Success Story: AA Wireless INC
The AA Wireless Story - From Retailers of leather cases .. to an annual T.O. of US$ 100 Million worth of Cellphones in 21 Years.
AA Wireless has been active on gsmExchange for almost five years now. It is one of the most highly regarded companies in the business; with some of the top ratings on gsmExchange; we wanted to find out more about the company and its origins..In a candid conversation with Jason Miller, Sales and Marketing Director, he reveals to us the story behind the name.
AA Wireless was founded by James Bral, who back in 1988 saw an opportunity to retail leather cases, sourced in Asia, and sold directly to consumers in the US. His brisk and successful trade caught the eye of OKI, who recruited his company to distribute their new cellphones. Success breeds success, and it wasn't long until another Japanese manufacturer, Mitsubishi decided that AA Wireless has the right stuff to represent them and sell their range of cellphones. That was at the beginnings of the mobile phone revolution; AA Wireless established themselves as a major aftermarket accessories distributor as well as a prominent cellphones supplier. And the rest, as they say, is history!
Today, AA Wireless has an annual Turnover of US$ 100 Million, 50 employees and an 80'000 square foot facility. Jason Miller, who today runs the company with one of the owners, Frank Nozar, goes on to explain "75% of our turnover is in phones, and the rest is OEM accessories (original manufacturer)." We asked Jason about his market, and where he is active "We we have direct relations with carriers in the US; so a major part of our business is supplying retailers with carrier kits, in our area".
"..we are also known as a "supermarket" for the wireless industry". This means that they carry a large range of products - somewhere in the region of 350 different models permanently in stock.
"However, we are also known as a "supermarket" for the wireless industry". This means that they carry a large range of products - somewhere in the region of 350 different models permanently in stock. "Every night, I am making 20 - 30 P.O. in order to maintain a rich product range in stock all of the time." So, they have a reliable supply base for their customers, who are not only based in the US but everywhere where mobile phones are sold in the world.
AA Wireless is doing 75% of their business locally in the United States and the balance is exported. "The weak dollar has definitely been good for our export business". "Today we are able to export very competitively to Asia, Central and South America, and Europe, where more and more opportunities are opening up for us". Original Blue tooth accessories are doing particularly well in Western Europe, where they are moving 20 - 30000 units a week!
So, how do you manage to flourish and grow at a 15% annual rate in this very competitive industry? "It is simple; we treat our customers well. Our word is our bond. We have never negated on any of our commitments. So, even if we are to lose on a deal, if we have committed to it, we will go ahead with it". On the other hand, AA Wireless is very well capitalized, the founders ventured out into Commercial Real Estate in the boom days, and cashed out just in time. Jason says that they have significant amounts of cash at their disposal to cut deals. AA Wireless intends to work more and more with carriers and capitalize on their strength in order to buy up surplus and obsolete inventory, and passing the cost saving onto their customers.
Jason Miller firmly believes in his team and their ability to win, "Out of the 13 Salesmen working for us, ten of them have been in the company for more than ten years! It is our ability to attract and keep top talent that is perhaps the biggest key to our success" AA Wireless is always on the lookout for top industry professionals; at the moment, they are looking to bring two more salespeople on board.
As for marketing, Jason has a straight forward, but effective approach: "Most of our advertising is done online, and most of this online marketing is done on gsmExchange.com". he added "we have tried other online platforms, but nobody even comes close. Other web sites try to copy gsmExchange.com, but have not succeeded." We wanted to know more "gsmExchange.com is ideal for our international exposure; we got a lot of new customers, especially in the US and Asia, by being present with our banner on your site." "What is great is that you guys ensure that all of your members are genuine, and reliable companies. I know that for all the contacts I am getting from gsmExchange.com, I can go ahead and do business with; no time wasters found here."
"Most of our advertising is done online, and most of this online marketing is done on gsmExchange.com .. we have tried other online platforms, but nobody even comes close.."
We were very curious as to how Jason Miller sees the industry in the future, is he optimistic? "you bet! in the old days, when you were moving Motorola V3's day in day out, you would make 1 or 2 bucks per box, and that was OK.. Now, despite everyone complaining about slimmer margins, I am actually increasing my profit margin back to the late 90's levels." We obviously probed further, to find out his secret "It is simply a matter of making sure that the stock we carry is the right stock that is in demand, maintaining a wide range of inventory, all the while being extremely cautious, not to get caught out, with any slow moving inventory."
Finally Jason who has been in the company for Fourteen years concludes "In the end, AA Wireless is a great company to work for and work with! We take care of our customers and employees just the same. My team is happy to be here, and makes sure that our customers are happy." Indeed, we wish them every success, and look forward to hear more good news from Jason for years to come.