Comments on: Gray Market Will Give Cisco Blues — GigaOM — My Tips for Second Hand Success. http://etherealmind.com/cisco-gray-market-on-my-list-tips-success/ Network design, architecture, thinking, working. Tech. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:41:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Brad Hedlund http://etherealmind.com/cisco-gray-market-on-my-list-tips-success/comment-page-1/#comment-2261 Brad Hedlund Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:10:45 +0000 http://etherealmind.com/?p=1102#comment-2261 Greg, I understand your motivation to shift the opportunity wallet share from product to services, which in part motivated this post, I'm guessing. Yes, I am motivated to increase new product wallet share, but not to shift it away from services. I always encourage customers to spend money on services with smart guys like you because in the end it results in higher rates of customer satisfaction - which by the way I also pays my salary (meeting customer sat targets). The product is part and parcel of the solution. Having high quality network gear power the solution makes the solution better for the customer in a number of ways. Installing used, recycled network gear is not in the best interest of the customer if the solution has any meaningful value to the business. And if guys like you, me, and our respective customers are not tying our value to the business value -- we are all in trouble, no matter what side of the fence we work on. A good solution for the customer involves high quality product designed and installed by smart guys like Greg Ferro, not just one or the other. Cheers, Brad Greg,
I understand your motivation to shift the opportunity wallet share from product to services, which in part motivated this post, I’m guessing.

Yes, I am motivated to increase new product wallet share, but not to shift it away from services. I always encourage customers to spend money on services with smart guys like you because in the end it results in higher rates of customer satisfaction — which by the way I also pays my salary (meeting customer sat targets).

The product is part and parcel of the solution. Having high quality network gear power the solution makes the solution better for the customer in a number of ways. Installing used, recycled network gear is not in the best interest of the customer if the solution has any meaningful value to the business. And if guys like you, me, and our respective customers are not tying our value to the business value — we are all in trouble, no matter what side of the fence we work on.

A good solution for the customer involves high quality product designed and installed by smart guys like Greg Ferro, not just one or the other.

Cheers,
Brad

]]> By: Greg Ferro http://etherealmind.com/cisco-gray-market-on-my-list-tips-success/comment-page-1/#comment-2224 Greg Ferro Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:18:12 +0000 http://etherealmind.com/?p=1102#comment-2224 Brad I assume that it is in your interest to sell Cisco products, and that is fair enough because it likely pays your salary. For many people, it is a primary concern to ensure that money is spent on services. That is, paying for engineers to do the installation - because that is when WE get a salary. Right now, I find it more important to make sure my company and my position is secure - therefore I will choose to use second hand equipment where it makes sense to save money and make my budget go further. In my opinion, this doesn’t makes my position lesser, since I delivering the best solution. In fact, I am being rewarded for doing what is right for the customer. Its the solution that matters, not the product. Making money for Cisco is simply not a consideration in delivering the best solution. Not now, and not ever. Greg Brad

I assume that it is in your interest to sell Cisco products, and that is fair enough because it likely pays your salary.

For many people, it is a primary concern to ensure that money is spent on services. That is, paying for engineers to do the installation — because that is when WE get a salary. Right now, I find it more important to make sure my company and my position is secure — therefore I will choose to use second hand equipment where it makes sense to save money and make my budget go further.

In my opinion, this doesn’t makes my position lesser, since I delivering the best solution. In fact, I am being rewarded for doing what is right for the customer. Its the solution that matters, not the product.

Making money for Cisco is simply not a consideration in delivering the best solution. Not now, and not ever.

Greg

]]> By: Brad Hedlund http://etherealmind.com/cisco-gray-market-on-my-list-tips-success/comment-page-1/#comment-2212 Brad Hedlund Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:56:12 +0000 http://etherealmind.com/?p=1102#comment-2212 Just keep in mind that buying cheap, used, recycled network gear for your company's network also, in a way, diminishes your value as well. While finding a way to save the business some bucks is always a good thing, in the long run, your value is also linked to the value of the equipment you are responsible for. By not selling the value of a high quality network to the business initiatives, your career slowly morphs into that of a modern day plumber, rather than an Architect who enables the business with technology. My .02 Cheers, Brad Just keep in mind that buying cheap, used, recycled network gear for your company’s network also, in a way, diminishes your value as well. While finding a way to save the business some bucks is always a good thing, in the long run, your value is also linked to the value of the equipment you are responsible for. By not selling the value of a high quality network to the business initiatives, your career slowly morphs into that of a modern day plumber, rather than an Architect who enables the business with technology.

My .02

Cheers,
Brad

]]> By: Anon http://etherealmind.com/cisco-gray-market-on-my-list-tips-success/comment-page-1/#comment-2209 Anon Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:53:08 +0000 http://etherealmind.com/?p=1102#comment-2209 Your second-hand supplier should verify where they get their supply, and to echo Greg's wise words, you must be absolutely certain you can get maintenance coverage from Cisco for the gear, if that's important to you. One of our business units bought a pallet of second-hand 3750s, only to have several fail. Cisco wouldn't touch them, as they were registered to a different company on another continent. IOW, you can get SCREWED in the gray market if you are not careful about who you're doing business with. Saving money has its downsides if you don't do your homework. Your second-hand supplier should verify where they get their supply, and to echo Greg’s wise words, you must be absolutely certain you can get maintenance coverage from Cisco for the gear, if that’s important to you. One of our business units bought a pallet of second-hand 3750s, only to have several fail. Cisco wouldn’t touch them, as they were registered to a different company on another continent. IOW, you can get SCREWED in the gray market if you are not careful about who you’re doing business with. Saving money has its downsides if you don’t do your homework.

]]> By: Craig Askings http://etherealmind.com/cisco-gray-market-on-my-list-tips-success/comment-page-1/#comment-2208 Craig Askings Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:50:51 +0000 http://etherealmind.com/?p=1102#comment-2208 Well I must say that the company I currently worked for started out with a network built out of entirely second hand Cisco gear supplied by Mr E Bay and some local box scroungers. It worked well for us. We use new for the core (not cisco though) now days though. Well I must say that the company I currently worked for started out with a network built out of entirely second hand Cisco gear supplied by Mr E Bay and some local box scroungers. It worked well for us.

We use new for the core (not cisco though) now days though.

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