Welcome to our new series of blogs for Cisco where we will be speaking to our technology partners about what makes them tick in tech.
For each Cisco Partner Hot Seat in true ‘Paxman-style’ we will be finding out more about their role as partners as well as some of their own pearls of business wisdom.
First up, is Andy Barrow the Technical Director at ANS Group, the Manchester-headquartered managed services and cloud provider.
How long have you been working in the industry?
12 years
What’s the first thing you do each morning?
Check my overnight emails, the morning news, and Twitter – it rotates between the three!
Tell us five things you do every day in your role
Learn about customer challenges; check in with the design team; work on ANS value propositions and GTM strategy; review customer feedback; and meet with technology vendors.
What’s your number one tip when it comes to dealing with customers?
Listen. Too many people want to sell the customer something before they have listened to the challenge the customer is trying to solve.
Name one thing businesses tend to forget when implementing or upgrading their technology
Why they are doing what they are doing.
What’s the number one pain point or concern your customers have?
How to create value from IT.
What’s you favourite thing about your job?
The variety it gives you and the customers and people I work with.
What’s the best thing about partnering with Cisco?
We feel it’s actually is a two-way partnership and not one of ‘supplier’ – when working together we both have the same goal of helping customers.
Name one device or piece of technology you couldn’t live without?
Smartphone.
If you weren’t working in tech, what would you be doing?
Finding out how I could get a job in tech.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Two ears, one mouth, for a reason.
What helps you relax at the end of the day?
Time with my daughter.
What’s your ultimate comfort food?
Steak and chips.
Which actor would play you in a biopic of your life?
Daniel Craig – it has to be someone associated with Bond!
If you could possess one superhero power, what would it be?
To fly.
First music single you bought?
It may have been…… ‘Black Box – Ride on Time’!
Apple or Android?
Apple everytime – you get what you pay for.
Who would you least like to be stuck on a desert island with?
Taylor Swift.
What’s your most-used smartphone app?
Twitter.
In your opinion, what’s the best tech innovation of the last 100 years?
There’s only one answer here – the internet.
Keep an eye out on the Cisco blog for further updates from our Partner Hot Seat.
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