Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

SA Pooling is a lie

I asked my management chain and they said this is not happening. Must only be commercial.

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| 2969 views | | 29 replies (last January 6, 2022) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1eCnRRzT

29 replies (most recent on top)

@3vdb+1eCnRRzT true. AMs will be expected to start doing their job and not suck at it.

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Post ID: @3mri+1eCnRRzT

@2nzc+1eCnRRzT my thought was not that a customer would not know the AM was using C2E, I don't see C2E being in the customer view. What I was pondering was could the AM make the correct selection using the C2E tool to find the correct resource without this driving another round of meetings both internal and customer facing. I see this often when the question is around technology and not a product. The fact being the AM will select the SE(if they are pooled) that they have been working with. Now if the SE changes rolls the AM will feel screwed as the other AMs in the region will still be using their old SEs. In the end the AM will have to work harder...no bones around that.

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Post ID: @3vdb+1eCnRRzT

Imagine a customer choosing to go with a competitor because the account manager is an anti-vax nutcase. Oh wait it's already happening!

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Post ID: @2gda+1eCnRRzT

@2kli+1eCnRRzT I can’t imagine a real customer making the huge decision to go with a competitor because the AM had to click on a tool to request the TSA rather than sending an email.

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Post ID: @2nzc+1eCnRRzT

EK is pushing full steam ahead with his disaster of a program called C2E and his Center of Excellent Centers which sounds so awesome but it is what is called Agile TSA. C2E and Agile TSA have become a competitive disadvantage to Cisco. When customers are asking if they will be subject to this is very telling and obviously the competition is planting that seed. We have lost so many excellent people due to C2E and Agile TSA. I have had multiple customers ask why Cisco is losing such great people and why are are moving away from technical relationships. Customers do not want this and are voting with their spend.

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Post ID: @2kli+1eCnRRzT

We’re actually accelerating it to see if we can roll this out to my SEs in Q3!

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Post ID: @2ssf+1eCnRRzT

I heard the same rumor about EK leaving. But still told to plan for pooling.

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Post ID: @2qxr+1eCnRRzT

Actually heard they slammed the brakes on this as it wasn’t working and now EK is heading to a competitor.

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Post ID: @1buy+1eCnRRzT

Commercial SAs will be going pool via C2E. Next-Gen GVE for commercial SAs.

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Post ID: @1czc+1eCnRRzT

@1zwf+1eCnRRzT And the metrics would show who is actually working.

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Post ID: @1atg+1eCnRRzT

A lot of dynamics at play. SP and Enterprise are not going to see a pooled model via C2E. Look at at simply from the stand point of who does the C2E request? The AM? We all know most large enterprise AMs just don't function in this way. The SA in these accounts is as important or more than the AMs. SLED is still up in the air and commercial a work in progress. On the lower end of commercial C2E would work but on the top 50% of those accounts it just doesn't work (see enterprise above). The commercial issue is how do you split the baby(ie SEMs/RMs, SSEMs/ODs).....this has been tried before and failed. If you take a region of SAs in commercial and place them into C2E about 75% of the work will be done by the 2 top SAs. There is just a huge delta between those really good SAs and those in the bottom half.

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Post ID: @1zwf+1eCnRRzT

@1oyv+1eCnRRzT WTF is a “strategic architect”?! We Systems Architect , then came the prima donnas of the BA type and now a “strategic architect”?! I call BS

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Post ID: @1afd+1eCnRRzT

RTP is closing.
Confirmed .

For once I have beat the regular RTP guy at posting this. 👻

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Post ID: @1nrm+1eCnRRzT

I was told commercial SAs will not be pooled. The plan is to just lay them off since those accounts will be covered by GVE.

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Post ID: @1qnk+1eCnRRzT

This is true. I’m an SEM and I’ve already rolled up my raises.

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Post ID: @1nus+1eCnRRzT

Actually my SED just told me all SAs are getting a big raise at the start of the second half. To stop the exodus.

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Post ID: @1pzk+1eCnRRzT

The reason they are positioning more BAs is that when SAs go complexly pooled (C2E), BAs will be the strategic architect and no longer the SA. The writing is on the wall regarding the future of the SA. It is time to start listening to the competition when they call.

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Post ID: @1oyv+1eCnRRzT

@1cvj+1eCnRRzT

If the mgmt wants to reduce OPEX in sales then why do they have these BAs and self-styled “non-technical “ customer facing CTOs? Get rid of them first - they are useless, bring no revenue at all and does absolutely nothing but give lip service while scribbling on Miro . Cisco Certified Miro Experts 🙄

You are looking through the wrong end of the telescope. With all the high quality BAs and CTOs driving future income streams, why do we need account SEs?

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Post ID: @1lrm+1eCnRRzT

If the mgmt wants to reduce OPEX in sales then why do they have these BAs and self-styled “non-technical “ customer facing CTOs? Get rid of them first - they are useless, bring no revenue at all and does absolutely nothing but give lip service while scribbling on Miro . Cisco Certified Miro Experts 🙄

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Post ID: @1cvj+1eCnRRzT

Cisco management would never ever lie or mislead us. Right?

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Post ID: @1zqs+1eCnRRzT

SEs / SAs have been underserved and underpaid for way too long and now they are leaving and making more money at the competition. Leaving before C2E becomes fully implemented is best for everyone. C2E is going to limit professional growth and career.

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Post ID: @1txk+1eCnRRzT

@1rev+1eCnRRzT you’re just wrong. Cisco pays less in total for sales engineering than companies it compares itself to. If it wants to lower sales expenses it can fire all the useless AMs or make products that are better.

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Post ID: @1ynp+1eCnRRzT

C2E for all segments and all SA roles. The Cisco SE is too expensive. EK and SEDs should be representing all of us and they are not. They are padding their paychecks at the expense of pooling us via C2E. The Cisco SE will make even less under C2E. C2E is a career limiter.

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Post ID: @1rev+1eCnRRzT

Being an SA sucks. Too broad a portfolio, and expected to be a mini-AM.

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Post ID: @yxd+1eCnRRzT

Agreed this is definitely not happening outside of commercial. In fact even for some architectures it’s being rolled back.

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Post ID: @xcz+1eCnRRzT

@vai+1eCnRRzT You know commercial is just a tiny part of Cisco, right? Stop saying SA applies to the segments that cover the real customers.

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Post ID: @iad+1eCnRRzT

It is happening. You can count on it. The cost of pre-sales engineering is too much. That is direct from the EK. His whole plan is to pool everyone to include SAs. He can pay everyone less and cash in on a big pay raise for himself. The attrition on the pre-sales engineering side is significant. Great talent and skills are leaving due to this.

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Post ID: @vai+1eCnRRzT

Of course they’d say that, that’s what they want you to think.

Now, where’s that tinfoil? I need a new hat.

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Post ID: @hnw+1eCnRRzT

Yeh dotn’t fall for the lies. Pooling is not gonna happen.

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Post ID: @aaa+1eCnRRzT

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