through to a phone that runs your whole lifestyle”. With virtual reality, already available on mobile phones, who knows what the future will hold in 5 years, let alone another 20.

Find Out More:  Open a TeleChoice Store