Cisco Partner Sales

Learner Journey
To achieve Black Belt Sales badges (and Fire Jumper
Academy certification during the process), learners
must successfully complete Black Belt Stages 1-3 in
linear order. *

Process Overview

Black Belt Stage 1: Sales Associate Badge (cross-architecture)

6 learning maps
+ 1 Security learning map (same as Fire Jumper Stage 1)

Black Belt Stage 2: Security Sales Specialist Badge (architecture-specific)

5 learning maps (same as Fire Jumper Stages 2-4; earns Fire Jumper certificate & badge)
+ Deal ID submitted in Black Belt Stage 2 form

Black Belt Stage 3: Sales Vertical Expert Badge (industry-specific)

Pre-requisites: Black Belt Sales Stage 1, Black Belt Partner Success Sales Stage 2, any Black Belt Architecture
Sales Stage 2 learning map*, and Black Belt DevNet Application Developer Stage 1

+ 1 Black Belt Sales Stage 3 vertical learning map of your choice

+ Sales Order Number (cross-architecture SKUs within the past 9 months)

 Niche providers must still complete all of Black Belt Stage 1, but then can choose to complete only the Black Belt
Stage 2 Security competency learning maps that most closely align to what Cisco allows them to sell (which will
not earn you a Black Belt Stage 2 badge, since you would not have completed every learning map in Black Belt
Stage 2). Opting this route, you can still get a Fire Jumper certificate and you can still pursue the Black Belt Stage 3
Sales Vertical Expert badge, if you also complete the Fire Jumper Stages 3 and 4 learning map (which is listed in
Black Belt Stage 2).
 Getting Started

(1) Visit the Black Belt Academy hub. Scroll to “Partner Training” and click on the “Sales” box. Then scroll
down and click on the “Stage 1: Sales Associate” box.

(2) Register for all 7 of the Black Belt Stage 1 Sales Associate learning maps. This stage is on-demand learning
and provides a cross-architecture learning experience spanning Partner Success, Enterprise Networking:
IBN & Meraki, Data Center, Collaboration, Security and IoT learning modules. At minimum, you must
complete all content in the Essentials portions of each referenced learning map to earn your Black Belt
Sales Associate badge, which is the first step toward earning the Black Belt Security Sales Specialist badge.

Successful completion of the Security learning map in Black Belt Stage 1 below satisfies the requirements
for Stage 1 of Fire Jumper (on your journey to achieve Fire Jumper certification), but all of the other
modules in Black Belt Stage 1 Sales Associate are still required to earn a Stage 1 Black Belt Sales Associate
badge.

Black Belt Partner Academy Security Powered by Fire Jumper – Sales Stage 1 FY21 ( Partners only )
Instructions a-c below are exclusively for the Security portion of Black Belt Sales Stage 1.

a. Watch all videos listed and take the Stage 1 learning map quiz.
i. While reviewing the “additional resources” and “important material” is not required, it is
highly encouraged.

b. You should see a green checkmark/button upon successful completion of each module.
i. Sometimes the system will expect you to have clicked on every “additional resource” and
all of the “important material” in order to give you a green checkmark/button.

c. Please also provide a starred rating of the training content as a whole after you complete the
learning map and quiz.

NOTE: If you also have completed all of the other Black Belt Sales Stage 1 learning maps (not just
Security), then after you pass those quizzes, you should see the “View Certificate” button at the top of
the learning maps and be able to download the Black Belt Sales Stage 1 completion certificate. Keep in
mind that a Black Belt completion certificate is simply proof of completion. It is not the same as official
Fire Jumper certification (which requires successful completion of all four Fire Jumper stages – and, at
this point, you will have only completed Fire Jumper Stage 1). However, the Black Belt Sales Stage 1
completion certificate does earn you a Black Belt Sales Associate badge – which can be accessed in the
My Profile section of SalesConnect, typically within 7-10 business days after completion of the full set
of 7 learning maps for Black Belt Sales Stage 1.
(3) Register for any of the Black Belt Stage 2 Sales Specialist learning maps listed below, depending on your
competency area of interest. Black Belt Stage 2 is available for each Cisco architecture. Its security learning
maps are powered by Fire Jumper and serve as a deep dive into the Cisco Secure portfolio. Within the
Security portion of Black Belt Stage 2, there are four competency areas: Access & Endpoint, Cloud Security,
Network Security, and Visibility & Segmentation. All four competency tracks are required to earn the Black
Belt Stage 2 Security Sales Specialist badge.

However, if your organization is a niche provider and only approved to sell certain portions of the Cisco
Secure portfolio, then you may choose to fully complete only the competency tracks for Black Belt Stage 2
Security Sales Specialist that most closely align with your organization’s approved Cisco Secure portfolio
selling list. Your completion of those competency tracks will be automatically documented by the Black Belt
team, as well as by the Fire Jumper team, but you will not earn a Black Belt Stage 2 Security Sales Specialist
badge. If you also complete the 5th learning map in Black Belt Stage 2 (for Fire Jumper Stages 3 and 4), then
you can still earn a Fire Jumper certificate and a Fire Jumper badge in the specified competencies.

Black Belt Stage 2 is on-demand learning. Please watch all videos and take the corresponding quizzes.

