← Nutanix
Nutanix role-play cheat sheet
For the mock cold call at the end of most SDR interviews.
What they sell, in one line
Software that lets companies run their apps and data across their own data centers and public clouds from one platform.
Who you'd be calling
IT Directors, VP Infrastructure, and Heads of Virtualization at mid-size and large companies running their own data centers.
Your opener
“Hi [Name], this is [You] from Nutanix. I know I'm calling out of the blue. Do you have 30 seconds to tell you why I called, and then you can decide if it's worth more time?”
Problems you solve for them
- Old data center setups are expensive and hard to manage
- Switching between data centers and public clouds is messy
- Virtualization licensing changes are pushing teams to look at other options
Discovery questions to ask
- How are you running your servers and virtual machines today?
- What's the most annoying part of managing that setup?
- Is there a renewal or hardware refresh coming up in the next year or so?
Objections they'll throw at you
“I'm busy right now.”
→ Totally get it, I'll be quick. Can I grab 2 minutes now, or is there a better time later this week?
“We're not interested.”
→ Fair enough, I'm not sure it's a fit either. Out of curiosity, is that because your infrastructure is working well or because it's not a priority right now?
“We already use VMware or another platform.”
→ Plenty of teams do, and a lot of them are still looking at options as costs and licensing shift. Would it be worth a short chat to see how Nutanix compares?
“Just send me an email.”
→ Happy to. So I don't send you something useless, what's the one infrastructure issue you'd most want to fix this year?
Competitors worth knowing
VMware by Broadcom, Microsoft Hyper-V, Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization
Interview tips for this company
- Learn the basics: what virtualization, hyperconverged infrastructure and hybrid cloud mean, in one sentence each.
- Know that Nutanix is often pitched as an alternative to VMware, and be ready to say why that matters to a buyer.
Written from public information about Nutanix to help you practice. Ask an insider what their role play looked like; it's the best prep there is.