VMware, the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, delivers customer-proven solutions that significantly reduce IT complexity and enable more flexible, agile service delivery. With more than 190,000 customers and 25,000 partners, VMware helps organizations of all sizes lower costs, preserve freedom of choice, and energize business through IT.
"We have a great relationship with Baker Communications going back several years. We partnered with Baker and our regional partners in Asia in our first server refresh play. It was based on Baker's unique methodology, which integrates sales, marketing, training, measurement, and CRM adoption activities into one highly targeted and directed sales play. The play ran in Asia, and it produced fantastic results."
Mike Clayville, Vice President, North American Sales, VMwareChallenge 1: Server Refresh — Asia
The Solution
Baker's unique methodology integrates sales, marketing, training, measurement, and CRM adoption activities into one highly targeted and directed sales play. Working with VMware and regional partners across Asia, Baker built and ran a Server Refresh play focused on uncovering net new business opportunities across a broad customer base.
The Results
| Category | Play-Related Revenue |
| Licenses | $7,800,000 |
| Servers | $21,700,000 |
| Storage | $9,250,000 |
"We believe in the Baker strategy because it is a systematic, repeatable, manageable, measurable method of prospecting. Prospecting and messaging activities are consistent across our large sales community and institutionalized while integrating the rest of the organization around this crucial methodology."
Mike Clayville, Vice President, North American Sales, VMwareChallenge 2: Customer Reactivation
The Solution
Building on the success of the plays in Asia, VMware worked with Baker to create and deploy a new Customer Reactivation play to re-activate customers that had stopped purchasing from VMware.
The Results
$3,159,915 in net new pipeline.
| Reactivation Play Cumulative Metrics | |
| # of Total Opportunities | 73 |
| # of Closed Opportunities | 41 |
| Total Pipeline | $3,159,915 |
| Closed Opportunity Value | $1,341,279 |
| 8-Week Activity Sample | |
| Follow-up calls | 879 |
| Connects | 183 |
| Connects converted to Qualified Leads | 40% |
Challenge 3: Launching a Global Initiative — Europe
The Solution
Due to the success of the Asia play and Customer Reactivation play, VMware decided to test the Server Refresh Power! Play in Europe. Working with Baker Communications' partner Mentor Group, a team of 12 inside sales representatives in Cork, Ireland ran the play.
The Results
| Server Refresh Power! Play — Ireland | |
| # of Total Opportunities | 156 |
| # of Closed Opportunities | 51 |
| Total Pipeline | $4.1 million |
| Closed Opportunity Value | $1,024,963 |
Over the course of the play in Ireland, the team uncovered 156 new opportunities representing $4.1 million in net new pipeline — demonstrating that the Baker methodology is repeatable, scalable, and effective across geographies and sales cultures.
