My Experience with Cisco’s IT Sales Job Simulation
As someone curious about the world of cybersecurity, I recently embarked on an exciting journey through Cisco’s IT Sales Cybersecurity Virtual Experience Program on Forage. This free, online simulation offered me a unique glimpse into the life of a cybersecurity professional at Cisco, one of the leading companies in the field. Here’s a summary of my experience, hopefully you get to learn something from it.
The first thing I should mention is how accessible the program is. It’s free and online, so I could start right away from the comfort of my home. The program is self-paced, meaning I could complete it on my own schedule. This flexibility was a huge plus, especially for someone like me who juggles multiple responsibilities.
The simulation focused on securing and running meetings with clients as an IT Sales Account Manager and presenting these solutions as a Sales Engineer. Here’s a brief overview of what I did:
1. Securing Clients and Running Meetings: I learned how to construct a concise but convincing email for a first time/prospective client. Convincing them on the need to choose my product and set up a meeting for further discussion.
2. Using the Cisco Story: I used Cisco’s story to engage customers, explaining how Cisco’s solutions could address their specific needs. This storytelling approach helps build trust and rapport with clients.
3. Uncovering Customer Pain Points: By asking the right questions and actively listening, I was able to uncover the main pain points and concerns of the customers. This step is crucial for tailoring the solutions to meet their needs. While also convincing them of the benefits of Cisco’s products.
4. Pitching a Cisco Product: Finally, I pitched a Cisco product (Cisco Umbrella) that would solve the customer’s concerns. This involved presenting the product’s features and benefits in a clear and compelling way, showing how it could address their specific issues.
Through this simulation, I gained a variety of valuable skills:
1. Analysis: I learned to analyze client needs and identify potential solutions.
2. Client Research: Researching clients helped me understand their specific cybersecurity challenges and needs.
3. Discovery: I discovered potential security gaps and issues within a client’s infrastructure.
4. Objection Handling: I became adept at handling objections from clients and addressing their concerns effectively.
5. Preparation: I learned the importance of preparation in securing meetings and presenting solutions.
6. Presentation: Presenting solutions clearly and effectively to clients is a key skill I developed.
7. Prospecting: Identifying potential clients who could benefit from enhanced cybersecurity measures.
8. Public Speaking: Practicing public speaking skills to present information confidently to an audience. I’m practicing this because I want to get much better at it.
9. Research: Staying updated with the latest threats and security technologies. It’s important to do findings on the organization and their current challenges, the people who will be in the meeting and competitors as it you’re more informed and better prepared on questions that could be asked and the prospective outcome of the meeting.
10. Written Communication: Writing clear and concise reports and emails for effective client communication.
One of the most valuable parts of the program was the hands-on experience. Instead of just reading about cybersecurity, I performed tasks that simulate real-world scenarios. For example, I constructed several email communications to clients, I created slide presentations and presented(voiced) them as well like I would in a real world scenario. These activities helped me understand how cybersecurity theories are applied in practice. I hope to be able to share the slides I made here soon so check for an update on that later.
My favorite part was getting to learn and research about Cisco products and realizing how much of a security giant Cisco truly is. It would be a sin to not list the products here. Below are Cisco products and their uses:
- Enterprise Networking — Cloud-managed networking hardware with Cisco Meraki.
- Collaboration — Unified communications using the Webex App.
- Data Center — Infrastructure management through Intersight.
- Security — Secure authentication through Duo.
Beyond the technical skills, the simulation also provided valuable career insights. It highlighted different roles within the field of cybersecurity, such as IT Sales Account Manager and Sales Engineer. Each role requires a unique set of skills and qualifications, which the program explained.
This was truly a worthwhile experience. I will be posting on every simulation I do onwards and advice you to attempt them too especially if you’re new in your Tech journey, there are job simulations for different roles not just cybersecurity. The best part is you get to join their talent pool and might just be lucky to land a job. Grateful for the opportunity Forage is giving to us. Check out theforage.com and start one today!
Until next time, find me where the good guys are!