October Sales Engineering Braintrust

Dive into our latest Sales Engineering Braintrust and discover key sales updates to learn about emerging technology tools, industry trends, and more:

• Pathfinder Updates
  • Identify and eliminate potential cybersecurity threats to customers with our NEW Penetration Test IQA, designed by Dane Menke, Rick Mischka, and Stephen Semmelroth.
  • Explore our NEW Workflow Engagement Management (WEM) Matrix, developed by Amanda Bean, Brent Wilford, Dave Watson, and John Paullin, to efficiently compare and recommend solutions in the emerging CCaaS space.
• New Resources: New podcast episodes
  • Mastering Stakeholder Buy-In with Cybersecurity, featuring AVANT Field Sales Engineer Rick Mischka and Executive Cyber Advisor at CloudCom Group, James Beeson
  • The Future Is Resilient, with AVANT VP of Cyber Resilience, Stephen Semmelroth and Chief Evangelist at LevelBlue, Theresa Lanowitz
• Engineering Spotlight: Meet Chip Hoisington, VP of Connectivity and Colo
• Win Wire: Learn how a Trusted Advisor’s commitment to resilience outcomes encouraged a client to deepen their security investments, leading to a robust security framework and a closed deal of $22K MRR.
• Trusted Advisor Testimonials – Hear from our Trusted Advisors about their firsthand experiences winning with AVANT engineers

Pathfinder Updates 

• Check out the new Penetration Test IQA on Pathfinder, designed to help identify and minimize an organization’s security weaknesses! Built by AVANT Engineers, the Pen Test IQA will help you and your customers see the full scope of testing required to evaluate their security environment. Visit Pathfinder to start exploring the new Pen Test IQA!

• Discover the new Workflow Engagement Management (WEM) Matrix, which includes Scheduling Optimization, Quality Management, Learning & Development, & Gamification tools. Use the WEM Matrix to better understand and recommend solutions in the CCaaS space. 

New Resources – New Technology Insights Episodes

• Mastering Stakeholder Buy-In with Cybersecurity: Dive into a candid discussion on business continuity and resilience, where we share essential strategies for securing an organization and aligning cybersecurity with business goals.
• The Future Is Resilient: Gain insights into Level Blue’s recent rebranding and key takeaways from their latest industry report. Learn how to proactively enhance your cybersecurity initiatives and align them with the right people and processes for success.

Win Wire with Stephen Semmelroth

The Breakdown

• Technology Category: Security
• Customer Type: Education
• Industry: Healthcare
• Size and Scope: 2000+ employees
• MRR: $21,849 
• Winning provider: Blue Voyant 
• Competitors: Rapid7, Vigilant, eSentire

The Details

What were the drivers for the client?  

As a result of an industry survey conducted by the client, they discovered their security investment was insufficient compared to their peers. They were lacking many security outcomes that are now considered table stakes, and they wanted to increase their investment to show due diligence.

How did the Trusted Advisor close the deal? 

The Trusted Advisor had an existing working relationship with the client, who recognized the TA’s longstanding commitment to resilience outcomes. When their board advised the client to invest more deeply in security, they reached out for assistance. Ultimately, the client felt that BlueVoyant best reflected their own investment in Microsoft.

How did AVANT support the win? 

Stephen Semmelroth was brought in to engage with the client. He built rapport by listening to the client and asking questions that matched their needs. Stephen’s accolades as an on-the-ground security leader were instrumental in building the trust and confidence needed to steer the client to a vendor that aligns with their goals.

Our Engineers are available and ready for you to bring them into your opportunities! Get started by filling out an IQA on Pathfinder.

Trusted Advisor Testimonials  

What are your peers saying about their experience working with AVANT Sales Engineers? 

“If Cloudbusters has done one thing wrong, it was to not lean on AVANT’s team enough when involved in client engagement. However, this is changing going forward.” – Stephen Muenstermann, Cloudbusters

“The SE was super engaging, knowledgeable, prepared, and built trust with the customer” – Todd Van Wert, Upstack: The Monaco Group

“[They are] Knowledgeable about both current state and legacy, which is critical for being prescriptive to customers about the path to real improvement.” – Raun Kilgo, ISG

Our Engineers are ready for you to put them in the game! Connect with the team to find out how to leverage their support with your open opportunities.

Engineering Spotlight 

This month, we’re spotlighting Chip Hoisington, VP of Connectivity and Colo.  

Celebrating over 10 years with AVANT, Chip Hoisington serves as the VP of Connectivity and Colo, bringing extensive IT experience in Connectivity, SD-WAN/SASE, Cloud, Colo, and Wireless technologies.

Chip began at AVANT as the Director of Global Sales, where he managed pricing and channel management teams and was responsible for recruiting and onboarding Trusted Advisors and Providers. He takes great pride in his team of Engineers and Vendor Engagement Managers, who are dedicated to the success of our Trusted Advisors and Providers. Chip’s passion lies in empowering solution experts and helping them close deals by providing strategic advice and support.

Here’s a bit more about Chip, in his own words! 

• What is something on your bucket list? Why is this something you’re hoping to do? I would love to purchase 3-5 cool properties across the country/ world. My goal is to provide friends and family with a place to stay for free, perhaps in exchange for a nice bottle of wine!
•  What is the best vacation you have ever taken? Tell us why! Key West – She said Yes! Got engaged and we’ve been married 25+ years!
• If you had your own late night talk show, who would be your first guest? What would you want to talk about?

Neil deGrasse Tyson – 3 topics:

1. Space Congestion
2. His last interview with Stephen Hawking
3. His views on Quantum Entanglement

 You can connect with Chip on LinkedIn here!