Meet Nikola Knežević, CEO of NES Communications doo Beograd and Novozen Technologies, Extreme’s Champion of the Quarter!
Nikola, you’re a natural when it comes to sales, and all sales professionals thrive on their wins. What do you consider your biggest professional achievement to date?
I don’t think it can be boiled down to just one win, client, or successful project. For me, what’s most important is the continuous and consistent growth of our business. The biggest win is when clients stay with us for years and call us for any new projects they have lined up. My fellow colleagues are the ones who are delivering great service and client satisfaction.
What do you think makes you great at what you do – developing growth strategies, expanding business to new areas and markets, or inspiring other team members as a leader?
I think my personal success stems from a combination of factors. First and foremost, I’m genuinely passionate about what I do and always try to give my clients more than they expect. As a team, we are fully committed to our clients and ensuring we go above and beyond to deliver them more value than they paid for.
Then there is my professional background and an extensive experience in the field, first as a systems and network engineer, then as a consultant, and finally as head of sales. From the very beginning I had the opportunity to design and develop some large and complex networking systems. With this hands-on experience and knowledge, I’ve not only been able to do a sales pitch to a client, but also to have a deep-dive discussion about all aspects of solutions.
You’ve been an active Extreme advocate for quite some time, rocking that Extreme Networks Sales Professional certificate for almost a decade now. Where does this dedication come from?
The team and I wouldn’t have worked with Extreme for so long if we didn’t have full faith in the technology and knowing the solutions are great and functional from day one. We have also always had great support from the entire Extreme team, starting with Michal Zlesak, Sales Director for Central & South Eastern Europe and Israel, and Kristina Osipova, our Partner Account Manager, and going all the way up to Ed Meyercord, Extreme’s CEO. Actually, we go back a long way with Michal, as far as the Enterasys days, so he is like family to us.
What Extreme products solutions resonate with you the most – both as an engineer and as a sales professional?
If I had to pick my favorite solution, my number one choice would be ExtremeCloud IQ, which provides centralized control and management of both Wi-Fi and switching, plus the ability to deploy Extreme Fabric Connect easily. We will be soon deploying such a setup at the Sava Centre in Belgrade, the largest congress, cultural, and business venue in the Balkans, owned by our dear and long-term client Delta Holding.
The total investment for the complete reconstruction of the building will exceed €100 million. With its 4,000-seat theatre hall, 45 conference halls, an exhibition area, restaurants, bars, offices, and shops, it will be the biggest and most advanced congress center in Europe. It will also become the new headquarters of our company, NES Communications.
Your company operates far beyond the Serbian market. What are your biggest Extreme win in your region?
We have a successful track record of selling and implementing Extreme solutions for some big customers representing a range of countries and verticals, including Slovenia (in the hospitality sector), Montenegro (with multiple projects in various industries), as well as projects in Bosnia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and elsewhere. The CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] region is particularly important to us, as demonstrated by a big project for the University of Central Asia, where we delivered and deployed new switching and Wi-Fi for students and staff and continue to maintain and expand the network infrastructure.
Can you remember your first, funniest, or favorite experience selling Extreme?
There’s this one memory that always makes me chuckle. It was quite some time ago, we were replacing an old networking solution at one of the luxury hotels in Montenegro. It was late June and everyone was getting ready for the new summer season. We used to do a lot of overnight work to avoid disrupting guests and staff, so we would spend some time during the day unwinding, especially since it was nice and sunny, and the water was great.
One day, one of the hotel receptionists looked at us and said, “I have never seen anyone get a vacation at a five-star hotel not only for free, but actually being paid for it.” We laughed so hard, knowing how much we worked when no one could see us. But it was somewhat true. We did enjoy some quality time at a luxury resort. Needless to say, the installed Extreme solution is operational up to this day, with some updates and upgrades done over the years.
Apart from your professional life, you did some work as a teacher. What did you enjoy and learn from that experience? Does sharing your knowledge with others bring you as much satisfaction, as learning new things yourself?
Teaching has probably been the best experience of my life, because it wasn’t only about sharing my knowledge with others, but also about being open and giving young people a chance to teach me something in return. In my teaching days, I was always interested in having an open discussion with the students, exchanging ideas, and learning how others might see things differently.
What words of wisdom do you live by?
There’s one quote that particularly resonates with me and is attributed to the great Henry Ford. “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right.” It goes to show how much attitude determines success or failure. So, I’d rather live my life thinking “Yes, I can!”
What do you do to unwind?
You could call me a family man. I love spending many hours playing LEGO with my three little boys. Although summertime is usually reserved for basketball, soccer, and biking, LEGO is the favorite pastime for all of us boys.