Last week, we held our 2017 National Sales Meeting in beautiful Idaho Falls, Idaho. It's an annual event where we bring our entire sales team into one location to be trained by our management team and business partners, to boost our social strength and to enjoy some fun events. It gets everyone on the same page and re-energizes us for the coming year.

We thought we would give you a bird's eye view into the meeting to see the effort we put into building a top-notch sales team. It's a great way to help you get to know RS&I. After all, we're extremely focused on helping others become an authorized retailer and incorporating each opportunity we offer into their line of products and services.

The latest and greatest satellite Internet service was just launched by Hughes in March of 2017. In just a matter of months, over 200,000 consumers and businesses across the U.S. have already upgraded their service to plans featuring 25 Mbps. That level of speed is huge for Internet provided by a satellite. In fact, it provides the best available service for rural communities that can't get access to higher speeds and the demand is still sky high in an ever growing rural market.

But that's not where the story ends.

Hughes already has their sights on the next-generation satellite, as announced in their latest press release. It'll be an Ultra High Density Satellite (UHDS) bringing significant increases in service performance and it's set to launch in early 2021, less than four short years away.

HughesNet is already America's #1 choice for satellite Internet and it's only going to get better. Those who establish a business as a HughesNet Authorized Retailer right now have an extremely bright future ahead — you might even call it future proof.

CenturyLink is constantly improving its Fiber Internet network to bring customers a reliable and affordable solution for their everyday Internet needs. Customers have the opportunity to choose from a wide selection of speeds to make sure they get the service they want. They can also get a home phone service that gives families additional options, such as when the younger kids don't have a cell phone and need to talk to their friends or even for a home-based business for mom or dad. Internet plus phone is still a great combination to help households across the country to stay connected to an ever-connected world.

It also makes a great revenue stream for small businesses that want to sell CenturyLink as an authorized retailer. And RS&I, a master distributor and sales agent, has teamed up with CenturyLink to provide such an opportunity for entrepreneurs and business owners.

There are many reasons to become a CenturyLink Authorized Retailer. Let's take a look at seven of the best benefits.

You always hear about thinking outside the box to generate new ideas and efficiencies. But what if you took all of those ideas and put them back into an actual box?

That's exactly what Digital Electronic Supply (DES) has done with their boxes of cable and RS&I is proud to partner with such an innovative company. It provides our authorized retailers who install satellite TV and Internet with an excellent solution for their everyday installation needs.

DES manufactures a wide variety of cable types, including several variations of RG6. The key to their success, according to many technicians, is their convertible box that was engineered with the technician in mind to facilitate an efficient cable feed while protecting the box from potential damage at the same time. The "Reel-In-A-Box" packaging has a number of features that make their packaging truly tech-friendly.

When deciding which marketing tactics to pursue, be sure to consider signs that can be put up in a yard or on the roadside. With a professional look and a simple call-to-action, these signs can be an effective and non-invasive way to build your brand in your local community. 

As you are respectful to your local public and private properties, you'll find yard signs to be a good way to educate others about your products and services. The most important lesson to follow when it comes to yard signs is to be respectful of where you put them in the ground. If you offend property owners or get in trouble with local law enforcement, your reputation may suffer and it could prevent you from getting the return on investment you need.

Do your homework and follow these best practices for placing yard signs to grow your business with this strategic way of advertising.