In June 2017, Nitel appointed telecom industry sales expert, Taylor Castranova as vice president of channel sales and account development. We sat down with Taylor to learn more about why she joined Nitel, what her new role at the company entails, and what she hopes to accomplish for Nitel’s channel partners and customers.
Q: What attracted you to Nitel?
A: There were a couple of reasons why I chose to join Nitel. First of all, I like the entrepreneurial spirit that lives within Nitel and its employees. From the start, the company impressed me as a nimble, fast-growing organization driving change in the marketplace. Nitel is truly unique in its ability to customize managed telecom services based on the needs of the customer. Next, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to build the Account Development team from the ground up. To be able to focus on and define the journey our partners and customers take when they engage with Nitel is tremendously exciting for me, and I’m looking forward to working with our team to expand our partner portfolio and customer relationships.
Q: What are some of your initial goals and objectives during your first days and months at Nitel?
A: I will be focused on several things including identifying where Nitel fits within the partner ecosystem and nurturing and expanding our relationships. As part of this exercise, I will be evaluating partner success rates, looking for ways to replicate that success across a broader partner base. I’ll also be building out our Account Development team – hiring regional talent that will be tasked with building relationships with our partners and customers, and working with them to implement strategies and tactics for driving growth, increasing sales and improving the partner and customer experience.
Q: What do you see as the biggest opportunity for Nitel partners?
A: The recent expansion of Nitel’s service offering opens up a tremendous amount of opportunity for Nitel channel partners. Strictly from a revenue perspective, the market for software defined services is exploding right now. But just as important, it allows us to rethink our approach to solution design and delivery. One of my top priorities will be to lead a movement that places greater emphasis than ever before on needs analysis and solution selling. The result will be increased opportunity for Nitel and its channel partners as well as greater customer satisfaction.
Q: What is your business philosophy?
A: My business philosophy is built on four words – innovation, collaboration, fun and accountability. I will use these four concepts to guide how I build my team at Nitel as well as developing our partnerships. Through this approach, I am confident that we’ll be able to assemble a strong team and drive loyalty and success within our partner and customer bases.
Q: In your view, what are some of the top industry trends that partners should be aware of?
A: Customers today are looking for provider who can help them manage and adapt to the rapidly evolving technology landscape. They are looking for agility, knowledge and expertise around building solutions than can help them do more with less as IT organizations continue to consolidate their resources. Nitel is well-positioned to help our partners achieve success through our pre-sales engagement, dedicated account management and post-install support. Additionally, SD-WAN is a big focus and will remain so in the near term due to its ability to maintain high levels of performance and security in support of key business applications including IoT. Nitel’s consultative approach to SD-WAN and our ability to customize solutions based on the unique needs of the customers is a huge differentiator for us in this area.
Q: On a personal level, what do you enjoy doing away from the office?
A: When I’m not working with our team to drive partner and customer success,, I am usually hiking the trails near my home in Maryland. Some of the most exciting hikes I’ve ever done have been in Costa Rica, the California Redwoods and a hike to the top of Mt. Washington.