What's Your Cisco Partner Summit Wish List?

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You can't please all the people all the time.

But partners have a wish list of the things they want Cisco Systems to address when the San Jose, Calif.-based networking giant kicks off the Cisco Partner Summit in Boston Tuesday.

The Summit gathers thousands of partners from across the globe -- both physically and virtually -- to talk shop, get face time with Cisco's top channel executives and hear the latest about new programs and products and how to leverage that for their business.

Cisco partners are going into the event with a few key action items. Whether it's for more marketing support, a clear picture of Cisco's product strategy and initiatives, or insight into Cisco's strategy on how to stem the tide in an economic downturn, partners are armed with questions and hope they get answers.

Dan Holt, CEO of Heit Inc., a Fort Collins, Colo,. solution provider, says the top item on his Cisco Partner Summit wish list is marketing support.

"This year isn't that much different from the past," he said, adding he ultimately wants to leverage the Cisco Partner Summit as a learning tool to determine how to manage business better and how to get the Heit name out in front of more customers. "Number one hands-down is marketing support."

In the past, Holt said, Heit was able to host more events such as Webinars and seminars to drive business. For the most part, he said, marketing support has been shut off. He said there aren't enough marketing funds to go around to drum up business.

"We're out there selling their products and services," he said. "I don't want to see one-size-fits-all marketing, that just doesn't work. Marketing is not one size fits all. Marketing needs to be specific for partners and their markets."

Holt said the days of a 50-50 marketing split -- 50 percent from Cisco, 50 percent from Heit -- is a thing of the past.

"We want to work with the marketing teams to find a program that works for Heit; that's one way they could help our business," he said.

Tim Hebert, CEO of Warwick, R.I.-based Atrion Networking, agreed that a marketing injection would be a boost.

"If Cisco came out and said we're going to help partners generate more marketing dollars, anything they could say there would be huge," Hebert said, adding that over the past few years Cisco's programs around marketing have become less efficient.

Along with marketing support, partners want Cisco to be more price-competitive as they navigate the tough economy and "have to fight for every dime" on products, service and support, Hebert said.

"They can help us beat the competition," he said. "They can help us be more price-competitive. They don't have to be the lowest-cost player, but they need to respond and take a leadership role on price."

Lou McElwain, executive vice president of sales for New York-based BlueWater Communications Group, said he, too, is seeking information on how Cisco will help partners weather the economic storm and translate a migration strategy and dollar protection for customers.

"Customers that are able to spend are still able to look ahead two years," he said. "Customers that are choosing not to spend, none of them are looking at moving off of Cisco, but they're asking, 'What's my migration strategy? How do I protect dollars?' "

McElwain said he'd like to see Cisco respond to pricing pressure to boost sales and build elasticity, but noted that so far Cisco's main competitors aren't hurting his business.

"I do think there's more competition on a pricing level, but that makes it a value-added sale," he said.

NEXT: Partners Seek More Product Insight

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