Cisco Partner Hot Seat – Rob Tomlin, Azlan
In this months Partner Hot Seat I sat down with Rob Tomlin, Managing Director at Azlan for UK and Ireland and asked him all those burning question. In this edition Rob reveals what he would be doing if he wasn’t working in Tech, what helps him relax at the end of a long day and what the best thing about partnering with Cisco is.
How many years have you been working in the industry?
20 Years – predominantly in distribution; in my earlier years this was with a focus on IBM, my success in that space led meto other opportunities working with a wide range of vendors and partners.
What’s the first thing you do each morning?
Reach for my phone – obviously! Then look at the previous days bookings!
Tell us five things you do every day in your role
- Too much email
- Too many conference calls
- Innovate
- Collaborate
- Execute
(Our ICE strategy)
What’s your number one tip when it comes to dealing with customers?
Be honest – if it’s bad news tell them quickly!
Name one thing businesses tend to forget when implementing or upgrading their technology
Services; a good implementation of a solution is the difference between a great customer experience and a bad one.
What’s the number one pain point or concern your customers have?
Cloud – how they should adapt to it/adopt it – and who they should speak to.
What’s you favourite thing about your job?
Developing people and watching the hundreds of people I have hired over the years grow and develop in their careers; both inside and outside of Azlan.
What’s the best thing about partnering with Cisco?
They are so relevant in the market around so many things; Security, IoT, Cloud – they continually adapt to ensure they are a relevant and market leading vendor.
Name one device or piece of technology you couldn’t live without
Webex – it cuts down on my travel and means I can do more meetings in a day (and I’m not just saying that!)
If you weren’t working in tech, what would you be doing?
Something to do with cars – just love them!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
If someone won’t take a meeting with you – ask yourself why – ask what value it is you are going to bring to them. If you can work that out then you can probably convince them to see you.
What helps you relax at the end of the day?
A large glass of red
What’s your ultimate comfort food?
A good Chinese
Which actor would play you in a biopic of your life?
I’d like to think Jason Statham but more likely John Cleese….
If you could possess one superhero power, what would it be?
To be able to fly
First music single you bought?
Lightening Seeds – Lucky You
Apple or Android?
Apple
Who would you least like to be stuck on a desert island with?
Donald Trump of course!
What’s your most-used smartphone app?
In your opinion, what’s the best tech innovation of the last 100 years?
The mobile phone
