Cisco Systems RJ-45-to-AUX manual Designing a Solution, Come Off As an Expert, 348

Make sure you are on time for your first appointment with the customer. Turn off your cellular phone (let voice mail be useful for once) and put your pager on vibrate. You want to project to the customer that he or she is the most important person in the world at that moment. No one wants to buy something from someone who frustrates them by answering a cellular phone or pager every five minutes.

Put your certifications on your business card. You need to show the customer that you are a skilled network consultant, and nothing does that better than industry−recognized certifications such as those Cisco has to offer. Displaying at least a CCNA or CCDA on your card projects to the customer that you are a proven professional in the industry. Although your peers may know that a CCNA is entry level, to the customer (who has no technical ability) you have a networking black belt. (Of course, I have found that writing a book on the subject never hurt, either!)

You need to keep your certifications current—and never lie about them. It is too easy for any business entity to do a quick check and see if you are who you say you are. If you don’t have any certifications, you should hit the books, take a class, and get certified. One of the students in my class a few weeks ago put it this way: “I am taking your class because getting a Cisco certification is just like printing truckloads of money!” And in many ways, he is right.

Come Off As an Expert

When I am not consulting or writing books, I am teaching Cisco−related courses. One of the main characteristics I like to project to my students is not only looking smart, but sounding smart. The best way to sound smart is to know the equipment you are trying to sell to the customer, to have an extensive knowledge of the way devices and protocols work in the network, and to know the layers in which the devices and protocols can be found. Always stay tuned to what is new on Cisco’s Web site—particularly its press releases and End−of−Life (EOL) notices. Nothing is worse than having the customer tell you about new Cisco products that are available.

Bringing a list of your previous clientele can’t hurt. You may want to have letters from previous clients included in the packet of materials you give to the client with your estimate or with your brochure. If you are just starting out, you may not have such a list or letters available to show the client. If you have previous work experience, use clientele from that job. However, you shouldn’t spend too much time gloating—remember, your goal is to sell the client, not talk his ear off. You can sometimes lose a job just because the client felt you talked too much or over−stated your abilities.

Designing a Solution

When you finally get the chance to make a proposal, you need to design a solution. Many pieces of software are available from Cisco to help you in the design process. If you don’t have access to this software or you need to make the proposal at the customer’s site, a Web page is dedicated to this task on the Cisco Connection Online (CCO) site.

You need to imagine and draw every piece of the network you are designing. If you forget to include every cable you’ll need, you will be in trouble. As you know, Cisco devices and cabling are quite expensive.

I like to draw a diagram of the building, placing a picture of every piece of equipment and every cable I will need. Doing so will help you decide on the modules you will need in the switches as well as the number of specific ports. Don’t forget to look at the aggregate bandwidth of all the ports on the switches. Remember, the amount of bandwidth that can be sent on all these ports may be more than the trunk links can handle, if the correct network design is not implemented.

When submitting a proposal, keep in mind that you should actually make two proposals: one that includes the equipment needed to handle the immediate and short−term solutions and another that covers both the immediate and long−term solutions. In the proposal, you might want to explain the term “forklift upgrades”

348