Cisco Sales Specialist (EA)

What you’ll be doing

Sales & Opportunity Leadership

• Working with account managers and our customers, you will create, qualify, and progress a pipeline of Cisco EA opportunities across Networking, Security, Collaboration, Data Centre, and Observability.
• Analyse boxxe and Cisco provided data to find opportunities in the current install base.
• Engage early to shape buying strategy, consolidate SKUs, and position commercial value (TCO/ROI) aligned to business outcomes.
• Own scoping, pricing, and proposal creation in CCW/EAWS; lead negotiations to closure with clear win plans and close plans.
• Drive upsell/cross-sell, multi-architecture expansions, and co-terming to maximise ARR and margin.
• Drive NRR growth in all existing accounts.
• Run EA discovery sessions, value workshops, and roadmap reviews to simplify licensing and communicate outcomes.
• Act as the primary point of contact for EA queries, tenders, and commercials; ensure smooth handoff to Customer Success for adoption.
• Support renewals and true-ups with proactive consumption insights to secure timely, right-sized renewals.

Commercial Structuring & Governance

• Build financial models (baseline vs. EA, consolidation, migration scenarios) and articulate business cases for decision-makers.
• Leverage Cisco programs, incentives, and deal mechanics to optimise price, rebates, and profitability.
• Ensure clean operational handover: accurate BoMs, entitlements, and documented assumptions for onboarding.
• Partner with Account Managers and Solution Architects to align EA architectures with customer requirements.
• Coordinate with Cisco (PSS, BDMs, specialists) on co-sell motions, approvals, and escalations.
• Enable the field through playbooks and training.

Reporting & Forecasting

• Collaborate with Sales to maintain accurate pipeline, forecasts, and key metrics (ARR, NRR, ACV, margin) in CRM; track deal risks and next actions.
• Collaborate with Customer Success to ensure consumption and entitlement insights that inform renewal timing, true-ups, and expansion plays are delivered in a timely fashion.
• Manage the sales lifecycle of Cisco Enterprise Agreements, including, renewals, amendments, expansions, and true-ups.
• Validate EA BoMs, pricing structures, product families, and licensing alignment.
• Respond to customer inquiries and support internal teams with EA-related questions.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with Sales, Operations, Finance, Customer Success, and Engineering teams to ensure seamless EA delivery.
• Participate in customer and internal meetings to provide EA expertise, usage insights, and renewal guidance.
• Support Customer Success initiatives and understand end-to-end operational workflows impacting service quality.

Tools & Systems

• Extensive use of Cisco and internal systems:
• Cisco CCW / CCWR, EAWS (Enterprise Agreement Workspace), Smart Accounts & Virtual Accounts, Software Central, Cisco Ready.
• Internal CRM/ERP for pipeline, forecasting, quotes, and approvals.
• Vendor incentive/partner portals to leverage promotions, rebates, and funding.

Requirements

Experience

• Proven experience selling and structuring Cisco Enterprise Agreements within a partner, reseller, vendor, or distribution environment.
• Hands-on expertise with Cisco licensing programs and tooling: CCW, EAWS, Smart Accounts, Cisco Ready, and Software Central.
• Strong commercial acumen: financial modelling (TCO/ROI), pricing, margin/discount management, and deal qualification (MEDDICC or similar).
• Track record of closing multi-architecture software deals and driving renewals/expansions (ARR and NRR growth).
• Ability to translate technical architectures into clear business outcomes for senior stakeholders.

Preferred Skills

• Awareness of Cisco Customer Experience (CX) motions and adoption plays tied to EA value realisation.
• Data analytics to discover opportunities in existing accounts.
• Understanding of Cisco partner programs, incentives, and funding mechanisms.
• Exposure to other enterprise licensing frameworks (e.g., Microsoft, VMware, Fortinet) and competitive positioning.

Soft Skills & Personal Attributes

• Consultative communicator with strong presentation, good negotiation skills and a focus on customer outcomes.
• Collaborative team player able to influence cross-functional stakeholders and executive sponsors.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and outcome-oriented with high attention to detail and pace.

• Proven experience selling and structuring Cisco Enterprise Agreements within a partner, reseller, vendor, or distribution environment.
• Hands-on expertise with Cisco licensing programs and tooling: CCW, EAWS, Smart Accounts, Cisco Ready, and Software Central.
• Strong commercial acumen: financial modelling (TCO/ROI), pricing, margin/discount management, and deal qualification (MEDDICC or similar).
• Track record of closing multi-architecture software deals and driving renewals/expansions (ARR and NRR growth).
• Ability to translate technical architectures into clear business outcomes for senior stakeholders.

Preferred Skills

• Awareness of Cisco Customer Experience (CX) motions and adoption plays tied to EA value realisation.
• Data analytics to discover opportunities in existing accounts.
• Understanding of Cisco partner programs, incentives, and funding mechanisms.
• Exposure to other enterprise licensing frameworks (e.g., Microsoft, VMware, Fortinet) and competitive positioning., * Consultative communicator with strong presentation, good negotiation skills and a focus on customer outcomes.
• Collaborative team player able to influence cross-functional stakeholders and executive sponsors.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and outcome-oriented with high attention to detail and pace.