Master agent to solution providers: 'It's never a good time to sign a bad contract'
 
Working with a master agent has its benefits – especially for VARs, managed service providers (MSPs) and solution providers looking to add cloud and telecom offerings to their portfolios. But many solution providers don't know what they’re really signing up for when they enter into an agreement with a master agent, according to Ted Schuman, CEO of master agent PlanetOne Communications.

PlanetOne, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., considers itself a "boutique" company that wants to help its 400 sales partners make quality connections and agreements with its 250 supplier partners that will add value to their portfolios.  

Schuman, who is passionate on the subject of contract negotiations, shared the pros and cons solution providers could face when they’re aligning with a master agent, how to avoid the potential "gotchas" lurking within agreements that some master agents have with telecom providers, and how commissions offered by master agents are only as good as their contracts that promise these payouts.  

The following offers pros and cons of working with master agents, as well as insights that can lead to getting a deal that works for you.