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STAGING CISCO’S GRAND ENTRANCE INTO A NEW MARKET

Cisco built its reputation on selling routers and switches. In 2009, the company entered the server market as well, naming the data center as a strategic focus for the company. Cisco asked Rainmaker to help the global sales force understand why Cisco was entering this new market, and to create and disseminate a strong, consistent message about how the company intended to prevail.

Listening is the first and most important phase of communications development—especially when there are multiple stakeholders and many potential critics. And we listened to a lot of people: in sales, engineering, marketing and corporate communications—and, of course, to Cisco’s customers. Working closely with the sales executive and a cross-functional team, we implemented a comprehensive communications plan aimed at informing and inspiring the field and bringing consistency to the messaging. Within two years, Cisco rose to #2 in the U.S. blade server market.

“Rainmaker brings talent, passion and a sense of urgency. Their broad range of skills and deep technology expertise enabled them to become immersed in Cisco, shaping our strategy and messaging in a high-focus area for the company, and helping the field and our customers understand our unique value proposition.”

—Stephanie Carullo, Worldwide Vice President, Data Center Sales, Cisco