Black Belt Partner Academy Security Powered by Fire Jumper – Sales (Partner Only) - Access and
Endpoint - Stage 2 FY21

Black Belt Partner Academy Security Powered by Fire Jumper – Sales (Partner Only) - Cloud Security -
Stage 2 FY21

Black Belt Partner Academy Security Powered by Fire Jumper – Sales (Partner Only) - Network Security -
Stage 2 FY21

Black Belt Partner Academy Security Powered by Fire Jumper – Sales- Visibility and Segmentation - Stage
2 FY21 (Partners Only)

a. If you have clicked on all of these links, including the “additional resources,” then after you pass all
quizzes in this section, you will automatically be marked as such in our records. However, you will
not yet have earned Fire Jumper certification or the Black Belt Stage 2 Security Sales Specialist
badge. Both programs require you to successfully pass an instructor-led, 3-day course (including
validation of your ability to apply the knowledge learned to date using the formats taught in that 3-
day course). This course is available via the learning map in Item #4 below.

b. Please also provide a starred rating of the training content as a whole when you complete the
competency learning maps above.
(4) Register for the Fire Jumper - Sales - Trusted Advisor and SAFE PIN Validation – Stages 3 and 4 FY21
learning map. This is the 5th learning map in Black Belt Sales Stage 2 - Security.

a. This learning map covers instructor-led trainings conducted over 3 consecutive days (~5 hours per
day with breaks).

b. To successfully complete these combined stages (earning your Fire Jumper certification and Fire
Jumper badge), you must attend all 3 days with active participation and “pass” the interactive
knowledge validation exercises conducted throughout the event.

c. In addition to registering for this learning map, you also must register for the training event itself.

d. Approximately 8-10 such events are offered quarterly, so register early and be sure you are able to
attend – since each event hosts ~15 people and wait-listing is common.

e. Upon successful completion of this learning map (i.e., including a “passing” score from the
instructor), expect to see a 95-98% completion status in your SalesConnect learning map. To achieve
100%, you will need to submit the official Fire Jumper certificate and a Deal ID into the Black Belt
Academy Stage 2 submission form. IMPORTANT: Within 7-10 business days after completing the
Fire Jumper Stages 3 and 4 course, you should receive (via email) your Fire Jumper certificate and a
Fire Jumper digital badge for use in your email signature. This is the certificate you will need to
upload into the Black Belt Academy Stage 2 submission form (along with a relevant Deal ID) so you
can also earn the Black Belt Stage 2 Security Sales Specialist badge.

(5) Fire Jumper Certification Validity – The Fire Jumper Academy has added a recertification process.

a. Since the Engineering learning maps have been in use much longer than the ones for Sales
Representatives, we have communicated that all Engineers who have earned a Cisco Fire Jumper
certificate prior to August 1, 2020 are required to recertify by July 31, 2021 – and then their
certificates will be valid for 2 Cisco fiscal years.

b. The Sales Representatives recertification requirement is undergoing a pilot during 2HFY21 with
plans to fully launch the Sales portion of the recertification process at the start of FY22. Essentially, if
your certification lapses, then you must start at the beginning (Stage 1) and complete all 4 Fire
Jumper stages successfully to achieve valid Fire Jumper certification status. However, the
recertification process allows a shortcut, where you can submit 4 Cisco SAFE workflows with
commentary in order to apply for recertification (and avoid starting the entire learning process
over). The recertification process and submission template are included in the Fire Jumper Sales
Stages 3 & 4 learning map above.

c. At this time, Black Belt Academy does not have a recertification requirement or process.
(6) Register for any of the Black Belt Stage 3 learning maps, depending on your vertical industry area of
interest.

a. This stage is designed to help you stay current on market trends and Cisco positioning in verticals
(including use cases coupled with the Cisco Partner ecosystem). It focuses on an end-to-end
approach spanning Cisco architectures and solutions to accelerate your ability to drive business
outcomes and profitable growth by delivering the best customer experience in the industry. You will
learn how to change the conversation to speak about challenges for various lines of business.

b. Pre-requisites for this badge include courses outside of Black Belt Stage 1 and all of Black Belt
Security Stage 2, which you likely completed above. Specifically, you must

i. Earn the Black Belt Sales Stage 1 badge (all 7 learning maps, including Security)

ii. Complete Black Belt Partner Success Sales Stage 2

iii. Complete any Black Belt Architecture Sales Stage 2 learning map (e.g., Security)
1. Remember that if you are a niche provider, it is acceptable to only complete the
Security competency learning maps that align most closely with what you are
approved to sell, as opposed to all 4 competency learning maps.

iv. Complete the Black Belt DevNet Application Developer Stage 1 learning map

v. Complete the Black Belt Sales Vertical Stage 3 learning map of your choice
1. Visit the Black Belt Academy hub. Scroll to “Partner Training” and click on the
“Sales” box. Then scroll down and click on the “Stage 3: Vertical Expert” box.

vi. Submit a Sales Order Number as per the submission guidelines (cross-architecture SKUs and
updated within the past 9 months) located inside each vertical learning map – usually as the
last asset listed

c. Upon completion and validation, you will have earned a Black Belt Stage 3 Sales Vertical Expert
badge, which will be visible under the My Profile section of SalesConnect (typically within 7-10
business days of your completion and validation of Black Belt Stage 3).

d. To continue your learning, we suggest you visit the Black Belt “Sales: Ongoing” tab. It contains
material on the latest technology trends, challenges, requirements, customer use cases and
solutions available.

If you have further questions, contact the Black Belt Support Team or firejumper@cisco.com.