This call guide is what I use as background prior to our conversations with prospects, positioning Cumberland Group in the best possible light while gaining customer intelligence on categories of information relating to the business drivers (pain) and the potential strategic solutions the prospects need to implement. I take a consultative sales approach and looks to engage the prospect in a discussion rather than ‘pitch’ them on any particular product or service.
The call guide questions are examples of what we will use to obtain leads and intelligence during the calling campaign.
Company Overview:
Based in Atlanta, Ga., Cumberland Group is the advisory and services firm companies turn to when their technology can’t keep up with today’s demands. We sit at the intersection of management consulting firms, technology manufacturers, VARS, and system integrators-a vantage that provides a broad perspective as we guide organizations making critical decisions for immediate improvement and long-term business goals. Our advice is tailored to our clients’ goals; our integration, customized to their needs; and our solutions are developed specifically for their challenges.
From strategic planning to precision execution, we do whatever it takes to help them prepare for whatever’s next. Our combination of fresh perspective, deep resources, and turn-on-a-dime flexibility is why leading companies partner with Cumberland Group for their most challenging IT initiatives.
Corporate Headquarters
300 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30339
Florida Office
110 E Broward Blvd, Suite 1733
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
CISCO Meraki leads: 1.) Networking area 2.) Cisco – UCS Servers (data Canter)
Solution/Service Overview:
- Cloud Consulting
- Collaboration
- Unified Communications
- Contact Center
- Conferencing
- WebEx
- Data Center
- Converged and Hyperconverged infrastructure
- Solutions-defined architect
- Networking
- Routing
- Switching
- Wireless
- Network Management Analytics
- Network Security
- IoT
- Ready to deploy Hardware
- IoT data management
- Sensor network monitoring to provide real-time alerts and direct ERP integrations
- Secure video monitoring and management
- Security
- Endpoint Security
- Breach Prevention
- Breach 2readiness and Response
- Cloud Security
- Internet Security
Target Audience
IT Manager, IT Director, CIO, CTO, VP of IT
Call Introduction / Conversation Guide
Hello! My name is __________________________and I’m calling on behalf of Cumberland Group, an IT services firm and Cisco Premier Partner. I was directed to you as the best person to speak to about your organization’s infrastructure, networking, and security. Is this correct?
IF YES- Great! Essentially the purpose of my call is to send you information on Cumberland’s infrastructure, security, and network solutions. What is the best email address to send this information to?
IF NO- Obtain name/contact information of the correct contact.
Discussion Points
Cisco meraki networking
CISCO – UCS, Servers data centers
1) What does your current enterprise look like (Number of sites, users, desktops, servers)?
2) How are you storing your data currently? How old is this solution? Brand?
- a) How much data are you storing?
- b) How do you handle data backup and retrieval?
- c) How often do you test your DRP? What is your recovery time?
3) What brand of servers? How many? How old?
4) I’m sure you’re familiar with UC (unified communications) applications. What have you done in this area so far? What UC applications do you have in place?
- a) What current capabilities do you have?
- b) How long have you had it?
- c) Have you looked into upgrades?
5) How many employees do you have that are often on the road or have to work from home 1-3 days a week?
- a) During this time, do you have a hard time getting in touch with them?
- b) How many of these employees have to give out their personal numbers (home, cell, etc.) to others in
the organization or clients so that they can be reached?
6) When was the last time you tested your endpoint, cloud, or networking security?
7) How many routers do you have? Switches? How old are they? When will you be replacing these? 8) When do you plan to add access points?
9) From start to finish, how long does it take to receive your APs, configure, and deploy them? When one or more of your APs has a problem, how do you troubleshoot?
10) When you encounter an issue on your wireless network, on average, how long does it take you to identify the problem & resolve it?
11) Have you looked into Cloud Computing for your business? What interested you most?
- a) What cloud-based solutions interested you? Public? Private? Hybrid?
12) What discussions have you had around digital transformation /loT monitoring?
13) What BI / analytics tools to do you use to analyze data gathered from your loT devices? What solution? 14) What type of cognitive /Al solutions do you suspect you’ll need or are considering?
15) What compliance requirements do you have to adhere to (HIPAA, FISMA, NERC, etc.)?
16) What other areas of your IT environment are you looking to improve? Are you looking for outside assistance with any of these projects? Are you open to Cisco solutions for your needs?
Next Action/ Offering:
Based on what we’ve talked about, I’d like to have my colleague follow up with you to further discuss your upcoming initiatives. How does next _______
at _______look for your calendar?
Deeper Dive Questions (where applicable)
INITIATIVE QUESTIONS
- Tell me more about your project or plans to change?
- What do you hope to achieve?
- What features and benefits are important to your organization/efforts?
COMPELLING REASONS TO CHANGE/CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT CHANGING
- What is your main motivation for change?
- What happens if you do not change?
- What benefits do you expect to receive from changing?
- What are the business drivers of this initiative?
KEY ISSUES
- What key issues will you look at in your evaluation process?
- What would you like to see from a provider?
BUDGET
- Do you have a budget in place for this initiative? If so, are you able to disclose the size of the budget?
- If you have not established a budget, when do you expect to establish?
- Do you have a rough estimate as to the size of the budget?
- Do you anticipate a minimum budget threshold?
- • How much do you anticipate investing?
DECISION MAKING PROCESS
- What is the decision-making process and how many people are involved?
- What is the prospect’s role in the process? Is there a final decision maker?
- • How will the decision be made?
TIMEFRAME
When will you make a decision on this initiative? When do you expect to start?
About The Author
