A career in the networking industry can often make you feel you change the world for the better, connecting people, building bridges like it was LEGO. Today, we’re talking about how to be a successful sales manager, father, and… a handball coach with Trygve Wettestad from NetNordic Norway AS!
Hello Trygve, how are you during these strange and unprecedented times? How do you spend your time in lockdown? Making plans for the road trip of the century? Or maybe you’ve managed to acquire new skill that you’d never thought of learning before?
Glad you ask – unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures! Since COVID-19 set us all in a state of uncertainty, the only healthy mindset is to adapt. We've "officially" established an additional NetNordic branch office north of Oslo where I live and fully equipped it with enterprise-grade equipment from Extreme through ExtremeCloud IQ! 🙂
On the personal side we have decided to build a new cabin, which is situated close to the biggest lake in Norway, and in addition to that we had a litter of English Cocker Spaniel puppies too. It resulted in us sharing a roof with seven new doggies through the summer, and that definitely kept us busy during the lockdown!
You’ve racked up quite a career, playing key roles at both industry giants like Orange Business Services and Telia Norge (second largest mobile phone operator in Norway – editor’s note), as well as smaller and more agile technology powerhouses such as California-based Riverbed Technology and your current employer, NetNordic. Wherever you went, you were involved in the biggest deals for your companies. Could you tell us the recipe to such successful track record? 😉
Well, there's no one-size-fits-all recipe. I think it involves being curious, engaged and truly understanding your customers’ pain-points. Everywhere I go, I make sure to surround myself with brilliant and more knowledgeable colleagues and partners, which by the way has made a few of my farfetched ideas reality! At the end of the day, it's all about understanding your customers’ "why" before presenting the "what”, “how”, and “when”.
How does working for a large enterprise differ from a relatively smaller business? What environment do you feel most comfortable in, both as a professional and as a human being?
I would say all my employers have had a lot of great traits and strengths! Being employed by one of the greatest multinational services organizations as Orange has most likely laid the foundation for my professional traits I’m carrying with me today. Riverbed has developed me within the network security and services sales. At NetNordic though, I love the fact that I'm as close to the customer as possible, without having a partner in between, and I can directly address the core needs of the largest enterprise customers in Norway. NetNordic makes life easier for both me as an employee, as well as our customers, since the top management is always close by and we can adapt quickly to address our customers' needs!
Thor Milde, SVP and Head of IT Access Management at DNB joked that supporting your customers seems to be your purpose in life 😄 Which one of your roles do you like the most – an advisor, a leader or a salesperson?
Hehe… I would prefer not to choose! 😁 I believe my role is to be an advisor to my customers, a leader for my team and driving sales is essentially the result of these two elements! You never get tired of closing the deal with a customer and the thrill of seeing the real value and gratitude from your customers, knowing you've helped them along the way!
Your company, NetNordic Norway AS, sport the Extreme Black Diamond Partner title, holding master specializations across many Extreme portfolios. Basically saying, you can’t get any higher than that…
Proud to represent the top Nordic solution integrator! We will continue to develop and I’m happy to admit that one of our strategic foundations for growth is based around Extreme Networks!
Trygve Wettestad, NetNordic Norway AS
What is your personal, single favorite Extreme technology?
My personal favorite technology today has to be ExtremeCloud IQ with all the bells and whistles. Building on the ease of deployment, total control and insight brings a new era of business intelligence to our customers!
And what room for improvement do you see for the Extreme offering in the future? What new or unexplored capabilities do you feel your customers could use right now or may need someday?
If I could come forward with an ask, I would love to see more market-leading functionality around the SD-WAN/SASE areas to complete the XIQ offering. Going forward, I truly believe our customers (and we ourselves at NetNordic) will be utilizing more AI/ML insight, strengthened cybersecurity measures and blessing an even larger customer audience in Norway with the power of SPB!
Did you enjoy Extreme Partner Conference 2020? Which breakout did you like the most? What were you most excited about? Were you surprised to learn anything particularly interesting?
These days, we're surrounded with online events, webinars, etc. during the time of lockdown. But I have to admit that the Extreme Partner Conference was one of the most well-executed events this year. It's no surprise that Alexandra's and Perry's breakouts on the evolution of Wi-Fi and XIQ were the that caught my attention in particular.
You’re an experienced sales manager, motivator and inspirer internally for Extreme solutions, perfectly embodying the idea of an Extreme Champion. And we’re not alone in that opinion because a quick glimpse into the ‘Recommendations’ section on your LinkedIn profile says it all: you’re dealing with an extraordinary professional here! But let’s turn the tables for a moment. Who would you consider your greatest role model? Is there someone you’d like to thank for their support or a particularly good piece of advice?
Humbled and honored for your kind words! Well, I couldn’t have done anything in my professional career without the support of my amazing wife! She pushes me to be my best but at the same time makes sure that I keep a healthy work/life balance. As for professional role models, I have never met anyone greater than my former CTO at Riverbed – Hansang Bae. Hansang made the complexity of technology translate into direct customer value communicated with ease, simplicity and unmatched persuasion!
We know that in addition to being a great guy to work with, you also care deeply for your family and the community. What is Trygve like after hours?
When I’m not working, I’m usually travelling and exploring the world with my closest family. This is really something we miss in these extraordinary times and can't wait to book our next trip as soon as the time allows! Furthermore, I have been coaching my youngest daughter’s handball team for the past 9 years. It is extremely satisfying to watch them develop and master the art of being dependent upon their fellow teammates. As a bonus, the practices give me an excuse to do some exercising myself 😉 Hiking, retreating to the mountains, spending time with my loved ones – that is what I treasure the most!
A little bird told us that both you and Fanny Carlson, your Partner Account Manager at Extreme, are quite some LEGO enthusiasts, too! 🤓 What is the finest set in your collection?
Well, I have always been a LEGO enthusiast. Just as much today as in my youth! You can imagine the thrill I got when I landed LEGO as a large account back when I was with Orange Business Services! This is one of my largest deals ever and I had the pleasure of travelling to Billund, Denmark 3 or 4 times every month! I have my LEGO sets stacked in the attic now, but the coolest build I have done has to be the Golden Gate Bridge, by far!
What would you like 2021 to be like?
Personally, I hope 2021 brings me more professional successes that I have enjoyed in 2020. And generally, less pandemic around, of course! I would love to be able to follow up with our planned trip to Hawaii and a long visit to our extended family in Petaluma, California.
Do you feel like a champion sometimes? 😊
Without being "cocky"… yes, sometimes I do feel like a superhero without a cape. This feeling is naturally stimulated when you support your customers with their everyday challenges, getting your team to contribute to greatness and landing those strategic sales we strive for every single day!