Let’s face it: Providing quantifiable value and cost savings while convincing customers of their return on investment, can often make or break a deal. However, the advent of architecture-based solutions and the increasing need for consultative services are helping drive partners’ success and growth. But in the negotiation phase, how can partners think creatively to help provide analysis and assessments to customers?
As you look for new revenue opportunities, what helps propel you ahead of the pack and helps differentiate you from the competition?
Cisco Gold partner Presidio completed an RFP for Tyler Independent School District in Texas and was competing for the business with another solutions provider. What helped to win Tyler’s trust was the ROI analysis they shared with the district’s superintendent.
Tyler Independent School District has 18,000 students, but only had a 4:1 student to desktop ratio. Additionally, thousands of the district’s PCs were seven, eight, or nine years old – completely incapable of running Windows 7 or new applications. IT was struggling to keep up with management and maintenance issues, as well as security challenges. Additionally, the district wanted to enable a BYOPC (bring your own PC) policy but lacked the equipment, tools, and bandwidth to do so.
So how did Presidio solve the district’s IT problems and save the schools money, too? Read More »
In today’s economic climate, a value-conscious shopper may look to wholesalers such as Costco to stock up on household goods. I frequently find myself at Costco versus specialty stores, because I know I can get the same high-quality olive oil at a fraction of the price.
And when you switch out the olive oil for network solutions, the concept remains the same.
Earlier this week, I shared a blog post about Nexus IS’ experience with wholesaler Neutral Tandem’sCisco Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) proof-of-concept trial. We got to hear the VAR’s side of the story, but I knew you’d want to know more. So I checked in with Ian Neale, Neutral Tandem’s VP of Product Marketing, and asked him to give me an insider’s look at his company’s wholesale model.
What I really wanted to find out was what our partners could expect when working with them, and, more important, how they can help partners increase their revenue opportunities. Want to know what I learned? Read More »
Would you buy a car from a dealership where none of the salesmen knew how to drive? Or order prime rib at a restaurant where the chef was a strict vegetarian? What about when it comes to your customer’s network? Are you willing to risk installing products that you don’t have firsthand experience with? I’m guessing the answer is “no.”
When making purchases, big or small, customers want to have confidence that the company they partner with has in-depth knowledge and can stand behind the products they sell. Consider Amy Smith, Director of Collaboration at Nexus IS and a Cisco Gold Certified Partner. She’s committed to live by her company’s marketing motto: “Know it, use it, sell it.”
This was the case when Nexus IS decided to add Cisco’s Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) — an offering that allows partners to provide a wide range of Cisco collaboration applications to their customers as a subscriber-based service—to its portfolio. Their first step was to go the wholesale route and participate in Neutral Tandem’s proof-of-concept trial. This was an easy decision, since Nexus IS always tests new products on its own network before installing them on a customer’s network. It’s all about fully understanding, embracing, and discovering best practices of a product before offering it for sale.
Think HCS would be a great addition to your list of offerings?
Learn about Nexus IS’ trial experience and why the timing is right for the HCS market. Read More »
If I were cooking lobster risotto for the first time, I probably wouldn’t just leave it to trial and error, hoping for the best. I would go to my favorite website for recipes that had already been tested by fellow home chefs. It’d either be that or order pizza again.
So, when it comes to networks, wouldn’t it be great if there was a similar resource—a place you could tap into to find successful “recipes” for building your customer’s network without having to start from scratch?
Well, there actually is a resource available to Cisco partners and it’s free! Cisco SMART Designs is a portfolio of validated and replicable network solutions, optimized to meet the needs of Cisco partners serving small business customers with up to 250 users. By removing the guesswork from building the right network for your customers, you can make your operation more profitable and help protect your customers’ investments.
If that isn’t enough to convince you to tap into this free resource, how about this fun fact?
Select partners worldwide using Cisco SMART Designs have 52 percent higher average quarterly bookings than those who don’t.
Ready to get started? Read on to learn more about the benefits of using Cisco SMART Designs and how to access this free resource today. Read More »
The beach. An airport. The car. What do these places have in common? They’re all places you can hold a meeting.
As workforces become increasingly mobile, WebEx is the tool that more and more customers (and partners) use to ensure that productivity doesn’t decrease just because you’re not at the office.
And now, with a new beta version of Cisco WebEx Meetings and a free trial for partners, the possibilities are endless. By integrating all of the collaboration tools and tasks you need for your meetings, you can now host your team meetings from your car, attend a sales forecast presentation from the airport, or share slides from the beach. Having the flexibility to work with your colleagues, even when you can’t be at work, allows you to maintain productivity and collaborate more effectively.
Watch this video to see how Cisco WebEx Meetings can help you collaborate more effectively.
A convenient tool like this must come with a hefty price tag, right? Wrong! For a limited time only, Cisco WebEx Meetings beta is being offered to partners free of charge until the product becomes generally available.
Keep reading to find out how you can get Cisco WebEx Meetings beta for free and check out the great ways you can share ideas and materials before, during, and after your meeting. Read More »
In today’s economic climate, a value-conscious shopper may look to wholesalers such as 
If I were cooking lobster risotto for the first time, I probably wouldn’t just leave it to trial and error, hoping for the best. I would go to 
The beach. An airport. The car. What do these places have in common? They’re all places you can hold a meeting.